Foretold (St. Bastian Institute 1)

Anna levelled her eyes on Peter. “Truth or dare?”

Peter draped his arm over the back of the couch. We were sitting close, and the feel of his heat was a little bit intoxicating. “Truth.”

Belinda’s eyes widened. “Really? Even with the spoons?”

Peter shrugged. “I have nothing to hide.”

“Okay, then,” Anna said, a small smile gracing her lips. She tapped her chin a moment, then shifted closer to whisper in Belinda’s ear. Anna shot me a sly look then brought her attention back to Peter. I sensed a trickle of his dismay.

“Okay, truth. Have you ever resented the fact that your family is considered untouchable just because Darya’s family deems it so?”

“My family doesn’t deem anything so,” I barked.

“Oh, come on. Everybody’s too scared to displease your father, so they steer clear of the Girards for fear of being ostracised, too,” Belinda said.

“That’s not—”

“Yes,” Peter replied, and I fell into stunned silence. His spoon stayed afloat. He was telling the truth. A small but painful crack formed in my heart. Peter had shown me inside his head, but just because he didn’t harbour ill will towards me personally didn’t mean he didn’t hold feelings of resentment towards my family as a whole.

“You see,” Belinda said, shooting me a satisfied look. “I told you this would be fun.”

“Yeah, we’re all having a great time,” I deadpanned.

“You didn’t let me finish,” Peter said, making direct eye contact with Belinda. “The truth is that yes, I did once harbour resentment when I was a boy. My father would talk to me about the Cristescu family and how they were the cause of all our problems. But then, when I got older, I learned that his perspective was skewed, and I no longer feel that way.”

His spoon continued to float in the air, and just like that, the crack in my heart sealed shut. I couldn’t hide my relief as I shared a brief look with Peter before focusing my attention on Belinda.

“Go ahead. It’s your turn now.” My eyes said, take your best shot because I’m coming for you next.

Belinda folded her arms. I was almost certain she would choose me, but instead, she turned her attention to Nic. “Truth or dare?”

“Me?” Nic asked in surprise.

“Yes, you. Choose,” Belinda replied.

Nic scratched the side of his head before pushing his fringe out of his face. He glanced at the spoon in front of him, then said, “Dare.” His choice made sense since who knew what kind of secret Belinda might want him to reveal if he chose truth, and he couldn’t lie with the flipping spoon of veracity dangling before him like a bad omen.

“Oh, we have an adventurous player on our hands,” Belinda said happily. “Okay, I’ll go with a classic. I dare you, Nic Baumann, to kiss the person in this room you’re most attracted to.”

“Who are you going to pick?” Anna asked with glee.

Nic’s cheeks flushed as he stared at the floor. “It’s a shame Mrs Kanumba had to leave,” he muttered, probably trying to cover his shyness with humour, and I smiled. Our Alchemy teacher was well into her sixties and might’ve had a heart attack if eighteen-year-old Nic had walked across the room and laid one on her.

“Ha! Good one,” Belinda scoffed before levelling him with a pointed look. “Choose.”

Nic cleared his throat, so shy he couldn’t look a single one of us in the eye. I thought he’d probably choose Sophia. She was gorgeous, and they’d been having a good time playing chess together. But instead, he turned to me. We were already sitting next to each other. Time moved in slow motion, and my eyebrows shot up when he bent close and pressed a kiss to my cheek.

Nic was attracted to me? I had no idea. Then again, I’d been wrapped up in Peter these last few weeks. However, as I thought about it, it made a lot of sense. How Nic would flush when I teased him, or how intently he always listened whenever I spoke. How I sometimes wondered if he was making a vague attempt to flirt with me.

“Pecks on the cheek don’t count,” Belinda chided. “I meant a proper kiss.”

“Oh, come on. He kissed her. That’s good enough,” Sophia said, coming to his defence. Nic shot her a grateful look.

My stomach suddenly felt all funny. I felt jealous, possessive even. But that didn’t make sense. What did I have to be jealous about? It took me a few more seconds to realise it wasn’t my own jealousy and possessiveness I was feeling. It was Peter’s.

He was jealous that Nic was attracted to me. A warm, tingly sensation filled my chest.

“We’re waiting,” Anna urged, and I glanced at Nic again. His eyes were apologetic as he leaned forward and reached out, surprising me when he tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. It was a caring, intimate gesture.