Walking back on campus after a week of being gone was tough.
Our first destination was Simon's office. We had to tell him we were back and turn in our excuses. Plus I had to let him know about the wolves that would be roaming around the school. Darren made a notice about a meeting that night around seven. Simon merely nodded then shooed us out.
As we pulled into senior parking, people I didn't even know flocked around us. I couldn't even get out of the car. Why was I a sudden celebrity? I hadn't done anything.
Soon the crowds parted as Parker, Bianca, Beca, and Bruce came through. They started to disperse everyone. Parker came around to my door and opened it. Once I stepped out, he wrapped a protective arm around my waist and moved me through the sea of people. I looked back to see Darren and Bruce carrying the bags toward my dorm.
A few minutes later we were safely in my dorm. Beca wanted to hug me but I stepped in Darren's shadow. I didn't want to be touched at the moment. Darren glanced over his shoulder briefly. When I looked up, Beca had sat on her bed.
"What's happened since we were away?" Darren asked as I put my clothes away. Bianca and Bruce looked at each other. "What?"
"Maddie?" I turned around to see those two kneeling. "We pledge ourselves into your service. Do you accept us?" I couldn't answer in words so I nodded.
"Who are they, Maddie?" Beca asked.
I looked at her. "Sirs Lucan and Gawain."
"Welcome to the Knights," Darren said regally. I turned away from him, looking at the place where my snow globes once sat. "After everything calms down, we have a meeting at seven in the student center. We'll fill you in on everything that's happened."
"Sounds good," Bianca said.
"Darren, we have a couple of new students," Parker said out of the blue. We all looked at him. "We think one of them is one of us. The only way we'll know is if Maddie talks to him."
Apparently the look on my face didn't agree with his words because Darren shook his head. "Not tonight and not tomorrow. She's still grieving. Give her some time."
"We don't have much time. Darren, Nathan showed up yesterday, meaning he's the second new student," Beca said.
Darren stiffened. "Is he going here now?" His sister nodded. "Great. Just friggin' great." I didn't ask as he sat down in my desk chair.
"Don't confront him, Dare. Not yet," Bruce said.
"I'm not, but he better stay away from her. I won't be responsible for my actions if he doesn't."
"I can handle myself," I said, suddenly angry that he was talking like I wasn't there. There was too much testosterone in the room so I threw on my discarded jacket and wheeled around. "Come on, Beca. We're going to the stables."
My Knight didn't say a word as she followed me from my dorm.
Darren
Darren hit the desk hard. This was not the time for any of his family to be showing up, least of all Nathan. He needed to solidify his relationship with Maddie before anything else happened.
He didn't want to be full of himself but he was the only one Maddie fully trusted. He had been there when her father passed away. Well, they all had but he had been the one to go with her to Dallas to do everything she needed to get done. Now it was going to be harder to talk to her.
"What are you going to do, Darren?" Bruce asked. He was leaning against the wall next to the girls' bathroom door with his arms crossed, looking all imposing. "We all know you and Nathan hate each other."
"We know that. Maddie doesn't," Parker replied as he stood from Beca's bed. He stretched to get the kinks out then headed for the door, stopping momentarily beside Darren. "Your feud with Nathan is your business so I'm going to stay out of it. Maddie is my business. Don't hurt her."
Bruce whistled as the door closed behind the other Knight. "He takes his job way too seriously."
"He always has." Darren sighed and covered his eyes. This was not going to be easy.
"You're right about that, but he's also right. Whatever goes on between you and Nathan is exactly that; between you and Nathan. Maddie, on the other hand, is all of our business, not just yours. What happens to her affects us all."
"I know that."
"I know you do, but you just needed a reminder." He walked over and touched his roommate's shoulder. "Push too hard and you'll push her away." He left the room quietly, leaving Darren to his thoughts.
That probably wasn't the best idea. It gave Darren too much time to second-guess himself, a bad quality in a king.
Maddie
I took my time brushing Kaia, truly enjoying the time with the majestic creature. She was munching happily on oats; the obvious sign being her tail was swishing.
Beca watched me calmly. This was the time I was happy she and I got along so well. She could always tell when I was upset about something, much like now. The thing with Beca though is she's very tactful. She would never call me out in front of people, instead opting to wait until we were alone.
"Maddie?"
I turned to look at my friend. She was closer to the stall now. I must not have been paying too much attention to her. It made me feel bad.
"Sorry. I lost myself for a moment," I said. I really had. All my thoughts of the past three weeks were jumbled together, making it very hard to sort out the past from present.
"Yeah, I noticed." Normally that sentence would be filled with sarcasm but the way she said it made it sound like a sad song.
I put the brush on the shelf in the stall and stepped under the rope. I touched Beca's arm. "What's wrong?"
She looked up at me with sad eyes. Her baby blues were usually alive with some sort of mischief or happiness. Today they were just dull, so unlike her it made me sad to think of it.
"Beca?"
She hurriedly sniffled then wiped her nose. "How are you holding up? You and Darren were gone for a week." She was trying to get the subject off herself. Contrary to popular belief about cheerleaders, Beca hated being in the spotlight. It made her self-conscious.
"I'll manage but this is about you. What's going on? What happened while I was gone?"
I watched as she picked at her jacket. "Drew broke up with me."
That shocked me. Last I remembered Drew was enamored with her. They had been together for two years and looked as if they were going strong. I wouldn't have believed it if she hadn't been doing her nervous habit, which was picking at her clothes.
"What? When?"
"The day of your father's funeral."
"Tuesday?" She nodded as she wiped away the silent tears that had started to stream down her face, ruining her normally perfect makeup. "Why didn't you call me?"
"You were dealing with your dad's death and everything that goes along with that. I
wasn't going to bother you with it."
"You're my friend. It's no bother at all. All I did Thursday, Friday, and Saturday was lay in bed and cry. I could have used the distraction." I sat down beside her on the bench. "Did he say why?"
"He said that he was struggling with something that I couldn't help him through; that it would be harder to be with me. I have no clue what he means." She was lying but I wasn't going to call her out on it. She was clearly heartbroken and I didn't want her to hate me.
I threw my arm around her shoulders. "I know this sounds bad but are you still friends with him?"
She looked up at me with those sad blue eyes. It reminded me of a lost puppy. "We were friends before we dated and we'll still be friends." She wiped her eyes then stood up. "I'm going to get some coffee before dinner. Do you want me to get you anything?"
I shook my head. "No."
"Okay. Bye, Maddie."
I watched her leave the stable. She was holding up better than I was. Although in her eyes, her break up with Drew wasn't as traumatic as losing my father, I disagreed. Both were traumatic; it was just the way we handled them that mattered.
After cleaning up and making sure Kaia had water, I left the warm stable to trek across the cold campus. The wind blasted me in the face, making it feel as if a thousand tiny needles were pricking me.
I was halfway across campus when something slammed into the back of my neck. My body pitched forward and I stumbled into the snow. Spitting the white precipitation
from my mouth, I rolled over to see who had attacked me, although I had a feeling I already knew.
Sure enough, Casey stood over me, black stilettos gleaming in the lamplight. It was my first day back. Why couldn't I get a break? Then I answered my own question. Casey hated me and that was why I always got hit.
This time I was ready for her. As she lifted her foot for another kick, I rolled to the side then to my feet. The sudden movements caught her off guard briefly. I lashed out with my foot but she had recovered by the time I got close to her. She grabbed my ankle and shoved me away.
"Do you think you can take me with one kick?" she asked in a mocking tone.
"It was worth a shot," I muttered as I got up from the snow a second time. "Why can't you leave me alone? I haven't done anything to you."
"It's all in the balance. You're born and I'm born. We're natural enemies. So don't take it too personally when I beat you into the ground."
"Great."
I had to go on the defensive just to make sure none of her attacks connected. Now, I'm not a fighter so I had no clue how to block any of the punches or kicks she threw at me but I did a good job at running. At least I did until I tripped.
"Always careless," I heard her mutter in a mocking tone as she stalked towards me.
I thought she was going to get a good shot at me until I heard someone coming our way.
"What are you doing, Miss MacDowell?"
Casey stopped and adopted her trademark sweet face as the teacher approached. "I was just helping Maddie up."
I snorted but under my clothes I felt my pendant burn my skin. Mr. Yeats, our biology teacher and the man who came running, glanced down at me.
"That's not what it looks like." He extended his hand to me, which I took gratefully. His gaze never wavered, giving me a good view of turquoise eyes behind thick rimmed glasses. "Miss Bates, is that what happened?"
"Yes, sir," I replied. I may not like Casey but I wasn't going to allow anyone to get involved and make things worse for me.
"Very well. Miss MacDowell, head back to your dorm." We both watched as Casey huffed up and stalked away. "Miss Bates, continue on wherever you are going."
"Thank you." I hurried to change my wet clothes, knowing full well that Mr. Yeats was another Knight.