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“Survival. ” He sneered. “I’ll see you in class, Annelise. ” He stopped and turned to head back the way we came.
“Wait. ” I stopped, too, staring dumbly. “I thought you were going to the dining hall. ”
“I’ve lost my appetite,” Ronan said. And he left me standing there.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
As it turned out, an early dinner wasn’t a good idea. In fact, it proved to be a very, very bad idea.
I’d shoveled down my food, pocketing a roll to snack on later, and was back out the door before too many other kids even had a chance to show up. Head down, hands jammed in my pockets, I walked as briskly as I could, teetering on the very outer edge of the path headed back to the dorm.
But it wasn’t inconspicuous enough. A chorus of guy voices greeted me.
I didn’t look up. I just upped my pace. The voices got louder. More specific. “What’s her problem?” one shouted, and another followed with, “Bitch is scared. ”
Then I heard Yasuo. “She’s too good for us. Isn’t that right, D?”
Crap. It wasn’t just any group of guys. It was Yas and his pals.
I walked faster, my eyes glued to the ground, and passed by them. Just as I began to release a pent-up breath, I felt them stop. Like a herd, they turned as one, dutifully following me back up the path.
What the hell? These were growing boys—shouldn’t food be the most important thing on their minds? I laughed nervously, still not daring a glimpse at them. “I’d get my butt to the dining hall, if I were you. Food goes fast on casserole night. ”
“You’re much tastier,” the Trainee named Colin said. He was one of those swaggering, quarterback types, which apparently translated in life as on the field. “What do you think, Dan? What would you rather eat? Cafeteria slop or Acari slut?”
Redheaded Danny laughed hard and shouted an answer, but between me huddling extra deep in the hood of my coat and his thick British accent, his words just sounded like oi oi oi oi.
I picked up my pace, but felt a hand swipe at the sleeve of my coat. Dammit. I could break into a run, but that’d probably only trigger some pack instinct. They’d simply chase me back to the dorm and eat me alive.
I was out of options. I stopped short and spun on them. “What?”
They were a huddle of about a half-dozen boys, staring at me. Some glared (Yasuo), some gaped (Toby-My-Trainee), and others goggled as though mine were the first breasts they’d ever seen (Colin, Dan).
I hardened my stance, not in the mood. “What are you looking at?”
“You. ” Colin curled his lip, taunting. “Trash. ”
Nice. Here we go. I put my hands on my hips and stood as tall as my five-foot-two frame could stretch. “I knew you were a dumb jock, Colin, but do you think you could do us all a favor and maybe dream up a better comeback?”
I scanned the rest of them, doing the mental tally. Fangless Rob was notably absent. I was desperately curious to know where he was and what would come of a one-fanged Trainee, but this was definitely not the crowd to ask.
My gaze came to rest on Yasuo, standing front and center. This was obviously his party. “What’s the deal, Yas? You’ve got yourself a little gang now?”
“Gangster is in my blood. ” He’d pronounced it gangsta.
I fought not to roll my eyes at the posturing. “Seriously? And I suppose these are your homeboys?”
“Dude’s from LA,” Colin cut in with a tough-boy nod.
“Dude’s from the valley,” I snapped, then turned my full attention to Yasuo. “You hated your father. But now you’re…what? Supposed to be all Yakuza like him?”
His response was a silent glower.
Now I did roll my eyes, taking in the lot of them. “Okay, gangsters. Riddle me this: I thought vampires were supposed to be solitary creatures. ”
Yas took an aggressive step toward me. “You don’t know shit about me or vampires. ”
I put my hands up. “Easy, cowboy. ” I knew shit about both, in fact, but now wasn’t the time. Instead I asked, “What’s the plan here? You’re going to…what? Jump me? Do you really think you can do that here?” I glanced around to prove my point. “In the middle of the quad?”
