Lexan's Pledge (Starbright Novellas) (4 page)

Tella and one of her friends stand too close, and I wince at the look in her eyes. She just witnessed the awkward exchange, and she’s gloating more than she needs to be. I hate it when people notice Trea’s dislike of me. On top of everything else, it’s just embarrassing.

I glance between Tella and Trea, who now has her back turned halfway to me. On her own, Tella is one of the prettiest girls in our class, but she may as well be a brown clod of dirt compared to the consuming fire of Trea’s orange-red curls, creamy skin, and smoky eyes.

I indulge myself in imagining how well our bodies might fit together - dancing on a Sunday night like we were made for each other’s arms.

“Astrea!” Teacher Brenn calls as he enters from across the room. “We need a volunteer!” He gestures to the rope that hangs a hundred feet from the rock ceiling.

Everyone turns to look at her, and I can almost feel the excited intake of their breaths as they anticipate an argument, followed by a punishment.

Nobody asks Trea to do anything when she’s in one of these moods.

But then she stalks towards him, fury sparking in her eyes, and yanks the rope from his hands. She doesn’t even look up. There are a hundred ways she could graciously refuse to climb, but somehow her proud-faced compliance is even more of a snub.

“Remind us how to climb.” Teacher Brenn only says, with a teasing grin. Although I can’t help but notice how he drops his eyes a bit when her fireball glare meets his smile.

I can see her arms shake a little as she pulls her body up the first few knots. My muscles contract and stretch lightly with hers, like I’m climbing beside her.

She pauses around twenty feet and Brenn yells, “Higher!”

“Why? Everyone knows how to do this!” She yells back, and Tella snickers, whispering something to her friend.

“Higher!” Brenn says, not about to back down.

The girl whispers back to Tella, “I bet she can’t do it.”

Tella laughs, and I hear a few other people agree. The word
can’t
seems to surround me and I twist to see who is whispering. I can’t see the guilty person, but my scowl stops it.

“That’s good, Astrea, thank you,” Brenn calls up to Trea as she rests, her legs wrapped around a thick knot. She holds her hand up to her eye and I see a smirk pass over her face. She might be doing what he asks, but she’s doing it in her own way, and I can’t help but admire her in that. It’s a skill I wouldn’t mind learning.

Somehow when I do what others want, I always seem to lose myself.

Brenn turns to describe some climbing technique to the class, but I ignore him, watching Trea instead. She’s still hanging on, just looking around at the walls like they’re the most interesting thing she’s ever seen. Most people would be climbing back down by now, but Trea seems content to just wait us out.

“Astrea! Come on back down!” Brenn calls up to her, as though just realizing she hasn’t moved.

Several heads swivel up to her again, but instead of down, she starts to climb up again, even more quickly. In barely two minutes she’s reached the top of the rope, her hand swiping at the metal anchor.

I shake my head, grinning. Crazy, beautiful girl.

She frowns to herself, then bends her head down. I look too, and realize Brenn is climbing up after her. He’s never done that before, and everyone grows silent, watching to see what drama might unfold.

Trea scowls at him before swiveling her head around a few times as though looking for something.

Then it hits me - she
saw
something up there. That’s why she climbed higher, and that’s why she won’t come down. Stubborn, frustrating girl.

Brenn reaches her and I can hear a few murmured words, but they are too far away to be understood.

Finally, both of them begin the descent. I exhale, not realizing how long I had been holding my breath.

What could she have possibly seen up there? The ceiling of the Training Room is the highest point in Asphodel, except the ceiling of the Common Area. And there aren’t any ropes to climb in there.

The only other person who has ever climbed that high was Teacher Carlen. And he’s dead. From an “accident” of the same kind that killed Father. Both men were young, strong, skilled. And both died from careless behavior? Anger starts to swirl in the pit of my stomach as I remember Keirna’s false condolences.

Trea just climbed as close to the surface as any living person in Asphodel has ever been. What could she have seen that could make her risk so much?

My thoughts are still churning when Trea’s training shoes touch the floor and she grins at all of us, triumphant.

Her exultant gaze sweeps towards me and I am suddenly furious - what if she puts herself in danger by climbing so high? If Keirna had Carlen killed just for looking, wouldn’t she do the same for Trea, since the plan is already being made?

Reckless, insane girl. She’s going to get us both killed before the prophecy even begins.

Her smile fades as her eyes meet mine. She raises her brows as if to question me, but all I can do is turn away.

I can’t risk a question here, with everyone watching.

“Want to train with me today, Tella?” I ask, forcing the treacherous words from between my lips. She beams at me and offers her hand. I ignore the smoky gray eyes that I know are scorching my back and walk away to help Tella stretch.

After training is over, I linger in the changing room showers, letting the water slowly wrinkle my skin until I’m sure everyone will be gone, either headed home or to the Common Area.

I dress in clean clothing, bundle my sweaty tunic into my bag, and walk into the empty Training Room. Except it’s not empty.

Tella is waiting for me in the shadows between the changing rooms and the exit. I groan to myself even as I start that same half-smile.

“What are you still doing here?” I ask. I’m pretty sure I know.

“Waiting for you,” she answers, meeting me along the wall. “I thought we could spend a little more time together today, since you never made it to the hot pool…”

I smile guiltily down at her. “Yeah, sorry about that. Something—”

“Don’t worry about it.” She steps closer to me and we’re nearly touching. “Your hair is still wet.” She reaches her hands to my hair and runs her fingers through its damp waves. My eyes flicker closed for a moment, and I take a deep breath.

Time for the talk. “Tella,” I begin, but she slips her fingers down to rest lightly on my lips in a quieting gesture.

“No, Lexan. I know you won’t be partnering with me. I’ve already promised someone else, too. But I can’t stop thinking about you. I just have to know…” And then she stretches up and meets her lips with mine, her fingers sliding around my neck to pull me closer.

I start to pull back a bit, but she presses for more. So I give in. I kiss her the way I think she wants to be kissed, and she makes a soft little sound. I kiss her because she’s here, and she wants me to, and it’s just nice to be wanted sometimes. I kiss her, and I let my hands slide over her thick, sleek hair because it’s different from Trea’s.

And right now I can’t handle one more moment of not having what I want. So I let myself have what is offered to me.

November 11, 2066

I’m so tired. I can’t sleep more than a few hours without the dream of Mother. Most mothers would sacrifice their own lives just to save their children. Only a very few would sacrifice their children to save themselves. But what about a mother who would sacrifice everything, hoping to save humanity?

Would humanity be worth the price? Would the children agree?

from First Leader Lakessa’s private journal

included in Firene’s secret papers

The next day, Tella is everywhere I go. Anan laughs at me every time he sees her trailing after me, and I think about punching him in the nose to distract myself from the real problem - Tella apparently lied to me. She isn’t planning to leave it alone with just one kiss.

She wants everything.

And she’s not getting it from me.

So I bolt from the room as soon as Environmental Science is over, losing her in the crowded hallway for several blessed minutes. But as soon as I come back into the classroom, there she is: waiting by the door with that blonde friend whose name I can’t remember. I should be embarrassed that I’ve seen these people every day for most of my life without knowing them, but I honestly just can’t bring myself to care enough.

None of them want to know the real me - they just want the notoriety of being seen with me.

“We meet again,” I smile, playing the expected role: there’s no room for deviation from the charming Libra.

Tella giggles, and her friend blushes. I glance behind my shoulder just so they can’t see my barely-hidden eye roll.

“I just got some candy from the store on break. Would you like a piece?” I offer them the palm-sized sack. Maybe if their mouths are full they’ll stop talking.

But no. Tella begins to gush something about how this is her favorite and how did I know and a whole bunch of other Styx. I tune out, scanning the room for Trea.

Sure enough, she’s pretending not to watch me. But I know from the scowl on her face that she isn’t pleased with my new entourage. Yet neither of us was happy with the way things were before, so this isn’t anything different. Not really.

I barely make it through the next two classes without exploding. Tella turns around to smile at me every five seconds. Trea and Isa whisper and pass notes the whole time, evading the teachers’ searches with the skill only best friends have. Isa glances back at me a few times, giving me the evil eye.

I just shrug at her and smile, lifting one corner of my mouth in the trademark salute of an asshole charmer. Anan sits next to me, snickering through it all.

When it’s finally time for lunch, I watch Trea bolt from the room like her seat is on fire. As I pass by her empty desk I could even imagine the air around it is warmer.

I linger outside the doorway, hoping to give Tella a head start. Thank the stars it works, and I enter the lunch area just in time to see all Hades open up.

Trea stands in front of a table of Protectors, confronting them angrily. I can’t hear what she is saying, and I’m still weaving my way through the crowd when everyone stops talking. I scan the faces and the air grows thick in my throat when I spot Keirna. She stands directly behind Trea, a predatory sort of grin on her face.

She places a hand coolly on Trea’s shoulder and everything goes silent. “Astrea. Child. Stop this now.”

The Protector bows his head and backs away so quickly his legs hit the bench and he folds into his seat.

Keirna’s voice rings through the hushed crowd again. “You three young men will receive one full day in the public cells for sitting in the student section. You are not to associate with unpartnered youth! And you,” she addresses the Protector, “have earned a week of docked pay for speaking in such a manner to your future First Leader!”

Before I can blink, Keirna has whisked Trea away. I still can’t breathe right, and I didn’t even see which direction they went through the crush of people. The second they’re gone, everyone begins to talk at once, and I back away, looking for an exit path and pushing people out of my way.

I’m too sick to eat now. What is Keirna doing with Trea? It can’t happen this way. Not yet. Not like this.

Dalen and Anan brush by with their trays of food, calling me to sit. But I wave them off, scanning the darkened doorways and corridors in my private panic. Finally I see a flash of Trea’s red hair disappearing down a back hallway that leads to the Training Room. I throw a few hasty smiles at classmates to keep them from wondering, then I duck through the tables and jog after her.

The hallway is empty by the time I get there, but I hear the door to the Training Room open ahead. I round the corner and barely glimpse Trea heading inside the girls’ changing room before the door closes again. Relief starts to filter through my tense muscles - she was definitely alone, and I think surely she’ll be safe in there until the other girls return from lunch. I decide to wait in the outside hallway, just in case, and I hunch into a small alcove with a notebook propped in my lap.

My stomach grumbles, but it’s a small price to pay to make sure Trea’s safe. After hearing Saloman speak so plainly of Keirna’s plans, I can’t risk anything. Someone Trea trusts needs to tell her what’s at stake here, and how dangerous her world is about to become.

That someone certainly isn’t going to be me; I’ll have to settle for invisible guard duty.

I flip to the page where I wrote a coded version of Saloman’s prophecy - some of Firene’s papers are written in the same code, and I learned it several years ago as a way to hide secrets from my friends and sometimes Aitan. Suddenly it seems a lot more useful than that.

Training finally begins, and I’m distracted by the running drills. Until I glance over to check on Trea and see her actually
talking
to Pallis.

Styx. I hate that guy.

He’s been after her for at least a year, and she’s never even looked at him. But today she’s doing a lot more than looking. I really hope this isn’t retaliation for Tella, but hope hasn’t ever gotten me very far with Trea.

She watches Pallis head into the boys’ training room, her face growing darker and more shadowed now that she is alone again. I turn away before she sees me watching. I can’t help but notice how people are always leaving her alone when she most needs them. Then I realize I’m not any better - the main reason I stay away from her isn’t respect for her feelings. It’s my own cowardice.

Trea makes me stupid, and that’s one thing a Libra just can’t handle.

* * *

“If you want to get together after you take a shower, we can study for Environmental Science in the Common Area,” Tella is saying as I back into the changing room.

“I really can’t today. My sister always comes to dinner on Wednesday, and I have to help my mother fix the food.”