The Academy - Introductions (28 page)

AP Geometry - Room 220 - Ms. Smith

Nathan, North

Violin - Music Room B - Mr. Blackbourne

None

AP World History - Trailer 32 - Mr. Morris

Victor, North

Lunch

AP Biology - Room 107B - Mr. Gerald

Silas

Japanese - Room 212 - Dr. Green

Victor

Gym - Gymnasium - Mrs. French

Gabriel, Nathan

It seemed everyone was in each other’s classes, except for their
special electives and Kota’s advanced science and math classes. I considered it
unreal but I wondered if part of the reason was because they were from the
Academy. Did Mr. Blackbourne and Dr. Green fix their schedules, too?

By the time we had it sorted out, I was sitting on the floor,
leaning against the couch. Gabriel moved across the room and was talking to
Luke. North stretched out on the couch. I was quietly reviewing my schedule
again when out of the corner of my eye, I caught Victor scooting over to sit
next to me.

“I already know a little Japanese,” Victor said. He sat with his
legs crossed and his knee grazed mine. The fire in his eyes flickered. “It’s
actually pretty easy to speak it.”

I tilted my head as I looked at him, trying to ignore his knee
pressing against mine. “How did you get in this class? I thought it was for
upperclassmen? I had to get special permission from Dr. Green.”

“Who do you think let me into his class?” He smiled at me. “He’d
let anyone in if they asked, actually.”

That confirmed things. If Victor’ s schedule was altered, the
others were most likely done as well. Did that mean Mr. Blackbourne and Dr.
Green wanted me in the same classes as the boys? “Where did you learn
Japanese?”

“My parents travel a lot. They like to stop in Japan.”

My eyes widened. “I’m jealous,” I said. “Can you say something in
Japanese?” It wasn’t a challenge, but genuine curiosity in his ability.

A smile touched his lips. “
Kirei-na hitomidane
.” The way he
said it in his baritone voice made it almost sound like a song lyric.

“Kirei...” My lips moved to try to mimic what he said but I lost
it half way through. “What does it mean?”

That fire lit up in his eyes and his cheeks tinged red. “I’ll tell
you later.”

I smoothed my fingers over the lower hem of my shorts in a nervous
reflex. Did I ask something embarrassing? Did it sound like I didn’t believe
him? I went with changing the topic since I didn’t want to say anything else
wrong. “At least we’ve all got classes together or similar classes. Studying
should be easy. Except for Kota.”

“Are you going to be okay, Kota?” North asked behind me. He was on
his side, a cushion pillow propped up under his head. He looked half asleep.
“There’s classes where we won’t see you for several hours.”

Kota shrugged and waved his hand in the air, dismissing his words.
“Most of these classes are close together on the second floor. I won’t be in
the hallways for very long.”

Silas had been completely quiet for a long time, concentrating on
his schedule. While the others were busy talking about how to get from one
class to another with the trailers being a problem, I crawled over to him. He
caught my eye and he patted the spot next to him, indicating I could move in
closer.

“We’ve only got one class together,” I said, sitting next to him,
holding my paper near his.

He inched over, putting an arm behind me with his palm to the
floor. He was close enough that his arm touched my back. “At least I get you to
myself,” he said, the corner of his mouth lifted up.

My fingers shook because of his touch. I put my paper down so I
could put my hands in my lap to hide them. “In a class full of people,” I said.

He put his paper in his lap and leaned back on his hands. “It
won’t matter if they’re there. I don’t really talk much.”

“Why?”

“Not a lot to say.”

“You talk to me.”

He reached over, moving a lock of my hair that had slipped away
from my clip and he tucked it behind my ear. His big fingers brushed across my
cheek and against the lobe of my ear. “You talk to me, too.”

My heart did flips in my chest.

There was a knock at Kota’s door. All of us looked up at the same
time toward one another.

“It can’t be the mailman,” Kota said, his brows creasing. He got
up off the floor. As he walked around me toward the door, he dropped a palm on
top of my head, pushing slightly to make my head bob down. I looked up just in
time to catch his grin before he left the living room. I grinned back. It was
nice to feel wanted. I tried to tell myself again that touching was normal
among friends. They might be friends with a lot of secrets, but they were
normal in their behavior, right? Having missed out on this for so long, I was
simply unused to the attention. Did anyone ever get over this feeling or was
this fluttering nervousness something they felt all the time?

It was only a minute before Kota returned, we all looked up at him
expectantly. He looked pale.

“Kota?” Luke said. “What? Who was it?”

“It’s your sister,” Kota said and he turned to me. “Your older
sister. She’s asking for you.”

My heart stopped. How did she find out? How did she know I was
here? My hand fluttered to the base of my throat and I leapt up. I didn’t want
her coming in. It would be bad enough she knew I was at Kota’s. It would be
worse if she knew there were seven guys here.

Silas caught my other hand, looking up at me from the floor. “Are
you going to be okay?” he asked, giving my hand a gentle squeeze.

I shrugged my shoulders and tried to keep my expression calm. I
squeezed his hand back. “Don’t worry. It’ll be fine.” After the last time when
my mother had reacted badly when Silas called, I didn’t want to scare him with
what was going through my mind then as to what she would do to me. I was too
terrified now to be nervous that he was holding my hand.

“Would your sister say you were here?” Kota asked, pushing his
glasses up on his face again even after they were already adjusted. I had the
feeling it was what he did when he was thinking.

“Maybe,” I said. “It might require negotiations.” They all looked
confused and I waved my hand to them, taking the paper that had my schedule and
putting it in my pocket. “I have to go calm the waters. I might not be back
today.”

“Be careful,” Silas said. He squeezed my hand again before letting
go. The others looked like they wanted to say something but no one did. North
was sitting up on the couch, his hands clenched. Nathan stared at the floor.
Gabriel, Luke and Victor between Kota and I, as if waiting for either of us to
tell them what to do.

Kota walked with me to the door and the others stayed behind. I
wanted to say something more to them but there wasn’t much else to say. This
was far beyond what I was prepared to handle at the moment.

Outside, Marie was waiting on the steps. Her hands were in her
jean pockets and she was looking impatient and sweating. I stepped out onto the
porch. Kota had his hand gently rubbing at my back on the way out and pulled it
away before Marie could catch it. The instant his hand moved, I felt at a loss.
His touch was helping me to feel brave.

I stepped away from the door and gave Kota a small wave. He waved
back, looking sympathetic. He said nothing but gave me a look that for once I
understood. He wanted word from me the moment I could find a way.

“Mom wants you to go home,” Marie said after Kota closed the front
door. “She’s been asking for you for a couple of hours now.”

“How did you know I was here?”

“I took a guess,” she said.

I was fuming inside, angry at myself for being so reckless. She
must have seen me from the house. “Does mom know I was here?”

Marie shrugged. That didn’t mean she didn’t know. It was her way
of saying she wasn’t going to tell me. This was bad. If Marie had gotten into
trouble with something, she could have used her knowledge of where I was to try
to get herself out of a punishment. It often worked.

We got back to the house and entered through the side garage door.
As soon as we were standing in the living room, I heard my mom’s voice ringing
through the house.

“Sang! Come here now!” The anger and power radiated through her
tone and it felt like the house was shaking around me. It was all I needed to
hear. She knew everything.

Marie filed off past me and headed
toward the stairs. She was getting out of the way. I was going to face this
part alone.

ABOUT C. L. STONE

Certification

• Marvelour of Wonder
  
• Active Participant of Scary Situations
  
• Official Member of F.A.M.E.
  

Experience

Spent an extraordinary number of years with absolutely no
control over the capping of imagination, fun, and curiosity. Willingly takes
part in impossible problems only to come up with the most ludicrous
solution. Due to unfortunate circumstances, will no longer experience feeling
on a small spot on my left calf.

Skills

Secret Keeper | Occasion Riser | Barefoot Walker Strange
Acceptance | Magic Maker | Restless Reckless | Gravity Defiant |
Fairy Tale Reader | Story Maker-Upper | Amusingly Baffled | Comprehensive
Curiousness | Usually Unbelievable