Seeress: Book Three (Runes Series) (24 page)

I stood, pressed my hand across my stomach to contain the pain, and scurried upstairs.

The alarm beeped me out of a dreamless sleep. I rolled onto my back and stared at my ceiling, the events from last night flashing in my head. Torin hadn’t returned last night, and this morning there was no coffee to wake me up.

Today was going to be a sucky day.

Rolling out of the bed, I refused to look outside my window. Didn’t want to catch a glimpse of Torin. Downstairs, I ate breakfast without tasting it.

“Morning,” Femi said, walking into the room.

“Mmm,” I mumbled.

“Are you going to the store after school?” she asked.

I nodded, rinsed my bowl, and smiled in her general direction without looking at her.

“See you this evening,” I said before heading outside. I couldn’t help glancing at Torin’s as I drove past. The garage door was open, which meant he was home. Maybe he was avoiding me, too. He’d said I should keep a low profile. Did that mean not being seen with him and the others?

The thought hurt.

I stepped on the gas pedal and left our cul-de-sac. No Harley followed me to school. That was disappointing. Someone called my name as I hurried toward the school’s entrance, but I ignored them. I didn’t feel like talking to anyone.

I turned the corner, and my heart dropped. Three familiar guys were coming toward me. The three guys from the club. My day just took a nosedive to crap town.

“Your lockers are right here,” the office assistant told them, but their eyes were on me. I stared right back.

New students this late in the year? Mondo suspicious. Their eyes drilled into my back as I continued to my locker to put my backpack away.

“Didn’t you hear me call your name, woman?” Cora asked, planting herself in front of me.

“No, I didn’t,” I lied and placed my calculus book on top of my folder. Then I noticed Cora’s hair. It was held back with a clip. “What’s with your hair?”

“Bad hair day, so stop staring,” she admonished, shoving her backpack away.

I couldn’t help it. She was a hair person. She spent hours treating and pampering hers. I reached out to touch her hair clip, and she slapped my hand.

“Stop it. Was that double date amazing or what?” she said.

“Give us the deets,” Kicker said from across the hallway and several heads turned. She moved closer, and Sondra followed.

“Where did you go?” Sondra asked, finger-combing her hair.

“What did you eat?” Kicker added.

“You are on your own,” I whispered and took off. She grabbed my arm, eyes promising retribution if I left.

“You’ll get the details at lunch.” Cora waved to them and allowed me to pull her along. “Gah, I’m an idiot. Next time I open my mouth after a date, slap me. For now, come up with something. Where, what, and how?”

“Why me? I didn’t scream ‘double date’ in front of the dynamic duo.”

She scowled. “What’s wrong with you? You sound weird. You know, like you’re not too thrilled about something.”

I rolled my eyes and eased my arm from her grip. “Nothing is wrong with me. See you at lunch. You go that way,” I pointed toward the English hallway, “while I head up.” I nodded at the stairs.

“What do we have here?” a familiar voice asked, and I stiffened.

Cora whipped around. “Look, Raine,” she said. “The Three Stooges from the club. They allow your kind at our school? Maybe we should transfer.”

The guys sneered. What were their names again? There was Sebastian, the one I’d cleaned the floor with. I remembered his name because of the anime about a demon butler. I ignored them and focused on Cora.

“See you at lunch,” I said and started for the stairs.

“Hey, witch,” hit me from behind halfway up the stairs, and my stomach dropped. I kept walking even though icy panic crawled under my skin.

“I hear you can tell our future, Seeress,” Sebastian continued. “That you’re powerful.”

They were part of the group in Kayville for the Call. Rita and Gina must have told them about me. I kept going upstairs, my heart pounding hard. Behind me, they kept goading me.

“We’re talking to you, witch.”

“Do people here know about you?”

“Can you tell me my future?”

I reached the top of the stairs and turned to face them. They were right behind me, but several students were coming up the stairs, too. Some whispering. Others pointing or videotaping with their cell phones. This was last year all over again. By lunchtime, the entire school would know about me and these idiots. So much for keeping a low profile.

“If you know what’s good for you, you will shut up,” I warned.

“We’re not scared of you,” Sebastian said. “You attacked me. That makes you a bad
witch
in my book.”

“And calling people names…” a familiar deep voice said from behind me.

Then several jocks walked past me. “Gets you a serious ass-whopping around here,
boy
,” linebacker Tim “Tiny” Launders said and pushed Sebastian against the wall. His buddies, Ruby “Beef” Dunlop and Taine “Junior” Alesana—a Samoan built like a Sumo warrior—grabbed the twins.

“That girl,” Tiny Tim pointed at me, “is beyond your radar. You don’t ever use the ‘W’ word around her and you don’t look at her wrong.”

“Yeah!” Beef and Junior shouted, their faces inches from the twins.

“In fact,” Tiny Tim continued, “if you see her coming, you turn your pointy heads around and go the other way. Because no one,” he pressed a finger on Sebastian’s forehead, “and I mean no one messes with her when we are around. You mess with her, and you mess with us.”

“YEAH!” came from the crowd that had gathered around us, most of them members of the football team. I searched the faces for Torin, scared of what he might do. He wasn’t among them.

I was touched by what they were doing, but at the same time, scared of what the witches would do to retaliate.

“Tim,” I said.

“Don’t worry, Raine. These a-holes will not bother you again.” He pressed Sebastian against the wall and bared his teeth in a snarl.

“What’s going on here?” Officer Randolph, the school security officer, asked, and the non-jocks moved back. “Clear the hallway.”

The linebackers backed off and pretended to straighten the shirts of the three witches.

“Nothing, Officer Randolph,” Tiny Tim said, smirking. “These morons were making fun of some girls.”

“We were just telling them it’s not cool,” Junior added, putting his arm around Twin One. He squeezed his shoulders. “But now we’re buds.”

“Yeah,” Beef snarled and ruffled the hair of his captive. He was probably the scariest of them. He had to be three hundred pounds.

“Go to class, guys,” Officer Randolph ordered everyone. Then he pointed at the three new students, “You three, stay behind.”

Since the football team won the championship, the players were treated like royalty, so I wasn’t surprised the guard had let them go without a reprimand.

“Thanks, guys,” I told Tim and the others.

“No one messes with you, Raine,” he said.

“And no one believes that witch crap either,” Junior added.

“I know. Thanks anyway.” I entered my math class and went to my seat. Torin was still missing. Were they back to reaping? I opened my calculus book and tried to focus on Mrs. Bates and her parametric equations.

Torin was still a no show. I put my books away before heading to lunch. The hallway was nearly empty when I started toward the cafeteria.

“We should teach those bastards a lesson,” I heard Sebastian say just before I turned the corner. Without thinking, I camouflaged and pressed against the wall. They walked right past me.

“I hate jocks,” Twin One said.

“They’re not different from the buffoons at our school,” Twin Two said.

Without thinking, I turned and followed them. This was probably the wrong idea, but I’d rather know what they had planned than wait in fear. Besides, this was keeping a low profile.

“I say we punish them,” Sebastian insisted. “Humiliate them in front of the whole school.”

“Football season is over, Bash,” Twin One said.

They stopped by their lockers and put their books away. They didn’t seem to care that people were staring at them. New students always drew attention. Three of them, all guys, all good looking, were like magnets to girls.

“I don’t care,” Sebastian snapped. “We put some serious mojo on them.” What a douche.

“Zits or warts?” Twin One asked.

“Think big, Alejandro,” Sebastian snapped.

These guys needed to be taught a lesson. I debated whether to be the one to do it. I wanted to so badly. If only Torin’s threat wasn’t hanging over my head. I couldn’t afford to be rash.

I followed them toward the cafeteria. What if this was what the Norns had meant by Torin’s protectiveness pushing me to them? Was I being timid instead of decisive because of Torin’s threat? Argh, I hated second-guessing myself.

“What if they are all witches?” the other twin asked. “The girls said she’s powerful, and they could all be part of her coven.”

“Then we’ll show her what we can do,” Sabastian said.

“Dude, you’re talking like you’re trying to impress this witch,” Alejandro said. “We are here for the Call.”

We were almost at the cafeteria, and I couldn’t eavesdrop on them forever. I ducked in the last room, made sure it was empty, and de-cloaked.

Cora waved at me from our table, which seemed to have been invaded by jocks. Blaine was one with them. I searched the room for Torin and Andris. They were missing. Ingrid was at the cheerleaders’ table. I tried to catch her eyes. I felt so bad for her after her little lecture.

Sabastian and the twins turned and studied me. They were ahead of me in line. I stared right back at them. If only I knew what else I could do with my powers. Witches were supposed to master elements. Rita could move things. I was still wading in unchartered territory, yet I was this powerful Seeress. Maybe being a powerful Seeress didn’t necessarily mean I was great at other things.

I got my food and headed to the table. Today was burger day—hamburgers and spicy chicken burgers—but being late meant all I got was PB&J. The spicy sweet potato looked overcooked, and the bean soup was unappetizing as ever. Torin was turning me into a food snob.

“Are those guys bothering you again?” Tiny Tim asked as soon as I sat.

I smiled at the linebacker. “Nope.”

“What guys?” Cora and Blaine asked at the same time.

“The three pube-warts over there,” Tiny Tim said, and the entire table turned to watch Sabastian and his friends. They were seated with Gina, Tina, and a bunch of fresh faces. I’d bet they were all witches. Tina looked less deathly today.

“Isn’t that the dude Raine kicked at the club on Friday?” one of the students said, and the table laughed. They were making things worse. Time for damage control.

“Guys, just ignore them,” I said.

Blaine’s eyes narrowed as he continued to study the guy. Chances were he knew what they were because of Rita and Gina. “What happened this morning?”

While the guys went into exaggerated details, I squirmed. Lunch was too long.

As soon as I could, I escaped. But not before I indicated for Blaine to follow me. We entered the first empty room.

“We have a situation.” I quickly told him what I’d overheard. “Torin gave me a long lecture yesterday about staying low and not exposing us to the Mortal world, so I don’t know what we should do.”

Blaine cracked a smile. “He thinks like a Valkyrie, so he’s overly cautious. I’ve fought with Mortals without giving away my identity. We’re good at it. Ask Femi.” He hesitated then added, “I’ll see if Ingrid wants to be involved.”

I grinned. He was so nice. “She might enjoy it.”

He texted her, and within minutes, she entered the room. She wouldn’t meet my eyes. Blaine explained what was going on.

“I want in,” she said when I finished.

“Are you sure? We’re doing this as witches.”

“I was a witch before I became Immortal, Blaine.”

Blaine’s topaz eyes narrowed. “Do you remember your spells?”

Ingrid grinned, her light-blue eyes twinkling. “Oh yeah. Do you?”

He grinned. “Like you, I was a witch before I became Immortal.”

Okay, enough with the love fest. I was feeling left out. “Can I come with?”

“No,” they said at the same time. “Torin wants you out of this, so stay out,” Blaine added.

“I was just kidding. See you guys later.” I expected Ingrid to, I don’t know, apologize for the mean things she’d said yesterday, but she didn’t. I left them in the room and was halfway to my class when Blaine caught up with me.

“Ironed out the plans?”

He nodded. “I’ll walk you to class.”

I cocked my brow. “Why?”

“Just following orders.”

“What orders?” I asked, but I already knew the answer.

“Torin asked me to keep an eye on things while they’re gone. You didn’t respond to my text and you were gone when I stopped by your place this morning.”