Page 21 of The First Year

But somehow it made it worse when they left. Their voices faded as they went down the hallway back to wherever their room was.

I wanted a shower but didn’t have the energy to take one, so instead, I just undressed and crawled into bed. I’d thought the fever and aches were getting better, but after the whole school day, I had come back here to change for dinner and just wasn’t able to get out again. I’d been warned already about missing meals, but my arms and legs ached and my head was pounding. Locating the speaker in the corner of the room, I found it could also be used as an intercom and told whoever answered in admin that I couldn’t make it to dinner.

Desi had warned me when I told her I wasn’t sure, and now all three guys had said the same thing. I was sent here because I was bitten but hadn’t turned or died. And now, just because I was still sick, there was a danger I’d be sent somewhere even worse?

Shivering, I wrapped the blanket tighter around me and tried to sleep. Somehow, I’d had an idea that when I was unable to show up to eat, someone would bring me some soup or something, but nothing could be further from the truth. Instead of tea and sympathy, I was locked in early with no sustenance whatsoever.

Or so they probably thought.

I reached for my bag and dragged it closer, in search of those scones from this morning. I wasn’t going to go hungry if I could help it. As I rummaged in the bookbag, I found the three scones and also the notebook Desi had loaned me.

If a shower sounded hard, studying battlefield strategy and injuries for a quiz sounded much worse. But I’d be damned if I was going to allow this school to beat me down. So, with a glass of water on the table next to me and my scones, I settled in to study.

At least my stomach was holding up, and the scones were delicious. Whatever everyone else was having for dinner, it couldn’t be better than mine. Probably healthier but not tastier. The ladies Odin introduced me to in the kitchens had outdone themselves.

Unfortunately, my head was not as cooperative as my stomach, and the letters and numbers swam before my aching eyes. A subject I wanted no part of made it even harder than it could be. But I for sure didn’t want the demerits associated with failing the quiz or the reputation I would likely obtain with Mr. Haley for it.

A chill ran over my arms and legs, and I shivered, pulling the blanket as high as I could while still allowing my arms free to hold the notes. A little guilt remained at taking Desi’s only copy, and I promised myself I’d get up early enough to be in the dining room when she arrived for breakfast or coffee or whatever she had before class. That way, she’d have a little time to study. If they allowed tablets or other electronic devices in this place, she could have shared her notes with me without suffering herself.

Amazingly, even the detailed gore of the “history” class couldn’t keep me awake after my long day, and my eyelids grew heavy. The notebook dropped from my hand, and I fell asleep amid the crumbs of chocolate chip scones and shattered dreams.

Much later, according to the old-fashioned clock on the nightstand, I woke again, sucking in a breath to scream. I’d been full on in the war again, the vamp closing in, his rancid breath on my face, chipped and broken fangs piercing my flesh. In the movies, the vampires always had sharp clean fangs, or maybe bloody but nothing like the reality.

It was far too early to get up, still dark outside the small, high window in my dorm room—my cell. But I was not going back to sleep, nor could I study those nightmare-inducing notes. However much I’d absorbed would have to be enough to pass.

Folding the unfluffable pillow in half, I propped myself up to do some deep thinking. My life, before the war, had been far better than I ever recognized. Sure, my aunt was cheap and dismissive, so I never had fashionable clothes or expensive makeup, and I never quite fit in at Urban Academy, but I had a comfortable room, wonderful coffee, and the ability to come and go at will.

No, I didn’t go out often, but I’d give almost anything to do it now.

But all of that was the past and one I’d never be able to revisit. If I planned to survive this for as long or little a time as they chose to keep me here—please let it be little—I would have to perk up and pretend everything was awesome. And that I felt well. Perfect.

Not going to be easy, but I’d been lucky so far to have Desi and the three guys who were willing to put themselves out there to help me adjust. I wouldn’t make their efforts worthless by getting tossed to wherever those who didn’t succeed here ended up.

Were they executed like those who turned? Or locked in a true dungeon?

I would not be finding out from personal experience.

Chapter Eighteen

Sol

When I was bitten, I lost more than just my pack alpha future. I was scooped up on the spot and transported to this place after what amounted to a Band-Aid on the ragged, seeping wounds left by the three vampires who fed off me. So anemic, I couldn’t stand up, I was brought in the door on a gurney and taken up to the room where my roommates were already ensconced.

If not for them, I would have died. They not only stole medical supplies from the infirmary to treat my wounds but lied to the teachers and staff, claiming I was making great strides in healing and only needed a week to be back on my feet.

Nobody allowed that kind of time anymore, which was why we were being so pushy with the new girl who currently sat two tables away from us having breakfast with Desi. The day before, it had been three tables distant, but we’d done a little trading with the dessert-loving people in between to switch. Technically, this was against the rules, but as long as it wasn’t a dramatic switch, nobody seemed to notice. And we were close enough now to hear most of what Roxy and Desi were saying. Honestly, we got the best of the deal. Any cakes or pies for the next week was a cheap price to pay. Particularly since Odin had an in with the cooks and could get us extras. Cheating on the trade? Maybe a little, but if everyone was happy, where lay the harm?

“What are they saying?” Evander asked. He had the seat farthest from the pair, and the dining room was crowded and loud.

“Something about a quiz,” Odin said. “History class.”

“They have Mr. Haley, don’t they?”

“Yes.” I knew because I’d dropped her off there the day before. “He was my first homeroom and history teacher, too, and his methodology is questionable at best.”

“He gave me nightmares,” Evander growled. “Look at Roxy. She is either wearing too much blush, or she’s still running a fever.”

“She’s following our advice,” Odin said, jaw gritted. “But she belongs in bed getting lots of TLC.”

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