Chapter 9
Chapter Nine
Hennessy: People are more what they hide than what they show.
The rest of the day flew by in a blur of what felt like everyone talking behind my back with stolen glances hitting me in all directions.
It was actually pretty impressive how easily they were able to make me feel as if all eyes were following me through the halls, like they were ghosts that were merely haunting me.
Onyx’s shoulder check had lasted all of two seconds, but the humiliation lingered for hours on end. I kept reminding myself that I didn’t care, that he couldn’t get to me and I had bigger fish to fry. I thought a lot about the fact that once upon a time, my father was a student at this university.
I resisted the urge to call my mom and ask her a million questions, though I couldn’t bring myself to do it, not wanting to bring up bad memories for her.
Something bad had happened. I felt it in the pit of my stomach.
If she hadn’t said a word to me, knowing I’d find out the truth one way or another, she wouldn’t have allowed me to attend this Academy.
Right? Why would she want me to find out this way and not from her?
I had a hard inkling she didn’t know about anything either, which only left my uncle with the truth.
Does Tío want me to know? Is he expecting this? Is this why he hasn’t been home? To avoid me?
The unanswered questions badgered my head with no end in sight, and it didn’t help that I’d quickly become the talk of the town. The moment Onyx clipped my shoulder, the entire hallway stopped breathing. Not from him knocking into me, but from him choosing me.
It was like this initiation to who the hell knows what.
If I was making any sense, I wasn’t sure, but the realization somehow took its toll on me regardless.
I adjusted the strap of my backpack higher on my shoulder as I followed the stream of students toward my afternoon literature class. The halls of the Graves Academy were ridiculously gorgeous, even with the gargoyles, skulls, and snakes decor splattered on every corner.
There was definitely a darker theme set behind these concrete walls. I’d never seen a university quite like this before. It was captivating, to say the least. The researcher in me was itching to find out as much as I could about these buildings.
No way was I going to listen to a bunch of rules that had nothing to do with me. Especially since no one had a legitimate reason I had to. I was never one to be told what to do, but this was on another level. There was no explanation, just orders, and I didn’t appreciate that.
As far as the rest of the students, they had no problem playing their parts.
All day I witnessed how much this specific group of guys got away with absolutely everything.
It truly was mind-blowing to see how everyone yielded to their beck and call without a word being said. Not one had to be exchanged.
The teachers and staff were on the same boat. No one reprimanded them for walking in late to class or for disrupting the lecture with nonsense they thought was entertaining. In the lecture halls, they even had rows reserved for them. No one dared sit in them. Not one soul.
They were already reserved.
They cut in line and took over any table, even when people were sitting at it. They’d just get up and move without being told to. Not one excuse me or an apology, nothing. Doors were also held for them, with coffee and food already waiting on their desks.
They didn’t demand respect. They simply expected it. I even watched a professor completely stop his lecture because one of them had to answer a phone call outside.
One thing was for certain: the Graves Academy didn’t belong to its students. It only belonged to them.
Curiosity always got the best of me, so I watched one of the guys named Caspian. He was in my finance class. He was maybe a couple of feet beside me, and my eyes drifted to the crest stitched over his heart.
At first, it looked like the one on mine. It wasn’t. His was replaced with one bearing the initials B.O.B.
The crest was a black shield that framed an elaborate gold thread against his blazer jacket.
At its center, a human skull beneath the initials, with a dagger piercing it vertically.
There were three serpents around the shield, their bodies forming a protective shield for the emblem.
Below the crest was the school's name, but in the corners were other initials.
On the left, it read SNC; on the right, HNP; and, right under the end of the dagger blade, the letters SNT were displayed. On the sides of the crest were the words "Est. 1662" etched.
I subconsciously jerked back, surprised by what I’d seen.
“Find what you’re looking for,” Caspian instantly called me out without taking his eyes off the professor.
My stomach dropped.
For only me to hear, he softly sang, “Curiosity gets people killed around here.”
I sucked in a loud breath.
“Miss Belladonna,” the teacher announced, embarrassing me. “Care to share with the class?”
Heat rushed to my face.
Before I could stammer an apology, Caspian spoke, “I was talking to her.”
The professor’s expression faltered for a second. “My apologies, Mr. Hawthorne.”
After he returned to his lecture, Caspian finally locked stares with me.
Damn… he’s good-looking. Really, really good-looking.
Up close, his defined features were almost too perfect with all the sharp angles of his face. The symmetry was insane, only making him appear more devious and off-putting.
He grinned, leaning forward to my face. Once he was inches away, he whispered in my ear, “Keep digging, rainforest princess.” He got closer, close enough that I could feel his breath on my neck.
“As you know, every trail leaves a footprint, and around here, hunters are always watching, just looking for their next prey. Especially when their last name is…” he sang again, “Belladonna.”
I abruptly stood, bringing more attention to myself as I exited the class. I could feel him smiling behind me, loving the fact he got a rise out of me. I hated that everyone was holding secrets to a past I had no idea existed.
Ancient portraits stalked my every step as I walked out of the auditorium into the hallways. Their painted faces seemed to follow me, and I instantly wondered if the Devereauxs and Hawthornes were among them…
Are there more Belladonnas? Do I have ancestry here? What is going on?
Most universities tried to look prestigious. Graves didn’t have to try. It just was. Every hallway whispered sacred history. Every brick seemed to carry lifelong secrets. Every building told a different horror story.
The list of how much I wasn’t aware of and how much trauma was stored was infinite.
I felt it all around me. There was no denying it, clawing at my feet.
The room buzzed with conversation as I made my way through it.
It didn’t stop. More whispers replaced laughter while eyes darted toward me before snapping away.
Every time I glanced out the windows, I could see the building Luna told me not to walk past. Not to enter.
Why?
By the time I walked off campus, I was mentally exhausted. On my way out, I saw Alfred sitting in his SUV waiting for me.
Or was he watching me?
I couldn’t tell the difference.
Once again, I didn’t accept his ride, but that didn’t stop him from trailing me. The quiet walk home was lonely in a way.
Did I make new friends today, or are they pawns of a much bigger game of cat and mouse?
I hated that it felt like I couldn’t trust anyone, particularly my uncle, when he was supposed to be the one I did.
I unlocked the front door. Silence greeted me.
“Tío Luis?” I hollered to no avail.
I dropped my backpack beside the staircase with a heavy thud. The sound echoed through the house, only making it feel that much emptier and more alone.
Somehow, every muscle in my body still locked up. My heart lurched in my throat as the front door opened. Immediately, I thought it was my uncle, and now I had to confront him.
The truth was, I was suddenly terrified to know the truth. If no one had told me up until this point, it was for one reason, and that was the hardest pill to swallow. They were hiding something bad. That much I did understand.
Was my father part of this brotherhood thing? Was my uncle?
“Tío Luis—”
“No.” Elizabeth Devereaux walked in, revealing herself. “It’s just me.”
Tío’s fiancée appeared perfect as ever. She wore cream slacks and a silk blouse. Her high heels were impossibly tall, adding at least six or seven inches to her height. It was the diamond stud earrings that shined against the sun with her hair twisted in a sophisticated bun that held my attention.
She did look like a Devereaux now that I got a good look at her. She had the same honey-colored eyes. It must be a family trait. I’d be lying if I said she wasn’t pretty.
She paused when she saw me. “I wasn’t expecting you so early.”
“I live here.”
A tiny flicker of something crossed her face, but she blinked it away.
In seconds, I remembered what Deja informed me, “You can’t hide anything from a Devereaux. It’s how we’re made. It truly is a curse.”
She was their aunt, triggering my walls to instantly build higher than they already were.
“I heard about your first day,” she said, not giving me a second to process the knowing expression on her face.
Of course she did.
She folded her arms over her chest. “I also heard you made quite the impression.”
I blurted, wanting to get a reaction out of her…
“And I heard I embarrassed your family.”