Page 46 of House of Ruin
She stole one last look at the young woman in the mirror, at the healthy and beautiful face of someone Alecto could have been. Someone she’d never get to be without the help of spells and magic. And then she followed Madame Raquel out the door into the auditorium, where the rest of the class already waited.
18
Alecto was still rattled after her conversation with the professor as they returned to the auditorium. She had an urge to talk with someone about what she had learned.
There was a weird, unsettled feeling in her stomach. More and more their parents seemed to be further from what Alecto had always believed them to be.
While Madame Raquel took her place at the stage, giving the other students one of her speeches, Alecto hurried to the very back of the auditorium, where she always liked to sit. She dropped her bag on the chair, stripping out of her uniform jacket and dropping it over her bag as well.
“I could barely recognize you, Black.” A voice came from behind her, and when she glanced back, Norse leaned against the wall. “You should consider dying your hair.”
“I’ll keep that in mind, thanks,” Alecto murmured, undoing her tie and shoving it inside her bag. She loosened the first three buttons of her white shirt, and when Norse’s gaze dropped to her chest, she knew her bra was showing.
Satisfaction flooded her, even if she wasn’t really interested in Norse. Alecto could use his affection for her gain. Her Houses’ gain.
When his eyes finally found their way back to her face, the steel grey in them was cold as ever. “I should thank you for having enough decency to show up to rehearsal this time.”
For fuck’s sake, Alecto missed one damned rehearsal and it was suddenly the biggest fucking deal. Fighting a scoff, Alecto fished her script out of her bag.
“You’re welcome.” She smirked, turning to climb the stairs down the auditorium towards the stage. Over her shoulder, she added, “We’re up first.”
Right as Alecto reached the stage, the madame clapped her hands and waved at Alecto to get up there. Swiftly, she climbed the three steps to the stage and walked to the middle, Norse right behind her. They stood in front of each other, mere inches away.
“I want to see the scene by the lake,” Madame Raquel instructed, her voice coming from somewhere in the darkness looming over the auditorium.
Alecto nodded, briefly closing her eyes. She inhaled a breath through her nose, slow and deep. When she exhaled, she opened her eyes. Her mind was blank, and it wasn’t the stage she stood on. It was the wet grass by Crystal Lake, the endless meadow stretching behind her.
“Oh, blessed Goddess, is that you standing in front of me right now?” Norse’s voice boomed as he stared down at Alecto.
“I’m no Goddess, young man,” Alecto replied, bringing a hand over her chest. “I might be gifted by the Gods, loved by them enough to be granted the favor of seeing one’s fate, but that doesn’t make me anywhere close to being as sacred as the Deity herself.”
Norse dropped his head, as if embarrassed. For a moment, he stayed silent, wringing his hands, and even Alecto almost bought how believable his nervousness was. She took a step away, walking over to the edge of the stage while still keeping her gaze on him.
“Who are you, young man?” she asked, curious yet wary. “Reveal to me who you are and what you’re doing yourself here at this time of the night. Nobody comes to Crystal Lake this late.”
Norse’s head snapped up then, his steel eyes finding Alecto. “Excuse me for my manners. Your beauty robbed me of all—”
“Cut!” the madame interfered.
She clapped once and walked over to the stage, glaring at them both with a pout. “That is simply not acceptable,” she announced. “You might as well be two merchants discussing the latest prices of bat’s hide. No, you know what, even merchants would have more passion and more pizzaz talking about that than you two!”
Pizzaz?Alecto had to bite the inside of her cheek to stop herself from laughing.
The madame folded her arms over her large breasts and shook her head.
“Chemistry. I want to see fireworks! This is the very first time Carmen met Seville. It was the night Seville absolutely fell head over heels for her,” she explained, gesturing now. “And all I see here is two people who can barely look at each other!”
Alecto inhaled sharply, straightening her back. She looked at Norse, who was in turn looking at her, his face passive, his eyes cold. This was going to be harder than Alecto had thought. Apparently, putting your negative feelings aside wasn’t easy, even if they were actors.
“Again!” The madame clapped once. “Start from the very beginning of the scene!”
Motherfucker.
Alecto walked back to the middle of the stage, shaking her hands as she tried to breathe and calm her nerves. She could do it. She could pretend Norse wasn’t Norse, the leader of a rival House, probably a very dangerous psychopath, and possibly her secret admirer sending her weird love/hate notes Alecto ignored.
Yeah, Alecto could do it. Easy.
Suddenly, the door at the very back of auditorium flew open with a bang, and a tall figure loomed, illuminated in the faint light streaming from the corridor. Alecto squinted, trying to see who it was coming into class late, but it was too dark and too far. It could have been anyone.
