House of Darken (Secret Keepers #1)(39)

“We’ll go with Emma,” Marsil replied. “Meet back here in ten.”

For the first time since I’d cried in his arms, Lexen met my gaze fully. “Is that okay with you?”

I blinked a few times, momentarily stunned by the fact he seemed to be giving me a choice. And was looking right at me, which was always disconcerting.

I ended up blurting out, “That’s fine. I’m happy to go along with whatever is easiest.” One day I would act like less of an idiot. But seriously, for a bookworm, homebody, loner sort of human – as the Darkens would say – this was a lot. All at once.

You’re doing it for the Finnegans, I reminded myself.

Lexen and Star turned to enter the main office and I jumped on the moving sidewalk with the remaining Darkens. No one spoke as we rushed along the arterial that would lead to my locker area. I remained grateful for the lack of students in here. Gawking was definitely to a minimum.

“I thought this was the storage facility,” Jero said, staring around in confusion as the sections flashed past us. “Are you telling me there are student things back here?”

Raising one eyebrow in his direction, I didn’t bother to answer him.

“My stop is next,” I warned them, preparing myself to dismount.

This time I landed somewhat cleanly. Improvement! The boys waited silently on either side of me while I opened my locker and rifled through for the books I’d need that morning. I had to check it off against my schedule, which I hadn’t memorized yet.

“Okay, I’m good to go now.”

I hefted the heavy pack onto my back, hoping my old bag would survive the weight. Why did they need to make textbooks so freaking heavy? Yeah, yeah, lots of information to teach. Surely it wasn’t all important. Learn to condense it down or something.

I must have been muttering as we jumped on the sidewalk, because Marsil gave me a look, his eyebrow raised as he smiled. “I thought you liked to read. What’s with all the textbook hate?”

“How did you know I liked to read?”

He shrugged. “Jero mentioned that you had a lot of books lying around your house. We managed to deduce the rest from there.”

I looked between the two of them, confusion creasing my forehead. Must have been part of a whispered conversation in the back that I missed.

“The only school-type books I enjoy reading are history and archaeology. I love diving into stories of the past, hoping we can learn things from it. Otherwise I read sci-fi and fantasy.”

“Like … aliens?” Jero let out a low chuckle, and I zeroed right in on that.

“Exactly like aliens. So are you guys ali—?”

My question was cut off by Marsil wrapping his hand across my face and mouth. I swallowed hard, and winced a little at my mistake. I had almost said that out loud, and we were back in the main part of the school now, the bell about to ring; a lot of students were around.

“Sorry,” I whispered, when he removed his hand.

He winked at me. “No worries. Just … watch it around Lexen.”

They acted like their brother was a big bad scary dude. Which he was. But for some reason he just didn’t really scare me. Frustrated, for sure. Intrigued, oh yeah. But there was no fear. Maybe I was just too stupid and na?ve to see it.

We had to wait a few minutes out front of the office, which was a fun experience. The three of us leaned against the wall and watched the numerous students trip over their own feet when they caught sight of me between the two Darkens.

“Knees,” Jero said, as a leggy blonde walked past. “Definitely knees.”

I elbowed him, and he laughed. “What? I meant she was going to land on her knees when she tripped.”

Seeing his cocky grin reminded me of yesterday in class, and the redhead who had been glued to his side. “So … who is Aria?”

He tilted his head in my direction, a smirk creasing his lips. “She’s a Royale. Old family friends.”

I laughed. It burst out before I could stop it. “Are all of you elites ‘old friends?’”

He sobered up a little then, his expression falling into more neutral lines. “No, we aren’t. Royale and Darkens are allies. Leights are generally a neutral third party. The Imperials … they’re mostly the enemy.”

As if he had summoned them with those words alone, a group entered the front entrance. Two males and two females. I knew immediately that they were elites. Expensive clothes … check. Arrogance exuding from every pore … check. Dismissive way of treating humans … check.

The girls wore their hair very short, pixie-style cuts flicking out in styled disarray. One was golden blond, the other a white blond. Both of them had very pale skin, almost to the point where they looked sick. But they were still somehow beautiful, like all of these … beings.

The guys who strode in behind them were around six foot tall, their hair also a mix of blonds, but cut very short to their heads. Almost shaved bald.

The moment their group saw Jero and Marsil, they halted just in front of us. I could feel the tension coming from the two guys at my side, and I found myself straightening and going into some sort of panic alert situation.

“Thought you had petitioned the council to not come back this year,” one of the males sneered. I kept my gaze off to the side, in the hope they wouldn’t notice me.