29. Kiera
KIERA
For a mission that was supposedly picking up pace, very few orders had come down from The Oracle in the past few weeks. Very few involving me, at least. Which meant that I was stuck back in the house again, desperate for any type of entertainment.
Leo and Spencer did their best to keep me occupied, but the same four walls got boring the more you looked at them. Even walks outside weren’t doing much for me right now.
Before all of this, I’d rarely spent time at home if I could avoid it. A nervous habit from childhood? Maybe, but I also just liked a change in scenery. It gave me something to think about, something to keep my mind off of… me.
Okay, definitely the childhood trauma talking.
The longer I was in the house, though, the harder it was to fight back the paranoid thought that something was very wrong. Maybe they were going on missions without me. Maybe The Oracle had changed its plans for me. Maybe I wasn’t as safe here as I’d let myself believe.
But when I was with Spencer and Leo, those fears grew quiet. Strange as it might seem, I knew that there was nowhere safer for me than under their protection. At least not now.
I rolled over in my bed, trying to pull the duvet up enough to block the rising sun. But before I could convince my stubborn mind to drift back to sleep, there was a knock on my door.
“Hello?” I mumbled, voice still grumbly from sleep.
The door swung open to reveal Leo, already wide awake and dressed in fitted green cargo pants and a black henley. In each hand, she held a coffee thermos, and from her wrist dangled a bag of something wrapped in foil: breakfast sandwiches, if I had to guess.
“Let’s go, Princess. I’ve got a surprise for you.”
I squinted, glancing between her and the sun rising outside of my window. “Right now? What time is it?”
“Time to go,” she clapped her hands, striding over to my closet. “What do you want to wear today? Pants, skirt…?”
“Kinda depends on where the fuck you’re taking me,” I sat up, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.
“This is cute,” Leo pulled a dark silk floral dress with spaghetti straps and a long, slitted skirt.
“In this weather?” I frowned.
“Heard. What about with a layer underneath… this?” She pulled out a black turtleneck that matched the dark background of the dress. “And my jacket, of course.”
I tilted my head as I considered the outfit. “Honestly, that’s a pretty good choice. I’m impressed, Major.”
“Oh, don’t sound so shocked,” she rolled her eyes, laying the outfit out on the foot of my bed. “I’m masc, not a man.”
“Fair point,” I smirked, swinging my legs out from beneath the covers. “Pass me some underwear?”
Leo needed no direction in that department, immediately finding a lacey black thong as if the pair was burned into her memory. Noting that for later…
As I slipped them on, she started to search for a matching bra, but I called back to her, “Don’t bother unless I need one. Too early in the morning for underwire.” Plus, two layers of fabric would be more than enough to give me some coverage.
We went on like that, with Leo grabbing me tights, boots, and a little leather harness to finish off the outfit. But as I crossed over to the mirror, feeling good about the look, Leo pulled out two accessories I hated to see.
“Are you kidding me?”
“Sorry, Princess.” Leo held out the Lucky Strike cap and a giant gray hoodie for me to slip on overtop. “It’s just until we get there. Don’t want any nutjobs with Spyre ruining the fun for you before it gets started.”
“...Fine,” I grumbled, slipping on the potato sack and tucking as much of my hair as possible into the cap. And as I did, I saw Leo grab a sketchpad and some pencils from one of my drawers and tuck them into her bag.
“I saw that. Where the fuck are we going?” I raised an eyebrow.
But Leo just laughed, resting a hand on each of my shoulders as she leaned in to kiss my forehead. “Why don’t you just let me show you?”
With that, we headed down to the Ducati, put on our helmets, and took off down the wooded backroad. It was nice getting out this early.
The morning air was perfectly brisk, and the road was entirely ours.
In still moments, I could hear the birds drifting along the treetops; Their song was already softer now than it had been a few, warmer weeks ago.
And in the moments where we were moving, Leo kept the bike smooth and steady.
Leaning into her broad back, I almost felt like I could fall right back to sleep.
It was only a few minutes though before we arrived at our destination: a sleepy college campus full of rolling fog. Its colonial and gothic brick buildings and winding stone paths somehow looked like they’d sprouted right out of the vibrant grassy hills.
Leo drove us past a big “Atwood University” sign out front, taking a long loop to the back of campus. Finally, we parked outside of a cathedral-esque building with beautiful stained glass along the top floor: the Ali Arts Building, according to the sign over its door.
As she killed the engine and helped me off the bike, I couldn’t hide the tension from my voice. “A college campus? Full of students and cellphones? Are we sure this is the best place for me to be?”
“That’s what the outfit’s for,” she pulled at the hem of my hoodie. “But I don’t see any nosey students around. Do you?”
With a deep breath, I took a look around us. There was beautiful landscaping, some distant water features, and a handful of statues, but not a soul to be seen.
“Saturday morning,” she smirked. “All the students are passed out after a night of partying. And anyone who’s up is way too out of it to notice us. You’re safe here.”
She eased the helmet from my head and rested it on the bike before leading me toward the building by the hand.
“Besides, a bunch of students at a liberal arts school aren’t likely to snitch to Spyre.
And a certain friend of Violence is keeping an eye out for us to make the whole thing that much safer. ”
“If you say so,” I swallowed, letting her lead the way. She hasn’t led me astray this far.
As we walked down the pathway to a side entrance, I couldn’t help but be awestruck by the beauty of this place. I’d been to a lot of beautiful houses in my life, but something about the openness and history of the campus felt different to me.
Unlike every other luxurious palace I’d been to, this place was built on ideas as much as it was wealth. In a place like this, you could make your own name, secure your own future.
I hope these kids know just how lucky they are…
But as we rounded the corner of the building, my heart leapt, freezing all my thoughts. A girl about my age in a big band tee and a leather skirt was standing right outside of the door. Not just standing, but smiling, staring right at us.
I tensed, pulling on Leo’s hand to turn. But that just made the girl laugh. “It’s okay. I’m a friend.”
She turned her back to us, pulling aside her brown and purple curls to reveal a sword and scales tattoo at the nape of her neck: a close sister to the sword and wings that my lovers wore.
“Kiera, this is Teresa Mendez: hacker extraordinaire from Atwood’s most exclusive sorority.”
“Leo thinks too highly of me.” She winked, “Really, I just play a lot of video games.”
“Don’t listen to her,” Leo laughed. “She’s most dangerous when underestimated.”
“Nice to meet you, Teresa.” I held out a hand, admiring her manicure as she shook it.
“You too, Kiera.” She smiled, “I’m guessing you’re the reason Spencer’s stopped coming to all our parties?”
My face flushed red as jealousy and embarrassment clashed in my chest. “Oh, I don’t, uh?—”
“Relax, it’s a good thing,” Teresa laughed. “Spencer never took a break before you came around. It’s been nice to see her attention so focused for once. I’m not sure that’s ever happened before.”
Teresa laughed, color deepening at her cheeks. “All I meant to say is that I knew it would take someone special to tie Spencer down. And meeting you, it makes complete sense. You’re a total catch.”
“Thank you,” I chuckled, relieved to have the tension mellowed, if only a smidge. “I love your hair, by the way.”
“Thanks,” she smiled, twirling a loose strand before flicking her gaze back to Leo. “Okay, but you’re not here to chat with me. Let’s get you inside and settled, yeah?”
Pulling a student ID from her purse, Teresa swiped us into the building and led us up the stairs to the third floor. “The building should be pretty empty this morning, but just in case, I’ll keep an eye on the security cameras in the halls. Keep your ringers on in case I text with any issues.”
She flung the stairwell door open before striding over to an empty classroom and swiping that open too. “Be careful, and when you’re ready to leave, head out the back staircase. If you run into any issues, just shoot me a text, yeah?”
“Thank you, T. You’re a life-saver,” Leo nodded.
“Anytime. Have fun you two,” she wiggled her brows before disappearing down the stairwell, leaving Leo and I alone in the hallway.
“After you,” Leo held the door open, gesturing for me to walk inside.
And as I did, I was truly confused at what Leo had planned for us.
The room was huge, with natural light pouring in through the tall, studio windows. But aside from a few easels spread out across the room and a platform at the center, it was completely empty.
Closing the door behind us, Leo rested her hands on my shoulders excitedly. “Welcome to your first drawing class.”