Reckless Souls (Saints Academy, #1)(5)

swallow past the lump in my throat as my fingers tremble ever so slightly.

Miss Rhea Harrington

As your twenty-second birthday has arrived, you are cordially invited to attend a testing at the

Town Hall on Monday, October 2nd at four p.m.

The testing will confirm if you have any supernatural abilities as required by law.

Failure to attend will result in The Hexagon taking matters into their own hands.

Kind Regards,

Hex





Chapter 2

Rhea

I swipe my hair back off my face as I glance at the clock, internally screaming at the time.

Irritation burrows deep in my chest, anxiety coiling tightly around my throat as I wrap the last set

of cutlery and add it to the pile, ready for the evening rush that’ll come later.

Not that I’ll be here for most of it, but it’s my way of contributing.

My brain has been stuck on four p.m. since the second I opened my eyes this morning. Fuck, let’s

be honest, ever since I opened the damn letter.

Now it’s three thirty, and if I want to make it across town in time, I need to head out.

The quicker I get there, the quicker I can get back, and the less money I’ll lose for the day. With a

resigned sigh, I run my hands down my apron, before untying it and folding it neatly on the server

station.

“Vinny, I need to go,” I holler, looking toward the open window that gives everyone a direct view

into the kitchen, and a moment later he makes an appearance.

“You know I can’t pay you, girly,” he grumbles, and I roll my eyes.

“I know, Vin, you’ve mentioned it a time or two,” I reply. More like a million times. He’s like a

broken record. “I’ll go there, do what I need to do, and be back as fast as possible,” I add, forcing a

smile to my lips as he tosses a dish towel over his shoulder, shaking his head and waving me off.

He knows it’s mandatory for me to go, something I’d completely forgotten about in my disaster of

a day with Dante, but it still inconveniences him and ultimately that’s all he cares about.

Now to just put one foot in front of the other and actually leave the comfort of the diner.

Making sure I have my phone and keys in my jeans pocket, along with my small wallet, I’m ready

to go. I step into the main hustle and bustle of the room. Large wooden tables fill every inch of the

floor, cramming the space full. With only a few customers in at the moment, I wave at the other

servers still working before I step out into the sunshine, letting the door fall shut behind me. The smell

of grease still lingers on my skin.

I shield my eyes slightly, tilting my head up at the sky for a moment as I take a deep, calming

breath, letting the fresh air fill my lungs. Wetting my lips, I huff, before turning in the direction of

Phoenix Valley’s Town Hall. If I hurry, I should make it there with a few minutes to spare. I can take

the stupid test and it will all be over. Then I can continue on with my life as if this was nothing but a

blip.

The nerves I’m feeling don’t seem to shake off so I dig out my earphones, immediately tucking

them into my ears before pressing play on another angsty playlist. The sun’s not helping. It’s too

fucking warm. That must be why I feel like I’m overheating and sweating like a pig.

Tightening my ponytail, I swipe the beads of sweat from my temple as I make my way through the

streets. At this time of day, people are either working, picking up their children from school, or doing

anything else that keeps the center of town quiet. There’s only ever minimal people out, the mad rush

will start again in the next two hours. Then it will be like this sense of calm never existed.

I don’t usually have a reason to come over to this side of town, ever, and the further away from

my comfort zone I get, the more my anxious thoughts threaten to consume me.

Get in, get out, get back to work. I repeat the thought over and over, with each step I take.

Although, what would it be like if the outcome was different from the reality?

What if I was… supernatural… gifted… powerful?

What would that feel like? Physically, emotionally?

My eyes instantly tilt to the sky and search out Paradise Heights, far off in the distance, casting a

permanent shadow beneath it.

To live a different life, to have an ability, any ability that makes you unique, makes you important,

makes you visible.

An audible scoff falls from my lips as I shake my head. Flying under the radar is all I’ve known,

all I’m comfortable with.

Get a fucking grip, Rhea.

I don’t know why they even bother with these tests. Surely they must know before someone turns

twenty-two if they have any supernatural skills and abilities. It doesn’t make any sense, but I’ve

always begrudged supernaturals, and the pretty, appealing life they get to live. I’ve never been eager

to learn more about them, other than their general existence. They stay perched high on their pedestal

in the sky, while we survive on the minimums down here.

I’ve seen a vampire or two, hovering on the edge of the dodgy parts of the city, but I’ve always