“My name is Isadora Dixon.” There was an undercurrent of a threat in her introduction. “You will not call me by my first name, you will raise your hand if you have something to say, and I will not tolerate tardiness.” She glared right at me and I shifted restlessly in my seat, fighting the urge to run out of the door as fast as possible. She was one of the women from my dream. Dark, curly hair rested on her shoulders and her green eyes were boring into mine. Her left eye seemed to twitch, and then she addressed the rest of the class. “Is that understood?” Mumbles of agreement came from my classmates. I was too shocked to move or say a word. I remained that way throughout her lecture and the assigning of the homework. More groans from the class and finally 5th period was over. I raced out of the room.
I let out a breath I didn’t know I had been holding, as I found the girl’s bathroom down the hall. I splashed cold water on my face and looked up to see my bright turquoise eyes staring back at me in the mirror, stricken with panic. Does she know that I heard them talking last night? Could she have seen me? Should I tell Kira? Can I trust Kira? Unfortunately, I didn’t have long to think about it because a group of girls walked into the bathroom. I made my exit, not wanting an audience. I just needed to get through one more class. I could do this. Then I could freak out in the privacy of my own bedroom.
I made it to Harlow Building and into my next class with time to spare. I had to look at the number on the door twice to make sure I was in the right place. Instead of desks, there were ten substantial tables, each holding a large, square container made of glass. Walking down the center aisle, I noticed they were each about a foot deep and completely filled with water. I chose one at random and took a seat behind it. The chairs were tall, cushioned and even twisted back and forth. I settled into mine and watched the water as it gently rolled back and forth within the container.
Completely mesmerized, I didn’t hear him until he was already sitting in the chair beside me.
“You could cause a flood doing that, you know.” Even though I’d heard his voice many times in my dreams, I still wasn’t prepared to hear it in real life. My eyes met his, my heartbeat kicked into overdrive and I struggled to keep my voice steady.
“I’m not doing that.” Brilliant answer.
“Of course you are.” He grinned at me like he knew a secret. I was just trying to remember how to breathe. “Who else do you think is doing it?”
“How do I know you aren’t doing it?” Another award-winning answer.
He smiled and twisted in his chair to face me. His dark hair was swept across his forehead, threatening to fall into his blue eyes that were currently watching me with amusement. He was wearing a fitted dark gray t-shirt, jeans that were snug in all the right places, and flip flops. The sun had turned his skin a golden tan that made his eyes look even bluer. I was momentarily distracted by the muscles in his arms as they flexed when he turned toward me. His smile widened and his eyes lit up with mischief. Once again I felt like I’d missed the punch line to a joke I never heard.
“What are you grinning about?” I asked, wondering what could be so entertaining about me.
Instead of answering, he asked me a question of his own, “Do you know that aquamarine represents foresight and courage?”
“Aquamarine?” I asked with confusion.
“The color of your eyes.” I froze. He paused, then continued, his tone suddenly serious, “Do you have foresight and courage, Anastasia?” The profound way he looked into my eyes had my palms sweating.
“How do you know my name?” I asked, feeling a little lightheaded.
“Everyone knows your name.” Leaning forward, his knee brushed mine and I was all too aware of how close he was. His face darkened.
“Stay away from the light station, Stasia,” he whispered. “People get hurt there. It’s dangerous.” I couldn’t tell if it was a warning or a threat, but he was searching my face for an answer.
“What light station?” was all I could manage to say under the weight of his stare. So he did see me. This earth shattering revelation almost unraveled me right there in front of him. Did that mean he remembered all of the other dreams, too?
His lips formed a slight smirk and his eyes sparkled. I could tell I was amusing him again, apparently a new talent of mine. Mrs. Wyatt chose that very moment to begin class, so I turned my attention to the front of the room, still a little shaken from his sinister tone.
“For the first week, we will remain indoors and then apply what we’ve learned in the actual ocean during the second week.” I perked up at this while she continued, “Throughout this class, the things we will work on could be potentially dangerous,” I thought I heard a snicker beside me, “So, I expect your full attention at all times. My hope is that you will learn a great deal, as well as have a little fun” She winked at us and I decided I liked her.
She passed around an outline of what we’d cover throughout the semester, but my mind kept wandering to the much more intriguing mystery sitting beside me. He’d been in my dreams for years, but I didn’t even know his name. With a sideways glance, a gasp escaped my lips. A black skull and crossbones trace adorned the muscle on his forearm. It moved slightly as he tapped his fingers on the table, making it appear even more menacing. Did every Son of Daimon have the same trace? I assumed that’s the order he belonged to. But considering I didn’t even know his name, it was hard to assume much of anything.
My eyes moved up to his face and my breath hitched, again, as I was caught in his piercing gaze. The corner of his mouth turned up in a taunting grin. A small voice in the back of my mind told me I should probably be afraid of him. My dreams were obviously real. And if that was true, it meant I watched him try to kill someone the other night. And he may have finished the job after I disappeared. Besides, there’s only one thing a skull and crossbones stands for: death. I felt his presence wrap around me like a warm blanket on a cold night, and found myself unable to look away.
Holding my eyes, he reached out and ran a finger over the trace on my wrist. Paralyzed by his touch, I couldn’t ignore the heat it sent up my arm. I swallowed hard, trying to control the emotions coursing through me.
“I make you nervous,” he whispered. It wasn’t a question, but a statement. The smirk on his face told me he knew it was true. I straightened stubbornly in my chair.
“You wish,” I raised an eyebrow. Two could play at this game.
His smirk turned into a full blown smile and I felt my heart melt right out of my chest.
“That sounds like a yes to me,” he whispered, and I hoped the warmth I felt rise to my cheeks didn’t give me away. “Why are you blushing?” He smiled again. Damn.
“I don’t know what you’re talki….” I started to argue, but a voice interrupted me.
“Ms. Whitman?” Mrs. Wyatt raised her eyebrows at me.
“Yes ma’am?” I immediately turned forward, looking all kinds of guilty.
“Is there something you would like to share with the rest of us?”
“No ma’am.” I heard another snicker beside me, so I cut my eyes at him. Getting in trouble on the first day is not the best way to start off the semester. Mrs. Wyatt nodded her head at me with tight lips and continued addressing the class. A piece of paper was pushed towards me.
‘Busted’ was scrawled in the bottom left-hand corner. I grabbed the paper.