Creatures of Snow (14 page)

“What about the theory
that they are the ones who created the Levels?” The question came
down from one of the upper rows. It was a voice he recognized
instantly.

“I’ve heard the legends,
but there is little scientific evidence to support such a theory.
The amount of power it would take to perform something is well
beyond what we believe an Iko or Telic is capable of.” Professor
Finley pushed her glasses up her nose once again. “I’m sorry, Ms.
Rekkert.” Professor Finley directed her response to the question
above Sky’s head. “I know the history of your clan have their own
stories about the creation and purpose of the Levels, but it just
doesn’t seem to be a theory with much weight.”

“I wouldn’t dismiss it all
together.” Sky blurted out without meaning to. “I mean, I wouldn’t
dismiss it as a theory just because of lack of evidence. Legends
often have more truth in them than the records of history – you
just have to look a little harder to find it.” He fought the urge
to look up. He didn’t have to. He could already feel the heat of
Sara’s spiteful gaze.

Sara let out a little
laugh, “I never put much faith in the legends. I only wanted it
confirmed. The Haven races are weak and selfish creatures that
mankind put too much trust in, only to be abandoned and
betrayed.”

“What do you know about
it?” He turned in his seat to face her, a fire starting deep in his
veins. “It’s the humans fault all that happened.”

Sara’s face glowed with a
menacing smile.

“Believe what you want.”
He shrugged, “I don’t need to defend them.” He forced himself to
calm down. Her smug look was all he needed to see in order to
realize she was just pushing his buttons.

Sara backed off with a huff and a shake of
her head. “Good. And you don’t need to be defending silly legends
of people you know nothing about either.”

The class remained still
and silent as he turned back around. He was sure none of them had
any idea what that whole ruckus was about. Honestly, he didn’t
either. He should have been used to people talking badly about the
Haven races.

After a look of sympathy,
Professor Finley moved the lecture along, but Sky was done paying
attention. He was much too busy picking at the small scratch in the
finish of his desk to hone in on any of her words.

Well, at least until he
heard her say. “Looks like we’re out of time.”

Sky shoved his books and
tablet back into his bag. He didn’t get Sara, not at all. He looked
back, but she was already gone.

He pushed his way out of
the room, just wanting to get to the sanctuary of the
courtyard.

“Well, well, well.” A
somewhat familiar voice oozed. “Look who it is.”

Sky turned slowly, knowing he should just
keep walking. “Hey, Puss face. How’s it going?”

Joshua Harmos bristled at
the insult, his repulsive face turning down into an even uglier
state. “Seeing you in that uniform makes me sick to my
stomach.”

Sky wanted to walk away,
he really, really did. “Maybe it’s something you ate.” He spun back
around with the door as his target.

“
How’s your dad?” Joshua
called out after him, “Oh, that’s right, you probably haven’t seen
him much lately. My dad has him working overtime since his other
contract fell through.”

Sky stopped. He didn’t want to, but he
did.

“Oh, you didn’t know that,
hmmm? He probably didn’t have time to tell you that after my dad
found out about his other contract, he pulled some strings to make
sure that it didn’t happen and now he’s got him working back to
back runs. Astrodeli makes up for more than ninety percent of your
business now.” Joshua came up behind him, close enough that he
could feel his stinking hot breath on the back of his neck. “We.
Own. You. Everything you have is because of my father.”

“That’s a twisted way to
think about it.” He tried to sound like he didn’t care and refused
to turn around. “My dad
earned
everything we have by working hard, something you
wouldn’t understand.”

“Well, if you want him to
keep earning, you better start knowing your place.” Joshua stepped
even closer and leaned over his shoulder, “There is a certain order
to things around here and if you break that order, first-year, I
can make your life hell.” One of his clammy hands griped tight
around Sky’s forearm.

Sky yanked his arm away
and turned to face him, “Never touch me.” He hissed. “And I don’t
care about your order or your rules.”

But Joshua wasn’t
listening - he was examining the hand that had touched Sky’s arm
like it was now infected.

“
Stay away from me.” Sky
was pleased as the right mix of anger and sternness punctuated his
words.

Joshua shook off his
infatuation with his arm, “That’s not going to happen. You crossed
me first remember, and now the Havens have brought you here to
me.”

Sky stood his ground as
Joshua stepped up toe to toe with him, his lumpy face glistening in
a thin layer of grease.

“I don’t like you. I don’t
like your father and I don’t like his kind.” A mist spit sprayed
out his filthy words.

He wanted to punch him. He
wanted to punch him and run, but he couldn’t do that, could he?
There were students everywhere around them.

“You’re disgusting and
pathetic and don’t deserve to wear that uniform.” He went
on.

He wanted to rip his face
off, but no, that wasn’t what normal people would do. What would
Con do? He would make a joke. “Should take it off? Right now?” That
was a terrible joke.

Joshua’s face went
completely blank for a split second and his mouth snapped shut. The
bits of unblemished flesh on his face turned as red as his zits and
his fists began to clench. “What is that supposed to mean?” He
whispered.

“Nothing.” Sky backed up.
He knew rage when he saw it. “Just settle down before your zits
explode.”

“
I will destroy you. I
will make you wish you never came here. I will bring down your
father.” His voice was rising, drawing a few quick glances from the
passers by. “I would take out your mother too, but she took care of
that herself didn’t she.”

Sky couldn’t stop his body from tensing, his
breath from freezing in his lungs.

“That’s right, I know
about that. I know everything about you. I know that even your own
mom hated you. She hated you enough to kill herself to get away
from you.”

Sky’s mind went blank and
his vision red. He could feel the yell that started in his belly
reach his throat and his arm fly back at the ready.

“Shut up and leave him
alone!” It was Sara’s voice that cut through the chaos of his
mind.

Sky blinked once, and then
again. His anger didn’t go far, but it receded back far enough for
him to regain control. He focused on Sara’s back that was now in
front of him.

“You mess with him, you
mess with me.” Sara had a finger up to Joshua’s face.

Who was this girl? It
couldn’t possibly be the real Sara.

Joshua backed away from
them with eyes full of terror. There were myths about the Blue
Stars, about how they could rip out your soul or steal your dreams
and Joshua was certainly narrow minded enough to believe
them.

“Get out of here, now!”
She yelled and Joshua scrambled away without a glance
back.

He hated the look of pity on Sara’s face
when she turned towards him. He backed up a step, his jaw clenched
and his ears shut. He didn’t want to hear whatever she had to say
to him. Not her. She wasn’t allowed to insult him, then protect him
and then, worst of all, feel sorry for him.

“I didn’t need you to do
that.” He growled at her, unable to stop his shoulders from
hunching forward and his head lowering in shame.

“Shut up.” She pounded a
fist into the wall next to them, but he could tell her anger was
forced. “It’s not just you that gets in trouble if you cause
problems, haven’t you learned that yet? Geeze, try thinking of
someone other than yourself for once.” She shoved him back, but
there was no force behind it.

He couldn’t stand her
looking at him like that. “I’ll try to remember that.” He growled
and stormed away.

“
Sky,” She called after
him, but he didn’t stop. He wouldn’t stop.

He made his way through a
sea of students, his mind a buzzing mess. He wanted to scream. He
wanted to run. But most of all, he wanted to hit
something.

By some twist of fate Al’s
bright face bobbed in front of him just outside the
commons.

“
Hey!” Al chirped, but his
smile dropped instantly once he got a good look at Sky. “You
okay?”

“I’m fine.” He lied, his
voice and body still shaking.

“
No. I know that look.” Al
put a hand out and stopped Sky in his tracks. “Go home.”

“What?” Sky scoffed and
pushed past Al. “I’m not going home. I’ve already skipped one class
today and I told Con I would stay late and train.”

“
Go home, Sky. You’re
looking for a fight right now.”

“I am not.” He gritted his
teeth, and realized he had balled up his fist tight enough to turn
his knuckles white.

“My next class is with
Professor Blanks, I’ll tell him you weren’t feeling well and went
home.”

Sky shook his head. “I
can’t. It’s not that bad.”

Al looked at him hard and
steady. “Skyden.” His face softened to a look of understanding.
“What happened? You want to talk?”

Sky shook his head,
avoiding Al’s eyes, “I’m fine.”

“If you say so.” Al said
slowly. “I have to go to class, but I trust that you know the right
thing to do.”

Al jogged off and left Sky
scratching the back of his neck. Al was right. He had to get out of
there. He could feel the anger just beneath the surface - one wrong
look could set him off. “Fine.” He said aloud to himself and let
out a burning sigh before heading towards the closest
door.

Ch
apter Eleven

Sky made his way down the
path towards his home. The ship was gone from the back lot as it
had been for the last week. His dad’s latest job was gonna keep him
away for at least another day, just as Joshua had said.

Something shifted just
beyond the light of the trail. He stopped, holding his breath to
listen, but there was nothing but the wind. He knew the woods, and
he knew there wasn’t any real danger, so he had no choice but to
laugh it off.

The front door creaked
open in its usual protest, as he slumped into the
entryway.

He threw his wav-com onto
a nearby crate and jumped as the clank of the metal against wood
reverberated through the silent house. He didn’t know why he was so
on edge. No, that was a lie. He was a creature of habit and his
body was programmed to be anticipating a fight. Al had certainly
been right about that.

Loosening his tie he made
his way up the stairs. Routine had always made life in a habitually
empty house more bearable. First on his agenda was to ditch the
stiff uniform and find the kind of clothes that you would only dare
to wear in your own home.

At the top of the stairs
he was greeted by a narrow hallway gaudily decorated with seemingly
hundreds of pictures, statues and printed decor of adorable
animals. Never in his years had they ever owned or talked about
owning a pet. He assumed this was Ixanna’s not so subtle way of
telling them that they should.

He paused as a moment of
alarm swept a chilly hand up his spine. Something felt off, but
nothing looked out of place. He walked silently down the hall. The
air around him seemed different; the smell, the weight, something
just wasn’t right. His heart began to beat in his ears and grew
louder with each passing step. Something dark caught his eyes, his
head swung left and he found himself greeted by his own reflection.
Letting out the breath he’d been holding he scolded himself for
being so paranoid. This is what Arche training did to
you.

He stared into the
elaborately carved mirror, decorated with paw prints of all shapes
and sizes. Leaning over the narrow desk he got a better look at his
darkened reflection. He looked angry, or was he scared? Neither
emotion seemed right. He had come home to relax.

A sound echoed in the
darkness and his head snapped to the right. He searched the
shadows, looking with more than his eyes. Maybe, he wasn’t being
foolish. No, he was certain he wasn’t. This time he had heard
something for sure and grabbed the heaviest looking cat sculpture
he could find. Clenching his jaw he forced his legs to carry him
forward.

He barged into his own
room, the metal sculpture of the cat raised high above his head.
His room was as he left it - bed unmade, a heap of cloths in the
corner, and the desk covered in dishes and piles of
notebooks.

Something crashed into Sky from behind and
sent him flying into the room. He spun around just in time to see a
blur of a figure come barreling into him once again, hitting him
square in the guts. His only means of defense flew out of his hand
and clattered uselessly to the floor, well out of reach. As he
doubled over a hand came up and caught him under the jaw. In a sea
of stars his head snapped back and he found himself on the ground
as the world shifted in and out of focus above him.