Chapter 10 Elodie
TEN
ELODIE
No matter how many times I tilt my head from left to right, my reflection looks the same. Maybe it’s the lighting in the closet. Either way, I look… normal.
As if I can somehow even be associated with that word.
Running from The Vale? Looks like it didn’t happen.
Tortured by The Sanctum? Would never have guessed it.
Crippled by dreams that replay history? Nowhere to be seen.
I run my hand over the back of my neck as I tilt my head, making sure the black ink hasn’t returned. It all happened, and yet I’m standing here as good as new. There’s no use hiding anymore, or letting the darkness take me.
I’ve rested enough. I’ve exposed my vulnerabilities enough. Now I need to be enough.
My face looks fresh, even without makeup.
The usual bags under my eyes are nowhere to be seen, and my t-zone isn’t giving me oily vibes.
Something tells me this is connected to Thorne and sleeping, but I opt not to read too much into it.
All it does is bring the negativity I’m trying to leave in the past right to the forefront again.
I tuck a loose tendril of hair behind my ear, the rest swept up in a ponytail, and I grimace at the sight of my roots starting to show. I need to figure out where I can get my hands on some more hair dye and a means of buying it. Maybe Ocean will know something.
Pleased with my reflection, I reach for my cell phone, noting the time as I open the surveillance app yet again.
I press play on the motion-detected video, watching as I sleep soundly alone before the door creaks open and a darkened figure steps in.
I can’t make out who it is since they’ve got a baggy sweatshirt on with the hood up.
It doesn’t reveal a single thing about them, not even a realistic stature.
They visit twice.
Both times they trigger the camera, but it doesn’t wake me, and neither do they. They just stand at the foot of the bed, staring down at me.
Another mystery I have to contend with. Even though the freaking door lock is on.
The sound of the lock clicking vibrates through the room, followed swiftly by the door opening and closing, but I’m frozen in place until Ocean’s panicked voice carries through the room.
“Elodie?”
“I’m in here,” I mumble, staring at the doorway that leads from the closet to the bedroom, and her face appears a moment later.
“Oh my god, don’t do that,” she splutters, hand firmly on her chest as she blinks at me, and I cock my brow in question.
“Don’t do what, get ready?” I clarify, and she rolls her eyes.
“Disappear before I’ve given you a key for the new lock,” she reiterates, and I snicker as I shake my head.
“The fact that it was still locked should have been your sign,” I point out, and she grins.
“True. That and the wolf sitting outside the door,” she adds, and I balk, rearing back in surprise.
“The what?”
“Don’t act surprised. That guy is weirdly territorial over you. He’s an imbalanced mixture of a golden retriever and the predator he is. It’s oddly cute yet slightly terrifying all at once,” she says with a wistful sigh, leaving me speechless as I blink at her.
She’s insane.
Oblivious to my gawking, she looks at her reflection in the mirror, fixing her uniform. “So, classes today?” she asks, and I nod, clearing my throat before I can respond.
“Yeah. Do you think I’m insane?” I ask the question playing on repeat in my head, and she turns to me with a raised eyebrow.
“No. We’re psychotic queens, remember?” Her smile is infectious as I nod in agreement, letting her words settle in. “I brought you some pastries. Do you want them, or would you like to go to the dining hall?” she offers, and I shrug.
“Both?”
“That hungry, huh?” She hums, her smile growing wider as my stomach grumbles.
I’ve slept enough to last a lifetime, that I do know. It’s been five days since I tried to escape this place, four since The Sanctum took me, and two since Thorne erased my tattoo for good. I’ve barely eaten in that time, and now I’m ready to make up for it.
“I’m hungry for more than just food,” I admit, seeing the intrigue in her eyes as she links her arm through mine.
“Tell me more on the way.”
“Is he still there?” I mumble, fighting the urge to glance back over my shoulder as Ocean snickers.
“Of course he’s still there.”
I sigh, a hint of guilt threatening to tighten around my neck, but I force myself to loosen it. Maybe I should feel bad. He apparently camped outside of my room all night, making sure I was okay, but I need a second to lick my wounds and shake the embarrassment that continues to weigh on me.
When I was losing at life and Walker was there to save me, I put on a front, portraying the whole ‘fake it til you make it’ vibe. He never saw me cry, weak, or desperate, unlike those three. I don’t know how to handle it, so I’m choosing not to.
Taking a deep breath, I give myself five seconds before I jab a pin in my little pity party.
“He’s driving me insane,” I mumble, knowing it’s a lie as I fold my arms over my chest.
“Honey, this is nothing. I think he might be smitten,” she insists, and I drag my hand down my face, trying to hide the smile that wants to break free.
“He doesn’t even know the meaning of the word,” I retort, and she cocks a brow at me.
“Are you sure? Wolves are the cutest, if you ask me,” she states casually, making me frown.
“How do you figure?”
She shrugs. “You know, the whole imprinting on their one true love, and—”
“They do what?” I interject, making her giggle under her breath as the dining hall comes into view and the crowd of students moving around us grows.
“It’s their forever mate, like two little otters floating in the water together forever,” she says whimsically, and I frown at her, certain she’s delusional.
“If you say so,” I mutter, and she nods.
“I do.”
It might be insane, but this is precisely the kind of thing that’s been gnawing at me, the kind of thing I need to start learning.
I suck in a breath as we enter the large space, all thirteen colors shining bright as the hierarchy of the institutes makes itself known.
I brace for impact, expecting someone to jump out and attack.
Why? I don’t know, but I’m on edge as we move through the allotted sections, the purple drawing closer with every step.
“Actually, do you have any other fun facts?” I murmur, glancing at my friend out of the corner of my eye, and she looks to me in confusion.
“About what?”
I clear my throat. “About… everything.” It feels like I’m admitting I’m clueless, but as uneducated as I might be, I need to figure this world out.
A smile grows across her face as she takes her seat at the end of the table, and I hurry the few extra steps to round the edge and sit across from her.
“You’re really ready to absorb it all, huh?” she clarifies, and I nod.
“I don’t see an alternative. If I want to survive, I need to educate myself. Not just on who or what I am, but this place as a whole. Each supernatural, the hierarchy, The Sanctum, ascension; all of it,” I rattle off, and she nods in agreement.
“You have come to the perfect advisor. I am thy wise one. I will bless you with my knowledge so you can conquer the world, young child.” Her chin is tipped up as she speaks, an uppity air to each word until she stops and bursts into laughter, making me grin with her.
“Oh my gosh, this is exciting. I don’t know where to start,” she says gleefully.
“For a psycho bitch, you sure are giddy today,” Kael states, dragging the chair out beside me as Rion and Thorne sit on the other side of the table with Ocean.
“Good morning to you too, Kael. Did you brush your teeth this morning, or were you busy sharpening them?”
Rion snorts a laugh, cutting through the tension between them, but a grunt parts his lips a moment later as a pleased smile spreads across the vampire’s lips.
“Did you just kick him?” I blurt, watching as Rion runs his hand over his leg under the table.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Kael mutters, leaning back in his seat as three staff members appear with plates piled high with food, placing one down in front of each of us. Pancakes, too many of them, with a jug of maple syrup filled to the rim.
I mutter my thanks, the smell infiltrating my senses and making my anger quickly fizzle out.
“So, what are we excited about? The party down at The Hut isn’t until the weekend,” Rion states, and Ocean rolls her eyes.
“There are more things in the world to be excited about other than parties,” she states, waving a fork at him, but her clipped tone quickly disappears as she groans around her forkful of sweet goodness.
“It was a good one last time,” he insists, and my mind darts back to the night in question as my cheeks threaten to burn bright.
I can feel Kael staring at the side of my face, remembering the night he fucked me with his helmet on, but my gaze remains locked on Thorne staring at me from across the table. I know he was in the shadows that night. I know he watched me climb onto the back of Kael’s bike, toy and all.
A shiver runs down my spine and I quickly clear my throat and dip my gaze to my plate.
“We’re excited about girl things. You don’t get to know,” I offer, hoping to put a pin in the conversation.
“Like what?” Kael pushes, and I opt to stuff my mouth with food instead of answering.
Ocean cocks a brow at me in question and I shake my head as subtly as I can, hoping she takes the hint that I don’t need the three of them to know how goddamn clueless I am.
Instead of revealing my insecurities, she turns to the vampire beside me with a wide grin.
“Like how many days my last period was. I actually found the tampons to lessen my cramps, and—”
“That’s enough. You’ve made your point,” Rion interjects, grimacing as he lifts his hands in surrender.
Ocean winks, pleased with herself as Kael leans in close, his lips brushing against the shell of my ear. “I know she’s talking shit, but don’t worry, I’ll find out what you’re up to sooner or later.”
His smirk is sinful as I turn to him, running my tongue over my bottom lip, but my ability to deny it is weak.
“I’m not up to anything.”
“Yeah, right.” He sees right through me, but I ignore it as the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, making my stomach twist with unease.
Prying my attention from him, I glance around the room, my gaze finding the source quickly as I lock eyes with a fiery red head over in section one.
Willow.
A flash of her mother’s face in The Sanctum makes a cold chill run down my spine as I gulp.
I’d rather deal with her wrath than her mother’s, which means being on my best behaviour.
I just need to keep my head down and pay attention.
I’m no longer fixated on getting out of here, which means I’ve got more energy to deal with the present.
I just have to take it one step at a time.
Step one: survive the day.