Chapter 24
I t's been over a week and a half since Mr. Valor caught me in the old abandoned training grounds with his daggers. We train together there every other day now, and he teaches me more advanced techniques than he would show us in class.
We take to sparring for most of the sessions, and with each one I feel like I’m improving and learning more, as well as adapting at an unusually fast pace.
When we spar, I notice his forest green eyes shining in a way I’ve never seen during class. It changes him.
He also doesn't treat me like a student during our sessions, but more like an opponent or equal, and he doesn’t hold back or let up when we spar. But I prefer it that way.
And I’ve begun to look forward to our lessons.
If I had it my way, I would train with him every night, but he believes I need a break in between our sessions, and doesn’t want me to fall behind in other classes.
But even without him I still train every night, finding a sense of place when I’m pushing myself, my mind solely focused on moving forward. And then the relief that follows when I’m done, drained of all the frustration and stress from that day with each drop of sweat I’ve shed.
In the short week that we have trained together, I’ve also grown used to his company. And have learnt more with him in just a few days than I have in the past couple of weeks of training alone.
Which was why I felt a little disappointed when he had to postpone our next session due to a faculty meeting this Friday.
I head toward the cafeteria, having just day-dreamed my way through ‘Modern Language and Ideology’ class. An hour and a half was too long to listen to quotes from ‘Macbeth’ and not fall asleep.
Ms. Cheron seemed like a nice teacher though.
Her shoulder length strawberry blonde hair and five foot two frame made her look petite.
Her casual style of jeans and baggy jumpers also made you think she was more relaxed and laid-back about lessons.
But she even gave Mrs. Bruswick a run for her money if you messed around in her class.
And her ability as a seer made it so no one could get away with anything.
I make my way over to the cafeteria doors, delicious paradise just feet from me, when suddenly two girls slide in front of me, blocking my way.
“Where do you think you’re going?” The brunette on the right sneers, as the girl beside her shoves her hand in front of me, stopping me from entering.
The two girls scowl toward me, both wearing the same disgruntled look, and that's when I realise they're a mirror image of each other. Twins.
Each sport matching green eyes and long pin-straight mousy brown hair. They both wear emerald ties and a cluster of faint freckles on their cheeks.
“Right…” Says the twin to the left, her eyes sliding up and down me. “You think you’re special . Were you planning on sitting with them again?” Her eyes flare, her lips twisting upward as she watches me.
“Of course she was,” Scoffs the right twin, her grin turning mocking, “She thinks the Infernal Four actually want her.”
My brows scrunch together. The Infernal Four? What was that?
They both share a look, a venomous glint forming in their eyes.
“But we know better. They’re just using you. A pathetic nobody like you could never get the attention of a boy around here, let alone one of those four.”
“So harsh girls,” A cold chuckle falls from behind me as a third brunette shows up.
She circles around me, this girl shorter in stature and clearly not related to the twins. Her brown hair is darker, her eyes an ashy grey and her face covered in one too many layers of makeup.
“They probably felt some sort of pity, throwing the stray bitch a bone.” She joins her friends, blocking my way as they continue to keep me from my meal.
And my patience begins to wear thin.
Oblivious to my building anger, they continue to prattle on.
“I wonder what kind of tricks she used to stay beside them.” Sneers the right twin. “Bet it involved an open mouth and some bruised knees. That's all she’d be good for.”
“Makes sense,” Adds the left twin, “I heard she even went after her younger sister's boyfriends.”
The newest addition to Tweedledum and Tweedledee drags her eyes down my front before her gaze meets mine.
“You're nothing. Not even worth the tip of Seria’s fingernails.” She spits.
“How dare you even think of going after someone else’s partners, let alone your own sisters.
”She shakes her head, a mocking laugh leaving her lips.
“And now you think you can go after the Infernal Four?” She takes a step closer to me, a vicious look taking over her expression as she gets in my face.
“Don't even think about it. Just because they let you eat with them once, doesn’t mean you're important. Don’t get lost in your delusions thinking you're more than the weak bitch you are.” Her grin widens.
“They probably pitied you, a speck of dirt with no place, a stray bitch with no bark, an easy set of spread legs–”
Before she can finish, I reach out, wrapping a hand around her mouth, cutting off her words before I tighten my grip. Her eyes widening with surprise.
“My ears would bleed with all the trash I have to listen to these days. More and more morons thinking I’m easy, that they can say and do what they want and I’ll just allow it.” I tighten my grip further on her face. “Well not anymore.”
She flinches as she stares at my expression before I feel movement to my side.
The twin on my left suddenly shifts forward, her fist aiming toward me. I let go of the brunette’s face in my hand, pushing her back and into the other twin behind her before twisting around and catching the hand coming at me.
She opens her mouth, her teeth gritted and eyes narrowed before her gaze flickers behind me, her face falling as she pulls her hand quickly back from mine.
“What's going on here?” The familiar deep tenor of his voice beside my ear sends a small shiver down my spine. Ezra. He takes a step forward, stepping beside me as he glances from one girl to the next. “Nobody?”
Suddenly the brunette jumps forward, slight tears forming in her eyes as she cups her red face.
“She put her hands on me, Ezra.” She flickers her gaze toward me, shaking her head before turning back toward him. “She was talking about you and the boys… bragging about how she has you all wrapped around her finger, and telling people you all give her special treatment.”
The twins behind her nod, agreeing with everything as they stare daggers at me.
I roll my eyes. Special treatment?
We haven’t even spent much time together. And anyone with eyes could see that Creed hates me, hoody boy ignores me, Ezra tolerates me, and Annex… he just enjoys annoying me. But if that’s special, then yeah, they give me the good stuff.
“But everyone knows she has a reputation. Maybe you and the boys didn’t know but she–”
“Lillith.” Ezra cuts her off. The playful smile he normally wears no longer lacing his lips as he meets her eyes. “I don’t care about any of that.” A slight weary sigh leaves his lips before he schools it and smiles.
She’s taken aback for only a fraction of a second before quickly sliding closer to him.
“That makes sense.” She gives him a small nod. “Why would you need to listen to crap about her ?”Her gaze finds mine, the fake charade dropped as her lips twist back into a sneer. “She's not even worth wasting breath on.”
She turns back toward Ezra, a hooded look filling her eyes as she drags them up his large frame and toward his face. A slight blush coats her cheeks as she takes another step closer.
His fist clenches tightly beside me, his brows creasing as the smile he wears becomes stiffer.
Lillith quickly closes the distance between them, taking his silence as some sort of agreement. She trails a finger along his chest, trying to look seductive as she bites her lips. But she looks more constipated than captivating.
“Just because you were kind to her, she thought she was special. A little attention can do crazy things to stupid people.”
I glance toward Ezra. The smile on his lips doesn't reach his eyes and there's a slight tightness to his jaw that hardens further as Lilith pushes herself into his side.
Tweedledum and Tweedledee giggle behind her, their eyes and smiles smug as they watch me.
“Well, I do agree with that last part.” Ezra’s normally playful smile grows a little darker as he places his hand on Lillith’s shoulder.
I think I’m the only one to notice the annoyance in his tone, or the darker glint in his eyes as Lilith’s grin widens with his words.
But all too quickly her smile drops as she stumbles a step backward and into the twins.
Ezra wipes his hand over his blazer. “A little attention and people go crazy.”
He meets the eyes of the three girls in front of him, their smug expressions falling.
“I appreciate your… intentions, but I can make my own mind up about who I spend my time with.” By the time he finishes his words, there's no longer a smile of any type on his face.
The warm and playful persona he wears like a mask faltering, and replaced by someone more cold and cutting.
He gently pushes past them and toward the cafeteria door, their faces further paling as he ignores their calls.He stops at the door and turns back, “You coming?” His turquoise eyes meet mine. I give him a small nod and quickly make my way toward him.
Lillith's hand snakes out, trying to stop me.
I grab her by the wrist and stand mere inches from her face, staring her dead in the eyes.
“Be glad he came…if he hadn’t, you wouldn’t be able to walk away in one piece.” I yank her wrist, a pained whimper falling from her lips as I whisper in her ear.“And if you call me a bitch again, I’ll make it so you can never utter another word.”
Her hand trembles as I let her go and head over to Ezra, the two twins flinching as I pass them.
Lillith’s gaze turns to Ezra, but he ignores her.