The party wasn’t at all what I’d expected. Mathew’s truck carried us out of London and back down the dirt roads that led toward the Winterwood Academy. My heart was pounding with every mile closer we became.
“Where are we going?” I asked, my voice much smaller than I’d meant for it to be. I wasn’t even sure he could hear me over the rock music blaring from the radio.
“Don’t worry. We’re staying away from the school.” Mathew promised as he turned the car off the main road and the terrain became much more bumpy.
I only met this guy yesterday. I thought. I really shouldn’t be letting him take me to Goddess knows where.
That thought made me chuckle as it reminded me of how Luci always used the term Goddess rather than God.
“We’re here,” Mathew said as he turned the truck into what looked like a car park in the middle of nowhere. At the far end of the car park was a single building. From the sign ‘Fabulous Fitness’ above the doors, I had to guess that it was some kind of gym.
“When you said you were taking me to a party, I thought you meant a house party,” I mused.
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to have you running on a treadmill or anything.” Mathew chuckled as he killed the engine. “Although I think I might enjoy that.”
I scowled back at him, but he seemed totally unfazed by it as he reached into the backseat and jostled a crate of beer bottles into his lap.
“I didn’t take you for a Budweiser kind of guy.” I quickly tried to change the subject.
“Urgh...no. I don’t really drink at all, but I was expected to bring something.” He shrugged and reached for the handle of his door. “Come on. I imagine it’s well under way by now.”
I remained firmly in my seat as he climbed from the truck and came to open my door for me.
I seriously shouldn’t have come.
Mathew pulled open the door and scowled at me as if he thought I’d suddenly gone dumb.
“Are you coming or what?”
With a groan, I unbuckled my belt and clambered out of the car, gasping as my foot slipped on the footrest.
“Whoa, careful, I’ve got you.”
Damn me and my clumsiness. I thought even as I was reminded of the way that Booth had once saved me from a nasty fall during one of our sneak out trips to the unmarked graves behind the cemetery on the Winterwood Campus. I seemed to have a knack for falling into the arms of gorgeous boys. Perhaps in Mathew’s case, I should have said men, but the age gap between us only made him all the more delicious.
“You okay?” Mathew asked, gazing down at me with open concern. He held me in one arm with the crate beneath his other, and I couldn’t help but feel small and fragile.
“Yeah, I’m good,” I said as I forced myself away from him.
No more guy drama. I reminded myself.
“Good. Come on. Let’s go.”
For a moment, I thought that Mathew was going to take hold of my hand. Then he seemed to think better of it, and he slammed the car door closed instead before he began to make his way around the back of the building.
“What’s wrong with the front doors?” I asked, even though my good sense told me this wasn’t a front door situation. The lights inside the building were all off, and something told me that we weren’t technically meant to be here.
“Who needs front doors when there are fences to climb?” Mathew said in an amused tone, and again I found myself wishing I could climb back into the truck and go back to the store.
Instead, I followed him, the sound of music growing louder as we headed around the side of the building.
“Don’t you know it’s illegal to trespass?” I mumbled, half wishing that Mathew wouldn’t hear me. Could I sound like more of a goody two shoes?
“It’s not exactly trespassing.” Mathew shrugged as we came to a large chain metal fence. “The son of the guy who owns the place will be here.”
“But I’m guessing by the fact we’re going over the fence that there’s no key which also means the owner doesn’t know we’re here?” I pointed out, and Mathew simply shrugged again.
“Would you quit worrying and just allow yourself to have some fun?” Mathew’s voice was sharp but not unkind. “You witches are so uptight sometimes.”
“Shh!” I hissed, suddenly worried that someone might hear him.
“I don’t think anyone is going to hear us over that.” He pointed out, gesturing inside the fence. The sound of loud music and general merriment caused him to raise his voice a little. Was that water splashing that I heard?
“Come on. I’ll give you a boost over,” he offered as he placed the crate of beer at his feet and dropped into a crouch, linking his fingers together to form a sort of step up for me.
So last night I was sneaking out of the Academy, and tonight I’m sneaking into a gym? What the hell is wrong with me?
I decided not to voice my concern and instead took a deep breath before placing my foot in the crook of his fingers. The ballet pumps, that had been the only shoes of Zoe’s I could find, weren’t exactly the best for climbing but for once I didn’t feel all clumsy. Maybe it had something to do with Mathew’s strong grip on my foot as I gripped hold of the chains and he hoisted me up and over.
The moment my foot left his hands I felt way less steady, and I hovered at the top of the fence, gripping hold of the metal bar at the top as though my life depended on it.
Instinct caused me to close my eyes for a moment. Air, please guide me down safely.
A sudden gust of wind whipped at my face, and I knew that the element had heard me. Even though the strength of the wind was somewhat alarming, I realised it was also calming as I began to descend on the other side of the fence.
I almost felt as if I was floating down as if the wind itself had picked me up and carried me over the fence. My feet landed lightly on the stone tiles on the other side, and with a deep breath, I turned to finally take in the scene before me.
My heart instantly stopped, my eyes ignoring all the people that were milling around as they zeroed in on the large body of water in the centre of the gym yard.
Great, a pool party.
The pool was lit from beneath by obscenely luminescent pool lights, and people were already sat all around, dipping their feet into the water.
Déjà vu hit me like a tidal wave as I suddenly remembered the last time I’d been at a party that involved a pool. That night had ended in tragedy when I’d gotten into an argument with my then best friend’s horrendous girlfriend. It might have been an accident, but I was almost certain that Lola had intended for my unexpected dip into the pool.
That had been the very same night I’d learned that I wasn’t a normal teenager. After almost drowning and insanely seeing my Goddess at the bottom of that pool, I’d returned home to find my now tutor, Merrin, waiting to accompany me to the Winterwood Academy.
“You alright?” Mathew’s voice startled me, and I suddenly realised that he had dropped down from the fence beside me.
“I’m not exactly a fan of pools,” I admitted, stifling a cringe.
“Well, I guessed you wouldn’t actually want to swim, what with your makeup and all.” Mathew shrugged and gestured at my forehead, reminding me of the mark that was hidden beneath a ton of concealer.
I had to admit that it made me feel a little better although I was still well aware of the splashing of feet.
Just then, a larger splash sounded, and I almost jumped out of my skin as I turned to see a huge ripple in the centre of the pool as if someone had jumped in.
“Don’t worry,” Mathew said, and I was shocked as I felt his hand slip into mine. “Stay away from the edge, and you’ll be fine.”
I certainly would be staying away from the edge of the pool. The last thing I wanted was to take another dip. I should probably also have been staying away from Mathew, but when his fingers squeezed around mine, I found myself leaning into him.
“Come on. I’ll introduce you to a couple of the guys.”
I was surprised when he continued to hold onto my hands as he led me around the pool, smiling flirtatiously as he made a point of pulling me away from the edge.
I had to admit I felt safe with him. Maybe it had something to do with his holding my hand or maybe it was because he’d rescued me from that awkward scene with Archer earlier. Whatever it was, I tried not to think on it too hard.
He led me over to a gazebo area on the far side of the yard that was illuminated by fairy lights. If not for them and the pool lights the area would have most likely been in total darkness save for the stars that were twinkling above our heads. The moon, though it wasn’t full, was still pretty bright and I could almost feel its light touching me just as I had felt the sun while I’d been washing the windows earlier.
Are you with me, even here, Goddess? I found myself wondering. After all, Selene was the beautiful personification of the moon.
I was almost sure I felt the touch of the moonlight grow stronger, and I was determined that it was the Goddess’s reply. Even though I was far from home, she was still with me.
My stomach twisted with homesickness as I realised for the first time that I had begun to think of the Winterwood Academy as home. I’d spent the first fifteen years of my life in a London apartment with my adopted mother, Nicola, and yet that hadn’t felt like home.
How could I feel like the Academy was my home after just a few weeks?
Because you belong with us…
The voice in the back of my head wasn’t my own, but I recognised it. The Goddess really was with me.
“Brianna, this is Stefen and Olivia,” Mathew said as we reached the gazebo.
Stefen wasn’t at all like the image that came to mind when I thought of what a Stefen would look like. In my head, I pictured the super-hot, dark and mysterious Stefen from The Vampire Diaries but this Stefen was the complete opposite. Although he was lounging on the gazebo seating, I could tell he was tall and built like a drainpipe with a mass of short blonde hair.
Olivia was just as blonde and slender but seemed to be nowhere near as tall, and her eyes were a dark green, sparking with welcome as she turned to offer me a warm smile.
“Well, hey there!” Stefen smirked, sitting up with an intrigued expression. “Who’s the new girl?”
My stomach twinged at his use of the term ‘new girl’. That had been Booth’s nickname for me, and it made me think of him instantly. Bile rose in the back of my throat as his last voicemail came unbidden into my mind.
“Yeah, Matt, you never said you were bringing a date.” Olivia wiggled a perfectly plucked eyebrow at Mathew, and I was almost sure I saw his cheeks flare.
Date? They couldn’t possibly believe that I was Mathew’s date. He was a grown man, and I was nothing but a teenager. At least that’s how they must have seen me.
“This is Brianna,” Mathew said, skimming over the whole date thing entirely. “She’s a friend of my cousin’s. She’s been staying at the store and having a pretty rough time of it so I thought I’d be a gentleman and ask her out for the evening.”
Then it was my turn to blush. Was he ignoring the whole date thing because it was true? Was I on a date?
I bit the inside of my lip, deciding it was better not to say anything.
“You always were a gentleman.” Olivia winked, and I couldn’t help but notice the intimacy between the two of them. Yet, just like me, she seemed rather young. If I had to guess she couldn’t have been older than eighteen. Yeah, I know, I’m only fifteen, but I’d grown up a lot in the last few weeks, what with everything that I’d been through.
“Speaking of gentlemen, where is yours?” Mathew asked, glancing over my head.
“Lewis just went to grab us a couple of drinks,” Olivia offered up.
“But he’s back now, and he’s totally wondering who the hottie is!” A masculine voice sounded behind me, and I felt as if someone was looking me up and down.
“Lewis!” Olivia grumbled as though she was not pleased by his use of the word ‘hottie’.
“Sorry gorgeous, but a guy can’t help but appreciate beauty when he sees it!” The guy, who must have been Lewis, slipped between Mathew and me and dropped down onto the seat beside Olivia. He wrapped an arm around Olivia and slapped a peck on her cheek before turning to look at me.
They looked perfect together. Where she was slender and pale blonde with green eyes, he was muscular and golden-haired with pale green irises that danced with interest as he looked me up and down.
“Give him a break, sis.” Stefen rolled his eyes at Olivia. “Brianna is undeniably hot.”
I struggled to resist the urge to cross my arms over my chest to protect myself from all the attention I was receiving.
“Give it a break, would you?” Mathew grunted, and I could see the tension in his muscular shoulders as he glared at his friend. Then he turned to me and added, “Lewis is the son of the owner.”
He gestured at the gym building.
“With the way, he’s been working me, you could say I’m the owner,” Lewis grumbled.
“I have to say it’s doing a good job.” Olivia smirked as she gripped hold of Lewis’s bicep and gave it a good squeeze. I saw her visibly tremble as if it caused her pleasure.
“Do you go here too?” I asked Mathew, purposely averting my eyes from the cute yet totally gross exchange between the two of them.
Olivia pulled away from Lewis who was now consuming her lips as if he was starving and she was feast. Eww!
“And by that she means, ‘you’re looking fineee Mathew’.”
She shot a flirtatious look at her boyfriend when he had the audacity to look insulted. I mean, come on, he had just been the one openly calling me hot.
“And the answer to your question, Brianna, is no,” she said, turning to me. “Mathew is naturally well built. Everything you see is all him.”
I found that really difficult to believe considering he was built like a brick S-word house, as Nicola would say.
“The teachers in school used to say he looked more like a college kid than a high school kid, and now he’s more of a thirty-year-old guy than a college kid,” Olivia continued, and my mouth practically dropped open.
“Wait! You’re in college?” I gasped.
“Yeah, I know. I don’t look like an eighteen-year-old.” Mathew shrugged. “I’ve heard it all before.”
He was beginning to look uncomfortable, and I couldn’t say I blamed him. His three friends were watching us way too closely.
“He’s also a college kid who hasn’t been on a date for over six months, so you are a lucky girl, Brianna.” This time Olivia aimed a wink at me.
Heat rose in my cheeks and began to spread down my throat to my chest.
“Why don’t we go and…” Mathew began as if he was trying to think of some reason to drag me away, but someone suddenly called his name.
“Looks like Derry wants you for a game of beer pong.” Stefen looked up lazily from where he was lounging before he lifted a half-drunk beer bottle to his lips.
“How many times do I have to remind him, I don’t drink?” Mathew huffed and rolled his eyes before he turned to me and asked, “I’ll be right back, will you be okay here?”
“Of course, she will!” Olivia snapped before I could even open my mouth. “Lewis, Stef, why don’t you go with him so we can have some girl time?”