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By the time I got to my third period Advanced Literature class, I was barely able to keep my eyes open. Damn my nightmares for keeping me awake all night. Thankfully, that class is one of two that I share with Alyse and she made sure that I didn’t nod off. By the end of class my leg ached from where she kept kicking me but at least I wasn’t sleepy anymore.
“Why are you so tired? Have you been sneaking out to parties late at night or something?” Alyse asked as we walked to the cafeteria.
I stifled a yawn and shook my head. “No. Just bad dreams.”
Alyse looked as if she wanted to delve into a conversation about the monsters in my head. I shot her a sideways glance that warned her to let it go. One of my favorite things about her is that she knows when to push an issue and when not to.
“Maybe tonight will be better” Alyse said with a warm smile, then led the way to the lunch line.
We stared at the concoctions laid out on the metal serving counter. Chicken that looked like last weeks leftovers was not what I had in mind to settle my empty stomach. Alyse and I exchanged brow raising looks and quickly moved along. Not wanting anything that we saw, we ended up getting a couple bags of chips and bottled water. But even the thought of eating that didn’t set well with me for some reason.
We had just sat down at our usual table – near the back wall, closest to the door that led to the common area outside – when a friend of mine, Sara Lofton, came rushing over with excitement written all over her flushed, baby face.
“Have you seen them yet?” she asked and flopped down beside me. Her larger than average body bumped into me and nearly knocked me off my stool. Seriously, there should be more than a foot and a half separating each stool attached to the table.
“Seen who?” Alyse asked and tried to stifle her laugh at seeing me almost hit the floor.
“The new kids” Sara gushed. “I mean, I know we have a lot this year, but I’m talking specifically about the three brothers” she said with a big grin. Clearly, she hoped to get to know them better. “I’ve only seen two of them but I heard there is one more. They’re all seniors and they just moved here from...well, I don’t know. But my guess is somewhere far away. They definitely don’t look like anyone from around here that’s for sure.”
I looked at Alyse with questioning eyes. She shrugged. “I haven’t seen them. I have two new girls in my History class but that’s it.”
Sara’s eyes grew wide and she looked like she was about to explode with whatever information she was dying to let out. “I can’t believe you haven’t seen them. I mean everybody has been talking about them since first period. Even your brother has seen them” she said and smiled at Alyse, “Although, Nolan didn’t look too happy about the new threats to his heartthrob position. I mean, Nolan is hot and all, but these new guys are in a class all by themselves. They’re like super fine. Dark and mysterious. My kind of boys” she said and playfully wiggled her brows.
“Have you talked to them?” I asked and opened my bag of chips. The instant the barbeque flavoring hit my nose, a nauseous feeling settled in the pit of my stomach. I closed the bag and pushed it across the table.
Sara’s face turned bright red as she shook her head. “Are you kidding? These guys have the kind of hotness that only exists in fantasies. I know when to try my luck and when to just sit back and admire from afar. Girls like me don’t stand a chance with boys who look like them.”
I frowned at her and wished that she had more self-confidence. I’ve told her many times that beauty comes in all shapes and sizes. And she’s definitely one of the most beautiful people I’ve ever met.
“Where is my brother?” Alyse asked in more of a demand than a question.
Sara looked at her. “I don’t know. The last time I saw him was right after second period. He was on the 300 hall staring at everyone like he was about to go on a rampage. I said hey to him but he ignored me and stormed off.”
“That doesn’t sound like Nolan” I said and looked to Alyse with concern. The tense expression on her face didn’t look right on her. “Maybe we should look for him and see if he’s alright” I offered.
“I’ll go” Alyse said and stood up with her empty chip bag and bottle of water in her hand. “You should stay here with Sara and eat. I’ll find Nolan and be back in time to walk you to your next class.”
Before I could respond, Alyse spun on her heels and darted for the door that led outside.
“What was that all about?” Sara asked and pointed after her.
“I don’t know, but I think I should go with her” I said and got up to follow Alyse.
Sara grabbed my arm to stop me. “There they are” she gushed and pointed to a small group of boys who had just walked into the cafeteria. “The brothers. What did I tell you...sexy times three, right?”
I tore my eyes from the door leading outside to look at the newcomers. I had to give Sara credit, she definitely didn’t exaggerate about how good they looked. They were all tall – at least my height or taller, with hair colors that ranged from light blond to dark brown. Each one of them could have stepped straight from the pages of any high fashion magazine. All of their facial features were well defined and perfectly aligned. As a matter of fact, they looked a little too perfect. Almost unreal... like my eyes were playing tricks on me.
For some reason, that bothered me. So did the fact that their skin was almost as pale as mine. It’s not like there are a lot of kids who share my complexion issues. In all my life, I had never met anyone that came close to being as pale as me. Until now.
Intrigued by the similarity we shared, I sat back down beside Sara and watched as the group of brothers scanned the cafeteria. Seconds later, they split up and went their separate ways, each to a different table filled with nothing but girls.
As I watched them flirt with each and every girl at the tables, I felt an instant dislike for them. Perhaps it was because every girl in the cafeteria was practically drooling over them. Or maybe it was because the brothers looked totally uninterested and fake as they chatted with the girls. Whatever the reason was, I had a weird feeling about the new boys.
“Oh my God! The blond one is checking you out” Sara squealed through a mouthful of chicken.
I looked over to where she indicated with a tilt of her head. Sure enough, one of the brothers was staring at me from two tables over. Our eyes locked and an uneasy feeling washed over me. I don’t know what caused it, but I quickly dropped my gaze to the table and acted like I was gathering up trash. “Is he still looking this way?” I whispered to Sara.
She glanced over to where he had been a moment ago. “No. He’s gone. Huh...I wonder where he went.” She sounded baffled by his sudden disappearance.
I, on the other hand was relieved. Something about the way he looked at me didn’t seem right. I didn’t like the way his attention made me feel. I got to my feet, suddenly in a hurry to leave. “I’ll see you later, okay.”
Without waiting for Sara to respond, I ducked out the door into the common area, then scanned the picnic tables scattered about the open space, looking for Alyse and/or Nolan. But they weren’t there. I was on my way to check the library building - opposite the lunchroom, when I heard someone call my name. I glanced over my shoulder and saw Jenny Davison and Ally Piedmont waving at me from across the courtyard.
The two girls decked out in cheerleading uniforms, coming my way weren’t exactly my friends. Not that we were enemies or anything. It’s just that all they ever wanted to talk to me about was Nolan.
He had briefly dated them both and since they knew I was a close friend of his, they always came to me whenever they wanted to know something about him. Like who he’s seeing or where he’s going to be after school. Or my personal favorite...why does he keep changing his phone number? I swear I laughed the last time they asked that question. The truth was, they were the reason he changed his number every few months. They were very clingy and a bit obsessive when it came to him.
I waited for the girls to hurry over to me. “What’s up?” I asked.
Jenny – the blond with purple highlights – smiled the fake grin she always wore whenever she planned on asking for something. “Hi, Kaia. Have you seen Nolan around? I’ve looked for him everywhere.”
I sighed as my concern for him grew. “No, I don’t know where he is. I was actually looking for him myself.”
“Oh. Well, when you see him can you do me a favor and tell him that I can’t make it Friday?” She bumped her shoulder into Ally’s and they both giggled. “I kind of made other plans. I’m going out with one of the new kids. Max. I met him in first period and he asked me out. Can you believe that? Of all the girls in the class he asked me” Jenny gushed.
I stared at her in disbelief. Did I hear her correctly? After spending half a year trying to get Nolan back, apparently – and this was news to me – she finally got her chance to be with him again and she was blowing him off. “Are you serious? Let me guess, your new boy toy wouldn’t happen to be one of the brothers that everyone is supposedly talking about, would he?” I asked in an annoyed tone.
Jenny’s face lit up. “Of course, he is. Why would I be this excited to go out with some average Joe?”
I rolled my eyes at her ignorance. “So you’re dumping Nolan to go out with some guy you don’t even know, that you’ve only spoken to once?”
Jenny’s face blushed crimson red as more giggles erupted from her chest. “Oh, one talk was all I need to know that Max is definitely the man for me. Trust me, he knows exactly what to say to get a girls attention.” She grinned at Ally, then focused on me. “I’m going to fix Ally up with one of his brothers. Do you want me to see if the other one wants to go out with you?”
I quickly shook my head, appalled at the idea of being fixed up with any of the new boys I saw in the lunchroom. “I don’t think so” I said, dryly. “Besides, I saw enough of those siblings to know that they are not my type.”
“So what type are they?” Ally asked.
“Players. Plain and simple.”
Ally and Jenny looked at each other then laughed out loud. “Of course you would think that. You think all guys are players” Jenny said.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you” I said and walked away. “In case you’re wondering, your newest catch and his brothers are in the cafeteria scoping out your competition.”
“What!” Jenny squealed.
Seconds later, with my back to them, I heard her and Ally release a torrent of words to describe the girls who dared to try and move in on their action. Sluts. Skanks. Whores.
I frowned and kept walking away. It never ceases to amaze me how easily girls turn on each other for no other reason than the attention of a boy – who most of the time isn’t really interested in them at all. At least not for more than a night or two.
As I rounded the corner of the cafeteria building on the way to the library, I was trying to come up with a way to deliver Jenny’s message to Nolan without looking happy as I did it, when I accidently walked into what felt like a brick wall that appeared out of nowhere. I stumbled backwards from the impact and lost my footing. Just as I was about to hit the ground, a flash of white wrapped around my arm and pulled me upright in a rush.
Startled, I looked at the person who had grabbed me and had also been the reason for my fall in the first place. Eyes so dark, they were almost black, stared back at me. I quickly dropped my gaze to the ground. “Uh, sorry” I said and avoided looking at the blond headed boy who had been staring at me in the lunchroom.
“It’s alright. No damage done” his deep, yet tender voice responded as he brushed his hand down his chest.
I stepped to the side to continue on my way.
“My name is Darian Vargost. And you are?”
I paused my escape and took a second before responding. “Kaia” I said with a small smile. Unsure what else to say, I glanced around and saw his brothers walking across the courtyard with a group of girls following their every move. Jenny was locked arm in arm with one of them. “It looks like you and your brothers are a big hit around here.”
Darian followed my gaze. “I guess you can say that. It’s a big change from the way things are where we come from.”
“And where exactly is that?”
A guarded look crossed his face. “A very long way from here. A totally different world from this” he said and waved his hand around, gesturing at the school grounds.
I waited for him to elaborate and reveal the name of the town he moved from, but he didn’t. Instead, he just stared at me. The uneasy feeling I had earlier started to return. “Well, I’m sure you will be happy here” I said and looked down at my watch. The bell was about to ring. “I have to go.” I stepped around him, hoping to make it to my next class in time. My search for Nolan would have to wait until later.
“Wait” Darian said and grabbed my wrist.
As soon as his hand touched my skin, a strange sensation came over me. It was the weirdest thing. I felt like I knew him, like we shared something ... something strong. There was an instant connection between us. One that fascinated and terrified me at the same time.
I looked down at Darian’s hand, wrapped around my wrist. It felt cooler than normal and he was holding onto me too tight. A slight reddish color started to spread over my skin. I opened my mouth to tell him to let me go, but someone else beat me to it.
“Get your damn hands off of her!”
My head snapped in the direction the voice came from. Nolan and Alyse were coming toward us. They both had deathly serious looks on their faces. Nolan’s eyes narrowed on Darian’s hand. “Don’t make me tell you again!” he growled in a threatening tone.
Darian eased his grip and my arm fell to my side. “I’m sorry if I hurt you, Kaia. It wasn’t my intention. I only wanted to ask if I could walk you to your next class” he said.
I opened my mouth to respond but snapped it shut when Nolan stepped between us, blocking my view of Darian. “Hell no! You can’t walk with her. As a matter of fact, I better not see you anywhere near her ever again. You got that?” he yelled.
I stood in stunned silence and glared at Nolan’s back. I don’t know what I was more shocked about...the threatening tone of his voice or the way his muscles rippled under his shirt like he was getting ready for a fight. I looked to Alyse expecting her to be just as appalled as I was but the look on her face was even angrier than Nolan’s. Her hands were clenched into fists at her side. My eyes darted back and forth between them.
When Darian didn’t respond to Nolan’s warning, Nolan took a step toward him, standing only inches from his face. “I asked you a damn question. If you’re a smart man, you’ll say you understand and move on” Nolan snarled.
I panicked at the possibility of a fight and grabbed his arm. “What are you doing?” I asked.
He turned around and looked at me with a weird expression. His eyes seemed frantic like he was on the verge of losing his mind. “Are you all right, Kaia?”
“I’m fine” I replied. “What’s going on? Why are you acting like this?”
“This guy is bad news” Alyse said and glared at Darian – who looked completely unbothered by the accusation.
I looked at her, unsure what I should do or say. I had never seen my friends react in such an aggressive manner with anyone before. It was actually a little frightening to see them so angry.
“Kaia, perhaps we can talk again some other time” Darian said and flashed me an apologetic smile.
Alyse’s eyes widened and she tightened her fists so hard that it looked like her knuckles were going to burst through her skin. “This is your first and last warning – stay away from her” she snarled.
Darian chuckled to himself then winked at me. “Later” he said, completely ignoring the threat that had just been given to him. It occurred to me at that moment he must have a death wish or something. Why else would he still be talking to me?
Seconds later, I watched as he crossed the now empty courtyard. Apparently, the bell had already rung, but I didn’t hear a thing. The sound of my own heartbeat pounding in my ears was so loud that it drowned out everything else.
Once Darian was out of sight, Nolan focused his attention on me. He lifted my arm and rubbed his thumb gently over the fading red marks around my wrist. The hard expression on his face softened when he looked up at my face. “Did he hurt you?” he asked in a much calmer tone than the one he had used a moment ago.
I shook my head. “No. I told you, I’m fine.” Before I had a chance to say anything else, Nolan stunned me by stepping forward and wrapping his arms around me.
He held me in such a tight embrace that I could barely breathe. For as long as I can remember, he had always avoided any kind of physical contact with me. So having him hug me like that was kind of awkward. Not that I didn’t enjoy having his arms around me, but it made me think that I had been in some kind of danger. But from what?
I tried to pull away from him so that I could see his face, but he wouldn’t let me. He held onto me for several more seconds. I glanced over at Alyse, hoping that she had an explanation for what was going on. She looked down at the ground to avoid my gaze. I was getting more confused with every minute that passed.
Finally, Nolan let out a deep breath and slowly released his hold on me and took a step back to put some distance between us. All of the tension and anger I had seen on his face earlier, was gone. Replaced by a sadness so intense that a tiny pain shot through my heart.
“What’s wrong?” I asked. “What the hell just happened?”
“Nothing” Nolan said. “Just promise me you will stay away from the new kids. All of them.”
I opened my mouth to ask why but clamped it shut when Alyse rested her hand on my arm and shook her head. The serious look on her face told me that whatever was going on, she was really worried. “Please Kaia, just do this for us. There is something weird about some of the new kids.”
I studied her face carefully then reluctantly nodded. I was totally confused and clueless as to what was going on, but I knew without a doubt that Nolan and Alyse cared about me. And if they were worried about someone or something then they must have had a good reason to be. Even if it was one that I had no knowledge of.
“Alright. If it will make you two happy, I’ll stay away from them. But I think you’re both acting really weird and I don’t like it.”
The stress lines on Nolan’s forehead smoothed as he smiled. It didn’t reach his eyes and it looked forced, but it was good to see something other than rage on his face. Without saying another word, he fell into step beside Alyse and walked me to my next class, which I was now late for.