Incubus (55 page)

Landon was writing today’s lesson on the board.

At 8:05, morning announcements began as they always did. Headmaster Fiedler read through the

day’s notes with his usual cheerful efficiency, but I wasn’t paying attention. I was trying to figure out

why Amber was sitting next to me, ignoring me. There were other seats available, including one by

her friend Missy.

Headmaster Fiedler finished with the day’s announcements and his voice brightened. “Okay, last

but not least, we’ve got a special announcement from the drama department for you this morning.”

A tinny recording filled the room.

“
I’m ready,
” came a girl’s hushed voice.

“
Are you sure?
” a boy asked. Something prickled on the back of my neck.

“
I think I love you, Parker,
” came the sweet reply.

Cassie gripped the desk beside me, her body going rigid with shock.

The muffled sounds of kissing, the rustle of sheets, then a pause.

“
Cassie?
” Parker’s voice sounded exasperated. “
I thought you wanted this.
”

“
It’s just— I’ve never done this before,
” the recorded Cassie breathed. Students started giggling, a

few glanced at Cassie. Cassie’s face could have been carved from stone. Her eyes found mine with

silent, desperate pleading. “
Can we go slow?
”

Titters spread throughout the classroom.

“Um,” Mr. Landon realized at last that this was not the drama department’s special announcement.

“Okay, clearly there’s been—” he rushed to the speaker, trying to locate an off-switch he’d never

needed before. The recorded sounds of movement grew louder. Cassie leapt to her feet, knocking over

her chair in her haste to escape. She fled the classroom, horrified. I stood to follow her.

“No, just— Stay in your seats,” Mr. Landon said, racing out the door after Cassie.

I grabbed Cassie’s and my bags, ready to drive her away from this place, my heart pounding.

“He told you to stay seated,” came Amber’s calm voice. I turned. Of everyone in the classroom,

only Amber wasn’t reacting to the sounds issuing over the loudspeakers. She sat, calmly, while our

peers clamped their hands over their mouths or laughed outright in disbelief.

“You?” Realization came in an icy rush. Amber’s eyes didn’t waver.

A shrill whine screeched over the speaker and students clutched hands over their ears, wincing in

pain.

“...said turn it off!” roared Fiedler. The speaker finally fell silent.

“I told you not to come back to school,” Amber said. Her eyes hadn’t left my face.

I felt my hands balling into fists at my sides. A growing rage clouded my vision. “Why Cassie?”

“Be honest, Lilitu,” Amber said, lowering her voice to a hiss. “You didn’t think I was any kind of

threat, did you? Sure, maybe I can’t do anything to you. But you better believe I can make your friends

suffer. If you don’t decide to leave Coronado Prep, things are going to get a lot harder for the people

you love.”

For a moment, the only thing I could hear was the rush of blood in my ears. I lunged for Amber,

but she was faster than I’d bargained for. She jumped out of her seat and grinned at me. The class spun

around in their seats to stare at us.

“Girl fight!” one of the guys called, and another round of laughter filled the class. I was too pissed

to care. Amber didn’t take her eyes off of me. She was grinning with malicious glee.

“Do it,” Amber said. “I dare you. You’ll be doing me a huge favor by getting yourself expelled.”

It took all of my self-control, but I forced myself to turn my back on her, pick up Cassie’s and my

things, and walk out of the classroom.

It took almost 20 minutes, but I finally found Cassie sitting on the bleachers overlooking the school’s

soccer field. Royal was perched next to her. As soon as I saw them I texted Lucas, then ran across the

field to join them.

Cassie looked up as I arrived, winded from my sprint. She held a long blade of grass in her hands,

carefully shredding it into tiny fragments.

“I’m okay,” she said. I glanced at Royal behind her, and he shrugged helplessly. Cassie sensed the

motion and smiled wearily. “Guys, I’m okay. I mean, this isn’t going down in my diary as one of the

best days ever.” She studied the mutilated blade of grass in her hand then sighed, letting the pieces fall

to the earth at her feet. “But I’ve already wasted too much of my life thinking about—” she bit her lip,

betraying exactly how close she was to breaking. “Besides,” she whispered, “everyone knew already.”

She reached up to wipe away a tear as it slid down one cheek.

“Oh, Cass.” I sat on the bench next to Cassie, fully aware that I was helpless to ease her pain.

“Cassie sandwich,” Royal said. He reached his arms toward me and we pulled each other close in a

group hug, squashing Cassie between us.

She struggled between us, but she was laughing. “Okay, okay. I need to breathe.”

As we released her, Lucas appeared at the edge of the field. Cassie saw him and waved. Lucas

waved back, jogging over to join us.

“No meltdown pending,” Cassie said as Lucas scooted next to me on the bench. “Pinky swear.”

She looked up into the wide, blue sky. A few brilliant white cumulus clouds edged one horizon, fat and

lazy and comforting. Cassie watched them for a moment. When she next spoke, her voice was wistful.

“I just wish I knew why.”

It was like a knife turning in my gut. Maybe I should have told them the truth right then; Cassie

had been punished for my crimes, and Amber was threatening to hurt the rest of them, too. And I had

the power to stop it, I just had to give up the one normal thing in my life: high school.

Instead of speaking, I squeezed Cassie’s hand and vowed to myself to do everything I could to stop

Amber from hurting anyone else I loved. Even in my head, the promise sounded hollow.

Cassie refused to leave school, and so when lunch rolled around we took our seats at our usual table.

Cassie sat with her back to the wall, facing out into the dining room.

“Let them all get it out of their system,” she murmured, facing the gawking student body

fearlessly. But I saw her hand shaking as she reached for a roll, and she couldn’t keep herself from

jumping a little each time someone laughed in the dining hall. “Butter?” She said, forcing a cheerful

note into her voice.

I grabbed the butter dish and handed it to Cassie, leaning past Lucas. I’d overestimated my reach,

and had to brush against him to pass the dish to Cassie. I felt his intake of breath as I pressed against

him. I sat back quickly. Lucas’s fingers twitched on the table, and I could practically feel his desire to

touch me. In the dream we might spend an entire night entwined. But the sensations of the most

intimate embrace in a dream were dwarfed by the sensations of the simplest touch in reality.

“Sorry,” I whispered.

“Don’t be,” Lucas answered, forcing a smile. “I knew what I was getting into. Besides, as hard as

this is right now, think how great it’s going to be when we can be together for real.” He reached under

the table to give my hand the briefest squeeze. I squeezed back.

“Shut up! Just shut up!” Parker’s voice cut across the din of the dining hall.

Lucas and I turned to see Parker standing beside Amber’s table, furious. Ally said something to

Parker that we couldn’t hear, but Amber and her friends snickered. Parker brushed Ally’s arm off his

shoulder and strode away from her. Ally stared after him, pissed. Parker shot an agonized look at

Cassie.

I looked back at Cassie, but she was steadfastly ignoring Parker. Devastated, Parker walked out of

the dining hall. Lucas looked at me again, worried. I shook my head. There’d be time to talk about

Parker—and how he might be resisting the power of
the call
—later.

Royal cleared his throat as though nothing had happened. “So,” he said. “Chuck Norris marathon at

my house this weekend. Who’s in?”

“Depends. Who’s Chuck Norris?” I asked.

“Chuck Norris,” Lucas said, looking at me like I was an alien. “Chuck Norris.”

“Repeating his name isn’t actually helping,” I said.

“Cassie? Chuck Norris.” Lucas turned to Cassie for backup.

She shook her head. “Sorry. I’m with Braedyn on this one.”

“How do you not know—?” Lucas turned back to Royal.

“I find it’s best not to ask that question,” Royal sighed. “The gaps in their education are really

quite shocking.” Royal turned to us, steepling his hands like a professor addressing two errant school

kids. “Ladies, prepare yourselves. After this weekend, Chuck Norris will be a permanent fixture in

your minds. You’re welcome in advance.”

Cassie and I traded a smile, and I felt a wave of relief wash through me. Maybe she really was

going to be okay.

Suddenly, a rich, masculine voice cut through the dining hall chatter.

“Hello, Coronado Prep!” We turned, along with the rest of the school, to see a handsome man

stepping up onto a chair at the front of the dining room. “For those of you who don’t yet know me, my

name is Mr. Hart, and I’m the new drama teacher for this august institution.” Someone whistled and

the room filled with giggles. Mr. Hart waved in the direction of the whistle, unperturbed. “Listen up,

you talented masses. If any tiny particle of you yearns for the spotlight, come audition for our fall

production of
Camelot.
I can guarantee passion, heartbreak, and everlasting love. Maybe even a little

hero-worship. Will it be corny? Yeah, maybe, but in that fuzzy-no-one-gets-hurt kind of way that

reaffirms your faith in humanity.”

Laughter swelled throughout the dining hall again. Mr. Hart evidently knew how to make an

impression.

“Recap: Audition! You know you want to! Go Wildcats!” He raised his fist in the air, eliciting a

roar from the crowd, then bowed dramatically from the waist. The roar swelled into another round of

laughter as Mr. Hart stepped back off the chair. As conversation returned to the dining hall, I saw

several girls straining to catch another glimpse of Mr. Hart while giggling with their friends.

Whether he was aware of it or not, Mr. Hart had done us a huge favor. No one was staring at Cassie

anymore. The subject had been officially changed.

The final bell couldn’t come fast enough. It had been a trying day, and I just wanted to meet up with