Chapter 12 #2
I could kill when needed, not that I enjoyed it.
I could make money like it was nobody’s business, but I wasn’t cut out for the crazy shit Lawrence wanted from us.
I definitely didn’t want anything to do with the trafficking ring that Lawrence and Owen McCoy had grown or spend my life in fear of either of them.
“Myles has told me a little, but he said the less I know, the better.”
“And he would be right. The point is that those who run the school are real. They aren’t the boogeyman or some folklore. The Curators watch everything, and they don’t care who you are or what family you’re from. If you hurt a student or attack the school, you disappear. It’s that simple.”
Ren rubbed at her arms. “That’s creepy. Are they all assassins or something?”
“I honestly don’t know, but the last time someone made a move on the school, I was in grade five.
Too young to be part of all the conversations, but old enough to understand the bits I did catch.
The attackers were killed, and their bodies were dumped where they would be found.
Then, reports started to surface that their extended family members had died.
By the time they were done, whole bloodlines were wiped out, and no one had seen or heard a thing.
The Curators are hardcore about the property being a safe haven, especially for those who have gotten into trouble with the law already. ”
“Is Wayward a reform school?”
“No, some students have never even said a bad word, let alone gotten into trouble with the police. But most have for one reason or another. If you are a real issue, then you end up going to one of their offsite campuses, and from what I’ve heard when you come back, you’re never the same.
They should scare you, Ren, and I don’t know how high up Dean Henry is, but he’s high enough that we all shit bricks if we get in trouble with him. ”
“Hold up. There are other facilities. How many, and are they schools or some secret torture chamber?”
She looked genuinely terrified. I had been for a long time and would sit up all night with the lights on for fear they would take me from my room.
“I don’t know. They could have one or dozens, and the one student who I know that went to the offsite facility refuses to speak of what happened.
I think we could torture him to death and he wouldn’t open his mouth, now that is hardcore. ”
“How the hell did I end up at a school like this? I just don’t understand what my father could’ve done to put us in this position,” she said as I turned onto my road.
“Like I said, my best guess is that he owes money, and Lawrence made you come to the school. Or, he ended up on the wrong side of very powerful people, and you’re just caught in the middle, so you are here for your safety.”
“Neither of those are comforting. It’s like one door leads to the devil, and the other is a mystery that’ll likely lead to my death. Yay, me,” she said, slumping in her seat.
I didn’t know what to say to make her feel better. The little we’d learned didn’t look good for her, and that pissed me off. She was a decent person, one of the few, and this world was so dark that I feared it would swallow her whole and snuff out the light that she radiated.
“This is home,” I said, pulling into the driveway.
“It’s so pretty,” Ren said.
“You’ll have to tell my mom that. She designed it,” I said, smiling.
We got out of the car as the front door opened, and my mom stood there with her arms crossed and her notorious WTF look on her face.
She knew my schedule and that I had school today.
Stuffing my hands in my pockets, I slowly made my way up the steps like a lamb to slaughter.
Mom’s eyes flicked to Ren and then back to me before she signed.
What is going on, Blake? Don’t try to tell me you don’t have school.
“I do, but I wasn’t feeling great today and….” I swallowed hard as she signed, Cut the bullshit .
Sucking in a deep breath, I decided to sign. I really wasn’t, but I don’t want to get into it right now. Ren needed to talk, and you know the school has ears everywhere.
Fine, but no more skipping, Blake. I mean it, and don’t bring Ren off Wayward property again without permission. They have a safety hold on her for a reason. Don’t bother denying it. I doubt Ren would be wearing that outfit if the school knew she’d left the grounds.
Mom looked up and down the street. That worried me. What did my parents know about Ren that I didn’t? “I know. I’m sorry. I won’t skip again.”
She stepped back to let us walk inside and then locked and armed the door as soon as it was closed. What the hell? I glanced at Ren.
Mom, what do you know about Ren?
Not much, but it is rare for the school to do a lockdown for a student. It means someone is after her.
I looked at Ren and tried not to be too terrified for her. Her eyes were questioning me, wanting to know what we were saying.
We shouldn’t talk about this now. It’s rude. Mom signed.
My mom smiled at Ren and slowly signed, Welcome to our home .
“She said….”
“It’s okay, I know this one.” Thank you, nice eye you soon. Ren signed, and I smiled at her attempt. “I totally messed that up, didn’t I?” Her cheeks pinked, and a shyness I didn’t see often filled her eyes.
You did great.
“Mom says you did great,” I said, taking in the beautiful smile that immediately spread across her face.
“Thank you. Your home is beautiful. I love it,” Ren said, and my mom’s face lit up.
Thank you. I’ll make some lunch and buzz when it is ready.
My mom gripped my shoulder, and I knew from the look on her face that she was silently telling me I would have to explain later. I nodded. She was disappointed, and I hated it. The weight of everyone’s disappointment was getting heavier to carry.
“Everything is so pretty, and it matches perfectly with lots of light,” Ren said as she followed me to my bedroom.
“Everyone thinks my father designed the house, but my mom took architecture in school, and after she married him, she studied interior design. Now she takes on projects for a couple of customers a year.”
“She’s very talented.”
We walked into my room, and I looked around to make sure I hadn’t left a pair of boxers or something lying about, but the coast was clear. Ren silently wandered my space and looked at the pictures hanging from the walls and then paused to stare at the signed guitar from my favorite band.
“Who is this,” Ren asked as she looked inside the large cage at my hamster. I loved his dark chocolate and white markings and the sound of his wheel turning at night. I missed that at school. We weren’t allowed pets, or I would’ve brought him.
“That is the very noble John J Rambo,” I said, and Ren laughed.
“Great name.” She turned in a circle. “I didn’t realize you were so into music.”
“That’s because only my parents, Theo, and the guys know.
Well, and now you.” I grabbed my guitar before sitting on the bed.
I loved watching Ren. She was so sure of herself at school, but she was nervous, like a bird, as she sat at the end of my bed with her feet curled up under her.
“Red is not your color,” I said, and Ren picked up a piece of the wig and looked at the ends.
“I will mark that one off the list of dye options.”
“Why would you want to dye it? It’s beautiful the way it is.”
She turned to look out the window. The sadness in her eyes pulled at my heartstrings.
What was it about her that called to me?
The first few weeks at school, I could admit she was stunning, and the bet had been fun until it wasn’t, but now…
something had changed. I just couldn’t put my finger on what had shifted in me.
My fingers strummed over the strings, not really playing anything but just letting the sound of the bass soothe me. Ren gave me the full weight of her stare.
“Are you ready to talk,” she asked.
“About what?”
“You start. Pick a question.”
There were so many things I wanted to know, but none of them were appropriate for me to ask. “Do you know why your parents named you Ren?”
Her lips pursed as she thought, and I stared, wanting to pull her up here and see what they tasted like. I quickly looked away before I did something stupider than just bringing her here.
“I don’t,” she finally said. “My whole name is Kayleigh Ren Davies, but my mum always called me Ren. Why did you want to know that?”
I shrugged as I finished the song I was playing and picked another.
“Did you know that in Chinese, your name means benevolence, humanity, goodness, and love? In Japanese, it means lotus, which is the Buddhist symbol of perfection and purity. Also, if you added a W to the spelling, then Wren is a type of bird, which is fitting, but I see you more as a Kite.”
“Wow. No, I never looked any of that up. It never occurred to me to do it. Do you mean a kite like a toy?”
I smiled. “No, a White-Tailed Kite, a snowy white bird of prey. They are stunning and hover and watch the ground silently as they search for their kill. You remind me of a little Kite, fierce with soft, delicate feathers.” Her cheeks turned bright red, a smile playing on her lips as she looked down and played with the cuff of her hoodie.
How did she manage to look more beautiful and not do anything?
“Thank you, that’s…I really like that. Did you have to look all that up?”