Page 22 of Rejected Darkness

"Are you sure there is no one else?" Harper asks. "I'm not saying you're wrong at all. I just don't think Rhys would have been able to get into our dorm room. He needs a key card."

"She's right, Bella," Isis chimes in. "Didn’t you have a run-in with that creepy guard the first day? What was his name?"

"Noah," I mumble. "Wait!" I shout, remembering what had happened this morning. "That was only the first time I hadissues with Guard Noah. He was outside our dorm this morning and walked me to the main building. He was acting weird and kept trying to touch me. He never got the hint to just leave me alone and he gave me a veiled threat to keep an eye out."

"Why didn't you tell us this at lunch!" Isis asks, throwing her hands up in the air. "That is something we would like to know as your friends." Her voice gets softer at the end, and I can hear the hurt she tries to hide.

She's right, they are my friends and I should have said something to them about it. I don't need to keep doing everything on my own. They deserve better from me and I'm going to make sure I can give them that starting now. "I should have told you both and I'm sorry I didn't. How about we go let the front desk know and file whatever report we need to and then we can order that pizza and I can tell you all everything that has been going on. I'll even spill the tea on Warrick and how we are best friends. Is that fair?"

"Best friends?" Isis sighs. "Girl. You have so much to fill us in on. Let's get this damn report done because I don't want to hold on to all these questions I have."

Harper and I both laugh as she grabs our hands and basically drags us out of the door room and downstairs. Already from that small talk, I don't feel so alone. With them by my side, I know everything is going to be okay. We are going to have a fun girls' night and not let this get us down. I'm determined to make that true, in any way that I can.

Chapter 12

Rhys

Ihave no idea what it is about that Angel, but she pisses me off. I hate all angels, so it shouldn't be surprising, but for the most part, I can stay clear of them and there is no issue. Until her. Arabella. The damn Angel is everywhere that I am, and it's tiring. I haven't told Phoenix since he has some weird obsession with her, but I am going to get her to leave, well, more force her to leave. I figure if I make her life miserable enough, she will want to leave this place. The problem is, now she can't leave until I figure out her connection to Lucifer.

My uncle told me to keep an eye out for an angel to arrive at the academy who would have Lucifer's powers. Every member of my family has been told the same story by him. When I was younger, I let it go in one ear and out the other, never to think of it again. I never believed what he said to be true, but of course like in all things, he always seems to be right.

I wonder just how mad he would be if I scared her off and forced her to leave this place and return to the Angel realm. Sure, she would be in danger there, but she wouldn't be my problem anymore. No one would need to know. The only other person at this school who knows of the warning I received is Phoenix because he received a similar one.

Everyone believes he is my brother. No one knows that he isn't blood-related. His parents were close with mine and my mother took him in when he was born. We were raised together, and no one has been the wiser.

"Rhys, why are we waiting out here?" Phoenix questions from beside me. I had told him to go ahead and I would meet him at combat, but of course, he didn't listen to me. No, my brother leans against the side of the main building beside me, asking me why we are here every two seconds. Well, it seems like it's been every two seconds. He has only asked me twice in the fifteen minutes we've waited.

"You don't need to wait for me. I told you that already, Nix," I sigh, shaking my head. I'm not really annoyed by him but I'd also rather not explain myself to him right now. He didn't see what Arabella did in Psychic Magic yesterday. His back was to her, and it was his turn to practice when she did it. I'm the only person who caught it because I know the signs to look for. I probably should have told him what I saw yesterday, but I wanted more proof before I told him. I didn't need him running off trying to talk to her or tell her any sort of information.

"Considering this is out of the ordinary for you, and you have been more broody today than any other day. No, I think I'll stay right here and see what you are about to do." Phoenix turns and continues to watch as the other students exit into the garden area, much to my dismay.

Just when I'm about to give up and go to class, I see her. Arabella walks out of the conservatory’s glass doors with her little Angel friend beside her. I think her friend's name starts with an I, but I honestly don't know or care. She's of no consequence to me. With them together and talking, Arabella is less likely to question me following behind her. Stalking her through the woods to combat class. Since I have Phoenix with me, I wait until they are almost out of sight before pushing offagainst the wall and heading in the same direction. I'm not close enough to listen to their conversation as planned, but this will have to do for now.

"So we just stood there until you decided you had enough?" my brother asks from beside me as we walk. I sense a hit of amusement in his tone as he questions me.

"Do you have to know everything?" I sigh. I shouldn't be annoyed with him. He didn't do anything wrong. I've spent my whole life watching out for him and protecting him. I always told him his heart was too soft for a fallen angel.

"Not particularly. However, you are acting weirder than normal today. So, yeah," he pauses and looks at me. "I need to know this."

"I just wanted to see if I was right about something," I answer, covering up my real reason. "I was wrong. So we can leave it at that and go about our day."

He continues to look at me out of the corner of his eye but nods and lets the subject drop for now. We walk in silence to the changing rooms and switch into our combat gear before joining everyone else in the arena. Despite how much I don’t want them to be, my thoughts are stuck on Arabella. Eventually, she will cave and show her powers. That is when I will confront her again. She has to know who she is and what powers she has. And I want to know how she got those powers. Then she can go on her way, far away from me and my family.

"You lied to me," Phoenix accuses as we leave class and walk back to get some lunch.

"Lied to you?" I roll my eyes. "I did no such thing." Was I watching Arabella all through class? Yes. I wanted to findout if she would mistakenly use Lucifer's power of emotional manipulation again, but it didn't appear as if she did. During class, she was paired with her little friend Isis, and they would not stop talking. I doubt Arabella would have had an opening to use the power if she had wanted to.

"You were staring at Arabella during the whole class," he accuses. "We also started walking to class when she and Isis walked past us. At the same time, you told me that you were wrong about something and refused to say anything further. So, what do you want with Arabella?"

"I don't want anything to do with her, and neither should you," I growl. "She is a stuck-up angel, just like all the rest of them. I was watching her because she is horrible at fighting. Nothing more." Usually, my brother just listens to what I say and then drops it. The fact that he is pushing me about Arabella makes me wonder if there is something more there with him. We aren't together all the time. If he were to seek her out for any reason, then I wouldn't know about it. However, that would be a problem for all of us. I won't let her hurt him, and that is exactly what will happen if she is around.

"Just lay off of her, Rhys," Phoenix pleads beside me. "She hasn't done anything wrong. She is stuck here at the academy just like the rest of us."

"I'll make you a deal." I stop walking to look at him fully. I need him to know that I'm serious about this. "I'll lay off Arabella if you stay away from her."

"You can't ask that of me, Rhys," Phoenix pleads. "I am my own person. I can have my own friends."

"This is exactly why I'm warning you about her," I sigh, shaking my head. "She is already changing you. We are a team, and she is coming between us. Can't you see that?"

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