I crossed my arms over my chest. “I exist. I remind you of her, don’t I? What? Do I have her eyes? Her hair? I remind you of her and how she left you.”
He cursed in Bulgarian and spat on the floor, then turned on his heels and stormed out of the house. That was so like him.
“Now you’ve done it, baby,” Mom said with tears in her eyes. “Why do you have to be so direct? So harsh?”
“No more lies.” I walked to her and wiped her tears with the hem of my wristband. “He can’t blame it on you anymore. I’m not your daughter, so it’s not your fault.”
“Do you think that’s why he blamed everything on me? No! Because I was the one who wanted to adopt you. I was the one who wouldn’t let you go. After you leave, he’ll… he’ll…” She started crying harder.
“Shh… Mom. Mom! I’m not leaving. There’s one week left before school starts. I’m staying here.”
“But he said…”
“I don’t care what he said. He knows about Grim Reaper Academy. He’s a piss-poor liar, and I’m not leaving until I get the truth out of him.
But I was wrong. I stayed the week and didn’t accomplish a thing. When he realized I wasn’t going away this time just because he’d said so, he made a habit of getting out of the house early in the morning and disappearing until late at night. I had no idea where he went. Some rundown bar, most likely. All I knew was that it was the first time in my life – and his – when he was the one staying out of my way. Why? It was so unlike him. Which made me wonder… What else had I been wrong about?
At least, my mother could take a break. I’d never seen her so happy and relaxed as I saw her that week, when we were just the two of us all day. We went grocery shopping, stopped by the diner a few times a day to make sure everything worked smoothly, and she didn’t even care that the new girl was making mistake after mistake. It didn’t matter, because we were together, and my dad was, for once, minding his own damn business. We had our coffee in the morning, in peace and quiet, and I told her about Grim Reaper Academy and what I studied there. I told her about the ocean, the woods, the luxurious dorms, the teachers… and I may have slipped a thing or two about GC and Paz, although I avoided mentioning one was a false god and the other was a demon. It was hard for her to grasp there were supernatural people in this world, and while she accepted the fact, she avoided talking about it. I could tell she didn’t want details. It was easier for her to stick to her world view and think the students and professors at the Academy were normal people, like me and her. There was a certain feeling of safety that came with the notion, and she wasn’t yet ready to give that up.
There were things I didn’t tell her, though. I didn’t tell her about the bullying. I never mentioned Sariel’s or Lorna’s names. Not even Francis’s. I didn’t tell her about the Great Old One sleeping under the school, deep in the ground. I didn’t tell her I’d almost died at least two times. I was still here, and that was all that mattered. And I didn’t tell her about Valentine Morningstar. Most days, I didn’t want to believe I was his daughter myself. Most days, I hoped that if I stopped thinking about it, stopped acknowledging it, then it would simply stop being true. I knew it was silly. I didn’t tell her about the prophecy, either, but I did tell her about Patty, my best friend, and about Klaus. She felt better about me leaving again for a year knowing that I had friends where I was going.
Dad wasn’t there the morning I left for Salem, Massachusetts. By then, I knew he was hiding something. How would he know about Grim Reaper Academy, he, a human, an ordinary man who’d never had a brush with the supernatural? Or maybe, that was where I was wrong. No matter. I would be back one day, and he wouldn’t be able to avoid me then. I’d make sure of it. For now, I considered the fact that he’d stayed away from home for a week my first victory against him. And victory tasted sweet. Especially when the prize was seeing my mom smiling, going on about little nothings, and giggling at her own bad jokes.
We said our goodbyes, and I walked to the train station. I needed to burn the two pounds of fat my mom’s hearty meals had put on my hips and thighs.
“See you two blockheads tonight?” I group texted GC and Paz.
“You took forever!” Pazuzu whined. “We’ve been here for three days!”
“School 2morrow no time for shit,” GC explained in his unique writing system.
“Shut up and wait for me at the gates.”
God, they were so needy! It’s a good thing they’re needy. That saves me the embarrassment. I chuckled to myself. Because if they hadn’t been that way, if they hadn’t texted me day and night, I would’ve been the obsessed one. The needy one. I missed them like crazy! My hormones had been doing a number on me all summer, and all I could think of when my head hit the pillow was GC’s strong body pressed against mine, and Paz’s rough hands in my hair. My dreams had gotten kinkier, too. Paz’s hands wrapped around my neck as GC pinned me to the mattress and… I shook my head in frustration. My panties were soaked, and I crossed my legs as I sat in the crowded railcar. A couple sat across from me, and I caught him staring. He smiled at me, and I furrowed my brows and looked out the window, making sure not to give him a second chance to make eye contact. Can’t wait to see my guys!
I’d only seen them once after practice had started. At the end of the school year, all the students came for one week at the Academy to prepare for prom. The memories I’d made on prom night had kept me going all summer. My very first prom when I truly felt like a princess… GC bought me the dress, and Paz, always in competition with GC, bought me the most beautiful necklace I’d ever set eyes on. Sapphires to go with my eyes and hair. Sariel was chosen prom king, and Pandora was queen. I didn’t care. I felt like I was the true queen that night, and seeing how all the other girls glared at me as I danced with Paz and GC, sometimes at the same time, I could bet they knew it, too. One queen and two kings. We might have not been invited on stage, but we sure won prom that night!
I took out my phone and looked through the pictures. A smile grew on my lips. The train couldn’t move fast enough. Especially now that I’d made up my mind about Paz and GC. I was going to trust them. Because trust was the only way to finally get what I wanted from them. Their bodies and souls. Not to reap, but to ravish.
CHAPTER THREE
They were waiting for me at the gates, as I’d told them to. GC ran to me, grabbed me by the waist, lifted me up, and spun me around, backpack and all. I giggled and held on to him. He put me down, and his lips were on mine, his hands all over me, groping and squeezing. He took my breath away. It didn’t last long, though. Pazuzu marched to us, grabbed GC by the shoulder, and pulled him away.
“Greedy,” he mumbled as he pulled me against him and looked me in the eyes. “Welcome back, Mila.”
I laughed, lifting myself on my tiptoes. “Thanks.” I kissed him fiercely, although GC’s taste was still lingering on my lips. His hands came to tangle in my hair, and I moaned when he pulled gently. I had no idea what his deal with my hair was, but I wasn’t going to question it. All his possessive pulling and tugging soaked my panties
in seconds.
“Okay, that’s enough.” GC grabbed Paz and got him off me in one swift jerk.
Paz shot him a murderous look, his hands turning into fists at his sides.
“Back off, asshole! You had your turn.”
“And you had yours,” GC crossed his arms over his chest, seemingly unimpressed. “It’s mine again.”
Here we go… If I let them, they would eventually end up wrestling in the dust, making a mess of their clothes, and landing a punch or two, just enough to leave bruises and give the whole school something to gossip about. I pinched the bridge of my nose, dragged a breath in, and took control of the situation.