The Academy - Introductions (5 page)

“Give her a break, Vic,” Kota said. His body moved in front
of me again, creating a block between the two of us. I looked around Kota’s
shoulder. Victor’s eyes locked with mine. I wasn’t sure what exchanged between
us but somehow Victor seemed to understand. Whatever it was I wasn’t telling
him now, it was embarrassing and maybe if we weren’t complete strangers, I’d
talk about it later.

“Okay,” Victor said. He shrugged and then stuffed his hands
into the pockets of his slacks. He nodded toward the BMW. “Well, I came over to
take Kota to the mall. Are you going with us?”

Going out with them? To a mall? Could I get away with it? I
wanted to go but I also didn’t want to intrude on plans already made. Would my
parents send my sister to look for me and discover that I wasn’t around? No.
Since we’d moved in, they hardly noticed when I left or came back. They got
used to me walking around in the woods. I just needed to be careful. Still, as
the guys looked at me and waited for an answer, I felt nervous going out. Would
they see me as the third wheel?

“Maybe we can put that off for a few hours,” Kota said, I
suppose sensing my hesitation.

“No.” I shook my head, bending down to pet Max who had been
patient enough sitting at Kota’s feet. I started petting him and he rolled back
to expose his belly for me to scratch. It also gave me a good deterrent to
think of an excuse. “It’s okay. You guys go. I’ve got things to do. I wouldn’t
want to slow you two down.” I did want to go, though. I felt silly for wanting
to but I’ve never had the opportunity before. Why did I have to be so shy and
scared? I wished I could be normal.

Kota crouched next to me, his head turned toward my face.
“Do you want to go?”

I shrugged, trying to look casual about it. “It probably
doesn’t matter. I wouldn’t be allowed anyway.” Crap. I hadn’t meant to let that
slip out.

Out of my peripheral vision, I could sense they were doing
that thing again about exchanging looks. Their silent communication amazed me.
I wanted to ask how long they knew each other but just being around them, it
felt like they were almost brothers.

“What if we went and asked?” Victor put hands on his hips.
“I mean, we’re not ax murderers.”

I couldn’t help but smile at his words. His fire eyes
sparked at what must have been a strange expression in that moment. “It’s
complicated. My mom would just say no right off. It won’t matter who asks.”

“We could try,” Kota said.

I twisted my mouth, coming up with a plan. If I wasn’t
going to deter them from taking me with them, I wasn’t about to let them into
the lion’s den to face off my parents. “If you really want me to go, give me a
few minutes,” I said.

“What are you going to do?” Kota asked, his head tilted and
looking puzzled.

“She’s going to lie, dummy,” Victor said, the corner of his
mouth moving down.

Kota frowned, standing up and rubbing at his chin. I
noticed his nails were well manicured. “Really, it’s no big deal if we go talk
to them.”

“I think it’s better if I just make a quick appearance and
then don’t mention I’m going. They won’t notice I’m missing for a few hours.”

They shared another look and then Victor shrugged and
turned back to me. “We’ll wait.”

I stood up and looked at both of them, edging away before
turning to walk down the road. Would they really wait for me? Would I come back
here and find them gone? I felt pathetic, wanting so bad to try to be cool so
they would like me. I didn’t know anyone and here were two guys... incredibly
cute guys taking some distorted interest in someone like me. It felt unreal. I
was average looking, I thought. I was a shy person. They didn’t have a reason
to be interested. They’ve been so nice so far though. I didn’t want to ruin it
yet.

“Wait,” Kota said, coming up behind me. I turned and he was
pointing to the house. “I forgot. Your shoes are inside.”

I waved my hand in the air between us. “Oh yeah. And my
bag.”

He closed the space between us, bringing his face close to
mine and whispering to me. “Is it okay for you to bring your bag home? Will
they ask questions? Should I go get it?”

I smiled. Why did I feel so warmly fuzzy? Is this what
having friends feels like? My expression must have been strange to read to
Victor, who stood back at his car, leaning against it, and crossing his arms
over his chest. He looked puzzled at us but kept his lips pursed.

“There’s some backstairs at my house. As long as my sister
doesn’t take an interest, it should be okay.”

He nodded and turned to Victor. “Just grabbing her stuff,”
he said. Kota crossed the drive to the garage and disappeared inside.

Victor’s fire eyes smoldered at me, as I followed Kota back
into his house. My heart thumped against my breast the entire time. I had
friends. Was it always this easy for people and I just never took the risk or
had the opportunity? Anxiety threaded through me. How badly I wanted to not let
this connection be severed. At the same time, it felt surreal. Maybe I was just
imagining it and they were just being nice but come tomorrow they’d get bored
and forget about me.

Would I ever feel comfortable being around other people?

Five minutes later, I had dropped off my bag into my
closet, grabbed a pair of sandals and ran back outside. My dad was already at
work. My mom was in her bedroom and my sister was nowhere to be found.

No one in my family really gave me much notice unless they
knew for sure I was with someone they didn't know. I was well known to
exploring the woods and this neighborhood was surrounded by a wooded area that
went on for quite a distance. The only warning my parents had told me when we
first moved into the neighborhood was to not get lost and to not talk to
anyone.

I had been right. Just leaving was better than asking. My
only worry was someone might spot me getting into the car with the boys.

I exited the house through the side door that opened up to
the large double-sided garage. Out in the driveway sat the BMW. I bit my lower
lip and made a dash for the car.

Kota got out of the front passenger side. He held the door
open for me, looking toward the house. “What did you say to them?”

“Nothing,” I said quickly and hopped into the car, slipping
into the smooth leather seat, feeling the coolness of the material on my
thighs. The interior did smell brand new.

Kota looked over the top of the car, studying the house. In
silence, I pleaded with him.
Just get in and let’s go
, I thought.
It’ll
be fine unless someone spots us.
I knew they really couldn’t understand why
I needed to sneak out. If they tried to ask my parents or forced the issue,
this friendship between us would be over before it ever got a chance.

His eyes swept over the two-story gray home. There was a
wide concrete porch out front, the two car garage on the outside, a screened in
porch in the back and a separate shed toward the end of the driveway. The yard
was at least an acre. It was a little bigger than the rest of the homes in the
neighborhood, but not overly so. I wondered what he thought of a girl who would
live in such a place and dashed off in the middle of the night. I assumed he
probably thought I was a complete brat, unhappy with not getting my own way. I
wanted to tell him how untrue that was. The house was big but the house was
hollow. A prison that my mother felt was protection but kept me from being a
normal teenager for years.

He turned away from the house at last and climbed into the
back seat. The breath I’d been holding on to escaped from between my lips. In
the back of my mind, I knew someday I’d have to explain my family to Kota if I
wanted to remain friends with him. He was smart and would catch on. Would he
tell Victor or other kids at school how strange I was? Would they refuse to
have anything to do with me if they knew the truth?

Victor put the car into reverse. My eyes locked directly on
the house, and I could only hope that I wouldn’t be spotted. I couldn't explain
to my parents what this was. There was no way to prove to my mother that Kota
and Victor weren’t going to rape me or force heroine into my system. Of course
I didn’t have proof but I’d always known people weren’t really like that. Not
everyone in the world was evil like my mother told me nearly every day for over
fifteen years. No matter what, they could never know about Kota and Victor.
When I had time to get the boys to like me better, I’d try to explain it to
them. My parents could never know.

Was it silly wanting someone to like me so much as much as
I wanted Kota and Victor to like me? It was the first time I ever had friends.
It felt so important now, something that last night wasn’t even on my mind.

No matter what, I
had to keep this separation, putting up a wall between my family life and my
private life outside of the house.

S
ILAS

V
ictor
drove the half circle that was Sunnyvale Court and was out on the highway
within a few minutes. He met up with the interstate a couple miles away,
heading east into Charleston. I had no idea where this mall was. Two rules
broken. I was with strangers and I was lost.

In my excitement, I hadn’t paid attention to the
conversation between Victor and Kota.

“Is he answering?” Victor said, adjusting the rear view
mirror as he sped down the road.

“Hey, you ready?” Kota asked. I turned to see he had pulled
out a cell phone, one palm was against his ear and the other pressing the phone
to his head. “We’re almost there.”

“Who are we getting?” I asked Victor.

“An ax murderer.” He grinned, the fire in his eyes lighting
up. He glanced over at me. “Will you please buckle in? It’s bad enough we
kidnapped you.”

I hid my smile from him, rather liking the idea that these
cute guys kidnapped me. That meant they wanted me around, right? My heart was
racing at this adventure. Not wanting to get too carried away, I reached for
the seat belt and strapped myself in.

Victor started playing with the radio, scanning through
stations.

“That’s good,” Kota said at a rock station. Victor ignored
him and skipped to another one. “That one’s fine, too.” I didn’t know if Kota
was interested in the music or more worried that Victor wasn’t really paying
attention to his driving. He seemed nervous.

Victor frowned, flipping away from the station. Soon he
landed on one that was playing an orchestral piece. He stopped and turned up
the volume, the violin tempo rapid. “Will this put you to sleep?” Victor asked
me.

“I love Vivaldi.”

His mouth popped open, his hand temporarily letting go of
the steering wheel. “What did you say?”

My eyes went wide and I nodded to the wheel. He recovered
and took it over again. “I said I like Vivaldi. Summer is okay,” I said,
motioning to the radio that was playing the piece. “I like Winter best though.”

Victor’s lips pursed but his eyes held that same fire. He
glanced up at the mirror and I knew he was sharing another look with Kota. I
was trying to figure out this secret language they shared. Did he think I was
weird that I knew some classical music or even admitted that I liked it? Maybe
this was a test. Would I ever be able to understand?

We pulled off the interstate and took a short drive into an
apartment complex. I was leaning against the window, feeling the sun on my
face. There was an empty swimming pool near the front and tennis courts and a
large pond in the middle with two fountains. The whole place looked more like a
resort.

“Will you stop being cute? Your nose is smudging the
window. My god, you’re worse than a puppy,” Victor said, making a slow turn
through the complex.

I blushed and sat back. Victor glanced back at me, a
playful smirk on his face. His request had me wondering if he was displeased
but he didn’t appear to be. “Sorry,” I said.

“She’s new,” Kota said. “She’s going to be interested in
stuff.”

“I got that, Sherlock, thank you,” Victor said, tilting his
head slightly as he talked to his friend, spying him through the mirror. He
pulled up to a row of cars at the last building of the complex and then yanked
the stick to park his car. “Let’s go get Silas.”

“Who’s Silas?” I asked, unbuckling, feeling goofy since I
just put the thing on. I wasn’t even sure if he had been talking to me but I
didn’t want to wait in the car. My skin was tingling with being free. With
friends. Out in their car. It was hard not to be so excited.

“Goes to our school,” Kota said after he got out. He
pointed toward the last door on the second floor. “Head on up.”

When we got to the second floor, Victor tugged me by the
arm. “Stand here,” he said, pointing to the spot just in front of Silas’s door.
I moved where he told me to. He buzzed the doorbell and stepped back, pulling
Kota with him against the wall.

I just realized he was leaving me to face Silas alone when
the door opened. The guy was at least a head and a half taller than Kota. His
hair was a deep black, shining with a light behind him reflecting on it. His
eyes were a deep brown, almost black in the shadow of the overhang over the
apartment. His jaw was firm, squared. His muscles under his black Red Sox
t-shirt were prominent. Even his dark blue Levis looked bulky at the thighs. He
was raw power.