Stella Academy: The Secret Society

Chapter 8

         “Are you sure?” Fred sounds concerned, but there’s more to it than just concern for her. He’s frightened. Avalon nods and hobbles into the building leaving the two of us outside.

         “What did she mean with that? ‘As long as you stay away from us’? As if I’m not trying. I don’t want anything to do with them.” I state sourly as I start back towards the party again. It takes a moment before I realize Fred isn’t with me, he stands still as a rock where Avalon had left us. Slowly I return to him, the frightened look in his eyes scare me more than anything I’d seen tonight.

         “What’s wrong?” His eyes widen at my question, as if he’s surprised I would even ask such a weird thing.

         “Haven’t you noticed everything that’s going on here?” he whispers in horror. I had never in the past years seen him this scared, I had always thought nothing could shake him up. I bring his hands up to my mouth and kiss each of his knuckles, “Have you seen the Taurus crowd? Not one is unscathed; they all have scars and marks all over. I’ve seen pictures of them from when they first arrived, not one of them was marked like that. Something weird is going on in that house.” I know he’s right, but at the moment I don’t want to agree with him, he’s too freaked out.

         “I’m sure it’s nothing.”

         “Jess, I’m scared. What if that happens to me?” Referring to Avalon, he looks at a window in the house where the light is turned on while he speaks. I grab his face between my palms forcing him to turn his head.

         “Hey, Fred. Fred—look at me Fred, look at me! It won’t happen to you, I promise you. I will not let any of them hurt you. I won’t let that happen. I will kick their ass if they even try to touch you.” He chuckles and kisses my forehead, “Do you want to get back to the party?” I ask hesitantly.

         “No, let’s just go to bed. I’m not really in a party mood.” He sighs. Still holding his hand in mine, we go to his room.

*** 

I have to say starting classes has been hard; suddenly I’ve had to think about schoolwork again. Luckily my professors are absolutely amazing. Especially my microbiology professor is interesting. She’s a young woman, young enough to have most of the freshman guys following her around. It amuses me to see how all the boys fight to sit in the first row and then just spend the whole class drooling over her. She doesn’t seem to notice the attention she’s getting; she only had eyes for her husband, another professor at the school, the one in charge of the scholarship students. Fred has a few classes with him.

I haven’t seen Avalon since the night at the party, it’s like she’s disappeared from the face of the earth. Phoenix on the other hand is everywhere. I’m not even kidding, everywhere I look, there he is, and where he goes Sky goes. They’re a package deal. But even with her always around I still feel his lingering stare on me every once in a while.

It has been a few weeks since classes began, and I haven’t experienced any more weird run-ins with animals, so I don’t feel so unsafe walking around campus alone anymore. Music is blaring into my ears from the ear buds, and I’m completely lost to my surroundings as I walk around in my own thoughts, letting my feet lead me back to my room. The sun is setting and I just left the cafeteria after dinner. After changing the song I look up and I’m immediately confused when I find myself by the Taurus house. The security guards eyes are fixed on me, both looking incredibly hostile, not wanting to get into another argument with any of the Taurus students or the guards I turn around on my heel and walk straight into someone. My ear buds fall out when we collide, and I steady myself so I won’t fall.