Chapter Sixteen #2
“Um… yeah,” she said as she quickly dug into her bag. “What’s…what’s going on? Is something wrong?”
“Zoriah!” Asha called out as one of the sirens turned around at the sound of her name.
She hurried over with a whip of her faux locs dragging behind her.
Clementine moved Isis and I forward as we began to walk towards the second hall.
Not as lively but still just as packed with a more mature crowd.
They even managed to put a lounge area for the men who wanted to watch highlights of games and sports, and a small cafe tucked in the corner for students who wanted to relax.
The energy always shifted from the young boys hollering at you to the men giving you a polite nod and occasionally calling you over to talk.
We kept walking when I watched Isis get stopped by one guy who she immediately recognized and hugged.
I could tell he was a nymph just by his ears, but he was also built like he used to play professional football and now dressed like a wannabe coach.
There were a few wandering eyes but when we reached the doors for the third hall, Clementine turned to face us as if she was picked to be our tour guide.
“I hope I don’t need to remind you that this is a silent hall.
You cannot speak,” she said. Isis rolled her eyes and moved her aside as she opened the doors.
All of the forks, knives and spoons scraping against plates.
The laughter, the chatting, and commercials from the TV, everything that made this school feel alive suddenly went quiet.
The doors closed gently behind us as I looked around at the levels of private study rooms. There were tables, shelves for books, couches and vending machines.
I heard of rumors when my Aunties would attend Drew Collins that students who couldn’t afford the school would sleep in here in order to stay on the Grounds.
As long as you didn’t make a noise, you wouldn’t be put out.
So we walked around, taking in the aroma of baked goods and desserts laid out on the tables in the back, and made our way to the back corner of the hall.
A small table was in the corner with Asha being the last to walk up.
She motioned for the pen and paper while we patiently waited for whatever she was about to write down.
Clementine snatched the paper from Isis before Asha snatched it from her and glared at her.
Clementine instantly backed down, but I noticed Isis simply lowered her head in submission to her either way when Isis glanced at her.
I wondered… I knew there were sororities interested in Isis with the Betas being one of them, but I wondered if she turned her down for another.
Asha silently tore the paper in half to hand to me while leaning down to write on the other.
When I didn’t see any words being formed, she pulled out a small jar of glossy blue glitter, dipped her finger in it and smeared the bits on the page.
Isis pulled at the paper in my hand to see just as words began to slowly form and move like waves in the water.
I saw Maggie…
My eyes snapped towards her, but she kept writing as Clementine simply stared with her nose in the air, wanting you to know she knew everything that’s being said.
She said she’s coming back.
Isis’s mouth dropped as the letters continued to fade in and out with each sentence.
Namir is going to name Maggie as his mate when he becomes Alpha this week.
Of course he is. I knew it was going to happen. It only made sense.
I think something bad is going to happen at the games this weekend.
When she looked at us with that worried stare, she leaned back down to write her last sentence.
I will keep an eye out on y'all from a distance, but my priority is the sirens until Solo gets back. Love you all but Clemothy.
I grinned as the final word disappeared into the paper.
I immediately wrapped my arms around Asha for a tight hug.
She was hesitant at first but eventually wrapped her arms around me and just held it.
Neither of us said anything and Isis didn’t interfere.
This is my problematic baby sister and the personality I have the hardest time identifying the most with, but truth be told, Asha was more like the woman I suppressed within me.
We were more alike than I wanted to admit but this hug somewhat eased something in myself.
When I pulled back, we simply stared at each other, and she nodded.
All is forgiven.
Clementine suddenly waved the paper in front of us before leaning down to write something down.
The glitter trick didn’t work on her and I suspect it's because there were no ties to water in her blood because we could see every word she wrote before she smeared it with the glitter. Now none of us could read it and it didn’t transfer over to the other half of the note. So she simply mouthed,
Be ready and be careful this weekend.
The way we dispersed should have been studied.
It was as if none of us suddenly knew one another.
Isis had to go to a lab meeting later this evening.
Asha was leading a crowd of sirens back to their hub which was simply the salon on the Grounds so they could gossip and get ready for tomorrow.
Clementine was on the hunt to gather information and I…
I decided to sit by the tree where the little girls used to run around.
Where Hillary in the painting would sit and wait, and just imagined she was here beside me.
Everything always came back to this oak tree.
“Where is ol boy at?”
I smiled at the familiar voice before watching Quan’s shifty furry body plopped down beside my thigh. I could see the paint stains and food stuck in his fur along with a knitted collar around his neck that I knew he found annoying. He’s certainly been occupied.
“Harvey is minding his business. What about you?”
“You like him? How can you even trust him?”
My phone buzzed as I reached into my bag to glance at the screen.
Speaking of Harvey… I opened the message to see an emoji of a witch’s hat and the word meeting next to it.
Then the attachment of a picture was sent out.
Southern Five Council meeting in the Underground that started about an hour ago.
A private invite only meeting. His brother must have been able to get them a seat.
Harvey liked information. He liked knowing things and figuring stuff out.
I should have known he was already five steps ahead of whatever we thought we had going on.
“Harvey is cool,” I concluded. Sending a pair of eyes in response to his message, I sent a clock emoji to signify I was waiting for his return.
“Did Asha tell you?”
I looked back at Quan for a moment.
“She did.”
“The irony in you being the closest to Maggie yet Asha being the key to everything and the only one to make contact with her,” he huffed. “Imagine that shit.”
“Exactly the way it should have happened,” I smiled proudly. Asha relies on Maggie a lot more than the rest of us in the group. That type of connection can’t be beat, and I recognize that now.
“You think Isis…” Quan started but stopped himself as he began licking at his paw. “Those stupid broads stuffed me in the trashcan earlier.”
“Were you terrorizing the womenfolk on the Grounds again?” I teased while picking at his fur.
“I wasn’t terrorizing shit,” he spat.
“Do I think Isis, what?”
“Never mind.”
“Her and Solo?” I asked. When he didn’t say anything, I decided to tread lightly.
Quan didn’t like Isis, but he liked to have claim over her.
He was the type that didn’t want to see her with anyone else but once she was alone, he wanted nothing to do with her.
Classic two balls behavior. I wanted to protect whatever she and Solo have due to the nature of them being together.
It’s already considered dangerous, but I also wanted to respect Isis and her ability to move freely. “I think Isis is just being Isis…”
“A pass around…”
“And you got passed,” I said. His whiskers twitched but he said nothing in response.
What could you say? Watching him go back to licking his paw, I could see the irritation resting on his furry face.
A group of female nymphs walked by in their uniforms laughing and talking as his face became a seething scowl at the sight of them.
“Quan?” I asked as I began picking at my nails. “You never talk about your life as a nymph?”
“Why would I?” He asked without looking at me.
“Just curious.” I looked over at him as he continued to lick at his paw like it was injured.
Come to think of it, I never heard Quan ever speak about his personal life outside of this school.
He was always in the know about our lives but never the other way around.
“You don’t seem as close to the water like the rest of them. ”
“Yeah well…I’m close enough. When you’re a cat, there are limits to what you can and can’t do.”
Quan didn’t say much of anything else, but I did start to wonder how he managed at this school.
No real supervision. Your family is supposedly above ground, and they completely forgot about you.
You’re a cat that can’t control your shifting, but you’re really a nymph?
Why is the school not questioning his whereabouts and what classes did he actually attend?
Quan just sorta lingered around and nobody said anything.
Quan cut his sharp eyes towards me with a scowl, but I only returned it in kindness.
“Are you ready for this parade and the games?” I asked instead, deciding to change the subject for now but my curiosity about Quan wouldn’t dim easily. He sneered with a twitch of his whiskers before responding.
“Yeah, I’m ready to see this shit crash and burn.”
…
“WELCOME TO THE OFFICIAL SOUNNNND OF THE UNDERGROUNNND! Drum majors! TAKE YOUR POSITIONS! Let’s welcome these schools to Trojan territory!”