Prophecy Girl (9 page)

“All right, that’s enough!”  Lucas barked.

Eva could see the anger in his eyes, like dark gray storm clouds.

“Okay, don’t get all huffy,” Liam said. “We’re just messin’ around.”

“Yeah,” Finn added in a sort of apology.

Lucas shook his head. “It’s all right, guys. I just…I’m
different
.” He looked at Eva, giving her a warm smile. “Let’s get you something to eat.”

His smile seemed to make everything better. “Okay,” she agreed, walking back to him.

Liam flashed a grin. “See ya around pretty lady.”  

She grinned back. “See ya!”

“Don’t let him talk you in to eating chili,” Finn advised, smiling.

Lucas waved him off, smiling. “Get the hell out here, man!”

Finn flashed a hang loose, while Liam flashed a peace sign, and then they left, heading up the steps of the grand staircase. 

She followed beside Lucas to the open archway. “Lucas, why did he vanish?”

He stopped before they entered the long hallway, near the public restrooms. “I don’t know,” he said, shrugging. “I’ve seen him vanish before, even when he’s not nervous, but he doesn’t do it when meeting new people, especially girls.” He smiled. “He loves girls! We went to the same school in Long Beach. He’s a year younger than me.” 

She wanted to know everything about him, but only asked, “What’s his last name?”

“Moran. We’re roommates with Finn and Liam.”

“Finn and Liam seem very nice, but Devin…”

“Yeah, I don’t know, but ignore him,” Lucas said. “It wasn’t you.”

She didn’t know if she should believe him. If this Devin was such a ladies’ man, why didn’t he even shake her hand? Why did he flee as if she were the plague? She didn’t think of herself as beautiful, but she had already gotten Lucas, the most renowned player at Green Clover Academy, and possibly the most handsome guy in school with only Devin as a rival. Maybe he just wasn’t into her. But why was she so into him?

“And ignore Liam and Finn.” He held her in his arms, and gently kissed her lips. “I like you, Eva. I like you a lot, and I’m not playing any games. Do you believe me?”

She nodded, feeling the sincerity in his tranquil blue-gray eyes. “I do.”

He smiled. “I’m so glad you’re here.” 

So was she. She was glad to be at the school, to be in Lucas’ arms, but she couldn’t stop thinking about Devin, and why he had vanished. From what she knew, Leprechauns disappeared when they became nervous, just as Lucas had done in her room when he’d almost declared his love, and misread her shocked expression. 

But what did Devin have to nervous about with her?

8

The Mystery of the Missing Nail Polish

Eva didn’t know what to expect when she entered the cafeteria that looked like an elegant dining hall with finely carved wooden tables, chandeliers, and paintings. But she
didn’t
expect to see about five girls on their butts, crying, with their uniform skirts splayed on the floor. 

Some of the chairs had been knocked over. A few girls, who weren’t crying, were on the floor, holding the Banshees in mourning, while the rest of the girls sadly looked on. The guys sat quietly in their seats, not eating, staring at anything but the wailing girls.

A woman with a blond pixie cut, and dressed in a cafeteria attendant’s white uniform, was crouched down, patting a girl’s shoulder. A man with a similar uniform, and brown hair in a buzz cut, held the receiver of a black phone to his ear. He talked every so often, but never took his eyes off the scene in front of him.

If Eva was anyone else, she would’ve thought she had just entered a crazy dream, but this was real life, and these girls were witnessing people dying. 

Lucas steered her over to the wall, while they waited. He was silent, holding her hand.

After a few seconds, she whispered, “The next time that happens to me, will you be there? Will you help me?”

He kissed her gently on the cheek. “I will, Eva. All you have to do is call out to me, and I’ll be there, okay?”
She smiled, unable to get over the fact that she had the most perfect guy in the world, and it didn’t matter that handsome, aloof Devin didn’t like her. Lucas did and he was her guide out of the terrors she was cursed with. None of the other girls had that connection with him, and she didn’t know why he could enter her mind, but she welcomed it, desiring to put an end to her torment. And he was the key.

The girls had finally stopped crying and resumed their seats. The guys went back to their meals. The female cook went back to work, and the male cook hung up the phone. 

“That’s it?” Eva asked.

“Yeah, when it happens during class, we guys just sit and wait, out of courtesy, or whoever is crying leaves the room, and a few girls leave with her, to console her.”

“Is there crying all time?”

He shook his head. “Only the first and second years do most of that. The third and fourth years have learned to control it…mostly. It helps them to talk about it.” He nodded over to the girls, whispering to each other. 

Some of the food trays had been spilled on the floor, and now the male cook, along with Colin Black, who she had met earlier, were cleaning it up. 

“Hey, Lucas!” A guy shouted a guy from the other side of the room. “Brought the new girl?”

Now all eyes were on her. Colin looked up momentarily, shook his head, and then went back to cleaning up the floor. Eva gave them all a little smile and a quick wave.

One of the girls squealed and jumped off her chair. She was petite with her skirt falling below her knees; her curly red hair bounced as she did. A bit of freckles on her nose displayed an almost doll-like appearance. She had been one of those in mourning, but now ran to Eva with a big grin.   

“I’m so glad you’re here.” She launched herself at Eva, holding her in a tight hug. 

Eva looked down at the mop of red hair, buried in her chest. “Hey,” was all she could manage to say. 

She was baffled at this unexpected greeting from someone who had been crying, with her green eyes a bit hidden from her puffy skin.

The girl looked up at her. “I’m Meghan O’Shea, but you can call me ‘Meg.’ I’m a second year and we’re roommates!” 

“Great,” Eva said, trying to act pleased. 

Meg seemed very nice, but a little too nice and bubbly, especially since she had just seen an omen of death.

Well, at least she wasn’t stuck-up.

Another girl came forward, of average height, with chestnut brown hair, and brown eyes to match. She smiled too, but didn’t make an attempt to hug Eva. 

“Hey, I’m Corrine Doyle, second year and also your roommate.”

“Nice to meet you.” Eva shook her hand.

Already, she had met two out of her three roommates, and even though Meg didn’t care about boundaries, like the other redhead she’d met, Liam, they were both very personable, and the kind of people Eva could be lifelong friends with. Corrine was also nice, but in a more subdued kind of way, like Finn. 

Corrine and Meg each turned to Lucas and blushed. “Hey,” they said in unison.

He gave them a sweet smile. “Hey.” He turned to Eva, lifted up her hand, and kissed it. “You’re going to
love
your new roommates.”

The girls gasped, and then smiled. They didn’t seem jealous, but she would understand if they were. From her quick scan of the Leprechauns, Lucas was the hottest guy in the school. Devin was also hot, and if Green Clover Academy held a competition for “Sexiest Leprechaun,” he and Lucas would definitely tie. 

But something was wrong with him. 

Out of all her warm welcomes, he was cold, ignoring her enough to vanish. But she couldn’t get him out of her mind. Why did he leave? Why did she feel an urge to be with him? Why did she want kiss to him, as if they had been separated for years, and now had finally been reunited?

“
Lucas, Lucas
,” sang a high-pitched voice.

Another girl came forward. She was tall with blond hair that flowed down to the middle of her back. Like the rest of the girls, she wore a black skirt, but it came up mid-thigh, showing her long tan legs, and her white capped-sleeve shirt was very snug around her chest. Some of the girls wore their green caps, but not this one, and Eva imagined that she didn’t want to mess up her golden locks that were very similar to Lucas’. She was gorgeous just like him too, but with Tahitian blue eyes. They looked perfect for each other and now Eva, pale with black hair, felt unworthy next to him. Gently, she let go of his hand, but he didn’t seem to notice, and didn’t try to reclaim it.

“Bree,” he said with a slight nod, but didn’t smile.

That’s all they said, but Eva could tell there was something more. Obviously, she had been one of his conquests.

Bree turned to Eva and gave her a polite, but not-too-friendly smile. “I’m Brianna Kelly,
third
year and also your roommate.” Her forced smile faded, and Eva noticed that she didn’t extend her hand in a welcome shake. “Don’t touch my stuff.”

Meg rolled her eyes. “That’s no way to treat the new girl! And no one cares about your thirty shades of pink nail polish!”

Bree held up her forefinger, showing Meg her shiny coat of pink nail polish. “I know someone took one! There’s one missing! And they’re not all pink! They have different names!”

Meg snorted. “What? Very Pink? Pink-Pink? Pig-Tail Pink?”

Bree just growled, throwing her hands up. “I’m out of here!” She marched off down the hallway with her clogs stomping all the way across the hardwood floor of the Commons Area, and then up the grand staircase.

Meg waved her hand in air, smiling. “Don’t worry about Bree. She’s actually not bad.”

Corrine just shrugged, but Eva didn’t like the fact that she would be sleeping in the same room with someone who kept a tally on fingernail polish bottles. 

“All right, that’s enough drama,” Lucas said. “Eva needs to eat.”

“Ooh, we’ll join you.” Meg looped her arm through Eva’s and pulled her away from Lucas. 

He gently pulled Eva’s free arm, luring her back to him, while Meg still held on tightly to her other arm. 

“Later,” he whispered seductively against her ear, and then gently let her go. 

She almost melted on the floor, consumed by his touch. She watched him leave, but she didn’t have time to miss his departure with Meg pulling her to the cafeteria line, and Corrine trailing along.

“All the food here is great, isn’t it Ms. Dempsey?” Meg asked the female cook with the blond pixie cut. 

The cafeteria attendant had just placed a fresh batch of apple cobbler down into a metal slot along the serving line beneath a thick glass to prevent contaminating the food.

“Why it is Meg,” she responded, smiling.

“That’s Augusta Dempsey,” Meg informed, “and that’s James Clarke,” she continued, pointing to the male cook in the back, who was stirring something in a large silver bowl.

“Hey, Meg,” he said, smiling. “Feeling any better?”

“Much better now that Eva is here!”

“That’s great,” he said, and went back to stirring. 

Eva guessed that Augusta Dempsey and James Clarke were in their late thirties, and wondered if they were just like everyone else here at Green Clover Academy. Colin Black, the groundskeeper, was most likely a Leprechaun. He seemed feisty enough and he was still there, but didn’t take any classes. Eva assumed that once everyone graduated, they could choose to continue on at the school, but just in a different capacity, or leave. If she was at a regular school, she would flee the moment she received her diploma, go out in the world, and finally be free, with no one telling her what to do. But the reality was that the world didn’t want people like them: girls who had visions and boys who vanished. Green Clover Academy was the ideal place for Banshees and Leprechauns. 

She wondered about Lucas. This was his last year, but he could stay on after, and help Colin tend the grounds. That way he could still be with her, but she knew given their dislike of each other that sun-kissed Lucas would rather shovel snow in Antarctica.

Meg pointed to the beef stew. “That’s very good. You should get some.”

Eva took the large serving spoon, scooped up a sizable portion of the stew, and then placed it on her shamrock-decorated tray.

“Do they serve green eggs in the morning?” she joked to Meg, placing the spoon back.

Corrine laughed, but Meg furrowed her brow. “Green eggs? Eggs are yellow.”