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Like any exceptional story ought to, ours starts with Once Upon a Time, but before we can get to that, we need to start with that...
I loathed to admit it, but I was nervous.
Standing at the foot of the stairs that lead to Building B – one of the various buildings that Maywood Crest Academy was comprised of – I took a deep breath. My latest (and last, thank God) set of guardians whose names I’d already forgotten at the moment, had conveniently given me no money for the trip to New York from Illinois, where my last foster family had been.
Where I was from originally wasn’t important to me because I didn’t actually know where that was anymore.
I was suddenly startled by the sound of laughter. The sound was coming from a pair of good-looking girls to the left of me, a few steps up.
The girls were going down the giant steps on the opposite end of the staircase than me; I was on the left, and they the right. The two girls were equally tall, but they were each other’s opposite in every way. The one on the left dark in hair and skin, where the one on the right was white-blonde and incredibly pale. They seemed nice. Ridiculously wealthy, sure, but nice.
They caught me looking at them, and they gave me a quick once-over.
“Are you lost?” the one on the right asked.
“Yeah,” her companion echoed, “You lost?”
I blinked. Maybe they weren’t so nice...
“I go here,” I told them, “why? Do I look too poor?” and damn it, my damn accent was thick as hell.
They noticed.
“Where are you from? Sounds like you’re from the mountains,” the blonde asked.
Her friend smacked her on the arm. “You can’t ask people that, Shel!”
I grinned, real big, almost like I was barring my teeth. “I’m the one scholarship case they accept every few years,” I answered. Then, because I’m hot headed, I added, “Got a problem with that?”
“A Hick? No. No problem. Just try to keep up,” the blonde scrunched her nose. Her friend looked as if she wanted to say something to admonish her, but chose to stay silent.
“Let’s go,” Blondie said, “we’re supposed to be in gym class early to talk to coach.”
The dark-haired girl sighed and followed her friend the rest of the way down the stairs.
I wanted to die. After eighteen hours of traveling by Greyhound, and half an hour via the school shuttle, I’d been utterly exhausted when I arrived on campus. Quite honestly, I wanted to chug a cup of coffee, find my dorm room, and just hibernate for the rest of the day, but it was with a huge sigh that I began to trudge up the steps so that I could at least get some coffee in the Dining Hall before classes started.
I’d just been by the campus book store and had ordered a sizable number of books, which were admittedly not all school related – lucky for me one didn’t have to pay right away, or else I’d have had a mental breakdown because I was seriously in need of some new reading material.
Maywood Crest seemed like it was going to be my worst nightmare come true, because not only did I have to worry about making friends, which I’d never been particularly good at, but I was pretty sure I was going to be forced to share a room. In the past, albeit at foster homes and not a fancy boarding school, that had ended pretty badly for me. Based on the girls I’d just met, I assumed a school like this was sure to have cliques. To be fair, I supposed I’d be here until graduation, so maybe it’d be different. Maybe I could make friends.
Something warm and solid bumped into my back, causing me to let out an alarmed squeak.
“Watch where you’re going, short stuff; stairs are for walking.”
I turned around to see who it was, and I had to look up to see his face because of his great height, and oh boy did he look pissed off. Great. My first day at a new school and I’d already made two enemies and looked like I was about to make a third. And, he was really handsome. Like really freaking handsome.
Okay, he was hot.
I blinked at the cross-armed giant, unsure of what to say.
“Uh...”
“Do you not understand English? Could have sworn we didn’t have transfer students here.” He sounded completely annoyed, which flustered me even more than his looks. He heaved a sigh and shook his head, mockingly. “Or are you just that dumb.”
Anger spiked through my veins, hot and intense. “Yes, I understand English, you...” I looked him over, messy dirty blond hair, brown eyes that looked like they’d crinkle at the corners if he smiled – which I guessed he wasn’t going to be doing any time soon, considering the death glare he was sending my way – the classic angsty tough guy with baggage. I had no time for his angst and baggage when I had tons of my own.
If he wasn’t looking at me like I was his next victim, I guessed he could probably pass for somebody who sort of was laid back, judging the way he was dressed – scuffed up skate shoes, jeans, and a grey shirt under a comfortable black hoodie. His clothes didn’t look particularly expensive, and though I could recognize the name brands that they belonged to by site, I noticed that they were worn. He’d had them for at least a few years.
“Guess I’m just that dumb,” I told him.
He rolled those chestnut eyes at me and tittered, as if I was nothing more than a petulant child, making it harder for me not to lose my temper. “Let me know when you figure out what you wanted to call me,” he drawled. “In the mean time, you really oughta –”
“Greyson!” My eyes moved to the girl who’d cut douche bag off and they widened in shock. She stood a few steps behind him and was seriously his double. I knew, without a doubt, that she was his twin.
“Listen,” I found myself saying, trying to tame my anger. “I just got distracted is all. New school. New faces.” I moved aside. “Sorry I got in your way.”
The guy sighed, and the tension in his body melted away like ice in spring as his eyes roamed over me, evaluating me. I felt like a piece of art at an auction waiting to be bid on, only instead of please bid on me, I was thinking please don’t hate me. Yeah, he made me want to punch him in the gut, but isn’t that what angsty tough guys do? He mustn’t be very good with people.
“Yeah, well, just don’t stop walking when there’s people behind you, short stuff,” he said after a moment. “It causes traffic.” He tugged his earlobe awkwardly and gave me one last once-over before continuing his way up the steps. “I’ll be seeing you around, then, short stuff,” he tossed behind his shoulder.
I didn’t want to like him, I swear, but a part of me was happy that he seemed to have calmed down and forgiven me. Why did I have to have hormones?
His sister jogged up the stairs to where I was standing, an apology written across her features. “That was his way of apologising. But I think you figured that out, by the look on your face.”
I hadn’t realized I’d been broadcasting any emotions on my features. I wasn’t used to anybody noticing how I felt – nobody cared, usually.
“I’m Emma. You’re new here, right? I saw Shel and Kendra and they were talking about the new girl, so,” she beamed at me and stuck out her hand, “I came to meet you! They’re bitches – well, Shel is. Kendra’s nice when she’s alone, I guess. But from the way Shel was talking, I wanted to make sure you were okay.”
I nodded, and looked at her hand for a moment, hovering between us with a slight tremble. She was clearly nervous and feeling guilty for her brother’s actions, and she seemed genuine, so I shook it. This earned me a huge smile, and her eyes crinkled at the corners like I suspected Greyson’s would, if he ever smiled.
“Callie.” I told her my nickname instead of the name my mother had given me, which always inspired circuses instead of mythology for most people. I’d learned early on to just give people the shortened version of Calliope.
“You’re lucky you got here when you did, Callie. Classes start in about an hour, so you can still catch breakfast if you haven’t already eaten.”
My stomach grumbled, and I laughed. “That’d be awesome. I’m freaking starving.”
Emma put a hand on my shoulder. “Well you’re lucky that it’s an all you can eat buffet in there!” she paused. “Oh! Did you want to eat with me and my group? That’s where I was headed, actually. No pressure though...my brother’ll be there, and he’s sort of...well you met him.”
Her hopeful face was enough to make me agree despite the fact that Greyson would be there. She clearly wanted to make up for her brother’s douche-baggery, and she was admittedly absolutely adorable, so I agreed and she led me into the building.
“God. it’s been forever since we had a new student!” Emma said as we entered the building.
“So, you probably got the old, non-updated pamphlet in the mail, right?”
I didn’t know. I hadn’t had a say in coming to this school; I’d simply been sent here. I nodded anyway.
“This building holds the dining hall, administration, and the infirmary,” Emma said, like a proper tour-guide. “Dorms are building C, and the main school and book store is A. The pool, gym and running track are in D. Easy peasy right?” she explained. “It’s a good school, I swear. I hope you’ll enjoy your time here!”
“It’s my third school,” I admitted, voice low. “I’m hoping it’s my last before college.”
We entered the dining hall, and the delicious scent of food made my stomach go crazy. I moved right away towards the pancake station, Emma trailing me like an enthusiastic puppy.
“Three schools? Do your folks move a lot?”
Ah, the parent question. Sally and Jim Garrett were my latest parents. They were nice people, I guess, in that really standoffish, you-aren’t-our-real-kid kind of way. They sent me here on scholarship, and I did everything they wanted me to do so that I’d get in, wanting to please them. They had congratulated me and told me what a bright girl I was. They also told me that I didn’t have to maintain contact with them unless there was an emergency, or I needed money, and that they’d taken me in to give me the opportunity to flourish, or whatever, in better conditions than I’d been afforded. They meant well, but I needed parents, and they weren’t up to the task.
My Mama had been severely mentally ill and she ended up OD’ing on heroin when I was five years old, not long after my Daddy had walked out on us. I didn’t hold it against her – her husband had left her to deal with a child and her insurance didn’t cover the medical help she needed to get clean and deal with her illness. Mama’s favourite delusion was that Daddy hadn’t walked out on us but was in government custody because of his magic powers. I believed her, until I turned eight. That was when I realized that there was no such thing as magic. That’s when I began to be angry, instead of sad.
Sadness never got me anywhere. Anger at least, had results. Not to say that I was mean, or anything, but I had a temper, and a low threshold for bullshit.
“More like I move folks a lot. My most recent set decided to send me here ‘till college. All their bio kids have gone here, apparently.” I shrugged. “I’m kinda on my own.”
“Ah, yeah say no more,” she piled two chocolate chip pancakes onto her plate and drowned them with strawberry syrup. “Me, Greyson and our cousins are all...military brats. We came to this town, all five of us a few years ago because our folks decided we should get to stay in one place. They’re all over the country, you know?”
She sounded like she was only telling me a half-truth, but I didn’t call her on it. Greyson seemed to carry the bulk of the twin’s angst, and I couldn’t imagine what they’d been through. Everybody’s fighting some kind of battle, I’ve found.
I poured syrup over my own pancakes and thought about what she said. “Oh, so you don’t go home for summer break?”
Emma shrugged, but she looked sad, her chestnut eyes losing a bit of their shine. “Yeah, and we barely leave campus ‘cause this is our legal address. We go into town for like, a break in scenery sometimes, but mostly we’re here. It’s not so shitty that it drives me insane, but sometimes I wish...” she paused. Looked down. Sighed. “Sometimes I want more.”
She steered me towards an occupied table in the middle of the room, and I recognized Greyson among the group of four kids sitting there. She sat down and indicated for me to do the same.
“Hey guys,” Emma got their attention. “This is Callie. She’s the newest student to grace us with her presence! I figured we’d call dibs,” she turned to me, a mischievous smile on her face, “since we’re the coolest people here.”
Greyson looked about as thrilled as if his sister had announced that I was a small pox carrier there to infect them all. The first one to greet me was a shy looking redheaded boy with eyes the colour of the sea, framed by long dark eyelashes. He gave me a thumbs up, which I returned. The second was an absolutely gorgeous girl, all amber skin, straight white teeth and hazel eyes. She smiled and waved. The third kid, who I thought was the girl’s brother since he looked a lot like her down to the dark brown hair, had been sleeping since we arrived at the table.
My suspicion was confirmed when she smacked his arm. “Bro, get up. Fresh meat!” Man, even her voice was attractive!
“I hate everyone,” her brother said tiredly, not moving. Greyson laughed and then faked a cough when he saw the dirty look Emma shot his way.
The girl turned to me and rolled her eyes, smirking. “He does not. He likes us.”
“You’re different. I’m required to like you. Family doesn’t count.”
“It’s a giiirl,” she teased, and he lifted opened one, lazy eye.
“So?”
Instead of getting offended, she laughed. “Whatever.” She pointed to her brother. “This is Hunter, my brother and yes, he’s always about as enthusiastic as the living dead. He and Greyson share that particular...trait.”
“Brains,” the guy mumbled.
“I’m Lex,” she introduced herself. “Sixteen, vegetarian, future environmental activist, and member of the school paper, which if you’re interested, is looking for new writers.” She smacked her brother’s arm again to prompt him to introduce himself, and he sighed.
“Nineteen, stressed and depressed,” Hunter grumbled. “I look after these twerps, and I have zero redeeming qualities.”
“You’re the twerp,” Emma muttered over her drink, annoyed at his behavior. “Until recently, I was taller than you. And be nice. Callie’s cool.”
Hunter opened his other eye and sighed. “I never said she wasn’t.”
Lex pointed at the red head, who was smiling at me shyly, “Moving on! This is Gage. Only child, though he’s like our brother. He’s neurotic, and I keep trying to get him to smoke some of my anxiety stuff, but he goes on and on about asthma. He doesn’t even have asthma. He’s the youngest.”
“I’m the youngest, by a few months for Christ’s sake,” Gage replied in a measured voice, his cheeks turning bright red to match his hair. “And I don’t want to ruin my lungs,” he grumbled to Lex.
“And you already met Greyson,” Emma said, gesturing to her brother, who was inspecting his nails.
“Short stuff,” he nodded in my general direction. “Good to see you got off the steps. Safer for foot traffic.”
I frowned. Something about that tough guy act made me want to punt him across the room. “I already apologised for that, you...you tall...” I fumbled for a good insult and came up short. I was usually a lot sharper than this...
He looked up then, and his chestnut eyes captured mine, amusement sparkling in their depths. “Taall?” he drew the word out, clearly mocking me. I took it as a challenge.
He raised his brows, waiting.
“Person?” I finished lamely, feeling weakened by embarrassment. Greyson laughed openly at me then, and I wanted to crawl under the table and die.
“She means asshole,” Emma said, her eyes on fire and her tone chastising. “Can you be nice to one person, Greyson? Just one. I want to make new friends,” she turned to the group, “no offense. But we’re all family.”
Lex and Gage laughed. Even Hunter lifted his head and cracked a lazy smile. “She has a point. We’ve grown up with all of the kids here, so fresh meat is welcome considering everybody here sucks.”
“Noo,” Emma groaned, putting her head in her hands, “they don’t suck. I mean the kids here are nice, don’t get me wrong, it’s just...” she made a face, “like any other school I guess. There are cliques. Since the five of us came here together, and because we’re family, I guess people figured we didn’t fit in with anybody else but each other. It’s really not for lack of trying on our part. People have been okay. Mostly.”
Greyson stood abruptly, picking up his lunch tray with one hand and his school bag in the other, slinging it over a shoulder. “You guys can do whatever,” he said to the group. Then his eyes met mine, and I couldn’t quite read his expression. “I can’t afford to –” he paused and looked away from me. “I don’t need new friends right now.”
I could feel frustrated tears welling up in my eyes. I tried to tell myself that it was alright, that it didn’t matter. He was going through something – I could tell just by looking at him, how tightly wound he was, so why on earth was I so upset about this guy?
“Hey,” Greyson said, his voice quiet, and suddenly he was crouching in front of me. His voice was gentle. “If my sister’s attitude towards you is any indication, she’s already adopted you into our group. I’ll have to get used to it eventually, alright?”
Mutely, I nodded.
“I just prefer to keep to myself. It’s not a crime, is it?”
I shook my head.
“Then don’t get upset over an asshole like me. Besides, you have three new friends. I’m nothing special, anyway...”
“Four,” Hunter yawned, and propped his head up using his fist, his elbow resting on the table. “If you don’t prove to suck.”
Greyson nodded. “So there you have it, short stuff.”
“My name is Callie.”
“Short for?”
“That’s an odd question.”
“I just figured it was a nickname.”
Nobody ever asked me about my name, and I felt a jolt of something I couldn’t quite pin down. Appreciation? I almost shook my head at the thought of being appreciative towards this guy.
“It’s Calliope,” I said eventually, my accent coming out.
“Well Calliope,” he said, mimicking my accent before walking away, “I’ll catch you later.”
~*~
Emma and Greyson were in all of my classes, which wasn’t hard because our age group was rather underrepresented, with only fifteen people. While Emma was ecstatic, Greyson, true to his word, kept to himself except at lunch where he spoke only to his sister and family. He essentially acted like I didn’t exist. Come dinner, I just wanted to go to bed, so I excused myself early and headed to the dorms – I hadn’t actually been there yet although my things had been delivered before my arrival.
I was nervous, but when I got to my room I was thrilled to find out that I didn’t have a roommate. There was a modern looking loft bed that had a double mattress on top, and a couch underneath where my bags had been placed.
I shot a quick goodnight to the group chat I’d been added to, courtesy of Emma, and unpacked my things before heading to the shower. When I was done about ten minutes later, I checked my phone.
Calliope: Night guys! I was tired so I headed off to my room. Can you believe I don’t have a roommate?? Thanks for making me feel welcome. S2g I’m boutta die.
Emma: <3 was A+ getting 2 know u! c u 2mrw (yaasss feeling that no roommate life! Nobody after tenth grade has a roommate)
Lex: Omg it was so nice having another girl around! :3 see you tomorrow. I’m feeling French toast for breakfast!
Lex: Melissa’s feet smell like Cheetos after she runs track -_-
Gage: Dave snores ;-;
Hunter: Guys I’m working late at the bookstore tonight, who wants chocolate bars that expire tomorrow? I mean they’re still good. We have to throw them away anyway lol but I feel kinda bad about it. 50/50 chance you’ll die.
Emma: ME
Hunter: Going once
Emma: I WANT THEM
Hunter: Going twice
Emma: I DO
Greyson has left the chat
Hunter: So, I guess he’s not in the mood for chocolate...
Emma: BITCH, I SAID I’LL TAKE IT
Greyson has been added to this conversation
Greyson: Jesus Christ, Emma, I’m trying to take a nap!
I made a sound of annoyance in the back of my throat and tossed my phone onto the couch. “Stupid tall, angsty jerk.” I stalked over to the light switch and turned it off, then moved to pick up my phone. I had to set an alarm to set.
I quickly pushed my window open to the mesh screen to let in some air, and climbed into bed. When I was finally under the bed covers, I signed blissfully. The sheets and pillowcases smelled freshly laundered, and I was lulled into a deep, dreamless sleep.
~*~
Sometime when I was sleeping, the sky cracked open and a heavy rain began to fall. It was still dark out when I woke, so when I saw a figure in the courtyard it gave me pause. I squinted at them, curious as to why on earth they’d be out in such a downpour, until I realized, with shock, that it was Greyson. He must have been out for a run when it started to rain.
I watched as he spread his arms wide, tilted his head to the sky, and laughed into the night – I couldn’t hear him for the rain even though my screen was open, but his joy was unmistakable.
I don’t know what made me do it; maybe it was because I wanted to know what made him seem so happy, wanted to connect to it in some way, but I pushed open the mesh frame and put my hand out the window, letting the cool water collect in the palm of my hand. I smiled, enjoying the feeling. A long-dormant, half-forgotten memory played somewhere in the back of my mind, and I could smell my dad’s aftershave if I tried hard enough. I could almost hear him laughing with me as we danced in the rain, could almost feel the wet grass under my tiny, bare feet. I could hear Mama telling me that I had magic inside of me, if I looked deep enough. She told me that if I danced in the rain even though Daddy’d left, I’d feel him right beside me, and that he’d know I was thinking of him.
I realized, as I got older and was able to examine the memory, that she was just trying to comfort me and that she was probably high as all hell, but the memory was enough to make me miss her terribly. She was a great mother, before Daddy broke her heart.
So, when Greyson’s eyes met mine, I smiled at him, and instead of scowling at me like he’d done all day, he grinned. For one perfect moment, I felt connected to something so much bigger than myself.
For one moment, I felt that maybe, Mama wasn’t so crazy after all. Maybe I did have magic inside of me.
~*~
Greyson was back to his normal self by breakfast, nursing a cup of coffee and picking at his bagel, staying quiet. He looked antsy, as if he’d rather be back outside in the rain. I wanted to ask him about what I’d seen but I had no idea how to bring it up without sounding weird. What if it had all been a dream? I mean I’d gone back to sleep afterwards...
Emma was telling me about some new movie that had just come out on Netflix, and Lex was braiding Hunter’s long hair as he napped with his head on her shoulder, the two of them looking like gods – elegant and golden skinned, with lashes so thick their eyes looked as if they were rimmed with kohl. Gage was busy typing something up on his laptop, probably doing homework that he hadn’t finished the night before – if the purple under his eyes was any indication.
“So, you wanna come over to my room to watch it tonight after class?” Emma asked, hopeful. “Everybody’s gonna be there...”
“By everybody, she means us,” Gage mumbled, looking up from his work for a moment. “You should come, newbie.”
I glanced at Greyson for a moment, wondering if he was going to be there. As if he knew what I was thinking, he shook his head at me. “I’ll be busy tonight, so you won’t be seeing me. Try not to be disappointed, I know you love me so after how nicely I treated you yesterday.” I recognized an apology when I saw one, even one as flimsy as this one was.
I rolled my eyes. “Well don’t beat yourself up over it,” I said, my tone hopefully indicating that he was forgiven. “What are your plans for the night, then?”
He smirked. “I think you can guess, short stuff. Fun fact, I like it best when it rains.” Dipping his fingers in his sister’s water glass to wet them, he proceeded to flick me with some water.
I pictured the grin on Greyson’s face as he let the rain wash him clean earlier this morning during his run, as if he were being born again. I couldn’t help the smile that made its way to my lips. I knew that the rain would go well into the evening, if not the next day. “Yeah, I can probably guess.”
He’d be out running.
I didn’t care that everybody was giving us curious looks, wondering what we were talking about, because the way he was looking at me, as if I was a puzzle he wanted to solve, had me so tied up in knots that I nearly knocked over my cup of coffee.
“Don’t get flustered now, short stuff,” Greyson said, still smirking. “People might actually think you like me or something.”
I blinked. “I don’t hate you or anything....”
Greyson chuckled. “Well that’s certainly good to know.”
Emma rolled her eyes and smacked her brother on the arm. “Stop flirting with my new friend. It’s gross.”
His face turned about fifty shades of red. “I am not flirting. You’ll know when I’m flirting.”
I laughed – Fifty Shades of Grey had taken on a whole new meaning to me in that moment.
To me, Emma said, “He likes to run in the rain. It’s his schtick – wait why are you laughing?”
I told her my joke.
Greyson looked like he wanted to punch me in the face.
~*~
When classes were through, Emma, Lex and I took our dinner to go and headed to the dorms, where Gage and Hunter had agreed to meet us. Coincidentally, Emma’s room was only two doors down from mine, and Lex’s was three doors down, so I was pretty happy to find out that at least a few of my new friends would never be too far away if I was lonely.
I wasn’t used to this. It was all sort of overwhelming.
True to their words, the boys were waiting outside Emma’s door. Hunter was holding a brown paper bag that said Marcy’s Baked Goods, and he instantly became my favourite person for the night.
“Took you three long enough,” Hunter said with a yawn. “I wanna get in some prime-time napping while you guys watch the stupid movie.”
Lex rolled her eyes at her brother and grabbed the bag from his hand. “You get my favourite?”
Emma pushed the boys aside and unlocked her door, then we all followed her in. Her room was exactly like mine, down to the type of bed she had, and yet completely different. The girl must have had a million stuffed animals! They were on the shelves, on the bed, on the couch. She even had them on her desk. The walls were covered in decals of realistic looking trees, making it look like she lived in the middle of an enchanted forest. On the wall across from her bed/couch there was a huge television that must have cost a fortune – but then again, her parents were in the military, so I guessed they’d probably have paid for it.
“Well, this is where the magic happens,” Emma said, flopping down onto the couch. “Make yourself comfortable! I have a mini fridge under the desk and it’s full of soda.”
I sat down beside her, feeling a bit awkward. “You really made this place feel like home.”
Lex grabbed some cokes from the mini fridge and then placed them on the table in front of the couch. I grabbed one gratefully. “Thanks.”
Gage got to work setting up his laptop so it connected with the TV, and Hunter climbed the ladder to the bed so he could stretch out. “I pay for Netflix; why didn’t I get to choose the movie?”
Emma ignored him and answered me instead. “Well, after four years I kind of had to, you know? Plus, it’s my first year having no roommate so I really wanted to make it count. Greyson’s the only one of us who hasn’t bothered to decorate his room. He’s a bit of an odd duck.” She adds, as a joke, “If he didn’t like animals so much, I’d think he was straight up serial killer material. The guy barely smiles. I’m his twin, but I never know what he’s thinking.”
“Mine and Melissa’s room is wicked,” Lex added to the conversation. “We moved the couch to one side of the room and shoved our bunk bed to the other and put our yoga mats in the middle so we can do our morning work out. It’s awesome. I have crystal lamps on every surface on my side of the room; you’re gonna love it. You know, quack science says they’re great for getting rid of negative energy? I just think they’re kinda neat.”
“You assume she wants to see your room, dumbass,” Hunter said from his spot above us.
Lex flipped him off. “I know she does,” she tossed back at him, voice full of barbed wire. And to me, she said, “Right Callie?”
I smiled, a warm feeling blossoming in my chest. It was looking like I had legitimate friends, ones that I wouldn’t have to say goodbye to after just a few months. I could afford to get to know these people, become invested in them without worrying about being shoved back into government custody, or seeing Danica, my social worker who really didn’t give a shit about the kids she oversaw.
I nodded. “I’d be super down to see your room, Lex. Are you at least friends with Melissa?”
Lex stuck her tongue out at her brother, and then turned to me. “I wouldn’t say we’re friends even though we’re into a lot of the same stuff and get along okay. She has her own crowd of people that she likes to hang out with and they don’t really like me so...we don’t interact outside of our room to be honest. It’s whatever, cause next year I’ll have my own room and we won’t have to interact at all.” She looked sad, though and I wondered if she didn’t wish Melissa and her could be more than just roommates with similar interests.
“You wanna teach me some yoga?” I asked, and she beamed, fist-pumping excitedly. “Aw, hella! A new convert!”
Gage sat down next to Lex when he was finished setting up the movie, his freckled cheeks turning bright red when she wrapped an arm around him.
“All set Ronald?” she drawled.
“Y-yep,” he managed to respond, shooting up from his seat. “All set. I’m gonna get the donuts. Anybody want something while I’m up?”
“I’ll have fries with that,” Lex said, before winking at him. The poor guy nearly toppled over.
“You’re cruel,” whispered Emma as she leaned over me to smack Lex on the arm.
Lex looked perplexed. “What? I can’t tease Gage anymore? It’s our thing. I call him Ronald, he calls me a chimney...”
Emma shook her head. She lowered her voice, “You’re so dense.”
Lex blinked for a few seconds, absorbing this information. I stayed quiet, feeling awkward. If they were all cousins, then how could Gage have a crush on Lex, though? Were they really all related by blood?
“We’re totally not really related,” Emma explained, having noticed my confusion. “Think of us as this school’s version of the Cullens – we said we’re related so that nobody asks us any questions. I mean, five kids show up all together, out of nowhere? Weird! So, we’re cousins.”
I didn’t bother to point out that the Cullens were vampires, and that they weren’t.
Gage placed the bag of donuts on the table and sat back down. “You guys talking about me?” he said, laughing awkwardly. “What’d I do?”
“Nothing,” Emma said too quickly.
The movie started playing then, and everyone grew silent, except for Hunter who’d started snoring quietly. The film had me so caught up that it was only when the credits started rolling that I realized I was the only one left awake.
I snickered when I noticed that Lex and Gage seemed pretty cozy, and it turned into full on laughter when I saw that Emma had fallen asleep with a donut in her hand and jelly on her face. I plucked the donut away from her and placed it on the table.
“Good movie, right? Though I only caught the end of it.” Hunter’s voice startled me, causing my heart to jump as if I’d seen a ghost.
He snorted. “You alright?”
“You nearly gave me a heart attack,” I admitted, breathless but with a smile on my face. “Didn’t know anybody else was awake.”
“Night is about the only time I am awake,” he said. “You going back to your room?”
I stood and brushed some crumbs off of my pants. “Yeah.”
“Well, for what it’s worth, I’m glad you came tonight. You’re alright, Calla lily.”
I smiled at the nick name. “You’re alright too, Hunter.”
He appraised me, and then grinned. “Hey,” he said, his hazel eyes full of mischief. “Do you wanna draw on Gage’s face with a sharpie?”
I woke up in the middle of chaos. The rain drops might as well have been razor blades for how much they hurt my sensitive skin, and I was absolutely soaked through to the bone. I looked around, not completely recognizing my surroundings, my mind still blurry from sleep, as I wondered how I ended up here. The moon was nowhere to be seen.
I realized then, that I was in the courtyard where I’d seen Greyson before. Did I walk here in my sleep?
“Calliope?” a warm hand landed on my shoulder, and I jumped at the contact, turning around in shock.
It was Greyson, dirty-blond hair plastered to his head, no shirt on, and looking like he belonged out here. “Christ, what are you doing out in the rain? You’re lucky I saw you from my window.”
It beat me. I didn’t know how to answer him.
“You’re freezing,” he murmured, rubbing his warm hands up and down my arms to bring the life back into my me. “What were you thinking, short stuff?” his voice was gruff, worried. “You’re gonna get sick. Your lips are turning blue. How long have you been out here for?”
I shook my head, unable to explain. Tears stung my eyes and my throat burned. I felt like a block of ice.
“Hey, it’s okay,” Greyson said, tucking me against his broad chest, his voice gentle. “Let’s get you inside.”
He took my hand and led me toward the girls’ side of the dorm. “You’re a few rooms down from Emma, right?”
A nod. “My door’s unlocked.”
He looked about ready to chastise me, but he took a deep breath and let it out in an annoyed huff. “Okay, we’ll talk about the importance of locking your door another day.”
“I’m pretty sure I was walking in my sleep, you utter jackass!”
“Well, what about now. Can you walk?”
“Yes.” I wasn’t actually sure if I could, but the stubborn part of me wanted to prove that I could walk without his help. I tried to walk in the direction of the dorms, but my legs felt like they were made of jelly. I would have hit the ground hard if Greyson hadn’t caught me and picked me up, bridal style.
“Whoa there,” he murmured as he adjusted his hold on me. “Short stuff, no need to fall for me,” he said, and I cracked a small smile, despite myself.
“Shut up.”
“No, seriously,” he said, enjoying himself way too much at my expense. “I have a question.”
I groaned. “I’m sure you do.”
“See, I heard you’re going on a trip next fall...”
I let out a choked laugh. “Really? Try something more original next time.”
He started walking towards the building, and I hid my face against his chest, feeling a tad motion sick.
“We’re almost there,” Greyson soothed. “Don’t worry.”
When we arrived in front of my door, he pushed it open. Gently, he deposited me on my couch, and my eyes closed for what felt like maybe a few seconds but must have been much longer, because when I re-opened them, Greyson was shaking my shoulder to wake me.
“Hey, short stuff. You should get into your actual bed if you wanna sleep without a crick in your neck.”
I stood, stretching out my arms and yawning. Looking around the room, I wondered where he put the towels he used to dry us off, or if he even used towels. Man, I hoped he’d used towels.
“How did you...?”
He blinked at me, confused. “Uh, you mean this?” he shook my shoulder again, and I smacked his hand.
“No, I mean where are the towels?” I felt awkward with his chestnut eyes pinned on me the way they were.
“Where do towels go when they’re dirty, short stuff?”
I sighed, feeling stupid. “Whatever.”
I moved to climb my ladder but paused when I noticed a cup of water on the table. “That yours?” I gestured to it. Greyson made a face, as if that sounded gross. I shrugged – must have forgotten I’d left a cup out the other day – and climbed into my bed.
“Thanks, for, you know...this.” I said, as I settled in.
“Well, maybe you should invest in sleeping pills to keep your ass in bed,” he replied, grinning.
I rolled my eyes, shoved a pillow over my head, and groaned. I could hear his laughter, albeit muffled by the pillow.
“You’re so annoying, even when you’re being a decent person.”
The pillow was plucked from my head and tossed aside, and I realized Greyson was standing on the couch so that he was able to look down on me, his hair looking brown in the lighting of the room. I hated to admit it, but he was incredibly handsome. His expression was soft, and his gorgeous eyes roamed over my face, searching. I could get lost in those eyes, if I wanted to – not that I wanted to.
“Hey,” he said, voice soft.
I realized then that I’d been practically making out with him with my eyes, and I snapped out of it. “Y-yes?” I could feel the blush staining my cheeks at how obvious my attraction to him must have been in that moment.
“Get some rest, will you, Cal? If I’m gonna be stuck with you for a while, I’m gonna need you to be well-rested or else Emma’s enthusiasm is going to kill you.”
“And why would you care?”
Greyson winked, looking wicked and playful in one gorgeous package. “Maybe I don’t.”
“That so?”
“That’s so.”
“Uh, well okay.” I managed.
He smirked. “Don’t give yourself an aneurism, short stuff. I’d hate to see you die so young.”
I groaned. “Get out before I smother you with my pillow, shirtless wonder.”
I could still hear him laughing, even after he closed my door.
It only occurred to me as I was in that place between being fully asleep and awake, that I should wonder how on earth he got our clothes and hair so dry within what must have only been a few minutes.
*~~*
When I arrived at the dining hall the next morning, Emma’s hug was enough to nearly break my ribs. “I’m so sorry we all fell asleep. You must have been like, crazy bored. What great new friends we are...”
I wasn’t sure if I should feel thankful that Hunter had decided not to draw on everybody’s faces after I left, or annoyed that Greyson was smirking at me over his cup of coffee.
“Actually, Hunter was awake.” I gestured towards the now-sleeping nineteen-year-old.
“That’s who drew a dick on my forehead!” exclaimed Gage. He smacked the culprit’s arm, which did nothing to wake him.
I couldn’t help the laughter that bubbled out of me, and Gage shot me a look, eyes narrowed. “It wasn’t there when you left, was it?”
I shook my head. “God, no. But at least it looks like you got it all off.”
“Actually, it’s Cover Girl,” he replied, pointing to his forehead, which I realized was absent of its usual freckles. “It’s not the first time one of them has pulled this shit.”
Even Greyson laughed at that remark, nearly choking on his coffee.
“So,” Emma turned to me. “Are you ready for swimming today?”
I blinked. Oh no. I hadn’t thought...
“S-swimming?”
Emma nodded enthusiastically. “This time of year is always swimming – you know, laps and diving, that sort of thing. So fun, am I right?”
I gulped. I’d always feared swimming, preferring to stay in the shallow end, close to the edge. There was something about bodies of water that unnerved me, and I’d never been able to pin point why.
I must have made a face, because everybody at the table grew quiet, and I was met with four looks of confusion, and one of pure shock from Greyson.
“I take it you don’t enjoy swimming?” Greyson said after picking his jaw up off of the floor.
I shrugged like a petulant child. “Just not in bodies big enough to drown in...”
“You know, you can drown in a puddle, short stuff,” he informed me, causing my heart to squeeze in terror at the thought.
I took in a fast breath.
“Worried you’re actually gonna drown in a puddle?” Greyson teased. I didn’t bite, because, yeah, now I kind of was thanks to him, but he didn’t need to know that.
He laughed at whatever expression was on my face. “I mean, it’s unlikely you’re gonna drown in a puddle, but I guess anything is possible, for somebody that sleep walks in the middle of a storm,” he said, before pushing his chair back and standing up. “Well, I’m off. Catch you in P.E. short stuff.”
I grunted a response as Greyson examined me, his face going from playful to curious. “You alright? You kind of look like shit. No offence.”
I rolled my eyes. “You can be a real dick, did you know that?”
He smirked at me. “I’ve been told.”
“Well, I’m okay. And as for last night...” I sighed. “Thanks again, Greyson. I know you don’t exactly like me.”
He shrugged. “It’s whatever.”
I chewed on my thumb nail some more, going for casual indifference. I failed miserably, of course, ripping a hang-nail off and opening a lovely cut that with my luck, would become infected.
Greyson’s voice startled me. “Would you stop already?”
I looked up, confused. “Stop what?”
Our eyes met, and he stared at me for a good second. “I don’t even know why I give a shit,” he said quietly, as if to himself.
Nobody else had said a thing the whole time, I realized, because they were all watching us interact as if we were primetime television. Greyson noticed around the same time as me, and he stalked away, his bag slung over his shoulder. “You’re bleeding,” he called over his shoulder. “It’s annoying.”
I looked at my thumb, and realized he was right. Oh.
And then I realized that he hadn’t corrected me when I stated that he didn’t like me. But then why would it bother him if I was bleeding? Was he squeamish?
When he was safely out of hearing range, Gage spoke up. “You can swim, can’t you?” he asked gently.
I shrugged. “I can float.”
I’d never seen somebody look as scandalized as he did upon hearing that. “You mean to tell me that you can’t swim?”
I nodded and continued to chow down on my thumb as if it was my last meal, despite the blood. “Not very well. Nobody ever taught me.” My voice was quiet, afraid. I didn’t want to be judged – and how could he not judge me? I closed my eyes to hide the embarrassment that was surely on full display within.
“You can get an exemption,” Emma said, “while you learn to swim.”
I frown. “That’d be embarrassing.”
Lex shrugged. “You could just fake an injury. That’s what Hunter does all the time.”
“Fuck off,” Hunter mumbled, sleepily. “I work, and I look after you idiots. Sometimes I don’t want to take on extra shifts. Sue me.”
I shook my head. “I’ll guess I could tell the teacher that I got hurt or something. Better than saying I can’t swim.”
Hunter sat up to stretch, yawning obnoxiously loud as he did so. “Yeah, no.”
“Here we go,” Lex declared, “He’s gonna baby the newbie.”
“Baby me?” I couldn’t picture Hunter as the babying type.
He ignored his sister, leveling his gaze with mine. “I’m your new mom now, so listen up.”
I was about to laugh, until I realized his expression was dead serious. “Um, okay?”
“Tell him you can’t swim and get an exemption. You don’t need a lie on your record.”
Lex is quick to refute the idea. “You’re not going to go tell the teacher that you can’t swim, because kids are cruel, and they’ll inevitably find out and your life will be pretty shit for the next however long you’re here for. This girl I have second period with dyed her hair bright blue by accident and even though nobody saw it besides her roommate, word got out. They still call her Smurf. Just tell Coach you’re on your period. Coach is freaking terrified of periods.”
Crossing my arms, I sigh. “I am not telling him I am on my period. I think I should save that for the real deal.”
“I’ll go over the basics of swimming with you,” Emma said, although her confidence in my grasping the theory so quickly must have been pretty low, because she sounded nervous. “Maybe today’ll be a refresher if we’re lucky.”
I gulped. I really, really hoped it would be.
In the end, I told Coach the truth. Emma, bless her heart, had gone over the theory with me until she was blue in the face, but my anxiety trumped all logic, and I sat through all of P.E, feeling like a complete idiot as everybody else splashed about happily.
At the end of class, Coach stopped me, and pulled me aside. “Listen,” he said, “Greyson’s a great swimmer. Why don’t you ask him for lessons?”
I shook my head. “I don’t think he’d really like that idea.”
Coach laughed, and it boomed throughout the now-empty pool-room. “What gives you that idea?”
I shrugged. “He doesn’t like people,” I paused, as Greyson pushed through the double-doors to the room, stepping in as if he owned the place. He was still dressed in his swim trunks.
“You wanted to see me, Coach?” he asked.
Coach nodded in greeting, and then looked towards me, expectantly. When I said nothing, he looked to the heavens, and sighed. “Callie here had some delicate information she’d like to share with you. I’ll be in my office while you two work it out. Take all the time you need, I’ll write you notes.”
Greyson waited patiently, long after Coach had left the room, leaving us alone to soak in the scent of too-much chlorine. I cursed Coach silently as I chewed on my thumb. Finally, after the silence became unbearable, understanding crossed Greyson’s features. “Oh shit, you can’t swim, can you?”
I didn’t reply verbally, instead opting to go for a nod.
Shock coloured his tone. “Why didn’t you say so earlier?”
“It’s embarrassing, okay?” I whispered. “I’m...it just scares me.”
He cocked his head. “The water?” His tone held complete disbelief.
Well, no. It was the lure of the water that scared me more than anything.
“You know,” Greyson said gently. “The human body’s made up of a ton of water. Why be scared of something that’s inside of you?”
Well, when he put it that way, my fear did sound kind of silly.
He turned his back on me and started to walk towards Coach’s office.
“Will you teach me?” I called out, hopeful.
Greyson nodded, but he didn’t turn around to look at me. “If that’s what it takes.”
––––––––
By the middle of my fourth week of school, I’d settled in rather nicely. My room was starting to look like it belonged to me, which was something I’d never gotten to experience at any other place I’d lived – I’d always kept what little I had packed.
Emma had knit me a blanket, Lex had given me a salt lamp, and Gage had completely debugged the crappy laptop my foster parents had grudgingly given me. At the end of the week, the boxes of books that I’d ordered on my first day at Maywood Crest finally arrived – and there were a lot of books. I started stacking them on every available surface, causing Greyson to officially upgrade my nickname from short stuff to short stack the moment he walked into my room after his sister had gotten him to agree to help me organize them.
“That makes me sound like...like a stack of pancakes!” I howled, smacking him on the arm.
And because he had a death wish, Greyson replied, “Well you do look good enough to eat.”
I attempted to tackle him and failed. I knew he was laughing, but I couldn’t hear him over the rush of blood to my ears and the sound of my hands smacking against his chest as I tried to tackle him off of the couch.
“You are so annoying!” I shook him by his shoulders as he only laughed harder because I’d only really managed to push him into a sitting position.
“Did,” he said but he had to stop for the laughter, “did you just try to tackle me?” he asked through his gasps of laughter. “You’re like a hundred and ten pounds!”
I rolled my eyes, but he caught me off guard by tickling my sides, and I fell literally right on top of him, howling, “Oh my god!” over and over again as he tickled me mercilessly.
“Have you had enough?” he asked, his voice playful.
“I give! Uncle! Mercy! I tap out!” I cried.
We’d grown into a semi-camaraderie thanks to the swimming lessons, which I loathed to admit were actually kind of fun. He was a good teacher, damn it. It was the only time where he dropped that lone wolf act he had going on.
Suddenly, I realized how close our faces had become – how close every part of our bodies was, seeing as he’d managed to end up on top of me somehow. Dirty, dirty things flashed through my mind for a moment, before I locked them away forever, by shutting my eyes and taking a deep breath. When I opened them, Greyson’s were sparkling, and his grin was as wide as it had been all those weeks ago when I’d seen him in the rain.
“Wow, you almost look like you don’t hate me,” I breathed, managing to sound somewhat sarcastic and flustered at the same time.
He was searching my eyes for something, and even though his grin had faded away, his lips were still quirked at an angle that hinted at a smile. “You think I hate you?”
I squinted at him, trying to figure out if he was being an asshole or not. “Well,” I said hesitantly, “what am I supposed to think? You can be a real dick, you know.”
Greyson laughed. “I’m a dick, but I have emotions, jeez.”
I laughed mirthlessly. “Well you could have fooled me. What happened to you not affording to have friends.”
His eyes flashed surprise. “I never said I couldn’t afford to have friends, Cal. I said I didn’t need any new friends.”
“Yeah,” I said, “but you started to say that first, didn’t you? And I know you only agreed to help me today because everybody else was busy! Plus, if Coach hadn’t asked you to help me learn to –”
“Coach didn’t tell me anything. You asked me, remember?” he looked genuinely upset. “And yeah, maybe a part of me is helping you today because my sister asked, but what’s so bad about that? I like making her happy.”
I shook my head. “I don’t even know why I want you to like me so much. It shouldn’t matter,” I told him, and he flinched at that. “But it does.”
“Christ, Cal, I don’t know what to say to that. It’s...”
“Just answer me then! Why don’t you want to be my friend?” I asked petulantly, needing to know. “You can be nice, sometimes.”
“It’s complicated!” he shouted, and then winced when I jumped at his tone. “Sorry,” he said, “it just is. I would explain if I thought I could. But I can’t. And you need to leave it alone, alright?”
I thought about the time I’d spent getting to know everybody, and I realized that none of them had talked about their parents, except that time Emma told me that they were in the Military. I’d accepted that because it had seemed like the truth at the time.
“Did you guys all grow up together? I mean before you came here?” I asked, changing the subject. “You and Emma, and your cousins.”
“Yeah,” he said quietly. “We’ve been together since I was six.”
“Your parents –” I stopped mid-question. “You don’t have to tell me, never mind,” I amended, when he raised a brow. “I get it,” I said, “I hate it when people push me to talk about my own family.”
“Maybe I’ll tell you one day, short stuff. But,” he paused, and his eyes met mine, imploring me to understand and not to press for more information. “I don’t think I can just yet. There’s too much to tell.”
He ran a hand through his hair, “I’m sorry.” It was a whisper that I almost didn’t catch, and I wondered if I’d heard it at all. Was I imagining him apologising to me? I opened my mouth to ask him what he’d said, but he beat me to it by saying, “We should get back to organising those books.”
I saw Greyson differently, after that. Every sarcastic barb was meant to distance himself from the world, so that nobody would hurt him. He’d taken a big step, allowing himself to be so vulnerable in front of me, and I wanted to honour that as much as I could by not pressing his buttons too hard – and that meant not asking about his past, and subsequently not asking about any of my friends’ pasts. They’d tell me when they were ready.
Eventually, Greyson started hanging out with us during movie nights. He sometimes even offered me his popcorn or a bite of his donut, or whatever treat of the night he had his hands on. Emma said it was a good sign, a step in the right direction.
I felt like I was taming a wild animal. In the beginning I hadn’t wanted to get to know this angsty creature, but in the end I was glad he was softening towards me, day by day.
The tipping point between strangers and friends came one Friday night, when I woke up from a nightmare in a panic, still mostly half asleep, crushed between Emma and Lex, the latter of the two having wrapped her leg around me in her slumber. Emma’s head was resting on my chest. Call me the human pillow.
Lex’s top had ridden up in her sleep, to expose her slim belly, and her new belly-button piercing. Hunter was going to lose it when he found out, forever the mom of our – I couldn’t believe I got to include myself – group.
As carefully as I could manage, I disentangled myself from the girls and made it all the way to the door before realizing that I’d left my phone on the couch...where Greyson had passed out, mid-way through the film.
I debated leaving my phone there, but smartphone addiction won out, so I tiptoed over to him as quietly as I could, so as not to wake the other two people in the room. Sleeping, he looked so peaceful. I hated that I had to ruin that, but...
I poked him on the cheek, and one chestnut eye slid open. “Mmph?”
“You’re sleeping on my phone,” I whispered. “I need it.”
Greyson muttered drowsily. “I’m sleep.”
I resisted the urge to pinch him. “Greyson.”
His other eye opened, and he was too tired to hide the way his eyes slid over my body, causing a pleasant chill to move up my spine. “Short stuff,” he greeted me, voice still thick with sleep. “What’s up?”
Honesty is the best policy. “Woke up. Nightmare. Wanted my phone.”
He frowned. “Why didn’t you wake somebody up?”
I shot him a bland look, and he chuckled. “Besides me?”
I shrugged, but in truth, I hated waking people up and had only woken him for the phone.
“Well, I’m not getting up,” he professed. “So, you’re gonna have to wait ‘till morning, and from the looks of it, you could use some more sleep.”
I shook my head. I didn’t want to have to explain that every time I closed my eyes, I was little again and all I could see was Mom, strung out on the couch, only she wasn’t breathing, and I didn’t know how to fix her.
As if he sensed my fear, Greyson pulled his blanket aside, and gestured for me to get in. “Wanna talk about it?”
I don’t know how long I stood there until I slid under the blanket, and molded my body to his, needing the human contact, tears in my eyes. Lack of sleep was doing weird things to me...
“It’s okay,” Greyson whispered, as he held me, rocking us gently, back and forth, back and forth. The movement calmed me, and I found myself being lulled to sleep. “You don’t have to say anything,” he murmured, as he rocked us. “I get them too.”
The last thing he said before sleep took me was, “Maybe one day, right?”
I nodded. Maybe one day.
Tornado sirens blared through the speakers of the dining hall, where Emma, Lex and I had been studying, forcing me to cover my ears. “What the hell?”
“We need to get to the auditorium!” Emma shouted over the sirens. Luckily, the auditorium was in the basement of the building we were in. “Let’s go!”
“What about the others?” I asked, worried. “Weren’t they going swimming today?”
“They just texted me,” whispered Emma, “They’re halfway between D and C.”
Immediately, Lex bolted towards the exit.
Emma grabbed my arm when I moved to follow Lex out the door. “Do not follow us. Promise me you’ll go to the auditorium.”
I shook my head. “I’m not leaving you guys alone, are you kidding me?”
She growled in annoyance, a very un-Emma like thing to do. “Stay here, then. But don’t go outside, okay? Wait for us here.”
Something in her tone left no room for discussion.
Even as the rest of the students and faculty poured into the building, I waited right where she told me to until my Math teacher, Mr. Pell told me he’d better see us all in the auditorium within the next ten minutes, “or so help me!”
When the power went out after a huge clap of thunder, I decided that I couldn’t wait any longer, and went the door to see if I could spot them. Opening it, I stepped outside and was shocked. The rain was so intense that it soaked me right away, and the wind made a mess of my hair in seconds. I could barely see, but after a few minutes, I was able to just make out my friends’ silhouettes as they struggled to run through the downpour.
“You took too long,” I exclaimed when they were within ear shot. “I waited, but...”
“It’s okay,” Emma said when they reached the building. “Thanks. But fair warning, my brother’s gone all alpha male, and he’s pi –”
“Short stuff!” Greyson smacked me on the arm when we got inside, and then pulled me into an unprecedented hug, causing everyone to stare openly at the scene. “You idiot, what if you’d gotten hurt? Do you know how much damage flying debris can do to a girl your size?”
I didn’t miss Gage slipping a very smug looking Lex something that I suspected was cash, muttering something under his breath about female intuition.
Greyson was completely oblivious to everybody around us. “Emma said to stay put and you should have listened. God, you’re gonna give me an aneurism!”
“Greyson, you’re gonna break my ribs. All of them. Like, pronto.”
He didn’t pull away.
“When I saw you standing there in front of the building like a damn fool, your hair flying everywhere like that, I could have killed you.”
“I thought she looked kinda epic,” Emma supplied, and Greyson scoffed.
“Epically stupid, maybe.”
“Air, sorely, lacking. Brain function, shutting down. Need oxygen.”
“What were you planning on doing, huh? Running into the storm to get us like some super hero? I could have handled the storm, short stuff, I could have...” he trailed off, breathing hard. His eyes met mine, and in them I saw equal parts genuine worry and relief.
“You big. Me little. Ribs ow,” I squeaked, and he finally seemed to come back into himself, letting me go. Greyson blinked at me, eyes filled with embarrassment, fear, and something that looked suspiciously like attraction as they flitted over my body to see if he had somehow caused me any real damage
Hunter laughed. “Dude, oh my god, you’ve got it bad.”
“Shut up,” Greyson growled, his cheeks completely on fire. “I don’t.”
I smirked. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you actually liked me. But that’s crazy, right?”
He shook his head. “Crazy, short stuff.” Liar.
I smiled. “So, you don’t care about me at all? Not even a little bit? Thought we were friends.”
His cheeks were Gage’s hair colour by then, and he opened his mouth to say something just as Mr. Pell shouted, “Into the auditorium, now! We’ll be having no more teenage drama in the middle of a hurricane!”
The spell broken, Greyson winked at me and then flashed me a peace sign, before trotting after the math teacher like his life depended on it, shouting, “I plead the fifth!” Hunter, Lex and Gage trailed him at a much slower pace, all chuckling when Mr. Pell turned to Greyson and said, “Son, your friend Hunter was onto something.”
Greyson nearly bowled the older man over to get away, shouting, “Can’t get any privacy in this place!”
“He’s so difficult,” Emma said, placing a hand on my shoulder. “You should know by now that he cares, though.”
I nodded. “Yeah, I do.”
She smiled softly. “He’s just scared you’ll leave, you know.”
I frowned. “I’m not going to,” I told her, “I’m here till college.”
Emma shook her head. “He’s not afraid you’re going to transfer out. He’s just waiting for you to get sick of us, move on, forget about us. To stop caring.” Under her breath, she muttered, “People have before, I mean. Stopped caring. Or never really cared at all.”
I placed my hand on her shoulder. “I’m not like that.”
She nodded. “I know. And he knows too.” Then she rolled her eyes. “He probably writes in his diary about how cute his short stuff is. I bet he has your kids names picked out already.” Emma made exaggerated gagging noises.
I giggled. “You’re awful. It’s not like that. I mean, yeah sure there’s an attraction, but we’re not...we’re so different.”
Looking so much like her brother, Emma winked at me and began to head towards the auditorium. “Well, I don’t know about that,” she said, “but I guess we’ll see, won’t we?”
Most of the student body was either in the storm shelter or in the gym, which is where Greyson, Gage and Hunter had been just before the tornado warning was in place. They’d been on their way to join us in the Dining Hall when the sirens went off. In total there were only thirty students in our building and eight faculty members, since it was the weekend. After a few hours, the warning was lifted, and the power came back on, so we were ordered to head to the dorms, since it was getting late.
The rain had slowed down to a drizzle, and it felt nice on my hot skin when we all stepped outside – the auditorium had been sort of stuffy, because they’d made us all sit close together, breathing each other’s air. We moved at our own pace, choosing to walk instead of running like most of the other students.
It was only when we finally reached the dorms that I realized Greyson had lagged behind by about ten feet. I’d been so busy talking with Hunter and Gage about something, that I hadn’t noticed. Other people walked by him, but he took no notice, his face upturned towards the sky, eyes closed.
“He’ll come in eventually,” Emma said, nodding towards her brother. “Don’t worry. You know his obsession with...precipitation.”
I nodded, but even as my friends made their way to Emma’s, I stood there, watching him bask in the rainwater until we were the only two people left outside, and I couldn’t stand the distance between us. I had to talk to him.
As if he could read my thoughts, Greyson’s eyes opened, and met mine. We simultaneously started walking towards the other until we were nearly toe to toe, and I had to look up to maintain eye contact.
“Calliope,” he said. “You should go inside. You’ll get sick if you stay out for too long.”
“What about you?” I probed.
He shrugged. “What about me?”
I made an annoyed noise in the back of my throat. “You’re not immune to the common cold, dumbass.”
Greyson smiled at me. “Oh? And how do you know that?”
“Nobody is.”
He grinned. “You’re right, but I can’t help it. I like to get wet. And I have a really strong immune system, so I’ll be fine. But, you’re not like me; most aren’t. Unless...”
He searched my face for something, and he appeared really vulnerable, almost hopeful for just a moment, before schooling his expression. Shoving it down. I knew what he was doing because I’d done it a million times myself. He was about to deflect.
“Never mind,” he deflected. I’m ashamed to admit that I mentally high fived myself. After that, I mentally slapped myself in the face for being such an ass.
“Fine,” I said, backing up. “But you’re raising more questions that will need answers one day with your behaviour.”
He shook his head and smiled a half-smile. “Maybe one day I’ll answer them.”
~*~
I didn’t think that I’d fall victim to bullying, but those two girls I met at the beginning of the year, bitchy and albino had decided to pick on the girl who can’t swim – they’d seen my swimming lessons with Greyson one time and I hadn’t heard the end of it.
Greyson had told me to laugh it off, that Shel and Kendra shouldn’t get to me.
But they did get to me; I was pissed.
Like, all the time, pissed.
It tripped everyone out, because when I was pissed I tended to mutter to myself.
I still do, but that’s not the point.
This is the past, and about how my anger changed my world forever.
~*~
Five months into the year, the bullying had spread as rumours about me. I was supposedly a dumb hick who was fucking Greyson for free swimming lessons – because apparently that was the only way people could possibly see us together.
I wished I was a dumb hick, because the rumours wouldn’t have made me so angry if I’d been dumb.
But I’m fucking smart, and I’m a smart-ass.
I was waiting for Greyson, for our swimming lesson. I’d somehow allowed Shel to corner me as she jabbed insults my way, and I was beginning to panic. She was pushing me closer and closer to the pool’s deep end.
“Why’re you so scared?” she taunted.
I was in my ugliest one-piece, and she was just throwing insults at me left right and center while wearing her prettiest little fucking bikini.
I snapped.
There was nobody else around to save me, and my body acted on instinct.
The water in her blood called out to me, and I took hold of it and decided, hmm, I don’t think this should be there.
I leached the water out of her body with my mind and melded it with the water within my own blood, and I materialized it into a beautiful but small orb of liquid in front of both of our shocked eyes, and then shot it straight at her prettily made-up face.
I was so stunned at what I’d done, that I didn’t register the pure horror in Shel’s eyes as she looked at me, face completely soaked from the water, finger pointing at me with her mouth agape.
“You,” she said. “You freak!
I stood there, my own mouth open. “I-I-I-”
“Y-y-you nearly killed me!” she shrieked.
I hadn’t taken that much water. We’re made up of a lot of it, you know, and I had supplied the extra needed to create the orb.
The orb.
I wanted to hide, but Shel was already coming towards me arms out to push me into the deep end –
When Greyson pulled a water bender move and parted the pool as fast as he could, saving me from my fear.
“Anybody that messes with my Short Stuff is somebody that messes with me,” he said through gritted teeth as he concentrated on keeping the water from touching me. I scrambled out of that pool faster than I even thought I could, and ran to him, pulling him away from beating Shel’s ass.
“You wouldn’t beat a girl,” she taunted, “freak.”
“I don’t discriminate based on gender or sexual orientation,” Greyson stated, deadpan. “And if anyone is the freak, it’s you for trying to drown the girl I care about the most besides my own family.”
I was sort of proud of him, until he said that, and then I was embarrassed and pleased all at once.
“She’s the one who used her freaky powers to hurt me and throw water on my face!”
“You had me cornered!” I shouted, exasperated. “It was instinct, I didn’t even know I could do that before today!”
Shel frowned at me and mimed a tear falling down her cheek. “This is your coming of age story? How sweet. You get the boy and he’s the same as you. Makes sense as to why he’s such a stick in the mud when it comes to girls. But what you won’t get is anonymity...unless you tell me what you did to me and explain how you did it.”
Greyson and I looked at each other.
We hadn’t been expecting her to be curious.
“Don’t tell her,” Greyson said.
“I have to,” I said, pride on the line. I’m not a hick and I’m not a freak.
“I took the water from your blood and my own and made that orb thing with my mind. I used my hands to throw it at your face. There’s probably science that explains it but I just learned that I could even do this.”
Greyson nodded. “There is science, sure. None of us would understand it.”
Shel squinted her eyes at me, and she smiled. “Maybe I don’t tell people what you can do. What’s in it for me?”
Greyson and I exchanged glances.
His eyes said we should just run, but I don’t run away.
“I’ll do your homework for the next year and you get to spread all the nasty rumours about me that you want, but you have to leave Greyson out of it. He didn’t know I was like him.”
“I suspected it,” he admitted, and I balked.
‘You should have said something! I always believed my father was mentally ill, but now I’m starting to think that he didn’t walk out on us at all. That he really was taken by the government because of what he was. God, my poor Ma.”
Shel looked as if she’d stepped on a landmine. “I don’t want to feel bad for you, but it’s like a teen drama. I’m in. I know about you now, and I want to know everything. I’ve decided that I want you to tell me right now, what you are and where you came from.”
And what was that?
Greyson laughed. “I’m human, but my DNA was altered before birth to be able to ‘bend’ water so to speak.”
Shel jumped up and down, excitedly. “Okay, so you guys are like Avatar.”
She’d obviously never really watched the show, but she had the basic idea as to what elemental ‘bending’ worked because her younger sister had watched it frequently.
Greyson told us that he and his family were here as wards of the government, test subjects under their thumbs.
He had been fearing the moment he got caught, perhaps during his runs in the rain, but he’d never expected me.
A natural born “Elemental”.
That’s what the government called people like us, who had mastery over a specific element.
This is what he told us: Greyson is water, and his sister is air. Hunter is Earth as well as his sister, and Gage is fire, just like his red hair – a happy coincidence. They were all living their lives, terrified that somebody would catch them off guard, and I’d stumbled into their lives.
My father, he told me, was an escaped ward who’d made a small life for himself in the Appalachian mountains. He met a girl, and fell in love, and had me, but the government tracked him down.
My Ma had been right all along, and it stung, deep.
It was a sting of relief.
My fixation with the rain was normal for “my kind”. My fear of deep water was a mystery, but Greyson told me that I had the power to do what he’d done and part the pool. I had that power in my blood.
It made the water a lot less scary.
~*~
Things fell into a sort of lull after that. I helped Kel with her homework, and she started to hang out with us on the low-low, in Emma’s room.
It was that night that things changed with Greyson.
We’d stepped out of Emma’s room, because it was raining, and we’d just stood there, basking in it.
Greyson picked me up and twirled me around, and I laughed, feeling free.
Greyson been looking at my fingers the whole night when he’d been speaking to me, so when he finally looked up to gage my reaction when he put me down, he showed genuine shock, and then amusement at the fact that my face was as red as a tomato. “Calliope?”
“I thought you told me not to fall for you,” I responded quietly, trying to keep my voice steady because oh buddy, he was moving closer to me and I was forgetting how to breathe.
We walked the path in silence for a moment, before he bulled me close and said “Short stuff?”, as he rested his forehead against my own, closing his eyes and drawing in a shaky breath as I threaded my fingers through his hair with one hand, and cupped his stubbly cheek in the other.
“Yeah?”
“I don’t want to go back to Emma’s,” he admitted, my eyes opening to find him smiling lazily at me, both of us completely drenched and not giving a shit.
“We really should,” I chided lightly, but his chestnut eyes were crinkling at the corners, and god was he ever handsome?
Boldly, he took my hand, and I let him lead me to his room, away from my own. As soon as he closed the door, he turned to me, a look of intense emotion in his eyes
“Can I,” he murmured, voice hoarse with emotion, chest rising and falling, those gorgeous eyes churning with lust and something stronger, “can I please kiss you?” Thunder rumbled overhead, and the rain started falling harder against the roof.
In answer my lids slid shut, and I softly pressed my lips to his, earning me a surprised gasp before he deepened the kiss, making a soft sound of contentment that did remarkable things to my belly. We were both soaked to the bone, so when I lifted my shirt over my head, goosebumps dotted my flesh instantly.
“We need to get dry,” I told him between kisses, and he grinned at me. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to smack or kiss that smile clean off his damn face.
“You’re probably right,” he said. “We should.”
Like a snake, I was charmed as I watched him take his shirt off in one smooth motion. “We should,” I parroted, as I stepped out of my pants, his hands to blame. He leaned down and kissed my forehead, so tenderly. “Cal,” he murmured. “I’ve wanted to tell you how I feel for a while now. Almost did a few weeks ago. I woke up in between you and Hunter, who’d fallen asleep mid-donut.” I could believe it, the part about Hunter. In the months that I’d known him, he’d fallen asleep eating at least six types of food.
“Why didn’t you, then?”
He smiled. “Well, for one thing, you probably wouldn’t have been as receptive. Also, you were sleeping. Drool dribbling down your chin, hair a mess of curls. And somehow, you know what flashed through my mind?”
I blushed. “Um, probably that I looked like a hideous circus freak? Or a darker-haired, uglier version of Merida from Brave?”
Greyson laughed, pulling away slightly so he could step out of his own sopping wet jeans. “No. I didn’t want to tease you or give you a tough time. I just wanted to freeze you, right there in that moment. You looked so relaxed. So carefree. I wanted to be the reason you slept so soundly, and that’s when it finally hit me, square in the chest. I couldn’t run from it anymore, because I didn’t want to.”
“You were,” I said, remembering the night he was talking about. “You were the reason. I’d had a nightmare, remember?”
He paused, shocked. “That wasn’t a dream?”
I shook my head. “No, Grey. You rocked me back to sleep. That wasn’t a dream.”
His face was crimson when he pulled away from the next kiss, but he was smiling. “Christ, short stuff, you’ve known for a while, then, haven’t you? Because I thought I was dreaming, and I wasn’t holding anything back.”
“What were you dreaming about?” I queried, and he grinned.
“Me. You. Us. Together.” He shrugged. “You know, all that embarrassing crap.”
I was my turn to grin. “Nope. And this isn’t embarrassing either,” I unfastened the clasp of my bra with one hand, and let it fall to the floor. Greyson’s jaw quickly caught up as I uncertainly tugged the waistband of my underwear down, just a bit, and met his eyes.
“I really fucking hope not,” he replied breathlessly, before shucking his own underwear off and tossing it aimlessly, mine following straight after.
“I’ll be right here,” I pulled away just long enough to tell him, “as long as you want me, I’ll be right here, Grey.”
Greyson beamed. “Well I guess we’d better learn to get along because I don’t think I’ll ever stop wanting you in my damn bed, short stuff.”
And there was really nothing else to say, was there?
We climbed the ladder to his bed, and just before we lost ourselves to pure want, he stopped. “You sure about this?” he asked. “You’ll still be here when I wake up? Because this?” he gestured between us, implications heavy, “this is it for me. I only want you.”
I kissed him on the nose. “Stupid,” I murmured, “I only want you. Haven’t you been paying attention?”
He shook his head, a sly grin on his face. “I think you’re gonna have to say it again,” he said. “I’ve been told that I’m a slow learner.”