The Initiation (Darkness Within Duet 1)

She ignored him and stared out of the car. Where would Hannah and Ian be?

She didn’t like to worry about them, but right now, it wasn’t like she had much of a choice. Biting her lip, she tried to think of where to look. She didn’t even have their cell phone numbers. The day she had detention she ended up going to the office for them to call Hannah to give the message for her to not come and pick her up. She’d gotten a couple of funny looks over that. How can a daughter not know her dad’s contact details?

This girl didn’t have a clue.

Running a hand down her face, she saw plenty of girls and guys staring at them as they arrived at school.

Axel had never brought a girl to school, at least not that she recalled. The four of them were always together, either arriving in two cars or the one. She hated herself for looking for Draven’s car.

“We’re here, madam,” Axel said.

She climbed out of the car as he rounded the vehicle, coming to stand beside her. He placed an arm around her shoulders, and together they started walking into the school.

“What the hell are you doing?”

“I’m protecting you.”

“Axel, I don’t need protecting. Not by you or Draven.”

“Or Buck or Jett. Don’t forget, we come as a foursome.”

She rolled her eyes.

He didn’t let her go until they’d gotten to her locker. Much to her surprise, Draven was already waiting for her. Buck and Jett were also there.

“Safe and sound and completely under control,” Axel said.

She noticed Jett wasn’t carrying a knife. Both of his hands sat by his sides, and she quickly glanced to Buck.

He was the joker of the group.

Axel the loudest.

Draven the deadliest.

Jett the quietest. The way he looked with those knives, she would never underestimate him at all.

Running fingers through her hair, she blew out a breath.

“So, loving the bad chick look,” Buck said.

“You should do it more often,” Axel said.

Looking from one to the other, she saw no judgment of her black eye. Nothing. Taking a deep breath, she looked at Draven and again, nothing.

“I’ll catch up with you guys in a minute. I’ll make sure she has everything.”

“Adios, suckers,” Buck said, stepping away and waving at them.

She forced a smile to her lips and looked at Draven. “You snuck out?”

“Nope. I walked right out the front door. You were pretty out of it.”

“Did you sleep at all last night?”

“Yes. Some. Not a lot. I don’t sleep a lot. I never have.”

“Right, of course.” She tucked some hair behind her ear, feeling … odd. “Did you see Ian or Hannah?”

“You’re calling him Ian now?”

“I don’t know what to call him.”

Draven laughed. “I’ve got a few ideas. You’re not going to like it.”

“Tell me why you’re all being nice to me,” she asked.

She’d seen enough movies to know this wasn’t going to last. There was always an agenda, always a reason for something like this happening. She didn’t like it nor did she trust it.

“We voted on something.”

“You did?”

“Yes. It’s a pretty intense something.” He winked at her.

She glanced around the corridor and saw they were being watched. “Everyone cares about what you do,” she said.

“That’s because they’re assholes and rude and don’t know when to look away. Want me to hurt them?”

She shook her head.

“You got to drop the good girl routine, Harp. It’s not good. I’ll be seeing you. Don’t allow yourself to get hurt today. Stay in one piece.”

“What happened to my dad and Hannah?”

“They took a road trip. Don’t worry. They’re alive and busy. You’re going to be alone for a couple of weeks. Ian got a … promotion.”

“But he didn’t take me along with him,” she said.

“Would you really want him to after what happened?” He pointed at her eye.

She touched the spot around it and winced. “You’ve got a point.”

“Remember, Harp, don’t let everyone walk all over you. You’ll end up hurt otherwise.” He gave her shoulder a squeeze. “And ignore all those that will stare at you. They’re fucking rude.”

“My name’s Harper.”

“I know. Harp sounds musical.” He winked at her and off he went, leaving her alone.

Girls were all staring at her, some in shock, others in wonder.

Ignoring all of them, she glanced over at Draven’s locker and saw the dent was no longer there. He’d gotten it fixed. She didn’t know why that made her happy, but it did.

She worked the combination in her own locker and opened it up slowly. She still didn’t trust them to not mess with her in some way.

Nothing fell out, but she stopped as she looked at the jacket. It was neatly folded inside.

Lifting it up, she inspected it, checking all around it and finally, breathing in the scent. It had been washed, but that was fine. There were no more dirty stains.