Seclusion (6 page)

I hesitated at first, but
looked at her pleading face, grabbed a beanbag, and began the story. I told her
that we had just had our first date, and that we weren’t boyfriend and
girlfriend, but there might be potential for that.

“I also had my first kiss
tonight!” I said.

She squealed with delight.
“And?”

“It was sweet, I enjoyed
it.”

“What? That’s it? No
va-va-voom?”

“No… relationships are more
than va-va-voom, aren’t they?”

“Yes, but sexual attraction
is important! In the beginning, anyway.”

We stayed up giggling until
my eyes began drooping and my mind could no longer calculate if I was a so-so
lover or a McSteamy lover, according to whichever quiz we were on.

I groggily pulled my
pajamas on and settled into a full-size floral printed bed. I was cuddling up
under and over the down-filled comforters when I noticed I didn’t have my
pillow, I had Chase’s. Did he do this on purpose? Did he want me thinking about
him now?
Sly, very sly
. Things don’t get by my talent that easy,
usually.
I must have been engrossed with listening to Elsie tonight
. I
have to give him credit, though, he did have me dreaming of sweet kisses on a
forested beach, but I had the oddest feeling it was with someone else. He was
tall and dark, very dark, yet I thought it had to be Chase. Dreams are crazy.

I woke up to an annoying
alarm, hit the snooze button, and wished I could make myself go back to the
dream and finish the nice kisses. Thank goodness Chase’s talent wasn’t like
mine! My dream was hidden, and maybe I could go back to it tonight. I made
myself get up and start getting ready.

In the shower, while I was
lathering the shampoo into my hair, I heard the creak of the bathroom door.

“Hey, you in the shower!
Just wanted you to know your boy toy is putting our stuff in the car, and that
breakfast and morning caffeine is awaiting us in the kitchen! I hope you have
everything you need in here!” Elsie shouted through the second bathroom door.

“What? He’s taking my
stuff? Don’t let him take my bathroom bag! I only have my clothes in here. I
need my make-up and my hair stuff!” I shouted back.“Grrrr…
really
?”

“Yeah, I figured, friend.
Hence, my warning! Is it in the carry-on bag? I’ll tell Mr. Chivalrous to stop
being so thoughtful!” she said.

Seriously
,
I’m already feeling
smothered
! I contemplated if a talk was necessary.
Nah, I’m just tired
and need to enjoy the rest of my shower, get my caffeine, and see how this day
goes.
I decided to focus on something more productive, like my list of
questions for Elsie. What should I expect at the academy? I made some quick
notes on the closest paper I could find so I could remember my questions. I was
just finishing up my hair and on my second mocha, thanks to E, as I began
calling her, when I realized I had at least two pages of questions for her.
Ha!

We started on our long
drive to the school. Elsie looked over my questions. “Wow, when did you have
time to write all these?”

“This morning and during
breakfast. I already had the questions thought out!” I responded. “E, start
with the first one!” I shouted over the music.

Our long ride went by
quickly. Elsie talked about the teachers, the classes, the school grounds, and
what we should expect.

“So, where do we get all of
our school supplies? I brought some, but I know I’ll go through them quickly,”
I asked after Elsie finished her description of the cafeteria, the mini grocery
store, and the mini hamburger joint that was on the campus, as well as a
24-hour coffee shop.

“Oh, there’s a resource
closet on every wing that they keep open during school hours, complete with
computer labs and copiers, fax machines, etcetera.”

“Wait, where do they get
all the workers? And how do they keep this place a secret?” I asked.

“Well,” she replied,
“usually we aren’t told the specifics, but since my parents are contributors, I
know that everyone has to sign confidentiality paperwork, and extensive
background checks are done. Also, many of the students work on campus.”

Every once in a while I
found myself zoning out as I watched the blur of scenery and remembering my
dream from last night. As I remembered the tall, dark figure, I felt safe and
excited. I could daydream about those kisses all day. I shook my head, focusing
on Elsie’s melodic voice again.

“So, the campus itself is
in the middle of nowhere. You can’t see anything for miles surrounding the
campus. There is one huge main building and ten or twelve other buildings. The
main building is the science academy they use as a decoy. We do use it,
however, when they want to do school-wide announcements. It’s very big. Most of
the buildings look rundown on the outside, but the inside is amazing. Also, the
buildings on top are parking structures or garages. There is also a medical
wing that we use, and our own mini fire station, since we are so far away from
civilization. We have to have our city services, which is just a precaution I
guess.

“We park inside one of the
parking structures that are within the schools gates. There is a guard, and a
retinal eye scanner, as well as a forever-changing password. For new kids, you
just have to know your personalized code. During your registration class
they’ll set up your retinal scan, put a picture of you in your file, and take
your fingerprints. It’s all very high tech, and quite pointless, in my opinion.
If anyone was coming we would be able to see them from miles away - we are in
the boonies, literally!”

“So what should we expect
for today, and these upcoming days before school starts?” Chase asked.

“Um…it’s really up to you.
There is a registration class you have to go to during your first few days on
campus, which is basically an orientation class. From there, they’ll plan your
school schedule and give you some options on recreational classes you can take
during the summer. Some people do a full schedule during the summer, also. But,
it’s up to you. I suggest just taking a few in the beginning so you can get
used to campus life and make friends,” she said. “Oh, and Chase, I spoke to
Connor. He’s also a suite officer, and he has an opening in his suites. He said
he’d sign you in his section if you wanted.”

“Sure, why not? Better to
know one person than none!” he replied.

Chase began discussing some
sports center and what was available, and asked if there was a gym. Since I had
no interest in any of that stuff I gazed out the window.

It was close to 4:30. We must have been driving down this tiny road for at least an hour, and I hadn’t
been paying attention since I wasn’t driving.
Wow, we really are in the
middle of nowhere.
There were mountains to the right, nothing but road in
front of us, and nothingness on the other side of us.

“How do we get our internet
purchases and food?” I blurted out. “Sorry, I just was looking around and I was
going to feel sorry for the Fed Ex guy or the mailman!”

Elsie looked at me. “Wow,
you guys ask good questions! I never even thought about that until recently.
Three to four times a week, we have a jet fly in with packages, food, and visitors.”

Chase smiled. “Good
question, Raegan!”

He reached over and
squeezed my hand. In my head I heard Chase's thoughts:
Raegan, I know you
trust Elsie, but don’t trust everyone, okay?
He was looking at me, and I
nodded back, squeezed his hand and let go. I did trust Chase and Elsie, but I
knew that we couldn’t trust everyone, and it was a good reminder to keep my
boundaries.

“We’re going to be there in
about another thirty minutes, so we’ll have some time to unpack and start
settling in. We can meet for dinner in the caf at 6:30 if that sounds good to you guys! I figure we won’t want to cook, and we’ll be hungry by then.
After dinner, maybe we can give you guys a small tour,” Elsie said.

“Sounds like a plan, E.,’’
I said.

“Sure, I’m going to want to
see that sports center and the gym!” Chase said, tapping his hand against the
steering wheel and smiling. I looked at E. and rolled my eyes and smiled. She
winked at me.

The next thing I knew, we
were entering a long driveway heading into a big multi-level parking structure.
There were attendant booths on two sides of the building and it looked like
there were elevators on the other two walls.

“Raegan, go give these
tickets to that attendant over there,” Elsie said as she fastened ticket labels
around our luggage handles and slapped stickers onto the few boxes of CDs, pictures,
and books I had brought. “Chase, that elevator on the other side of the garage
is for you. Here’s your keycard. Your suite number is on it, and in the file Taylor gave you are all the passcodes. Connor should be waiting for you. Give him a kiss
for me!” she said, and chuckled.

I turned toward the
attendant booth, and a tall, handsome boy with shaggy brown hair was smiling at
me. He was already halfway to me. I walked closer to him and noticed he was
probably my age or a little older. His arms were super buff. He looked very
fit.
Water polo
, I thought suddenly. When I had random thoughts like
that, I was always curious if it was my ability or if it was just a thought. I
wouldn’t dare ask, though.

He strolled right up to me.
The top of my head barely reached his collarbone. I looked up and saw hazel
eyes. He was definitely sexy, although he had a silly, know-it-all grin on his
face. I held out the tickets.
He must be one of the other students that has
an on-campus job.

“Hey, you’re new, huh?”

“Yeah, I’m Raegan!”

“Sweet! New hot chicks are
always a good thing.”

As he grabbed the tickets
from my hand, his thumb brushed the inside of my palm, and I knew he was
teasing me. My talent had flashed. It told me he was being flirty out of
boredom, although he did think I was hot. He had some kind of fortune-telling
ability, and had been waiting to see if I was as cute in person as his ability
told him. I could tell he wasn’t disappointed, which made me feel awkward. I
also knew his name was Jay.

Chase grabbed me, picked me
up, and twirled me around.

“See you in a few!” He gave
me a peck on my forehead. “My suite is 506. You can call me if you need me!”

I started giggling. “Bye!”

I was curious if Chase had
done that to lay claim on me in front of Jay or if he really thought I needed a
show for my goodbye. After he set me down and turned to leave, I smiled
awkwardly at Jay and said, “Sorry.”

Jay laughed. “No worries,
I’ll see you around! I have a feeling we’re gonna be more intimate friends
soon.” He winked.

I blushed. What did he mean
by that? Did his ability tell him that? I immediately felt a silly grin appear.
I couldn’t help but feel special here with so many friends already. Everything
was so different from home.

“Raegan, stop flirting and
get your sexy bum-bum over here!” E. whined.

I stepped away from a
grinning Jay and waved goodbye. He gave me a side grin and head nod. I turned
around, feeling warmth flooding my face, and ran to catch up with E.

“Bum-bum? Really?” I said,
reaching over and elbowing her in the side.

“Well, I try not to have a
potty mouth, and booty is too ghetto for me. Bum-bum is cute.”

I just laughed and
shrugged. “I was not flirting.”

“I saw that smirk when he
called you hot, and you were blushing the whole time you were over there.”

“Well, that was a natural
response.”

“
Well
, you’d better
get used to it. You’re going to be the
hot new girl
.”

“Yeah right, we both know
my title is gonna be….
Who? Oh…Elsie’s friend!
”

“I don’t know what was
wrong with those people at your last school, but you’re in for a self-esteem
boost here.”

I smiled in response as we
stepped into the elevator. There was a keypad with buttons labeled
Registration, Office, Staff Offices, Classes A through D, and Recreation Areas.

“Raegan, you put your
password in, or retinal scan after you get that set up, then you put your floor
in. We are floor 400.”

I punched in all the right
numbers, and we started dropping. “Wait, are we supposed to be going down?”

“Oh, I didn’t tell you
that?” she said, and started laughing. “Yeah, you’ll get used to it. The main
rooms can be bigger down here. We do have the illusion of windows. They are a
bit weird, but help with the claustrophobia. The first few weeks are odd, but
you’ll get used to it, and we can go to the top whenever we want. There are
basketball and tennis courts up on top, and a track, although there are inside
ones on the lowest level too. When you get used to it you’ll prefer the
underground.”

The elevator stopped at our
floor, and we exited. There were huge rec room type areas with couches, TVs,
DVD players, and computers.

“This is the main rec room.
There are four suites in each quad, and four girls’ quads per floor that all hook
up to this one rec room. Our suites are over here. They separate genders and
grades per floor, so we are on the junior girls’ floor,” she said and pointed
to a corner suite. “402, that’s our suite. I’m in room A, since I’m an officer,
and you can choose your room first, since the other girls aren’t here yet.”

We opened the door into a
front sitting room that had a television and DVD player and led into a kitchen.

“This is just for us. Four
girls, that is,” Elsie explained. “The other girls aren’t coming for a few
weeks. This is our kitchen. Everything is already supplied for us. They keep
snacks and fruit in the fridge and cupboards, but real food we have to buy on
our own, or we can eat for free at the caf,” she said.

“Wow, I can’t believe all
this…this is crazy! I’m going to get so lost.”

“I’m pretty sure Chase
won’t let you get lost,” she said with a smirk.

“Ugh… Is it just me, or is
he being possessive?”

“I think he’s just excited
about you. As far as getting lost though, you’ll get used to it. Just don’t
forget your password, since they are always changing. I’d keep a cheat sheet in
my purse, and don’t leave here without it. Once you get retinal scanned things
are easier.”

Elsie pointed toward a
corner door that had a small dry erase board on it. Her name was written in
colorful block letters.

“All of the officers get
the A room. It’s a little bigger, and has a walk-in closet and a queen size
bed.” She turned to me. “Rae, you know if you need anything, I’m here for you,
and not just because you’re my suitemate. I haven’t felt like I’ve had a sister
in a long time,” she said as she stepped into her room.

Elsie’s genuineness had me
tearing up as I walked through the doorway of my bedroom.
This is a huge
room!
It had a twin bed, a flat screen TV, a stereo, and even an iPod deck.
There was a telephone, and a menu for the cafeteria, labeled
To Go Orders.
My luggage had already been delivered and was waiting in our suite. It was like
a studio apartment, minus the kitchen. I had one area that looked like an
office, complete with books, and another area with a little reading nook that
had a lounge, lamp and side table. I loved it! The bathroom was as large as
Aunt Jan’s. The tub and shower were separated, and there was a huge cabinet
filled with any pharmaceutical needs that I might ever have.
Must be in case
people forgot to pack their own or run out
. There was a closet filled with
towels and fresh linens. Then there was my closet. It might not have been a
walk-in, but there was plenty of room for my clothes. I set my iPod on the docking
station, blared my music, and started dancing while I unpacked.

“Knock, knock!” I heard E.
say as she lightly tapped on my bedroom door.

“Come in! You’re always
welcome in here!” I said.

“Thanks. Do you need help?
I already had most of my stuff here. Plus, I wanted to talk to you about when
you wanted to take your orientation class. It’s just a meet and greet class to
explain the different classes and to schedule your registration appointments.
Did you want to take it with Chase?” Elsie asked.

“Sure, if it works out.
When are the classes?”

“There’s one late tonight,
or there’s one tomorrow morning around ten. Then there aren’t any more till
next weekend. I would suggest you go to one of these two, so you can begin any
classes this week, if you want to.”

“That sounds good. How do I
sign up?”

“You call Chase, and I’ll
call and leave a message for the orientation secretary. She deals with all the
intro classes during the summer.”

I grabbed my cell. “Oh… no
bars!”

E. looked at me and
laughed. “Hazard of being underground! We are dependent on these telephones.
Quite annoying! Our phones do work down here, just not when we want them to.”

I picked up the phone and
dialed. Chase answered after the first ring. “Miss me already, did ya?” he
asked.

“You know it.” I smiled. “I
was wondering if you wanted to take the orientation class tonight or tomorrow.”

Chase thought about it.
“How about tomorrow morning so we can do the tour tonight?”

“Okay,” I replied, although
I had hoped we could get it over with earlier so I could have a whole day free
to explore. I knew Chase wanted to see the sports areas pretty badly.
Maybe
I could have E. take me to the library…and the coffee house!
“See you soon,
Chase. Bye!”

“I’ll save you a seat in
the caf,” he said.

I hung up the phone. “Hey,
E.? He wants tomorrow morning,” I yelled down the hallway.

“Okay!” she yelled back.

When I finally finished
unpacking all of my things, I noticed how good they looked in the pale yellow
room. They must have made the room with special lighting, because it felt as if
there was natural light in the room.

I rummaged through my
closet, trying to decide what to wear. I wanted to look good, but not as if I
had tried to dress up for dinner in the cafeteria.
These will do
, I
thought as I put on my dark skinny jeans and a long, off-the-shoulder grey and
black tunic with some kind of odd face on the front. I grabbed some chunky
black jewelry, ran a brush through my hair, reapplied my eye make-up, and threw
on my sandals. I was ready to go. As I walked out, E. was grabbing a cardigan
and a long, small purse. She looked as if she had no make-up on, and she hadn’t
changed since the long car ride, but she was beautiful. I tried not to be
jealous of her. I reached back and grabbed my huge black scrunch purse and
stuffed my black hoodie into it. Aunt Jan hadn’t seen me smuggle it into my
suitcase.

We walked into the
cafeteria, and E. spotted our two guys right off the bat.

“Oh good! Let’s go throw
our purses down! Hey boys!” she said, and she waved to some people at another
table. They all smiled with envious stares.

“Are you a…cool kid?” I
laughed, elbowing her in the arm.

“I wouldn’t say cool kid,
but I do think I get along with everyone. Oh, there’s Damen! I need to return
something I borrowed before the summer. Just get in that line over there,” she
said, pointing across the room.

On my own again,
I thought. I looked over
toward where she was running. There was a boy, who was almost unnoticeable,
grabbing a bag from a caf worker. It looked like food to go. He was dressed in
my old style: black hooded sweatshirt and dark jeans. His hands were in the
hoodie pocket -
flipping through his iPod
- and his hood was over his
head, so I couldn’t really see his face. He seemed buff in a lean way, his
hoodie tighter around his biceps.
Okay, why’d I just notice that?
Embarrassing!
I focused on food…
not so hungry anymore
. I grabbed a
slice of cheese pizza, a salad and a Diet Dr. Pepper.

I turned around and saw
that E. was only a few steps away from him now. He jerked his head to the side
before she even touched him. He threw off his hood and had a horrible grimace
on his face until he saw E., and then he grinned. I was annoyed by the effect
she had on him, and probably every boy. He had strong features – dark green
eyes and dark, almost black hair. He reminded me of a romanticized vampire from
one of my books. He seemed familiar to me, and my stomach started doing flips.
E. and the boy…or guy… Damen, I think she’d said, exchanged something. The
longer I gazed in their direction, the more I realized how hot he was…like
model hot, hotter than I had ever seen, sexy beyond words. No wonder he hides
behind a hoodie. Suddenly, his head jerked up and he looked straight at me
curiously, and then he nodded his head and smirked.
OMG!!! OMG!!! What if he
can read my mind?
I stumbled, and refused to look in his direction again.