Phoebe put an arm around my shoulder, “Don’t worry, we won’t let you get too lost.”
“Just a little bit lost, right?” I teased her.
“Right. I take no responsibility for rogue hot guys that cause me to veer off course, or the occasional stampede in stairwells. In those cases, you’re on your own.” She gave a salute and went back to her brownie.
“Comforting.” I smiled and shook my head.
Chapter 10
I tried on half of my wardrobe the next morning, hoping to find the perfect outfit for the first day of classes. I finally settled on a pair of navy blue shorts, a flowing white, silk top and some silver gladiator sandals. I added some jewelry, took one last look in the mirror, and met the other girls in the living room.
Carmen, Phoebe, and I walked toward our first class, while Willow headed off in another direction. They had tried to map everything out for me last night, and said we’d meet after classes and at lunch. Hopefully by the next day, I’d be self-sufficient. I had an uncanny ability for getting lost, so I wasn’t getting my hopes up. I only prayed my other ‘abilities’ were more useful.
The first three classes went off without a hitch, just the normal first day technicalities. With my roommates in some of my classes, I felt a little more at ease. But I was still slightly distracted, trying to guess which Order every person I came in contact with belonged to. The Sons of Daimon and some of the Tritons were obvious, but the others were more difficult to pinpoint. When 4th period came around and it was time for lunch, Willow and I strolled over to a place called The Hole. Not until we had reached our destination, did I understand the name. It was a sunken rectangular area in the middle of campus, with two more recesses acting as steps. It was about the size of a football field, with different sized tables for eating, each with an umbrella to shield its inhabitants from the summer sun. There were beautiful stone planters that carved out walkways throughout the entire area, overflowing with orchids, calla lilies, and hydrangeas. Surrounding The Hole were small shops with different food vendors; pizza, sandwiches, Chinese food, sushi, salads…you name it and they had it.
The smells alone made my mouth water. After grabbing some sandwiches, we spotted Carmen and Phoebe at a table next to a stone fountain housed in a small pond with brightly colored fish.
“Hey you guys!” Phoebe tore her eyes away from her pizza long enough to acknowledge us.
“What do you think of The Hole, Stasia?” We took a seat opposite her and Carmen.
“Definitely an upgrade from a high school cafeteria” I answered. And that was an understatement.
“Definitely an upgrade,” Carmen agreed.
“Why, thank you,” replied a guy’s deep voice. “I have on a new shirt and got a haircut yesterday, so I know I’m looking good, but upgrade is quite the compliment.” We all looked up in surprise at the two guys standing beside our table. From the horrified look on Carmen’s face, I made the assumption the guy who spoke up was her crush, Logan. He had light brown hair that had been styled in that just-ran-my fingers-through-my-hair look that was actually a spent-thirty-minutes-in-
the-mirror-styling-my-hair look. He was tall, built like a quarterback and good looking in a pretty-
boy kind of way.
“Got room for two more?” asked the second guy. He was a little more rugged, with brown hair and a trace of stubble on his face as if shaving were too much of an effort that morning. Sleepy green eyes and dimples made him look younger than he really was. His faded green t-shirt showed the muscles in his arms as he and Logan took a seat. I immediately filed them away into the Triton category.
“I’m Noah” the green shirt guy said as he shook my hand. It was strong and warm around my much smaller one. He grinned and his dimples deepened. A nervous tickle ran through me.
“I’m Stasia.”
“And I’m afraid ya’ll weren’t the upgrade we were talking about,” Carmen threw out at them playfully, “It’s gonna take more than a new shirt and haircut to impress us.”
“Clearly,” Noah commented, eyes still on me.
Logan cleared his throat, “You must be Stasia.”
“That’s me,” I realized he hadn’t told me his name. “And you are….?”
“Incredibly annoying,” filled in Carmen, while Logan gave her a playful pinch on the arm, “See? Proves my point,” she grinned back at him.
“I’m Logan,” he said to me, confirming my suspicions, then went back to pinching Carmen’s arm. Willow was right, he was definitely into her. All of the sudden, I got that feeling of being watched again and my eyes locked in on the culprit, sitting about three tables away with two other dark haired guys. The world stopped mid-spin and everyone else disappeared. He held my gaze with confidence.
Hi. He mouthed.
Hi. I felt my lips move in response, although I didn’t remember telling them to do so. I also didn’t remember telling my cheeks to grow warm, but that’s exactly what they were doing. His dark features contrasted with the brightness of The Hole, taking my breath away. It was as if he didn’t belong in the sun, among the flowers. His face was unreadable except for a slight grin lifting one corner of his mouth. He had an air of self assurance and purpose that wouldn’t release my attention. I felt myself being sucked into a world where only he and I existed. A world I never wanted to leave.
Overwhelmed by his intense gaze and the frenzy of feelings running through my body, I looked down at my food to get a grip on reality.
“Right, Stasia?” I heard Phoebe ask and everyone looked at me expectantly.
“Uh…what did you say?” I squeaked, feeling shaken.
“That we would see them at the bonfire tomorrow.” She winked and Carmen’s eyes were practically begging for me to agree.
“Oh, yea…sure, we’ll be there.” I glanced back up at his table, but to my surprise they were gone. I swept The Hole with my eyes but didn’t find a trace of them. Then like a wrecking ball, another thought occurred to me. His face had been flawless. No bruised eye or deep gashes like I had witnessed last night. So, does that mean they really were just dreams? Disappointment wrapped around my heart. Even though they’re usually frightening, I’d come to enjoy his nightly appearances.
And he saved my life. He seemed to recognize me, too. How do you explain that?
I noticed Willow peering at me with a concerned expression, so I plastered a smile on my face to reassure her that I was fine. I was hoping it could also reassure me I wasn’t losing my mind over a certain dark haired, blue eyed guy. It was almost time for 5th period, so we gathered our stuff and stood.
“I’m glad you got to meet me,” Logan smiled at me, “See ya around.”
Noah laid a hand on my arm and I retreated from his touch, surprised with his sudden closeness. “I’ll see you at the bonfire, Stasia.” He gave me a dimpled smile and strode off with Logan.
“Looks like somebody has an admirer.” Willow grinned at me.
“He’s just being nice, that’s all,” I brushed off her comment.
Carmen laughed. “Whatever. No guy looks at a girl like that if he’s just being nice. ”
“She’s right. He totally wants you. He’s probably thinking of ways to get you alone at the bonfire already.” Phoebe wiggled her eyebrows at me again.
I rolled my eyes at them and headed to Marine Biology, praying I didn’t get lost. After a couple of false attempts, I made it to the right room and took the last seat available. Which also happened to be right beside the evil queen herself. Olivia dissected me with a scrutinizing look and whispered something to the girl in front of her. I had a feeling they weren’t discussing how to solve world hunger. Especially when they both glanced back at me and kept whispering. What was this, third grade? If it were, I would definitely give her a wet willy right in the ear. The thought made me smile and I turned my attention to the teacher. I almost fell out of my chair.