AllFreeNovel
Share Us
27
Harper
The buttery lateautumn sunshine feels amazing on my skin and the breeze carries the scent of wood burning in the fireplaces throughout the school. Winter is on its way to the Underworld and while the gardens are brown and dying, they still provide a much needed escape from the daily life inside the school.
I lean back on the bench and close my eyes, taking in a deep breath. If only things could be this peaceful and calm all the time.
But they aren’t.
The last few weeks have been challenging. And by challenging, I mean I’m lucky to still be alive.
“Harper? You okay?” Corbin asks.
Corbin is a complete gentleman. We’ve been on three dates now and he’s a hopeless romantic. So different from his brother or the other men I’ve encountered here.
When I’m with Corbin, I feel like I can be myself. I can let down my guard and just live in the moment. It’s refreshing and I’m grateful to him for every second of feeling normal he brings me.
But my classes and the added pressure of performing well have kept me so focused on school that everything else is secondary. And I know I’m not the greatest company lately.
“Yeah,” I say. “I’m just distracted.”
“Finals?” he asks.
“That, and the research paper with Liam, and the three exploding potions this week and the hexes on my door…” What can I say, it’s been a rough few weeks.
“Here’s what I want you to think about,” he says. “You had three potions explode on you this week. All from people trying to take you down. You have people trying to hex you. But you’ve caught them all and diffused them before they could succeed. And you’re still sitting at the number two spot.”
I hadn’t thought about that. I smile and take hold of his hand. “You’re right.”
He stands and takes my hand. “Come on, I want to show you something.”
Curious, I follow him down the stone path in the school gardens. We’re alone out here, which is surprising considering how beautiful it is. Though, I suppose most of my classmates are getting ready for whatever parties there will be tonight. I’ve learned Saturdays are the biggest party night as we get closer to the end of the semester. But given the target on my back, I’m avoiding large gatherings of people who might want to take me out.
He leads me to the hedge maze, which isn’t as full of life as it was during my last visit here. I tense, recalling my moment with Damon. He’d backed off a little lately and I suspected it was because I was spending so much time with his brother. Part of me missed his attempts to get in my pants.
Guilt flickers as I refocus on Corbin. I should not be thinking about his brother while I’m with him.
We walk into the maze and he leads me through several turns and I wonder if he’s taking me to the gazebo. I’ve never told him what happened that night and I wonder if Damon kept it from him too.
We reach a small clearing, similar to the size of the space for the gazebo, but instead there’s a statue in the center.
I let go of Corbin’s hand and walk up to the worn gray stone. It’s a woman who looks like she’s riding a wave. She reaches above her and in her outstretched hand is a star. Her features look so lifelike that I almost expect the stone to move. She looks like she’s simply holding her breath.
“It’s beautiful,” I say.
“This is Sierra LeMon,” he says. “She’s one of the founders of this school and she was not a demon.”
My brow furrows and I look away from the statue. Corbin walks over to it and sets his hand on the stone. “She’s an angel. Like you.”
“Really? I thought angels weren’t a common thing around here,” I say.
“They aren’t,” he says. “But apparently angels and demons used to travel freely between our two realms. They would work together and shared learning spaces. Apparently, there used to be a lot of half-angel, half-demon kids here.”
“What happened?” I ask.
“War, famine, humans shifting alliances,” he says. “They closed borders, kept to themselves, decided to mistrust each other.”
“I definitely feel that mistrust,” I say.
