Chapter Eleven
Addie
A trumpet blasts in my ears the next morning. Oh my gosh, is that my wake-up call again? I mean, yeah I kind of forgot to set my alarm again this morning, but my warden has no right to nearly give me another heart attack.
Groaning, I roll onto my other side and shove my pillow over my ears. “Make it stop!”
“I already let you sleep for five extra minutes,” Caleb says. “It’s time to wake up now.”
I vaguely remember the trumpet going off already this morning, but I thought it was a dream. “Five more minutes.”
“That’s not possible, Addilyn. You need to be in class in less than an hour.”
“More than enough time.”
I hear him step near my bed and can feel him crossing his arms over his chest. “You claim you don’t want me to be your babysitter. Perhaps it’d be wise for you to stop acting like a child.”
I roll over and open my eyes. Sure enough, he’s standing there with his arms crossed and his legs spread apart.
He looks like a drill sergeant. He’s wearing a sleeveless top and sweatpants.
“My parents always had a hard time getting me up in the morning,” I admit.
“It’s not because I go to sleep late. I’m just not a morning person. ”
He bends close. “Your teachers don’t care if you’re a morning person or not. They expect you to be in class on time, as does your grandfather. No bringing attention to yourself, remember?”
Groaning again, I sit up. I know my hair is a mess and that I don’t look flattering in the morning at all, but that’s the last thing I care about right now. Especially in front of Caleb.
“Addilyn?” he says with a raised brow. “Do I need to drag you out of bed?”
I shoot him an irritated look. “I just got up. I’m groggy. Give me a second, will you?”
He taps his foot on the floor. “I still need to go to my room and change, but I can’t do that until you’re dressed and ready to leave.”
“Why? You’re worried I’ll fall asleep again?”
He inclines his head.
Pushing my covers aside, I slip out from under them and reach for my school uniform.
Caleb keeps his eyes on me as I make my way to the bathroom and shut the door.
I stand before the mirror, my chest heaving.
I don’t know why I’m having more of a problem getting up than I did back home.
Even though it was hard for me then, it’s harder here.
Is it because I don’t have a parent urging me to get to school (Caleb doesn’t count)?
Or is it because waking up in the morning and remembering my parents aren’t here anymore makes it harder to go about my day?
Taking a deep breath, I stare at my reflection and nod. “You’ve got this. Mom and Dad want to see you make something of yourself. You’re in this great school and have made awesome friends. And there’s a guy who might be interested in you. Try to keep your head up and look forward to your future.”
“Are you talking to yourself?” Caleb calls from behind the door.
Darn him and his impeccable hearing.
“No!” I call back. “Looks like you don’t have impeccable hearing after all, Mr. Big Muscles.”
He grunts. “Please get ready or you’ll be late.” He says it in that drill sergeant tone that makes me want to say “Sir, yes, sir!”
Once I’m done, he tells me to wait here and not move or open the door for anyone. Then he slips out and returns three minutes later, dressed in his uniform and his hair disheveled in a way that looks messy but neat as well. I don’t know how he does it. He once again looks super hot.
He catches me eyeing him and his eyes narrow. “What are you staring at?” he asks. It’s not in an accusing tone, but more curious.
I shrug. “Just trying to figure out how you do all of that so quickly. Are you secretly a ninja?”
He chuckles softly, something that seems so strange coming from him, but it makes him look so normal. Like a regular sixteen-year-old. “Not quite. Just trained well.” He gestures toward the door. “Grab your school things and let’s go to breakfast.”
We leave the room and he, like usual, vanishes from sight. After all, boys are not allowed to be in the girls’ dorm this early in the morning. I meet Sophie, Raven, and Carly in the hallway and all four of us make our way to the dining hall together.
We chat about many different topics. I don’t see Warner here and figure maybe he’ll come later.
Some boys tend to roll out of bed ten minutes before classes start.
Lucky them. It’s a little disappointing because I want to see him again, but I seriously need to get a grip. It’s only the second day of school.
The bell rings and all the students go to their first classes.
Nothing really interesting happens throughout the day.
I do well on the chemistry quiz, thanks to the amazing Sophie.
She wouldn’t let me leave her room yesterday until she was sure I knew the material inside out.
I told her I’m okay with a B, but she wouldn’t hear of it.
I’m just glad I won’t be flunking out of this school.
I can imagine how ticked off that would make my grandfather.
I wonder if he thinks about me. Or am I just his heir and he doesn’t want a relationship with me? Caleb claims otherwise, that my grandfather loves me, but I don’t really believe him. I guess we’ll see what happens if and when those who want me dead are caught .
After school, my friends and I decide to hang out in Carly’s room and do our homework.
Sophie lies on her stomach on Carly’s bed, her book in front of her. She’s doing homework and reading at the same time. The rest of us are gathered around Carly’s desk as we try to complete the work.
After we’ve been at it for over an hour, Carly sighs as she drops her pencil. “My brain is going to explode. Who wants food?”
I lift my head. “Depends what food you have.”
She grins. “Remember that chocolate you didn’t win? Well…” She dashes to the kitchenette and returns with an armload of chocolate and candy. She drops them on her desk. “Ta-da!”
My eyes grow large as they take in the delicious treats before me. “Tell me I’m dreaming.”
Raven smiles. “Welcome to Carly’s room.”
Carly motions toward the sweet things. “Dig in.”
Raven snatches a chocolate bar for herself, then grabs a second and tosses it to Sophie. It smacks her on the head. “Thanks!” She doesn’t even look up from her book as she tears it open and dumps half of it in her mouth.
Carly and I reach for chocolate as well.
I take a bite out of mine and then I freeze when there’s a sound outside the door. It’s so faint the others don’t hear it. I wouldn’t either, if I wasn’t around him so much and can hear every slight movement from him.
I take a few more candy bars and slide them into my pocket. “For later,” I say with a smile. “If you don’t mind?”
“Of course not,” Carly says. “Mi candy es su candy.”
“Thanks.” I frown. “Oh, shoot. I need to get something from my room. Be right back.”
I get to my feet and open the door. But I don’t see Caleb anywhere. Looking to my right and left, I still can’t find him.
“Caleb?” I whisper as I move away from the door. “Caleb?” I hiss as I continue walking, searching all over for him.
Fingers latch onto my wrist and I’m yanked behind a statue. I’m pressed against the wall and I thrash around and am about to scream, but I stop when I notice Caleb is clutching me.
“Why are you calling my name?” he asks. He’s very close, so close that if he’d dip his head, our lips would touch.
“I was looking for you.” I try to move, but there’s barely any space here. The statue is very close to the wall, and considering this guy is huge, I can pretty much only lift my head and my arms a tiny bit. “I wanted to give this to you.” I hold up one of the candy bars.
He looks at it like he’s never seen a chocolate bar before. Then his questioning eyes focus on me. “What?”
I shrug. “Figured you could use something sweet. You’ve been sitting out here for hours and you’re probably hungry.”
His gaze bores into mine. It’s like he can’t believe I even thought of him. He doesn’t seem one bit interested in the snack.
“Come on,” I urge. “Take it.”
He stares at it for a beat or two before accepting it from me. “You shouldn’t be calling my name. Or looking for me. That’ll draw attention to yourself and to me.”
I roll my eyes. “You could say thank you, you know.”
He releases a heavy breath. “Next time, don’t worry about me.” He lifts the chocolate to check it out. “But thank you for thinking of me.”
“It just seemed mean for me to have all the fun and eat all the good stuff while you’re out here.” I lift my hands. “And I know, I know. You’re just doing your job. But you’re a kid.”
He lifts his hand and pushes some hair away from my forehead. Bending close, he whispers, “Go back inside, Addilyn.”
“Fine, but here.” I reach into my pocket and hold up a second candy bar. “In case one isn’t enough.”
He searches my eyes, lets out a frustrated breath, then takes it from me. “Now will you go inside?”
“You got it, chief.”
The corner of his mouth twitches. I give him a bright smile and a small wave before slipping out from behind the statue. But because there’s no space, I end up crashing into his chest.
“Darn,” I mutter, my face pressed to his school blazer. I inhale his scent. His manly scent that makes my head spin. “Your chest is made of stone.”
He backs out of our hiding spot and now I have more than enough room to get out.
He waits for me to leave before hiding back behind it.
I stay for a bit, watching him and wondering if he truly is okay with his job.
He’s grumpy, but I don’t think it’s because he’s miserable.
I genuinely do think he likes his job. Or at least, it’s very important to him .
“Go back inside, Addilyn,” he whispers.
As I walk away, I swear I can hear him unwrapping the candy bar, and that makes me smile.
***