Uninvited (Uninvited, #1)(19)

The person doesn’t matter.

It’s no longer who. It’s what.

My back tingles, and I wonder if it’s him. Looking at me. Or is it just my imagination? My fear knowing he’s there, here, close, watching.

My mind strays to that imprint on his neck again. What did he do to get that? Was it one thing? A series of transgressions until Pollock finally ordered the imprinting? I shake my head and press my pencil tip harder into my notebook where I’m spelling out my name: Davy Hamilton. Again and again and again.

As if that will keep me sane. Keep me me.

Because him. Behind me. Will never be me.

“I’ll be back in two minutes,” Brockman calls from the back of the Cage.

I start a little at the realization that he’s leaving us alone. Together. A room full of carriers, one of whom probably belongs in prison. My skin tightens sharply. This strikes me as a bad idea. The door clicks shut behind him. Too late for me to object.

Immediately, Nathan and Brian are on their feet. They laugh low under their breaths, practically tripping over themselves to get out of the Cage. A quick glance reveals that everyone else is watching, too. Gil, Coco. Sean is turned, too.

The two boys speak in rushed tones, scanning Brockman’s desk, their expressions giddy.

“What are we going to do, man?” Brian anxiously asks.

Nathan points. “His chair.”

“Yeah, yeah. Let’s unscrew the bolts.” Brian nods stupidly, bending to tamper with Brockman’s chair.

Nathan drops a hand on his arm, stalling him.

He lifts his face, looks straight at Sean. For permission? Approval? I’m not sure which. Maybe both. But it’s clear to me these two guys don’t make a move in the Cage without considering Sean O’Rourke first.

Sharp prickles break out over my skin. I’m almost disappointed. I don’t know why. Did I somehow think he was better than Nathan? I have no basis for that conclusion. If anything, the imprint on his neck should have told me otherwise. That he’s worse. More dangerous than these other boys.

I watch Sean, wait for his reaction. It’s the barest motion. Just a dip of his head. Then he turns around and faces front again. My chest squeezes to find myself directly in his line of vision. I spin around, too alarmed to look into those cool eyes.

I listen to Nathan and Brian as they loosen the bolts on Brockman’s chair and scurry back inside the Cage, laughing like hyenas.

What does it mean when the guy that crushed my hand in his grip, the one who backhanded poor Gil, whose eyes gleamed when inflicting pain . . . answers to Sean O’Rourke?

Brockman returns. I don’t dare turn around. Instead, I sit waiting. Listening.

He crashes to the floor with a yelp. We all turn to look then. Nathan and Brian laugh, slapping their desks as the teacher pulls himself to his feet, cursing and red-faced. Even Coco giggles behind her hands. Gil grins.

Huffing and holding his back as though he’s injured, he faces us through the chain-link wall. “Go ahead and have your laugh, you little bastards. We all know where you’re going to end up. All of you!”

The laughter fades as Brockman storms from the room, still cursing under his breath.

Nathan wipes the tears of mirth from his eyes. “God, that was classic.” He looks over at Sean. “Did you see that, O’Rourke? Priceless.”

Sean turns in his desk, silent and unsmiling. Even though he sanctioned the little prank, he doesn’t look amused, and I wonder if it has something to do with what Brockman said. We all know where you’re going to end up.

I don’t know where I’m going to end up. It’s hard for me to imagine that I would ever end up in the same place as Nathan and Brian and Sean O’Rourke.

And yet here I am now. With them.


Another office aide comes down toward the end of the day. Brockman enters the Cage and rouses everyone.

“Okay. New assignment.”

This is met with several groans. I can’t imagine we’re all in the same grade and I wonder what assignment we all have in common.

“This is for your Community Awareness.”

If possible, the groans only get louder. Even Gil reacts. “Those assignments are such a joke.”

I’ve never heard of a Community Awareness class and wonder if it’s something unique to this school. I glance at the sheet of paper Brockman drops on my desk. A quick glance at the paper’s header clears things up. The Wainwright Agency is identified in the header. This is some kind of assignment specifically for carriers then.

“According to my instructions, you have a week to complete the project.”

A project? I sit up a little straighter. Even if it comes from the Wainwright Agency it sounds like this might be real schoolwork. Close enough anyway. My inner geek perks up. Anything to break up the monotony of sitting in this room. To tide me over until I can escape this place and return to my real life. Zac and the party tonight. When I can be myself again.

“You will need to pair up.”

At this, my enthusiasm wilts. Everything inside me tenses. I have to work with someone in this room.

Obviously, Nathan and his better half in the back will pair up. They don’t even have to move desks.

But what about the others? Who does that leave me with?

It’s not as though I get a chance to decide for myself. Coco gets up and moves to the empty desk beside Gil. Leaving me to pair up with Sean O’Rourke.