Recap:
"You're running from your friends."
It wasn't a question but I answered nonetheless. "I'm not running from them, I can't run from them forever but I can hide for a decent time."
I rested my shoulder against the cavern wall, hoping he'd think I was opening up to him. It seemed to work. The skepticism in Roberto's stare evaporated. A smirk tugged at the edge of lips. It was another infuriating rich boy quirk. I wondered if people born into wealthy families were naturally accustomed to those mannerisms or if they had be taught to act a certain way. There was a chance they all suffered from hive mind, as well.
"They must have said something awful. You did not look to pleased before you left." Roberto followed my actions and leaned against the wall, his head was inclined towards me.
"Why does it matter to you?" I whispered bitterly, knowing that it didn't matter to him at all.
"I can see you already have an opinion of me. Rumors, are the only thing that can travel faster than light. Though I may not have emotions, that doesn't mean I don't have a heart. I could feel your pain and anger, nobody should have to feel that way. Especially not with people who are supposed to care for you."
I agreed with him wholeheartedly even if his sentiment wasn't sincere. They were using me. Never once did they ask about what I needed. They only asked about I could give them.
"This all your fault," I hissed, "If it weren't for you I wouldn't be in this mess. I'd be free. I could have been anything I wanted to be." Roberto didn't say anything. He just watched with a sympathetic look as I began to fall apart.
"You're a bad person," I whispered. I wrapped my arms around my waist as if I were trying to hold myself up.
Neither of us knew exactly who I was referring to.
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Aleksander's POV:
The image of Caddie's back turned to me as she disappeared, seared itself into my brain. I stood outside the Dining hall for at least five minutes, trying shake myself free of that image. Cold, abandonment left me hollowed and scared. She left. And I had no idea where I could find her. Alix stood by my side her face had nearly gone blue with the rage she was trying to hold back. To be crude, anger was like a fart, you couldn't just suppress it and plan to let it out later. It would come out on its record.
"This is all your fault!" Alix seethed.
Her teeth were gritted and bared. She looked more like a feral animal than a teenage girl in that moment. Wisps of her auburn hair had escaped her bun, they were sticking out in a random fashion. For a person who could be so beautiful when she wanted to be, she could also be the most frightening looking thing I had ever encountered. No wonder she was single. Apart from her continuous obsession with my girlfriend; she was probably the kind of girl who freaked out in the middle of a restaurant because her meal came with too much salt. Or threw a tantrum if the bathroom line was too long. One second she was a princess, the next she was a wicked witch- not exactly ideal dating material.
"You know you're a real bastard," Jaxon growled, "You act as if you're better than everyone else, as if you're beyond common pettiness but then your thoughts are equivalent to a high school gossip bitch."
"Like Regina George, with a dick," Alix huffed.
Narrowing my eyes, I shoved my curled fists in pockets and forced myself not to react. That's what they wanted. To have an all out brawl, to alleviate some of their aggression. They could preach about pride all they wanted and yet they were the ones insulting me to make up that they both felt responsible for Caddie's disappearance. It was because of their careless whispering that she left.
"Now look who's trying to make himself feel better," Jaxon chortled despite the obvious tension. "Caddie's thoughts were an endless slew of curse words, all directed at you, from the time she ran down the platform to the time she left the dining hall."
My fists tightened. "You forget, Slade. I can feel emotions. Though I do admit she was angry at me, that was nothing compared to the anger and betrayal she felt towards your sister and yourself. So keep throwing insults- what was it your sister said? Like Regina George with a dick. We all know how well that transpired a few minutes ago."
Alix was practically shaking- like a werewolf or the hulk. She had no control over her actions when her anger took over. Why Lady Böse thought she would be a suitable guardian was beyond me. On her watch, Caddie and herself had almost died numerous times. If she couldn't protect herself, she had no right to guard an heir.
"How dare you!" Alix spat. Her tongue was practically dripping with venom, just waiting for to hurt me. But that would never come to pass. I wasn't the weak boy they found in the tunnels, I had never truly been him. And it was time Miss Slade got acquainted with the real me. After all, we were going to spending a lot of time together.
"No. The question is, how dare you. In case you forgot, I'm your prince. I'm in charge. And the way you're speaking to me, young lady, could get you imprisoned for treason."
Jaxon stepped forward and placed a hand on his sister's arm. His head was tilted upward, as if he were a seal balancing an object on his nose. It was a ridiculous attempt at snubbing me. His head was tilted so far back I could see a little booger hanging from his nostril hair. Jaxon made a startled noise in the back of his throat upon hearing my mental observation. He ducked his head. The action made me smirk. It was true the Slades' were powerful and a fundamental part of the United States Coven Council- a system which was much like the mortal senate. But they would never understand true power. The kind of power that could not be gained politically or through money. True power came from within itself, it was a skill you had be naturally born with. And I was born with it. I was gifted with power that dated back to the creation of man. All the money in the world couldn't amount to the power that flowed through my veins.
"You're not a prince here, Aleksander." Alix flippantly pointed.
My smirk grew. She was really grasping at straws. Trying to seem as if she were tough. Alix Slade was really just a spoiled brat, with foul mouth and bad attitude. Babies had thicker skin than she did.
"The time period doesn't change the blood in my veins. I am a prince and the only thing that'll keep you alive is remembering that for the rest of our time here."
Alix was ready for another round of poisonous words and salty back-talk when the dining hall doors creaked open. Moria walked over to our group with hesitant look on her face. She could clearly see how hostile Alix was. And for a lady to be acting in such a manner disturbed her deeply. Unnerved by Alix, Moria stood beside me. Her emotions fluctuated from weariness to an ample amount of lust and wonder. She turned to me, her pink lips slightly parted, eyes wide.
"Is everything alright?" She asked softly.
Her bell-like voice and sweet demeanor was a breath of fresh air after the non-stop drama.
"It will be once we've found our friend," I forced the edge out of my voice. Just thinking about all the various places Caddie could be sent my mind reeling.
"Oh but surely you can't go now. We have to get to your first class," Moria insisted.
"We have to find Caddie first." Alix interjected.
Moria didn't bat an eye at Alix. She continued to peer up at me under her lashes. I suppose the look was supposed to be flirtatious but it looked odd on the obviously inexperienced girl.
"I am sure that your friend has probably already made her way to class. Where else would she be?"
That was the million dollar question we all wanted to know. There was no way she'd run off to class. It was hard enough to get her to show up even when she was in a good mood. But I had nothing else to go off of. All I had to was hope that by some miracle, she'd come back to me before the day was over.
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After three hours worth of classes my hopes had been crushed. I was in a zombie-like state as the elderly teachers introduced the Slades and I to the class. Various large breasted girls, with crooked teeth and disgusting body odor tried to flirt with me. But I was quick to inform them that I had my sights set on a certain girl and none of them could match her. And though I was rude and tactless while rejecting them, they continued to giggle and twirl their hair.
If it weren't for Moria, who forced the girls to sit down, I would have done something stupid. Like send heavy doses of lethargy through their systems so they would pass out. I had never been pushed so far to use my powers against a girl but the nineteenth century was making me doubt everything I knew about myself. The classes passed in an agonizingly slow fashion. I honestly couldn't recall a single detail about what transpired beside the leery eyed girls. From the abundance of exaggerated sighs and twitching hands, I noticed that neither Alix or her brother were paying attention either. And there really wasn't any need to. We already had a higher education than they did.
"Mr. Volkov?" A teacher called out.
She was doing roll call, I believe, and expected me to yell out present or here. Neither were going to happen. Leaning back in my chair, I twirled the feather quill between fingers and fixated her with my best glare. The woman looked to be in her twenties, she had a long, plain face with a smattering of freckles across her porcelain cheeks. Though I knew I had never met her, her name, Ms. Brumswick, did sound vaguely familiar. A look of hurt flashed before her features before she skipped to the next student on the list.
"Miss Böse?" Silence followed.
Ms. Brumswick surveyed the class, and asked twice more for Caddie but I knew her small but strong voice wouldn't be heard. She was gone. My shoulders slumped as I envisioned the millions of different scenarios Caddie could be in. She had a knack for attracting danger.
Sighing, Ms. Brumswick continued through her list. "Prince Acosta?"
My head snapped up, upon hearing the devil's name. I glanced around the room, looking for his soulless black eyes but he too was missing. My stomach twisted into knots. Something was wrong. Surely, it couldn't be a coincidence that they both missing at the same time. Looking over at Alix and Jaxon, I could see they had the same look of concern on their face as I did. I inclined my head ever so slightly to avoid suspicion. Jaxon read my thoughts and the three of us stood up.
"Students please sit down, class has just begun."
Poor Ms. Brumswick tried her hardest to sound like a stern teacher, who was in charge of her class but her voice cracked at the end- revealing just how nervous she really was. I felt bad for her. Hopefully, in the future, she'll have better luck controlling her class. Ignoring the pleas of the teacher, Alix, Jaxon and I swiftly exited the classroom. We didn't talk or look at one another. It was agreed that we could equally hate each other but Caddie would have to come first.
For me, she would always come first.
**I'm so sorry for the late update. Between school and planning for my trip to Paris, I've been a little busy. I hope you guys liked this chapter, even though there was an absence of the main character. The rest of the story has finally formed in my head, so I know what direction it'll be going in. We'll definitely be dealing with more time travel and more surprises. So please keep reading. I love reading your comments and receiving your votes, it means a lot to me.
Thank you for all of your support!!
XOXO,
Ro.**