RoseBlood(28)

“Hey!” Quan rubs his fuzzy scalp while sporting a mischievous grin. I’m guessing he always looks mischievous. His thick black hair sprouts up in every direction on top. It looks like an unkempt front lawn when compared to the buzzed sides and back. One eye’s slightly higher than the other and his boyish lips are at a constant upward tilt on the left side—asymmetrical quirks that make him uniquely adorable. Sunny must agree, considering she’s now playing footsy with him under the table.

As the others crack jokes and tease, Audrey watches in silence, smiling shyly in intervals. Her irises—the color of shimmery mahogany—are deep seated within a fringe of mascaraed lashes so long they reach to her dark eyebrows. This girl has perfected the smoky-eye makeup trick.

The flickering candlelight brings out streaks of auburn in her hair. There’s a burgundy tattoo of a flying bird—the size of one of the caraway seeds on my muffin—just below her left eye that draws attention to her shapely mouth, painted almost the same shade.

Chewing ripe, sweet cherries and crisp apples, I listen as my peers carry the conversation. I learn that Sunny and Quan have been a couple since last year, when they sat next to each other in orchestra during the showcase of Faust and connected over their appreciation for spaghetti Westerns and any movie featuring Clint Eastwood. I also find out that Quan’s last name is Moon-soo, which is how the nickname Moonpie came to be, much like Audrey’s nickname was inspired by her surname, Mirlo, which in Spanish means blackbird.

I make the mistake of asking Audrey if that’s why she got the bird tattoo, and the whole table goes quiet. There’s a story there, but she’s obviously too uncomfortable with me to share it.

If only I could assure her that I’m not here to steal her limelight; but I can’t keep that promise. I have zero control over whether or not I’ll interrupt when it’s her turn to audition. And since all the students are expected to be present as part of their grade, I can’t just not show up.

I’m about to drop my muffin on the floor so I can crawl under the table and escape the awkwardness when Sunny saves the day with a reference to the outing Headmistress Fabre mentioned earlier. Every Saturday, the teachers and students make a day trip to Paris.

This weekend, the students will be going to the Eiffel Tower, and afterward the seniors plan to take a water bus to a riverfront shopping mall that has a ten-screen cinema and a huge selection of restaurants.

“Since Halloween’s a little over a month away,” Sunny explains, “we’re gonna see if we can snag some decorations to spruce up this place for October. Last year all we had were old props from the storerooms. And after shopping, we might catch a movie. They’ll be showing Casablanca in French subtitles. You’re in, right?”

I hesitate, tapping my cappuccino’s mug with a fingernail. So far, everyone in the group seems genuinely nice. But will that change after a full week of classes and uncountable impromptu serenades?

“Come on,” Sunny presses. “You have to go.”

Before I can answer, Kat and Roxie step up to our table.

“Aw, not sure that’s in the cards, Sunny.” Roxie horns in, reaching across Sunny’s shoulder to grab the last bite of her muffin. “You have to earn outing passes by finishing your tasks for a full week. Remember how that works?”

“But maybe not in Rune’s case.” Kat practically purrs as she leans between me and Jax, her thick, caramel waves draping his left bicep. He shifts his chair closer to Audrey, leaving Kat’s hair hanging. Her jasmine-laced perfume settles over me. “Seems like our new soprano is exempt from all the rules. Considering how she got into the school without being evaluated . . . and how she penciled in her own job instead of getting her hands dirty with the ones we’ve always had to do . . . oh, and how she gets to audition for roles without ever having gone to rehearsals. She has an unfair advantage really, seeing as she was trained by the phantom himself. She brought him with her. Did you guys know that?”

My tongue dries. Looks like Kat was one of the students following us down the stairs yesterday when Mom mentioned my sighting. Great.

Sunny glares at Kat, but before she can say a word, Kat’s up and running again. “What do you think, Audrey? Looks like I finally have some real competition. Did you hear how Rune nailed that final note? It’s still ringing in the halls, pristine and clear as a bell.”

Audrey looks down at her plate, turning almost green. Without a word, she pushes her chair back and leaves.

Sunny’s cheeks puff as if she’s a blowfish about to pop, but Quan grabs her hand and gestures to Jax, who stands up to face his sister.

“What is your problem?” Jax snarls.

Roxanne pats some imaginary dust from his jacket lapel. “Come on, Jackio. Why should anyone get special treatment just because of who their aunt is?”

He squints. “Are you kidding me? Kat’s always getting breaks because she’s distantly related to Christina Nilsson. Did any of the other first-year students receive a formal invitation from that anonymous benefactor to enroll here last year?”

Both Kat and Roxie look at each other blankly, as if struck mute by his truth.

“Yeah, that’s right. Kat’s the queen of nepotism. Audrey’s the only one who’s ever actually had to work for this. Working two jobs. Fundraisers. Babysitting. No inheritance to throw away like the rest of us. So why don’t you just lay off her for once? Both of you.”