Pure (19 page)

“Can you check your phone? It’s annoying.”

He leaned forward, pressing his head against the back of mine. “Where’s the old Alex I know and love, my wild and crazy friend?”

I grunted, unable to push him off. “Caleb, come on.”

“Come on, come out and play. What else are you going to do?”

What else? Lie around my room all night and feel sorry for myself, and… and that was just lame. Hanging out with Caleb and Olivia would do me some good. For a little while I could forget about Aiden, about how badly I loved him and how he’d rejected me.

I squeezed my eyes shut. “Do you think… was I being stupid for, you know, the stuff with Aiden?”

Caleb leaned over, pressing his cheek against mine. “Yes, it was and is stupid. But I still love you.”

I laughed. “Okay. Fine.”

He rolled off me, resting on his side. “You serious?”

“Yeah.” I sat up. “But I need to shower first.”

“Thank the gods. You stink.”

I punched his arm and swung off the bed. “Still smell better than you, but I love you nonetheless.”

Caleb fell back. “I know. You’d be lost without me.”

Olivia dropped three packs of microwave popcorn, overloaded with butter, a packet of Twizzlers, and a bunch of candy bars on my coffee table.

“Do you hoard food or something?” I grabbed one of the red ropes.

She giggled as she reached into the pocket of her hoodie and pulled out bags of Sour Patch Kids. “I like to be well stocked. Now all we need are some drinks.”

“That’s where Alex and I come in.” Caleb wrapped his arms around Olivia’s waist.

I gnawed on my Twizzler, eyeing the candy bars. Gods know I’d assaulted the vending machines this past week. I didn’t need more chocolate. “We need a bag.” I turned around and went back in to my bedroom. Digging around in my closet, I found a dark blue tote bag that would do. Holding the candy between my lips, I rolled up the bag and went back in the little living room.

It was like Caleb had fallen into Olivia’s mouth; they were kissing that deeply. Rolling my eyes, I plucked the Twizzler out of my mouth and threw it at the back of Caleb’s head. He turned around, running a hand through his hair. Looking down, he spotted the candy on the floor. “Gross,” he said. “That’s really gross, Alex.”

Laughing, Olivia ducked around Caleb. “You tasted kind of sour and sweet, baby.”

“Oh, gods,” I moaned, twisting my still-damp hair up in a bun. “That was lame.”

She flipped me off as she hopped on the couch. Her hair was one thick braid tonight, falling over her shoulder. I suspected the distressed jeans and gray sweatshirt had cost a pretty penny. “All right. The mission, if you choose to accept it, is to return with a bag of canned liquid goodness. It will be a risky, yet fruitful one. Do you accept this mission?”

I glanced over at Caleb, grinning. “I don’t know. It’s dangerous. There’ll be Guards and Sentinels lurking in the shadows, preventing us from reaching the ark of soda. Are we up for it, Caleb?”

He pulled a band off his wrist and secured the shoulder length blond strands in a ponytail at the nape of his neck. “We must be brave and strong, cunning and quick.” He paused dramatically. “We shall not fail this mission.”

“Oh, I like it when you’re all macho and serious. It’s sexy.” Olivia leaned over, pressing a kiss to Caleb’s cheek, which led to a full-blown make out session.

Standing there awkwardly, I tried to focus on anything but the two of them. It didn’t work. “Olivia, I pray to the gods you haven’t forgotten your booster shot. ‘Cuz you guys are
so
about to make some babies.”

Caleb pulled back, his entire face flushing. “All right, any requests?”

“Anything with lots of caffeine,” Olivia responded, straightening her shirt. Her eyes gleamed in the light. “Don’t take too long and don’t get caught.”

I laughed. “Us get caught? Ye of little faith.”

Olivia waved her hand and sat down, messing with the remote. I motioned Caleb to follow me back into the bedroom. I opened the window Seth used quite frequently and gripped the bag. “You ready?”

Caleb nodded, his cheeks still a pretty shade of pink. “After you.”

I swung my legs over the windowsill and hung there for a moment, scanning the area. Finding it empty, I dropped the five feet to the ground, landing in a crouch. I popped up. “All clear, my dear.”

He stuck his head out. “That rhymes.”

“Well, yes it does. You’re so observant.” I stepped back as Caleb launched out the window.

Standing beside me, he shook out his shoulders. “Which way should we take?”

I turned around, facing the back of the dorm. “This way. Lots more shadow back there and no lights.”

Caleb nodded, and we set off for the cafeteria. Chilly air clung to my damp hair, sending shivers down my neck.

We stayed in the shadows, edging along the building. Both of us knew better than to talk too much as Guards and Sentinels had uncanny hearing abilities when it came to rooting out students sneaking around.

At the edge of the girls’ dorm, I peeked around the corner. It was hard to make out much of anything in the darkness. I wondered how the Guards could even see a daimon creeping up on them.

Caleb stopped beside me, giving me a hand motion I couldn’t decipher. He looked like a crossing guard. “What’s that supposed to mean?” I whispered, dumbfounded.

He grinned. “I don’t know. It just seemed like the right moment to do it.”

I rolled my eyes, but smiled. “Ready?”

“Yeppers.”

We took off, crossing the wide-open space between the girls’ dorm and the training facilities. Halfway across, Caleb pushed me into a prickly bush. Cursing under my breath, I flew after him. Caleb was fast, reaching safety a few feet before me. He leaned against the side of the training arena, laughing softly.

I punched him in the stomach. “Douche.” I started picking little needles out from my jeans.

After that, we continued to the edge and dashed to the medical building. It was kind of like a weird version of hopscotch. Next, we had to skirt around the building where they stored all the weapons and uniforms and then we’d be at the back of the cafeteria and rec rooms. From there, Caleb knew how to get in the cafeteria even when the main entrance was gated shut. He’d raided the place many times.

A shadow moved up ahead, blending in with the night sky. As the form drew closer, we flattened ourselves against the building and waited until the Guard disappeared around the corner of the med building. Almost getting caught fueled the excitement of doing something we shouldn’t. I could tell it got Caleb going, too. His blue eyes seemed to glow and the devilish grin on his face spread.

A sudden sound—much like a muffled gasp—broke the silence. We looked at each other, puzzled. Caleb’s grin slipped a little as his eyes met mine. Shrugging at him, I strained to hear anything else, but there was only thick silence. Slowly, I crept to the side and tried to see into the darkness.

“Looks good,” I whispered.

We darted across the pathway, slowing down as we made it to the back of the dining hall, keeping an eye out for more Guards. I took a deep breath and immediately regretted doing so. The smell of rotting food filled my nostrils. Black garbage bags lay where several trash cans had toppled over. “Gods, it stinks back here.”

“I know.” Caleb pressed against my back, looking around. “Or it could just be you I smell.”

I shoved my elbow into his stomach. Caleb doubled over, groaning. I started around the corner of the dumpster and froze. The small light at the back door used by servants flickered, casting ghoulish yellow light over the trash cans. We weren’t alone in the cramped space. Another shadow moved up ahead, smaller than the Guard we’d spotted before. I held up my hand, silencing Caleb’s groans.

He straightened and looked over my shoulder. “Shit,” he muttered.

The shadow was moving straight toward us. I backed into Caleb, pushing him against the wall. In the seconds before the shadow reached us, I could easily picture Marcus’s face when I got hauled into his office tomorrow morning. Or worse yet, they might notify him now. Oh, gods, it would be epic.

Caleb’s breath sawed in and out as his fingers bit into my arm. I looked around desperately for a better hidey hole. Our only option was to climb into the dumpster, and that wasn’t happening. I’d rather face down a pissed off uncle than that.

The shadow came into view as it crested the edge of the dumpster. My mouth dropped open. “Lea?”

Lea jumped back, letting out a little shriek. She recovered quickly, whirling on us. Loose gravel crunched under her sneakers. “Seriously,” she hissed. “Why am I not surprised to find you two hanging out with the trash?”

Caleb stepped out from behind me. “That’s real original, Lea. Come up with that one all on your own?”

“What are you doing out here?” I pushed away from the dumpster and the godsawful smell.

Her lips curled at the corners. “What are
you
doing?”

“She’s probably sneaking back from hooking up with one of the Guards.” Caleb craned his neck as he kept a wary eye on the darkness.

“I am not!” she screeched, startling both of us. “I hate when you guys say crap like that! I’m not a whore!”

I raised my brows. “Well, that’s totally up for—”

Lea’s hands slammed into my chest, knocking me back a few steps. Catching myself before I tumbled into bags of garbage, I dropped the tote bag on the dirty ground, and then threw myself at her. My fingers brushed her silky strands just as Caleb wrapped his arm around my waist and hauled me back.

“Oh, gods, come on.” Caleb gritted his teeth. “We don’t have time for this.”

“You freaking pushed me?” I reached for her again, hands coming up empty. “I’m going to rip out every strand of your hair!”

Lea squinted as she flipped her hair over her shoulder. “What are you going to do about it, you little freak? Break my nose again? Whatever. You get into another fight, you’re out of here.”

I laughed. “You want to test out that theory?”

She smirked, giving me the middle finger. “That’s probably what you want. Then you could go hang out with your daimon friends.”

“You’re such a
bitch
!” I considered knocking Caleb down just to get my hands around her skinny, tanned neck. He must have suspected as much, because his grip tightened. “I’m sorry about what happened to your parents, okay? I’m sorry that my mom had something to do with it, but you don’t have to be such a—”

Footsteps at the mouth of the alley silenced us. Turning in Caleb’s arms, my heart sank. A female Sentinel stood there, watching us. Her long blonde hair was pulled back tightly, giving her face a sharp, angular look. In the weak light, her eyes looked like two black, empty sockets. A shiver coursed down my spine, heightening my senses.

Caleb groaned, releasing me. I straightened my shirt while I shot Lea a nasty look. I held her a hundred percent responsible for us getting busted. If she hadn’t been out here, slinking around, then we wouldn’t have been held up. We’d already be inside, shoving my bag full of soda.

“I know this looks bad, but—”

“They were totally sneaking around,” Lea cut Caleb off, planting her hands on her hips.

I looked at her, wanting to smack her upside the head. “And what the hell are you doing, exactly?”

The Sentinel cocked her head to the side, her lips spreading in a tight smile that showed no teeth. I recognized her then. It was Sandra, the Sentinel who’d come to my window the night I’d screamed in my sleep.

Lea glanced at us, eyes wide. “Okay. Weird,” she murmured loud enough for only us to hear. She folded her arms and cocked her head. “It really stinks back here, okay?” she said in probably her snootiest voice ever. “So can we get this over with quickly?”

Caleb choked on his laugh.

Sandra’s head turned toward him as she reached down, unhooking the Covenant dagger. Her fingers circled the hilt of the blade, her eyes still fastened on Caleb.

“Uh…” Caleb stepped back. His expression told me he wanted to laugh, but knew better. “No need to bring a dagger into this. We were just sneaking around.”

“Yeah, we’re happy half-bloods, totally daimon-free.” Lea sent me a sly glance. “Well, two of us are.”

“I’m going to seriously hurt you,” I snapped, glaring in her direction.

Lea rolled her eyes and turned back to the Sentinel. “I have nothing to do—oh, my gods!”

“What?” I followed Lea’s open-mouthed, horrified stare.

Sandra wasn’t alone. Behind her stood three daimon pures, their ghoulish faces marked by dark veins and empty eye sockets.

I almost didn’t believe what I was seeing. My brain tried to propel me into motion. The startled gasp we’d heard earlier and the Sentinel’s strange behavior suddenly made sense. There were no visible marks on her, but I knew beyond a doubt she was a daimon—maybe even the daimon behind the attack on the young pure weeks ago. But how had she not been checked? The mystery of that would have to wait.