Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
ENOUGH ALREADY
Between Pack Politics and Understanding Blood Lines (cue nausea), lunch is scheduled. It’s only thirty minutes, and while I’m hungry, I also know being alone would be better for me than food.
My thoughts aren’t swimming; they’re completely offline.
Considering it’s not only food that gets served in the dining hall, dealing with a grumbling tummy is a heck of a lot easier than facing other students.
Being back at school is not for the faint-hearted, and being surrounded by mythical beings who all believe they are better than you wasn’t on my list of shit I’d be dealing with when I scaled the fences.
Honestly, I thought all that mean-girl ethos was behind me.
Admittedly, I also thought I was more immune to how crappy some people act.
The building empties, and I’m one of the last to leave.
As soon as I push through the door, sunlight hits my face, and I turn in the opposite direction of the dining hall toward the lawn area.
It’s been manicured to within an inch of its life and is blissfully empty of students.
I take full advantage of the space on offer, walking to the farthest patch of sun.
Then I divert away from it to the small spot of lawn against the building.
Even after being here for barely a day, I already know I need to be constantly aware of my surroundings.
Having my back against the wall isn’t about comfort; it’s about stopping anyone from sneaking up behind me.
It’s basic survival. My dad would be proud of my instincts, while my mom would be sad people are awful to each other.
I swear, it’s less than a few minutes later when the first student reappears, and she’s wearing the same blue uniform as me. She looks my way, and I go to wave at her, but she turns away from me so fast she nearly breaks her neck.
I need the opportunity and some time to figure out what being a Nom is all about. Perhaps in Harnessing Your Inner Nom, I’ll get that chance. First, I must make it through Understanding Blood Lines, Power of Worship, and Pursuit of Sanctification.
Chatter from a group of students heading back from lunch has me jumping to my feet and racing inside. The quick glance I got of the gold uniforms walking this way is enough to give me a spurt of energy.
Checking my timetable, I see both of my next classes are on the lower levels, not ominous at all, considering who’s teaching the lessons. Elder Augustus is the head of the vampire department at Thales, and Duke Amon is a freaking demon.
But, go me, as not only do I survive them both humiliating me in front of the class, but I also physically survive by not getting drained or possessed.
I fall into the pattern of waiting for everyone to leave the classroom before I slink out like a nervous cat.
It is why I’m still holding my Thales device in my hand when a notification beeps, advising that my angel class is canceled.
The rush of relief when I read that is replaced by knowing it probably means all the gold-uniformed celestials are going to be waiting in the corridor.
As much as I want to hide forever, I can’t. I take a step into the crowded hallway and start planning my way based on the pockets of color, except before I take another step, every gold-uniformed student vanishes into thin air.
They literally disappear between one blink and the next.
A rush of relief hits me as the number of students cuts dramatically. I’m entirely focused on my own well-being, although looking at my other fellow Noms, I’m not the only one breathing easier now that the celestials are gone.
A ding on my device makes me, along with everyone else, check the latest message. There’s a wave of mixed reactions, but I keep my focus locked on the other Noms, who sag with the news that gym class has been brought forward.
“Maya!”
I don’t need to check that it’s Orion, given no one else knows my name. Most of them even look startled when I walk past them.
“Where were you?” I ask when I make it to where he is.
He doesn’t answer right away as he grabs my hand and pulls me through the swarming crowd. “I’ll tell you at dinner.”
“If we survive?”
He barks out a laugh. “May the odds be in our favor?”
I shoulder-bump him before I think twice about it. Being with him feels weird, like we’ve been besties for years, even though we’re basically strangers.
He laughs before dipping down, talking urgently and seriously. “All jokes aside, get changed as fast as you can.”
I switch emotions as quickly as the celestials disappeared. “I don’t have gym gear.”
“There will be a locker with your name on it, and what you need for the lesson will be inside. Whatever is inside, put all of it on.”
“Like?”
“Well, shit, so far, we’ve done every sport under the sun, but all that is for cardio and strength, including boxing, trampolining, archery, and javelin. They give you protective gear, so make sure you grab absolutely anything they have there for you.”
Orion’s pace picks up, and I follow his lead.
“Are we going into battle?”
“Something like that. After dinner, I’ll add it to the list of shit we need to talk about.”
We come to the locker room, and even though we’re close to the front of the line, the other students pick up speed, and we risk getting caught in a stampede.
I shove the door open. There are already other students inside, but no one is talking and they’re undressing in a hurry.
Like the rest of the academy, the changing rooms are color-coded and hierarchical.
The blue is at the back, where all the broken lockers and chairs have been stored.
My name is written in black Sharpie on a piece of tape slapped on the wall. A cardboard box is on the floor, with a folded pile of athletic gear inside. Everything is new, which is a change.
I haul butt and move as quickly as the other students, pulling on what’s been left and folding my uniform. A glance around, and see the others packing their bags into the cubicles. It feels wrong to leave my belongings, but being the new kid, I copy their actions.
I trail after the other Noms, who seem to use the same technique I do—wait until there are no other students around before moving. We’re the last of the girls to arrive, and a man in a Thales sports uniform glares at us as we fall in line.
There’s a surge of students coming from the guys’ locker room.
The first few that pass look smug, the next group of are laughing, and when the Noms come out, it’s easy to see why the girls were the first out of the changing rooms. Orion is pissed off, and so are the rest of the Noms. They have taken a beating.
The teacher stays quiet until everyone is in line. “Designation fitness testing. Every person in your House must complete the obstacle course within five minutes. If one of you fails, you all fail. Line up.”
He stops talking, and everyone scatters. I race blindly after Orion.
We line up as one, the entire class is looking at the teacher, but they’re also in a takeoff position.
Without moving my lips, and barely making a sound, I poke Orion with my pinkie. “Are you okay?”
He pinches my leg, and I read it as a sign to shut up.
A whistle blows, and it’s like opening the gates of hell. Absolute chaos pours across the field, sweeping every person up in its force. Students shove other students, people get tripped, and I even catch sight of two groups fighting like it’s the last day on Earth. Its dog eat dog.
I make myself as small as possible and huddle close behind Orion, focusing on how he’s moving and nothing else.
He’s coldly clinical, and I mimic him, perhaps even embody him.
The noise fades, so it’s just his and my breathing, and we move in perfect synchronicity.
Except when he stops so fast, I slam into him.
I barely take a gulp of air and he’s off again. We leap over pits, dodging other people and things that whizz past me so close I feel my hair moving, but we don’t stop.
My lungs burn, and my legs are like rubber. I can’t remember the last time I ran so hard, but every step I take, I’m so damn grateful for keeping up my fitness I could cry.
It feels like forever, but a part of my brain reminds me the teacher said five minutes. Maybe I’m not as fit as I thought I was. I force myself to stop thinking; it’s only slowing me down. I focus on putting one foot in front of the other and making my lungs work.
Orion suddenly lists to the side, and I grab his shirt, my arms aching as I use a burst of energy and adrenaline to pull him back on course.
He recovers, but there’s a flash of movement, and I realize we’re surrounded by a sea of students.
My heart thuds and my muscles lock up. I expect to be shunted out of the way, but instead, the people next to us fling themselves forward before collapsing on the ground, struggling to breathe.
It takes a few moments to register that we have crossed an invisible line and finished the course. I lean forward and brace my hands on my knees, but Orion clicks his fingers in front of my face, and I jerk to a stand and dart behind him again.
We turn and watch the other students finishing behind us.
Everyone is legging it, and a lot of the stragglers are bruised and bleeding, but they all share the same look of determination, racing with similar intensity.
They make it—by barely a second. A loud, shrill whistle cuts through the sound of the entire class gasping for air.
It renders them silent and standing at attention.
“Laps until the end of class.”
He spins on his heel, and those around me move. The class sorts itself back into colors, and a line is formed for each. At a sign or a sound that I miss, everyone runs.
Then it really feels like forever until the end-of-class siren sounds. No one collapses or talks, everyone turns and picks up speed, racing for the change rooms.
“Just grab your stuff. I’ll meet you out front,” Orion whispers, and I don’t miss the urgency in his voice.