Arkadia (Halfway House Series Book 1) (4 page)

As Arkadia rolled over in bed mulling over last night’s events, her stomach began to tighten, her pulse raced a little faster, and tiny beads of panic-induced sweat appeared on her brow; she knew it was only a matter of months and the PSEs would need to be taken, and if she didn’t pass? A shudder of ice-cold fear crept up her spine at the thought of what might happen or where she might end up.

Arkadia thought about how her date, Sebastian, as slimy as he was in person, really didn’t need it proven in the animal kingdom as well. Shaking her head, she wandered to the bathroom. “You need to get your gear sorted,” she mumbled to herself and padded across the hallway in her bright lime-green monster slippers. Hearing a freight train coming up the hallway, Arkadia turned just in time to catch Emerson as he launched himself in her arms. “Holy smokes, Em, go on a diet, I nearly dropped you.” She dropped him to the floor with a chuckle. “Try some vegetables with your steak.” Arkadia winked as she continued walking. Emerson wasn’t giving up his attention seeking yet; he bounced right along beside her and watched as Arkadia got to the bathroom door, turned, and with a quirky grin to match her raised eyebrow, she shut the door in his face.

Leaning against the door, Emerson pondered loudly, “If you marry Sebastian, and one day he becomes Mayor like his daddy, does that make you automatically a Mrs. Lady Mayor?”

“Not going to happen, wolf boy,” Arkadia playfully yelled back through the closed door. Emerson smiled to himself. He knew he would always bite since he was the wolf, but if you laid the right bait, Arkadia would always bite.

“After you become Mrs. Coulter the third, can you work on getting extra tartar sauce in the school cafeteria?” Emerson asked as he still leaned on the bathroom door, waiting for Arkadia to return fire. The door suddenly opened and out popped what looked like the abominable snowman. “Aaaarrrhhhhh! I’ve seen a ghost!” Feigned panic spread across Emerson’s face as he clutched at his heart.

“Very funny, fur face. Now go chase traffic, will you? I’ve got to get ready for school.” Again, she closed the bathroom door in Emerson’s face. Emerson’s chuckling could be heard as he wandered off.

Arkadia descended the stairs forty-five minutes later, looking amazing in her tight, dark blue jeans, crisp, white, collared shirt, opened halfway with the contrasting lime green cami underneath it, and her hair down to let her long blonde curls cascade down her shoulders. The image was completed with some gorgeous knee high black boots.

“Do you have time to talk, Arkadia?” Eloise had a slight pleading tone to her voice.

“Oh geeeeze, Eloise, I am sorry I don’t.” Arkadia made a grand gesture of checking her watch. “I am in a hurry, maybe later.” Arkadia had no intention of talking, or anything else with Eloise; yes, she helped her out last night, but a mother that did not make her.

Walking past the kitchen table, she heard “croooooak” and stopped dead in her tracks. She slowly turned her head, having a mini nightmare that she was going to lay her eyes upon Sebastian’s green slimy frog body again this morning. Her blood ran cold as she was already thinking up excuses as to why the Mayor’s son was on an all fly diet.

Raven and Zahmali laughed to themselves, and Arkadia realized it was Raven that had made the noise. “Oh sure, that would be right, Raven,” she said. She grabbed her bag by the door and looked back at Raven with a death stare that may have in fact caused some singeing on Raven’s long black hair. “Can’t find your voice when you need to tell me it’s washing day? Or to tell me what assignment is due tomorrow? But when it comes to pointing out my mistake, you turn into a right royal Jerry Springer, huh?” Arkadia stormed back over to the table, leaned right over and grabbed the butter knife off the table. She could see Raven’s smile quickly disappearing. “Let’s see how tough you are now, Vamp Girl.” Arkadia cut the tip of her finger and shoved it over at Raven.

As the tiny orb of red blood appeared at the top of Arkadia’s finger, her eyes met Raven’s. She watched Raven’s face turn white, and her eyes glaze over and rollback into her skull. Arkadia turned away as she heard the thump of Raven’s unconscious body falling to the floor in a dead faint. Arkadia licked the top of her finger and strutted out the door, feeling justified in her revenge.

Arkadia walked up the stairs to the school, and the girls were right where they always are, waiting at the top, sitting on the brick wall on the left-handside. Standing to exchange a hug with each of the girls, they seemed eager to know about the date.

“What was it?” Cheyanne asked.

“Was he as gross as we thought he might be?” questioned Cat. Arkadia really didn’t want to say much about the date, and certainly didn’t want any of the details getting to be public knowledge.

“I bet Sebastian was the slimiest date you have ever had, am I right, Ark?” Vi asked as she came to stand over beside Arkadia.

She froze.
Slimiest? What the?
Vi couldn’t know, there was no way in hell that Vi could know anything. They were in a car, at the drive-in, but still, a shot of fear struck up her spine. Vi did say the word slimiest, not boring, or crappy. Arkadia tried to breathe normally so she wouldn’t give away the fact every cell in her body was screaming, “I don’t wear prison orange.” She slowly looked over at Vi, seeking answers, but only saw genuine interest and concern in her eyes. Arkadia relaxed a little and answered, “Let me put it this way, Vi,” Arkadia looped her arm through Vi’s and smiled, “he isn’t no Prince Charming.”

Taking their seats in the most boring English class on the face of the earth, Arkadia sat beside Cheyanne, in front of the two seats that were taken by Vi and Cat. Arkadia had already begun to tune out. When it came to Mrs. Eckles and her monotone voice reciting Shakespeare, she could cure any insomniac instantly with a simple forty-five minute class.

Suddenly, for Arkadia the world went silent, and every hair on her body began to rise, like a serpent charged with electricity straight from the heavens above, wound around her ankles and slithered up her calves, twisting and writhing over her thighs. Arkadia’s breathing began to get shallow as she was becoming intoxicated and confused at her body’s response. Arkadia looked out the window, and sure enough, as she expected, the big, black, shiny beast of a truck was parked in the parking lot. Looking to the license plate to check if it was the same, she could just barely make out the ‘DRGN30’, and her heart began to race at a clip that would have impressed the highest paid jockey.

What is it about that car? Why is it making me feel vibrantly alive and set on fire all at the same time?
She didn’t have time to contemplate the answer as the door to the classroom opened and in walked what she could only describe as a god. He was tall, so very tall, must be tipping about six-foot-four, and his dark almost black, soft, curly hair messily kissed the tops of his shoulders. He was wearing dark blue jeans with a plain black T-shirt that looked stretched to its capacity over his broad shoulders and bulging biceps.
Oh my Gawd!
Arkadia’s eyes roamed back up over his bronzed skin, and she heard Mrs. Eckles say, “Class, we have a new student. This is Bohdan. Please make him feel welcome.” Arkadia looked into his eyes.
Soooo brown.
He seemed to stare straight into her soul, and Arkadia felt the room closing in on her, her skin aflame with electricity. Her very essence seemed to have been lit on fire. The world was closing in on her fast, and Arkadia desperately tried to reach out to Chey, silently screaming for mercy from the heat of the flames, her skin feeling like it was blistering from the intense pain. The last thing she remembered seeing was Chey's eyes looking at her, full or terror.

Then, nothing but black.

“Arkadia, sweetheart, Arkadia.”

“Get her some water.”

“Should we phone an ambulance?”

A myriad of voices surrounded her as Arkadia began to surface back into reality Unable to pinpoint any one voice yet, her eyes stayed shut as she tried to focus on her soundings. She didn’t know what had happened and until she had her bearings again, she wasn’t opening her eyes. The voices continued.

“Phone her mother.”

“Does she have epilepsy?”

“Is she on any drugs?”

Suddenly a voice she knew said, “Don’t phone her mother. She won’t answer. You need to phone her guardian. No to the epilepsy, no to the ambulance, and a big HELL NO to the drugs.” Arkadia opened her eyes, and sure enough, it was Cheyanne. She looked worried, but she knew that if push came to shove, Chey would always have her back.

Arkadia tried to sit up, and with some help from Chey, she was beginning to refocus and get her surroundings sorted out. Look of ‘what the hell was that all about?’ passed over Chey’s face, and Arkadia returned it with an equally expressive ‘your guess is as good as mine’ look. Mrs. Eckles asked, “Arkadia, are you okay, sweetheart? Do you want to go to the school nurse?”

“No, thank you,” Arkadia replied as she sat back in her chair trying to regain some dignity. “I’ll just sip on this water and sit quietly here.” Mrs. Eckles didn’t look convinced, but smiled sweetly.

“Well, if you feel woozy again, let me know straightaway, alright?” Arkadia nodded and took a sip of water.

Both Vi and Cat had moved their desks so we could all sit in a long line, convincing Mrs. Eckles that if Arkadia fainted again, this way they could catch her. Somehow they got her to agree, and then spent the next forty minutes passing notes to each other about what happened. As the last bell of the day rang for the end of class, Arkadia stole a quick glance over to the new guy in the back corner. She instantly felt the warmth begin, and lowered her eyes quickly to avoid fainting again.
Who is this guy?
She kept her eyes low and made her way to the locker and got the hell out of school so she could think clearly about what to do next.

Arkadia curled up on the lounge with her feet tucked under her ass, and her fingers wrapped around a steaming hot cup of chocolate, yes complete with marshmallows. Arkadia felt very fragile and confused about what happened in school today. Eloise walked into the room and sat opposite her in the recliner, taking a sip out of her own cup of cocoa. She let-out a relaxing breath and looked directly into Arkadia’s emerald green eyes. “Tell me. Tell me everything and don’t miss out a single detail,” Eloise said softly. “It makes no sense; there’s something, or perhaps someone, you’re overlooking.”

Arkadia sighed, rearranged her long legs, and admired her brand-spanking-new Hello Kitty one-piece footed pajamas, a cute candy pink with these little white, happy, pussy cat faces looking back at her, surely that was enough to make her feel better. “The details are not in the cats, Arkadia.”

Eloise’s voice cut through her thoughts. “Details, yes, okay, well, I was just sitting there one minute, a new guy walks in and whammo I am eating floor.” She took a mouthful of cocoa. “And for the record, I am rocking these jammies,” Arkadia snorted with a soft chuckle.

“Yes, yes, rocking, details. Was there anything strange happening? Did you feel weird? Was this new boy marked?”

Arkadia let her questions float through her head, her mind stuck on the word ‘marked’, which meant that a gifted person like herself had passed their PSE and had the tattoo mark placed on their hand. It was always placed on the webbing between the thumb and the forefinger and symbolized that you were “safe” to be around humans.

Shaking her head, she realized Eloise was waiting for answers. “No marking that I remember, but really, I was on one side of the room and he was at the door, but I will have a look if I get a chance next time, if I see him.”
God, please let me see him again. He made every boy at the school look like a toddler. I can imagine what his soft dark curls would feel like as I ran my fingers...

“Arkadia!!” Eloise snapped, “Get your mind out of the gutter and onto telling me how you felt leading up to you fainting.” Rolling her eyes, Arkadia took another sip of cocoa.

“Honestly, I have never felt like that before, well, there was that one time.”

Eloise sat up so fast she spilt her cocoa on her hand and gasped, “Crap,” before wiping it off quickly before it burnt her. “What do you mean before? When before? At school before? Why haven’t you told me this?” Eloise was leaning forward and staring intently at Arkadia.

“Sheeeesh. It’s not that important. I just felt a kind of cosmic slap on the way to school the other day, it was a feeling like I was being drawn toward this car that passed, come to think of it.” Arkadia tucked her stray hairs behind her ear. “It was a freaky strong pull.”

Eloise nodded. “And was this car at the school today?” Arkadia thought through the haze surrounding her “event” earlier today.

“Uummm, yeah … I saw it pull up a few minutes before the new guy came in, holy smokes. El, do you think he’s the reason?” Her heart skipped a beat, oh how she wanted to be drawn to him, by him, all over him.

“Arkadia,” Eloise snapped again, this time sounding a little angry. Arkadia’s eyes widened slightly at the sharpness.

“Okay. Yes, I think there’s something about this guy that is making me respond.” She relaxed back into her chair and continued as Eloise took in every word spoken and thought. “I can’t even remember his name. I just know I lost control of my body and mind on both of the times I have been around him.”

Eloise sat back into her chair listening intently. Finally, she spoke again, this time much softer. “Fascinating, it appears your soul may have seen a potential mate.”

“MATE???” exclaimed Arkadia, a wide-eyed panic flashing across her face. “I think he looks hot, really hot, for sure, but I am not up for this MATE stuff, I’m not getting branded or owned by anyone,” she humphed into her cup, sipping the now cooler cocoa.

“Well,” Eloise soothed, “IF he turned out to be your mate, you will have no choice, nor will you want one. It’s a rare and precious occurrence, and I have known some who have waited centuries to meet their mate, but let’s cross that bridge when we get to it.”

Arkadia was about to rebut when Eloise held up her hand. “My true concern is, not the issue of a Mate, but that by itself while it can feel like the earth is moving, wouldn’t cause you to black out.”

Arkadia thought, then said, “The first time the car drove by, it was a strong pull, electric buzzing sensation.” Eloise nodded as she followed along, Arkadia continued, “But in the classroom, it exploded, I was on fire, I felt like my skin was blistering instantly from the heat, then I blacked out.”

Eloise pondered for a few minutes then spoke with a softness that only barely hid her serious tone. “Then there is someone else, someone else perhaps, and I am speculating, but someone who might be on the darker side.”

“The only other gifted in my class is Cheyanne, and she is no danger; she is my best friend,” Arkadia said.

“Not Cheyanne, someone else. Keep your eyes open, Arkadia, I have a feeling all is not as it appears.”

Eloise got up from her chair and wandered into the kitchen. Arkadia heard the tap turn on as Eloise rinsed out her cup. The soft swish of her dressing gown could be heard as she returned into the lounge, stopping at the base of the stairs. Eloise took a deep breath. “There is more to this picture than meets the eye. Be careful around this new boy, but I fear he is not the true danger, it lies with another.” She went up the stairs, and her bedroom door shut.

Arkadia knew the conversation was over, for the moment at least. Thinking back over the morning, Arkadia decided to ask around about this new guy. If he was her destined MATE, she could do worse, he was hot hot hot, with an extra dash of HOT. That was if she had the chance to see him again.