Читать книгу Atlantean - E.N. J.D. Watkins - Страница 9

I spent the rest of class putting up with Camilla’s and Nyssa’s flirting. Both girls took several snapshots of me with their phones and so did Stephanie and Lindsey. I was relieved when the school bell finally rang. Unfortunately the next class wasn’t much different—more flirting—with a touch of aggression this time.

I was glad that these girls loved to gossip because that meant I didn’t have to say very much. A nod or shrug here and there was perfect for me. Before I knew it, lunch had arrived.

When I entered the cafeteria with Camilla and her friends, I noticed the social hierarchy at once—even though we were all in uniforms.

Being raised in the highest echelons of society made spotting the separation of classes obvious to my eyes. The school was separated into two groups: upper and middle class. Middle class took up the majority. And truthfully I didn’t see too many that I would call upper class. I also took a moment to observe the many different cliques of the school. There were the jocks. Among them was Jason Cole giving me the evil eye.

So Jason was a jock.

I wondered what sport he played. I couldn’t make out what sports any of them played actually, but the bigger ones looked like they might play football. There were a lot of social outcasts. They were easy to spot because they were trying their best to keep from drawing attention to themselves. Then there was the popular crowd; it was clear that this was where I was. It was hard to miss all of the jealous stares being sent my way. Many were boys who were evidently crushed that Camilla and their friends were interested in me and not them, but there were more than a few disappointed girls.

I wish I could see what everyone else saw. I mean, I wasn’t that good looking.

After getting my food, I took a seat at an open table in the center of the cafeteria. Camilla and her friends sat down around me and started gossiping again. Resting my head on my palm I didn’t bother listening to the conservation.

Suddenly the hairs on the back of my neck began to rise and I knew my earlier observer was getting close. I stared at the cafeteria entrance casually but intently so the others wouldn’t notice.

People were flooding into the cafeteria now and I knew my quarry was close.

But where?

Staring through the throng, my eyes quickly found the raven-haired Victoria but she wasn’t alone: walking next to her was a girl of breathtaking beauty. She was tiny in every sense of the word and also thin but not in an emaciated sort of way. She looked more—threadlike—graceful almost. Sort of like a fairy. Her blonde hair was fluidic as it hung around her shoulders. My eyes tightened when I saw that her eyes were silver.

It was the first time I had ever seen a silver-eyed being around my age and she wasn’t the only one.

Members of the Fallen perhaps?

Standing on the other side of Victoria was another silver-eyed girl who was just as breathtaking as the blonde; however, this girl was just as tall as Victoria and was more statuesque than the blonde. Her flowing hair was crimson, but the thing that stood out the most was the sort of ancientness she had about her and I found myself wondering just how old she was.

Camilla noticed where I was looking and scowled, and she wasn’t the only one; Nyssa, Lindsey, and Stephanie were also frowning. It wasn’t hard to guess the source of their displeasure. Knowing them they probably hated the fact that these girls were far better looking than they were. It was also clear from the stares whom the boys in this school preferred to ogle.

The three girls strode gracefully into the cafeteria. It was then that I noticed the three boys that were following close behind. Standing next to the blonde was a chocolate-skinned boy. I could tell from his cheekbones and neck that this boy was well built but not in a body builder sort of way—more like a triathlete, lean and lithe. He was also much taller than she was and his eyes were deep lavender.

Just like mine. Was it coincidence?

I didn’t think so, somehow; I was certain that he and I shared some sort of connection.

Behind the redhead there stood another lavender-eyed boy who was just as tall as she. Unlike the chocolate skinned boy however, this guy’s muscles seemed to bulge against his uniform. His hair was crew cut and stygian black. But the one who stood out the most was the narrow-faced, jade-eyed boy behind Victoria. His haggard appearance and sunken cheeks made him look like he was dying from some sort of disease. His head was bald in an unnatural sort of way and there were large bags under his eyes, as though he hadn’t slept in days. But what stood out most was the marking that covered the right half of his narrow face: it was the same marking that adorned the right half of my false mother’s face.

I glanced around the cafeteria, curious to see what the other students thought about this boy’s appearance. Astonishingly, several were girls eyeing him hopefully.

Were they seeing the same thing I was?

I remembered how Camilla couldn’t see the markings on my hands and was struck by a sudden inspiration.

Looking round the table, I saw that Nyssa’s cell phone was nearby. She was gossiping animatedly with the others so she didn’t notice when I subtly reached for it. Activating the camera, I pointed the lens at the sickly looking boy and found my suspicions to be correct.

Through the camera I saw what the girls of this school must have been seeing: he appeared to be very handsome. His face was still narrow but it was no longer gaunt and sickly; on the contrary, it appeared strong and healthy. He also had a full head of short, golden-blonde hair. What was interesting though was the fact that the marking on his face was still visible through the camera.

I placed Nyssa’s phone back on the table and wondered what it was that was masking my palm lines and this jade-eyed boy’s true appearance.

As I pondered this conundrum, Victoria’s eyes met mine for one instant and I quite literally felt her longing.

Just like yesterday, Victoria looked as though she wanted to tell me something.

The narrow-faced boy took her hand and I felt longing be replaced by fear. Whoever this boy was, Victoria was terrified of him.

It was strange to see her so fearful, especially after the way she dealt with my false parents. I glanced at the sickly figure of the boy and wondered what it was about him that frightened her so.

Then the he too looked at me and I once again heard the faint heavenly voice inside my mind.

“Amadeus.”

It was in that moment that I realized that it was the jade-eyed boy who had been speaking to me. This eerie talent to speak to me through my mind coupled with Victoria’s fear made me suspect that I was a locking eyes with a very dangerous enemy.

“I’m not your enemy Amadeus,” said the voice speaking once more through my mind.

“How’re you doing that?” I thought back unsure of whether or not he could hear me.

“Magic.”

I looked at him skeptically.

“Magic?”

“Yes. But now is not the time for explanations. I will tell you what I can tonight.”

I had no idea what he meant by this.

“Why should I trust you?”

“Because I’m not your enemy.”

“Then why is so Victoria afraid of you?”

“It is necessary for her to be afraid of me for the time being.”

“Why?” I snarled.

“All answers will be revealed in time,” he replied mysteriously, “But I will give you some answers tonight.”

I frowned.

Tonight?

“I plan to pay you a visit after dark.”

I got the impression that he was going to come whether I wanted him to or not.

“What time will you be there?”

He didn’t answer and I knew our little conversation was at an end because he had looked away from me. I held Victoria’s gaze for a moment longer then she too looked away.

I stared angrily at the boy’s haggard figure. He hadn’t given me much to work with and I was determined to find out more.

“Who’s that?” I asked interrupting the girls conversation and pointing casually to the boy holding hands with Victoria.

“Eli,” said Lindsey after she had turned round to see at whom I was pointing.

Eli.

No way was I forgetting that name.

“So he’s what—Victoria’s boyfriend?” I asked casually.

Camilla looked at my face trying to read it.

As if she could.

I was wearing a perfect poker face.

“Jealous?” she asked playfully.

“Hardly,” I said coolly.

I knew where she was going with this.

“She’s not my type,” I said feigning disinterest, “None of them are.”

Everyone at the table seemed to enjoy this revelation.

“So what is your type?’ asked Nyssa with a curious smile.

“My type is sitting here at this table.”

They all giggled at that.

I wish talking to Victoria was this easy.

“What class do we have next?”

“AP Music.”

Music? Now that actually might be fun.

I got up from my seat and the others followed suit. Sticking my hands in my pockets I began to walk out of the cafeteria. I stole another quick glance at Victoria but I turned away quickly so I wouldn’t catch the eyes of Eli. I wasn’t sure how his magic worked but I figured that Eli and I had to be locking eyes in order to converse silently like we had done.

His faint snickering in my mind as I walked out of the cafeteria let me know I was mistaken.

“Which way?” I asked as soon as entered the hall.

“This way,” said Nyssa looping her arm through mine and pulling me to the right.

It looked as if Camilla was about to loop her arm through my other one when Lindsay beat her to the punch. She didn’t show it but I knew Camilla was pouting. The hall was filling with students now that lunch was coming to a close and it wasn’t long before Nyssa had turned me into a classroom that was filled with instruments.

The instrument that caught my eye was the grand piano at the front of the class. The classroom was sparsely filled and Nyssa pulled me to a seat in the middle of the room. Lindsay sat down on my other side and Camilla and Stephanie took seats nearby. I could see that Camilla was still upset that she wasn’t sitting next to me.

The girls started gossiping again about nothing that I would call interesting. And all the while I couldn’t take my eyes off of the piano. I had a strange desire to play it. The odd thing was that I’d never had any piano lessons and yet I was sure that I could play. But stranger still was the melody that had just sprung into my mind. I was quite certain that I’d never even heard it before and yet it was familiar to me. Like a song I’d heard long ago.

I glanced around again. The professor was nowhere to be seen. I wondered how she felt about students playing the instruments.

Oh well. I guess I will just have to find out.

I rose to my feet.

“Where are you going?” Camilla asked puzzled.

“To play some music,” I replied nodding my head in the direction of the piano.

The girls all seemed to be impressed.

“You can play?” asked Nyssa.

“A little,” I lied with a crooked smile, “You think the professor will mind?”

“Not if you’re good,” answered Stephanie returning my smile with one of her own.

I smiled, walked over to the piano, and sat down in front of the key board.

Was I about to make a fool of myself in front of this quickly filling class?

I spotted a few of the other students eyeing me curiously. I ignored their stares and focused on the task at hand. I rested my fingers on the keyboard. The desire to play was overwhelming; my fingers began to move as if some unknown force was guiding them. Before I knew it I was playing.

It sure didn’t sound like my first time playing a piano; it sounded as though I had been playing for years. There was a shocked silence in the room as my fingers worked their magic.

I closed my eyes. I didn’t need to see the keys. It was as if my body was moving on its own accord. I wasn’t sure when it happened or how long I had been playing but quite suddenly I heard a faint whisper entered my mind. For horrible moment I thought it was the voice of Eli, but then the voice whispered again.

“Amadeus.”

It was the velvet voice of Victoria.

“Where are you?” I thought.

If I hadn’t already conversed with Eli in this manner I probably would have spoken aloud.

“Next door.”

“Then how—”

“It’s the music.”

“That’s impossible.”

“Not for us.”

Even though there was so much still wrong with this picture. I had to admit I liked the way she said “us.”

She giggled.

It was nice to hear it again.

Camilla and Nyssa had nice laughs too, but Victoria’s was almost heavenly.

I felt her embarrassment. Then I felt her regret.

“I’m sorry,” she thought.

“For what?”

“For being so rude the other day.”

“Oh.”

I hadn’t forgotten the total 180 she had pulled on me.

“I do actually like you Amadeus.”

I felt the truth in her words.

“I know,” I thought back before I could stop myself.

What the hell was I doing? How was it that I could feel her feelings? How could I suddenly know what she was thinking? Was I going insane? Was my desire for her so great that I was beginning to hallucinate?

“You’re not going crazy Amadeus,” she thought in a soothing voice, “But I can’t tell you more than that.”

“Why not?”

“I-I—”

I got the feeling that she was on the verge of letting something slip when Eli’s heavenly voice cut in.

“Victoria,” he thought warningly.

Alarm suddenly filled Victoria’s mind, and next second she was gone.

“You again?” I thought sourly.

Was my music responsible for this?

“Nope,” he thought amusedly, “My magic is much stronger than the bond you two share.”

“The bond we share?”

“That’s right.”

“And I take it that you’re not going to elaborate on that,” I grumbled.

“Nope.”

Figures.

“So if you’re not going to give me any answers,” I thought irritably, “what do you want?”

“I just wanted to make sure that Victoria keeps her mouth shut.”

My anger swelled like a tidal wave.

“What’s it to you?”

“Everything,” he thought and the sincerity of his voice brought me up short. “Knowing too much too soon is a dangerous thing, especially for you. And your wellbeing is my prime concern.”

My mind went blank with surprise at this last part.

No one had ever said anything like that to me before. But as nice as those words were to hear I couldn’t ascertain whether or not there was any truth to them. At least with Victoria I could feel if I was being lied to.

“You’re going to have to trust me Amadeus.”

I scowled.

“Trust doesn’t come easily for me.”

“I know.”

I was going to ask how he knew when I stopped myself.

“Let me guess,” I thought dryly, “Your magic?”

“Yes.”

I wondered what else he had the power to do.

“Much,” he thought, with a touch of amusement in his voice.

“Like?”

“I will show you tonight.”

I frowned.

I really hated all this secrecy. But it seemed I had no choice but to wait until sundown.

“Alright,” I sighed, “I will hold off on my questions until tonight.”

“I’ll meet you at your dorm,” he thought assuredly.

“You’d better,” I shot back with a little menace.

He snorted and then was gone. I then quickly brought an end to the song I was playing and opened my eyes.

I was startled to see that the class was full. An elderly woman stood framed in the doorway. She had been stunned into silence and she wasn’t alone; the whole class was looking at me with a strange sort of awe.

Was my playing really that good?

I got to my feet and the elderly woman began clapping followed by the rest of the class. Behind her I could see other adults clapping as well.

Just how many people had been listening?

I gave a slight bow and went back to my seat. Whispers and stares followed me the entire way. As soon as I sat down, Nyssa leaned over and whispered in my ear.

“That was beautiful.”

Lindsay was speechless. So was Camilla and Stephanie. The elderly woman was making her way to the front of the class. Evidently she was the professor. But I hardly registered this fact. My mind was a million miles away. I was thinking about Victoria, Eli and all the things that were still a mystery to me. I could only hope that some of those mysteries would be solved tonight.

While I brooded, the time sped by. Class ended with me not taking in a single word. I barely heard the professor when she asked me how long I had been playing piano. I lied and said ten years. I really wanted to be alone so I could ponder all the mysteries that surrounded me. However, the day wasn’t yet over; I still had P.E left. Thankfully, the time passed swiftly.

There was, however, one drawback: I shared this class with Jason Cole. And from the way he was eyeing me, it was obvious that he wasn’t going to forgive me for taking his girl.

Still feeling a bit guilty, I tried to apologize to the guy after class. But he threw it back in my face vowing that he would “get even,” whatever that meant.

Before I knew it the day had come to a close and I was back in my room. Lying on my bed I stared at the ceiling as I waited for Eli to arrive. It wasn’t long before I drifted off to sleep.