I’m so focused on the two closest empty seats that I don’t notice another boy as he sticks his leg out. I stumble forward, taking Una with me. I close my eyes and brace to hit the hard floor. Instead, arms wrap around me, and my face smooches into a hard chest. One that smells like saltwater.
Una falls to the ground hard. Her books scatter all over the floor and her perfectly brushed hair is a mess.
“That’s for the comment.” My rescuer nods in her direction.
I look up to see one of the boys holding me. He’s got my legs under one muscular arm and my torso in the other. His once, perfectly styled hair, falls to the side of his face. His brother tosses the trickster boy out of the classroom with one hand.
“We’ve been waiting for you.” He said, not putting me down. His sweet breath is easily inhaled.
“I hope I don’t disappoint you.” I glance over to Una who is fuming. She’s on her feet now straightening her uniform.
“Finley Stanton, your father, is going to hear about this.” Una threatens, as she yanks on his arms to let me down.
“You should shower off that wolf stench.” The other Stanton boy says as he breezes past us, not giving me another glance. He takes his seat as he laughs with some other boys.
I could have stayed in his arms a few more seconds, but Una was my first friend here, and Clark trusts her with me. If she didn’t want me near the Stanton’s there must be a reason for it.
I follow Una to the back of the class, my eyes trained on the two empty seats. The room grows quiet again, and I don’t have to look around to know that everyone is watching us. I quickly take one of the seats, then turn to Una – expecting her to sit next to me. Instead, Finley squeezes in the seat, seconds before Una could sit down.
“Finley Stanton, you get out of my seat this instant,” Una said, her hands planted firmly on her curvey hips and a pout on her face.
“Everyone to your seat.” A man walks into the room, dressed in a suit with a briefcase. “Welcome back to Millwood Academy. Let’s start this term off on a good note.” He takes a seat at the desk facing the classroom.
Finley smiles at Una, who waves her hand at another student to give up his seat to her. The student obliges quickly, and I wonder if people are scared of Una – except the Stantons’.
“That’s my brother, Arthur.” Finley leans in and nods over to him. Arthur glances over to us, with a roll of his eyes.
It’s clear that Arthur wasn’t waiting for me to arrive. “He doesn’t seem too impressed with me,” I whisper and wink at him. I’d not let anyone here push me around. Stanton or other.
“He’s just like that. Don’t take offense. He’ll come around.” Finley reaches in his bag and passes me a pen to use, somehow knowing I didn’t have one.
There was something in his tone as if we were all going to be friends, and I’d get used to him, eventually. “What’s with your sister?” I blurt out.
“She’s...well...” Finley fidgets with his pen, flipping it back and forth. His attention shifts from me to the plain white desk top, where someone had scratched in an extremely large pair of boobs.
“She won’t come around,” I say and concentrate my attention on the teacher in front of the class.
“You’re new here. There’s a lot of politics.” Finley leans in, and I catch the slight movement of his nose.
“You want to know what I am,” I tilt my head in his direction, so he can get a better sniff. Maybe all this attention was just a lure to see what I was all about.
There is a slight change in his cheeks as I catch him. “Let’s start over. I’m Finley.” He extends his hand to me, “Pleased to make your acquaintance.”
I don’t reach for his hand. Instead, I study his face. I haven’t been around many pure bloodlines – mostly mutts. I knew their powers were much stronger, but because they weren’t mixed, they were limited.
Finley was super-hot, you could spot him easily amongst a crowd. He was charming, you knew that as soon as he smiled. Not an uncommon trait for a vampire. They lure their prey in with a trance. But there was something sincere about him. I’d have an easy time telling when he was lying. He’d be the weakest of the siblings that I had met so far.
I avert my attention to the front of the class and watch his hand fall to his side from the corner of my eye. I catch Una who is still fuming and glaring at us.
“I know the first day is never easy. We’ll break this in slow. Group assignments.” The teacher begins writing on the chalkboard.
The door swings open and a boy runs in, he is out of breath, and his arms are full of books, which fall as he barely passes the door. “Sorry, Mr. Beth.”
Mr. Beth doesn’t look toward the student, instead keeps writing on the board, which tells me this isn’t a rare occurrence. “Take a seat, Hunter.”
Hunter runs to the seat in front of us, which is occupied. The girl who is sitting there moves as he approaches without a word to him. Hunter and Finley nod to each other as Hunter sits down.
“Get into groups of three. I want some brainstorming on the practical uses of willow plants for healing. Group presentations tomorrow. Use your textbooks.” Mr. Beth sits down at his desk and pulls out a newspaper from the drawer.
Hunter turns around as Una approaches us. “We have our three.” He holds up his hand in Una’s face and doesn’t bother to look at her.
“Wait.” Una barely gets the word out of her mouth as Hunter and Finley block her when
