Blood Will Tell (Warriors of Ankh #1) (2 page)

Chapter Two

The Serpent and the Apple

Elbowing her way past a huddle of cheerleaders and jocks outside the cafeteria, Eden ignored the grunts and ‘hey, watch it’s!’ that followed her into the caff. She brown bagged it so no need to wait in line, although her eyes washed the line for Noah. He wasn’t there.

Immediately her eyes tracked to the back of the caff to their usual table. There he was, smirking over at her.

Noah was a one.
Definitely a one
.

As she made her way through the tables and the bustle and crowd, her heart started racing a little faster as it always did when Noah was around. At first she had thought it was because she’d never had a friend before, let alone cool, loner, senior, transfer boy. It didn’t taken Eden long to realise it was more to do with Noah’s delicious little soul. The idiot had awoken her hunger.

A freshman girl suddenly stopped in Eden’s path to talk to some other person Eden didn’t know or care to know. She waited a moment for the freshman to apologise for her rudeness and move. Not happening. True, she could turn back and head around one of the tables, but that was beside the point.

Eden cleared her throat.

Still nothing.

“
Hey, Freshmeat!”

The girl looked up now, wide eyed. Eden was kind of notorious for being a loner and somewhat scary when crossed. Everyone had been surprised by her friendship with Noah. “Yeah?”

Eden raised her eyebrows. “What, your mother never teach you any manners? You’re in my way, Freshmeat. Move.”

The girl paled and stumbled out of the way, her mini carton of milk toppling off her tray along with a cookie. Without thinking, Eden snapped her hands out and caught them before they hit the ground. Grumbling under her breath, she slapped them back on the freshman’s tray.

“
Wow,” the girl squeaked. “Fast reflexes.”

Eden shrugged and headed towards Noah. Stupid. She shook her head. Stupid, stupid. Sometimes it was hard not to act naturally. Naturally to her involved superfast reflexes, super strength, and the ability to compel humans. She had to keep those things under wrap and never let the humans see. Sometimes she forgot about the reflexes but she was careful with the compelling stuff.

OK. She wasn’t going to lie. She may have compelled Mr Durham last week to change her grade after she fluffed her French test.

“
Terrifying toddlers still, I see.” Noah threw her a reproving look as she slid into the seat opposite him.

“
What.” She shrugged, pulling out her sandwich. “I saved her milk and cookie. Jeez, what is she five?”

“
You had to save them because you caused her to drop them.”

“
Look, Mr S.A.I.N.T, she was rude. I called attention to the rudeness and moved on.”

He chuckled before chugging back some Coke, his Adam’s apple bobbing with the motion. Eden’s chest grew tight watching him, her stomach clenching, her heart racing, her throat growing crisp and hot. She dropped her eyes, willing the hunger away.

Last year, at the beginning of her junior year, Noah arrived. Not only was South Salton High buzzing with the news of his arrival because he was a senior, and wasn’t that weird and cruel of his parents to move him here at the end of his high school career, but Noah was also kind of swoon worthy. Tall. Built. Dark blonde. Amazing violet eyes. And a face that would make angels weep. In fact, he kind of reminded Eden of an angel. A dark angel with a wicked smile and a twisted sense of humour. At first Eden had ignored Noah, like she did every other person. Plus, he was a senior. But a couple of weeks in and everyone was talking about how weird Noah was. He didn’t talk to anyone. He turned down a date with Lucy Stevens, the hottest senior at SSH and head cheerleader! Was he gay? Nah. The girls of SSH refused to believe someone that cute was gay. Instead they’d decided he was just a freak. But a straight freak. For starters, they didn’t know who half the bands were he wore on his t-shirts.
Yes
, Eden thought wryly,
at SSH the level of freakishness is directly related to your sheep factor – super freak being someone who is a billy goat (has their own mind), and popular and normal being a sheep (just another one of the flock).

Today his t-shirt had
Biffy Clyro
scrawled across it. Eden smiled. Dude had good taste in music.

Still, Eden hadn’t cared. She hadn’t actually given much thought to the guy other than that he must be smart as hell to have turned down Lucy Stevens. And then one day near the end of October, she was sitting in her favourite hangout,
The Coffee Shoppe
(Saltonians weren’t big on originality), reading
Shonen Jump
for the latest on
Naruto
when a voice at her ear made her jump out of her skin.

“
Are you reading a kid’s magazine?”

Not only could she not believe that Noah had managed to sneak up on her like that, she just couldn’t believe he was actually talking to her. She’d glared at him as he slid into the seat beside her. “It’s manga.”

“
Ah.” He’d nodded. “Never really got into that crap.”

“
It’s not crap,” she’d snapped.

Noah had chuckled. “Sorry. No need to be so defensive.”

Eden had harrumphed and returned to the magazine. She’d tried to ignore Noah as he leaned forward in his chair to yank a curled paperback out of the butt pocket of his jeans. He’d slumped back in the chair and began reading. Eden hadn’t been able to resist sneaking a peek.

In Cold Blood.

“
Capote?” She hadn’t been able to stop herself from asking.

Noah had smirked at her, a wicked angel smile. “Yeah. You read it?”

Eden had held up the manga. “Do I look like I’ve read
In Cold Blood
?”

Laughing, Noah had leaned over, his startling violet eyes glittering. “Tell you what… we’ll swap.”

“
You wanna swap me Capote for
Shonen Jump
?”

He’d shrugged. “You said it wasn’t crap. And
In Cold Blood
is definitely not crap.”

Eden had looked at the book doubtfully. She wasn’t really into American literature…

“
It’s good. Tragic and twisted but good,” he’d tried to persuade her. When she didn’t say anything, Noah had reached across and pried the manga from her hands, her fingers brushing his. Immediately her stomach had clenched and this fierce ache rippled across her chest and up into her throat. It felt like a rush of lights exploding behind her eyes, and her nerves began jumping like crazy, her muscles twitching and twanging with the sensation. For a minute she thought she was going to pass out from the unbelievable rush. She hadn’t known what it was, but she knew she didn’t want Noah to move away from her. To stop talking to her. Instead, she’d agreed to the swap. They’d sat in silence for an hour reading, peeking out from the corner of their eyes at each other and then smirking when they were caught. Finally, Eden had had to leave for home.

“
So… what do you think so far?” Noah had asked quietly as she stood up to leave.

Eden had shrugged. His eyebrow quirked up expectantly. She had smiled back despite herself. “It’s good.”

His own smile had widened into a huge grin. “Told you.”

“
You?” She’d nodded at the copy of
Shonen Jump
in his hand.

“
Yeah, actually.” He’d nodded, seeming surprised. “I like this Naruto kid. We have some things in common.”

For some reason she’d felt this warmth rush through her. She smiled wryly just as she’d turned to leave. “Me too.”

That night Eden had told Stellan about the feeling she’d got that day, without going into specifics or mentioning Noah. Her suspicions proved correct as Stellan told her excitedly that her hunger had finally awoken.

But, Eden thought, as Noah chattered to her about the latest
Arcade Fire
album, she would never hurt Noah. For the last six months, Noah had become this really important person to her. For once, someone other than a family member wanted to hang out with her. And with Noah it was easy. She didn’t have to pretend so much to be someone else. He seemed to like her sullen charm just fine. He was her best friend.

“
So what do you think?”

OK, she had totally blanked him. “Huh?”

Noah snorted. “Earth to Eden. Come in Eden.”

“
Yeah sorry, just kind of dazed.”
Just kind of hungry more like it
, she thought, her lip curling as she caught sight of Maria Roth across the cafeteria. Ever since her parents found out she had awoken, they had been on her case day and night to have the Ceremony. The Ceremony where she would take her first soul. And the first soul had to be a complete soul. It was the only time one of the Blessed was ‘allowed’ to kill someone. Eden didn’t think she’d be able to live with herself once it was over.

Maria slapped her supposed best friend, Cassie Williams, across the head. Even from here, Eden could see the girl’s eyes water with the impact. OK. Maybe South Salton would be a better place without Roth in it.

“
So what’s up?” Noah asked. “You know, you being so dazed you completely blanked on my articulate and epic review of
The Suburbs
?”

Eden sighed. “I got detention from Travis.”

Noah frowned. “What for?”

She glared over at Maria. “Sticking up for Andie Lee.”

His eyebrow nearly hit his hairline.

“
What?!” She kicked him under the table. “You don’t have to look so shocked. I hate Roth. She preys on the weak.” She growled and glared back over at Maria.

*

Noah knew that look. He hated that look. He dreaded that look. Eden’s eyes were narrowed on Maria Roth, the junior with no conscience. Her jaw was clenched and her fingers were trembling as she self-consciously tried to find something to do with them. Finally, Eden just lifted her sandwich, her fingers crushing the bread beneath the strength of the hunger. It was getting worse, he thought anxiously. Sometimes Noah caught that look directed at him, but just as quickly as it appeared Eden would pull away and make an excuse to get away from him. It gave him hope. It gave Cyrus hope. Still, her eyes were glued to Maria. Eden didn’t like Maria the way she liked him. In fact, Noah was pretty sure Eden hated Maria. Would the need to eat Maria’s soul overpower whatever it was that made Eden different? That made her semi-human?

“
Dude, you went all pensive.” Eden suddenly looked back at him, her brow creased with concern. “Everything OK?”

Noah grunted, deliberately relaxing his body. “Yeah, except that I keep telling you not to call me dude… and yet you keep calling me dude.”

Eden chuckled, a throaty sound that warmed him. She had the alien pale grey eyes of a soul eater, but when she laughed like that, the dimple in her right cheek flashing in and out, her eyes would warm just a little and he’d forget to be freaked out by the fact that he was pretending to be a soul eater’s friend. “Aw come on, you know you look like a ‘dude’.”

“
I’ve been surfing once and I sucked. Big time. I am not a dude. Repeat, not a dude.”

She flashed him a wicked smile. “You have a choice here, Noah. I either call you dude, cos’ I like it, or I call you dick-”

“
Why di-”

“
Ah ah. It’s rude to interrupt. Your choices are simple. I can shout ‘hey, dude’ down the school halls or ‘hey, dick’.” She grinned unrepentantly. “What will it be?”

He snorted and shook his head. “You are the weirdest girl I’ve ever met.”

Eden rolled her eyes. “Established. So…?”

He heaved a sighed. “Dude it is then.”

“
I knew you’d choose wisely.”

“
You need to stop watching
Bill & Ted
.” He pointed his apple at her, knowing full well why she’d started calling him dude. Stellan had watched the ‘90’s comedy at college and had given her the DVD and now this had happened.

She frowned. “No way, dude.

Noah swallowed his laughter in his Coke, a strange gnawing sensation niggling his ribs, near his heart. Maybe his friendship with Eden wasn’t pretend. She had a way of climbing under your skin and making you forget all the serious stuff. He now knew it was her way of trying to forget her own problems. Noah felt his heart thump a little harder. He wanted to move things along. With her hunger growing more obvious, maybe it was time. But he had to be certain. His heart told him Eden was everything Cyrus hoped she would be. But then she’d pull stunts like she did with the freshman. Not letting the milk and cookie drop was her way of apologising for acting like a bitch in the first place. But that instinct was there. Noah sighed.