Mark of the Dagger (The Marked Series Book 1) (4 page)

Chapter Five

Weeks went by and nothing had changed. Dani still heard the whispers and taunts. Some of the kids growing more outspoken than others. Only now, the rumors running through campus about her escalated, all different and varying. Some about how she had to pay to get them to let her in the school, there were talks of bribery and seductions, one even reported an affair with Headmaster Charleston. The stories circulating were appalling. Again, she ignored them as best she could and the more ridiculous they were the easier to shake off.

She kept training, her extra practices with Joe were paying off. Although, more times than not, she would leave his private sessions bruised and sore. He once kicked her so hard that he broke one of her ribs and she had to go see Adele in the infirmary. Though it was a quick fix, it still hurt like the dickens.

Even though the training lessons with Joe were private, they almost always had an audience.  It bothered her at first because she didn’t want her classmates to see her fumble, but she couldn’t expect the gym to always be empty.  So she sucked it up and ignored them as best as she could, focusing only on what Joe was teaching her.  Now that she was getting more confidant in her abilities it was easier to tune out the excess noise and ignore their taunts.  Most of them waited in anticipation of her failure but there was a certain pair of blue eyes always focused intently on her every move that was harder to ignore.  Joe had offered to reprimand the hecklers once, though he listened to Dani when she told him it would only make things worse and left it alone.

Joe and Dani were in the gym now, circling around and waiting for the other to strike first.  Dani scanned the room out of the corner of her eyes to see if they were alone, most of her focus remaining on Joe.  Joe’s two friends, Nadia, and Alex were fellow teachers and sat against the wall watching the session, each yelling out pointers and moves to Dani.  There were a couple students lifting weights not paying any attention to what was going on at the mats.  A few heckler’s lined the perimeter of the gym waiting in silence until Dani gave them a reason.  No way was Dani going to let that happen.  And there
he
was; Blue Eyes, as she had started referring to him.  She still didn’t know who he was only that he wasn’t a teacher nor was he a student.  Though, she has noticed he helped out in some of the training.  From her observation it seemed the students gave him a wide berth, either in awe or fear she didn’t know.  Probably both.  And most importantly, he never missed the opportunity watch one of her sessions with Joe.

"Come on Dani! Take a swing," Nadia called.

"If anyone can best him, I do believe it will be Miss Dani one day," Alex said.

Joe snorted at that and kicked out. Dani jumped, just barely clearing his kick. With her feet planted she took a swing to his mid-section. Bull’s-eye! She smiled. They circled a few moments more. His next kick hit home on her side and she took a quick second to get her breath back as the pain bent her double.

"Want to quit yet?" Joe asked. He was goading her as he always did. It was a technique that always seemed to make her work harder. She shook her head and took a swing. "Come on Dani. What are you trying to prove? Why do you want this so bad?"

"I want to make you and dad proud," Dani said.

"Wrong answer," he kicked out, and the blow landed in her midsection. The force of it knocking her back, the momentum forcing her to roll backwards landing on her knees. Without a second thought, she was back on her feet.

"Why are you doing this Dani?" Joe asked again.

"Because I want this," she said with a kick and missed. "I want this for me and be damned if you care,” she said sarcastically and hit again. That got a couple laughs from Nadia and Alex. She saw Blue eyes smirk out of the corner of her eye.

"But really because it feels right," she said seriously. While they continued fighting, Dani told him about the dream she had just before she was marked. She told him about how right it felt to hold that sword and that she wanted that feeling again.

When she was finished with her story, her uncle stood there staring at here with a shocked expression on his face. She took advantage of his momentary lapse in focus and charged. The force of her attack carrying him to the ground. As she sat on his chest she smiled down at him. The force of their decent seemed to clear his head and he gave her a rueful smile. "That didn't count you little cheat."

"Not my fault that you stopped dead in the middle of a fight, you ought to know better. You know what would happen if you did that on the outside?" she asked in her best Joe imitation.

He shook her off and stood. "Shut up," he said to his two dearest friends who were laughing maniacally.

"I told you she would best you," Alex said.

"Come on Alex, I'll take you next buddy," Dani replied.

"Now don't go getting overconfident just because you cheated. Come on, I want to show you something," he said suddenly.

Dani looked from Joe to the others in confusion. "But we still have another thirty minutes of training left," quietly she added. "Am I in trouble?"

"No," he said on a laugh. "You deserve a break, come on," he said trying to lead her out of the gym.

"No, I can't. Uncle Joe I can't afford to be taking any breaks."

“Dani,” his tone changed to one he used when dealing with her more insubordinate classmates.  She released an aggravated breath knowing there was no point in arguing with him about it.  But Lordy, how she hated that voice!

She looked at him through narrowed eyes but acquiesced all the same.  It would do no good for anyone if she were to start an argument in front of the other students.  Uncle or not, while they were on this campus he was a teacher first.  One that deserved her respect.

They were quiet on the walk to his living quarters.  When they entered his room she sat on his big overstuffed leather chair while he dug around for something under the bed.  This was the first time she had ever been in his room and she stared around curiously. It was big as rooms went. The teacher's quarters were almost exactly like the kids. Though he had enough room for a chair, love seat and entertainment center. There were pictures of her and her mom, her grandparents and a few of Joe in places all over the world. There was a copy of her favorite picture hanging over his TV; the one of her, her dad and Joe.  It brought a smile to her lips when she saw it.

The lucky man had his own private bathroom. 
Lucky
, she thought.  She hated the communal bathroom even if it was only shared between her and the occupant of the room to her right.

“I want one of those,” Dani said pointing to the mini fridge on the other side of his sofa.

"What?" he replied still half under his bed.

"A fridge. Can I have one in my room?"

"Nope, teachers only," he laughed. She rolled her eyes.

A minute later he pulled out a green box as long as her arm. She didn't say anything until he laid it in her lap.

"What is it?" she asked.

"Open it." After a moment’s hesitation she did. There, lying in the lined green velvet case was the sword from her dream. She gasped with delight running her fingers along the Ruby and Emerald hilt. It was even more spectacular in person.

"It's beautiful," she said looking at Joe. "This is the sword I dreamed about," she told him in case he didn't know.

"I figured, that's why I'm showing it to you," he sat down in front of her, leaning against his bed. "You haven't seen this sword since you were three. Do you remember it?"

She jerked in response. "Oh my God. This was Dad's wasn't it?" she asked reverently. When he nodded she added, "I remember it now, but before my dream I hadn't ever thought about it. Even after the dream I didn't place the connection."

"That will be yours one day. I've been saving it for you, but I'll have to hold on to it until you have had your training." Her eyes filled and she blinked rapidly to keep them from falling she nodded.

"I can't really explain it Uncle Joe, but in my dream...”Dani took a deep breath to calm herself enough to explain what she was feeling and hoped that he wouldn't think she was crazy.  “In my dream the sword fit so perfectly, and it was this total feeling of elation when I lifted it." She shrugged.

"I understand completely. That sword was meant to be yours one day. It was the same when I found mine. Like a reuniting of old friends that felt right, perfect. It felt like coming home," he said.

"That's exactly it." She ran her hand lovingly across the sword one more time before shutting the case. "Thank you for showing it to me."

"Welcome," he said standing up. "The day your mom called and told me you had been marked I had this made for you." He was rummaging through his nightstand drawer. "I wanted to wait to give it to you until you decided if you were staying or not. I think we have established that you are not going anywhere." He turned back to her with a smile and a small box.

When she opened it, she saw a ring made of black tungsten. On the front was carved the family insignia: A warrior in mid-evil armor pointing his sword toward the crescent moon. She smiled “It's just like yours and dads." She slipped the ring on the index finger of her right hand. The same finger Joe and Jake wore theirs and gave him a hug. "It fits!"

"Well, you have been working hard and you deserve it."

"Thanks Uncle Joe. This means a lot."

Early the next morning Dani was in bed, twisting her ring round and round her finger.  Sleep was evading her once again.  As she laid there staring at the ceiling, she thought of her time here the last two month.  Even adding in the fact that she still hadn’t made any friends, she thought this move was completely worth it.

Physically, she had never looked or felt so great. She had muscles for the first time in her life, her legs were toned and her stomach was completely smooth.  She had the ideal body, a body she knows she never would have achieved on her own now that she knew how much work went into it.

Mentally she was a little drained though it was getting better. She hadn't had as many sleepless nights as she had when she first arrived. She learned to ignore the rumors and taunts as best she could. She also learned to talk to Joe when things got too rough for her to handle.

She wasn't as proud a person as she used to be and knew how to suck it up and ask for help, even when she doesn't want to. Had it not been for her uncle’s little talk out in the woods, she probably would have quit by now. But she would only admit that to herself.

With a sigh she sat up, knowing she would never get back to sleep; she had too much energy left over. You would think that all these extra workouts would wear her out. Sometimes they did but there were other times like tonight when they had the opposite effect. Now, she was just restless. She laced up her tennis shoes, not bothering to change out of her pajama pants and tank top.

Dani snuck out of her dorm room and down the hall as quietly as possible. From what she could tell, the spells in the dorm were only to keep the boys from the girls’ side and vice versa. There was nothing locking the students in. Not that she noticed, and she snuck out a lot.

At the front door, she turned to make sure it closed quietly. Once it did, she backed up a few steps and ran into something solid. With a little yip, she turned around to see a girl standing on the porch in front of her.

"Shh,” the girl said on a snicker. "Where are you sneaking off to?" she asked Dani.

"Geez, you about gave me a heart attack." Dani put a hand on her chest as if that would keep her heart from exploding outward.

"Sorry," the girl said, not sounding sorry at all.

Dani took in a deep breath of night air and felt herself calm. She looked at the girl with black corkscrew curls and said, "It's all clear in there. No one is awake." And she started to descend the steps. It wasn't until she was on the bottom step that she noticed the beams of flashlights bobbing on the path about twenty yards in front of her. She stood frozen.

Within seconds, corkscrew girl was down the steps, grabbed Dani by the arm and pulled her to the other side of the building. Keeping them both hidden from the older hunters making their nightly rounds.

"Oh my God," Dani whispered. It came out on a nervous laugh.

"Girl you need to learn to be stealthy."

"Yeah, I'll learn that next," Dani said, and the girl snickered.

"I'm Jan by the way," she introduced herself. Dani started to do the same, but she was cut off. "Yeah, I know who you are." Dani's heart sank. Jan would most likely hate her on principle too.

"Oh," Dani said

"I live across the hall. I haven't been able to introduce myself to you, you're always busy or either not in there."

"Oh?" Dani asked in a lighter mood. "I figured you were going to say that you knew who I was and shouldn't be here and blah blah blah, like everyone else." She rolled her eyes.

"Say what? That you’re the mixed blooded girl? That you’re the first mixed blood to get marked? That you are a DuPont? Those are all true right?" Jan shrugged. "Who cares? You are who you are and you can't change it. And I doubt you would if you could right?"

"Thanks," Dani said. "That’s the nicest thing anyone here has said to me."