Page 18 of Escaping Hallow Hill Academy
“Late?” At this point I’ve casually lowered the lamp back to the bedside table, but her words are more threatening than any knife she could pull on me right now.
“Yeah. We’re intro students. We don’t get the pleasure of sleeping. Grab the textbook they assigned you and follow me, New Girl.”
She’s rushing out of the room without another word, and I stand there in my fucking jammies. A long, heavy sigh shoves from my lips. My fingers lift to reach behind me and skim across the metal at the base of my spine.
Would they really release the belladonna just for skipping night class?
“Let’s go, New Girl!” she calls down the hall to me.
Motherfucker.
* * *
Introduction to Soul Searching,the blackboard rimmed in gold says.
Fantastic. I’m awake for twenty-five hours straight now, just so I can catch up on a therapy session.
I’m seated at the only vacant back table just behind Gavin Fucker, Woman of Dragon, Keeper of the Cum.
Wow, maybe I should stop.
I stare straight ahead, my eyes so dry I’m not really taking anything in.
I’m just existing. That’s all I can promise right now.
Metal hits metal, and I’m shoved to the left when a heavy shoulder thrusts into mine and nearly pushes me out of my chair.
“I liked the dress better,” the man says flatly as he sits down, opens his text book and never looks my way.
It’s the vampire. It’s official. This school isn’t a school at all. It’s fucking purgatory.
I glare at the single dreadlock that’s slipped from his tie to graze down his strong jaw. His jawline’s so sharp, it could crack marble. Brown-red eyes are fixed on the chalkboard at the front, but I know he’s aware of me.
I can see it in the way his body’s held tight. He’s listening. Observing without looking.
My hand lifts ever so slowly. My fingers curl. All but one. And I flip his pretty face off as he pretends not to notice.
“That’s not very neighborly, neighbor,” he whispers with a small, vicious smile.
His alluring accent crawls over my flesh, and I have to force myself not to shiver.
I almost roll my eyes at him, but then it occurs to me that he’s seen me naked. And somewhere in that little Neanderthal brain of his, nakedness equals friendship. He thinks we’re friends of sorts. Or he hopes.
A beat passes as other students start pulling out notebooks and pens, and I simply consider the handsome vampire with the cruel smile for a bit too long.
“How long have you been here?” I ask while slowly lowering my middle finger and placing my hands quietly in my lap.
He still doesn’t look at me, but he does engage. “Too long.” There’s so much packed into that little statement that this time, it does send a shiver racing up and down my spine.
“And you room with Sialen?” I ask, firing off as many questions as he’ll let our little friendship get away with. Anything to distract me from the ominous tone of the previous answer.
“Do you have a thing for the broken Sekar?” His words are a drawn-out, careless thing and he doesn’t answer my question. He’s good at pretending. Pretending he doesn’t care about anyone or anything, but I see through that. You can’t bullshit a bullshitter.
And yet, he’s interested in me, and I can see it.
“He’s a Sekar. Isn’t everyone curious about him?”
He scoffs. “Not as curious as they are about the enchanting witch with more power than Krist herself.” His dark and deadly gaze slides to me then, and a telling shiver skirts over my flesh. “I hear you broke out of your confines.” His gaze stops on the pulse at my throat and then goes down to my chest. As if he can see through my flesh and gauge the power inside me.
