tour?” Jade asked, as she flipped her long, brown hair over her shoulder.
I had just sat down for dinner and my stomach was growling from hunger. Earlier, Ace had barely allowed me a few minutes to eat lunch before he started back with our tour again. Now, with aching feet, I was more than ready to stuff my face.
Taking a sip of ice water that was already waiting at the table, I nodded before responding. “Very informative,” I sighed. “I feel like I saw everything and am ready for tomorrow, but Ace is…” I let my words trail off. I wasn’t sure how to really describe Ace. He kept his distance and, at times, seemed like he really disliked me.
Jade smiled and let out a slight laugh. “Yeah, I’ve heard Ace is um… temperamental.”
“That’s a nice way of putting it,” I say.
“Don’t take it personally,” Jace adds, as she picks up her plate. “Wolves are known to have bad tempers. My guide isn’t so bad, though. His name is Thomas, and while he doesn’t talk a lot, he is very polite,” she says, with a shrug. “That’s him over there,” she adds, pointing to a very tall and muscular guy with long blonde hair that is pulled back into a man-bun.
My eyes follow to where she is pointing and across the room, I spot Thomas sitting next to Ace. There are several other guys at the table, too, and they are all muscular with long or shaggy style hair. They are seated near large windows that overlook the rose garden behind the school. Ace catches me staring and I quickly divert my eyes to my plate.
We head toward the buffet with our plates and my mouth begins to salivate as I take in the aroma of spicy Italian cuisine. Spaghetti, garlic bread, and salad are available for us to eat. We take our food back to the table and dig in.
As we eat, I contemplate asking her more about the wolves and why the rest of us aren’t allowed to date them, but I don’t want her to get the wrong impression and think I am actually interested in anyone. I see desert being placed on the buffet and my eyes bulge at the sight. Various arrays of cakes, pies, and cookies are displayed. This place truly is incredible. I’ve never seen such a fabulous place and the food is incredible.
“Can I sit?” I hear a voice beside me.
I was so taken in by the scrumptious looking desserts, I didn’t even notice Finn walk over to us. Jade eyes both of us carefully and then offers me a slight smirk.
“Sure,” I say.
Finn sits down and he smells incredible; a sweet mixture of pine and vanilla.
“How was your day?” he asks.
“It was good. I’m exhausted, but I learned a lot.” I smile back at him and my stomach fills with butterflies. Finn is so gorgeous and his smile is mesmerizing.
“Ace is your guide, right?” he asks me.
He frowns momentarily, but the light returns to his features quickly.
“Yes. Are you all friends?” I ask, before I realize what I am saying.
Finn lets out a hardy laugh that catches the attention of several people around us, including Ace. “No, Ace and I are not friends. Our Coven’s don’t have the best history with the dogs,” he sneers.
Dogs?
Ouch, I don’t like the way he seemed to degrade the wolves, but I’m not in a position to say anything yet.
“Oh,” is all I manage to say.
“Anyway, we should hang out later,” Finn offers.
“Sure, that would be fun,” I say, smiling back. Those butterflies are back again and I can’t help but feel a little giddy. “Let me get your number and I will text you.”
We exchange numbers and then Finn leaves to go with a group of his friends. Once he’s gone, Jade turns to me and winks.
“Wow, Finn is super hot. You are so lucky that he is into you,” she says brightly.
Embarrassment floods through me and I try not to look her in the eyes. Shaking my head, I say, “I don’t think he likes me. He’s just being nice.”
“Whatever you say,” she giggles.
We clean up our area and then take our plates to the counter. As we go to leave the cafeteria, Ace stops me.
“Brie, can you wait up?” he asks, stopping me.
“I will see you later,” Jade says, waving my way as she leaves me alone with Ace.
“I saw you talking with Finn,” Ace says, but it sounds more like an accusation.
“Yeah,” I say, getting a little annoyed with him.
“Well, I think you should just watch out for him. Finn can be bad news,” he growls out.
Sighing, I shake my head. “Why do you care anyway? I mean, I get that you are my guide, but I don’t think that gives you the right to tell me who I can be friends with,” I snap.
I didn’t mean to have so much malice in my voice, but Ace has been so frustrating to deal with.
Ace’s face tenses and I see him shake his head in anger. “Just be careful. Now, let me escort you back to your room. Once you gain powers, I won’t have to babysit you so much anymore,” he shouts, causing me to wince and step away from him.
A few people gawk at us as they walk by us, and the attention has my own anger flaring.
Ace’s face turns red and then he starts to storm away. I have no choice but to follow after him. As much as it angers me, I have to follow him right now.
***
Later that evening, I calmed down.
Jade, Lisa, and I spent time in the commons area watching television and it was nice to just relax with new friends. It was hard to pay attention to the show as so many questions and information spiraled through my mind.
When would I find my powers? Why did I have that nightmare? Why were the Supernaturals segregated? That one seemed to bother me the most. If we were all Supernatural and had to attend Woodsong Academy, then we should all be treated equally, right?
Ace left me alone the rest of the night and Finn texted me a few times, but I was far too exhausted to hang out with him today, so we arranged to meet up tomorrow evening. I just needed to focus and allow Woodsong Academy to show me who I was finally meant to be.