Chapter 6

I stormed outside crushing grass beneath my boots and not caring at all if anyone saw me marching angrily to confront yet another person who wouldn’t leave me alone.

“What do you want?” I demanded at the top of my voice.

“You?”

I almost tripped over my feet at that quiet and unexpected response. “What?!”

“I’m here to make sure you stay and behave.”

“And who are you to do that?” I asked indignantly, crossing my hands across my chest. Somewhere from the side of my eyes, I saw curious students watching inconspicuously from the lunchroom. Lindsay had made her way outside and was standing behind me.

“Your bodyguard. I’m doing my job. Now get back in there.”

“I don’t have to listen to someone who is paid to stalk me! You get out and stop trying to make me look like a fool.”

His eyes traveled down the length of my gothic appearance down to my pinned skirt and boots. “You are doing a good job of that yourself.”

His calm voice gritted on my nerves making me angrier. Isn’t stalking illegal? And the nerve of him to call me a fool with that mocking look in his eyes. Nobody ever takes me seriously and when they do, they mock me. It was just too much to take and without thinking I marched up to him and was about to vent my anger on him when he easily caught my hand in a strong grip. I thought he was going to further humiliate me but just then someone else joined us.

“What is going on here?” it was a firm female voice and when I looked it was a face I recognized, one of the teachers who taught us before the break. She was a nice-looking woman in her late twenties dressed just like every other person here. Her short auburn hair was pulled back behind her ears and she had a stern look on her face.

“Ginger Dark Storm what is going on here?” she repeated even firmly.

I tried to jerk my hand away from Noah’s grip but he wasn’t letting go.

“Well?” Miss Aurora looked away from me at Noah and her jaw practically dropped and she turned a bright red. “A-and who are you?”

“Noah Carr. She’s my ward and I’m her bodyguard.”

“O-oh, I – I see…”

I rolled my eyes at Miss Aurora. She was blushing so much she could barely speak and I don’t blame her. Noah was as annoying as he was handsome. His hazel blue eyes held so much beauty in them and the shiny raven black hair framing his strong cheekbones and strong jawline added to his beauty. It’s a werewolf thing. Too bad he’s an annoying prick.

“Let go of my hand, Noah!”

This time when I jerked he let me go and I rubbed at the sore wrist.

Miss Aurora had to catch herself before looking away from Noah to me. “You can go back to the lunchroom now, Ginger.”

I scoffed as I turned, “It’s Ginny. And you, Noah, go back home."

She shook her head as I walked away angrily. “Kids right? They can be difficult.”

“Are they?”

“Yeah.” She sounded breathless.

“Then you must be doing a great job keeping them in check.”

“Oh, it’s not an easy job.”

“And that one especially,” he pointed at my departing back, “is not an easy one.”

Lindsay and I entered the lunchroom again and I grabbed a tray and stood in front of a food stall without caring about what food stall I joined. The chef put a plate of rolls in my tray and I grabbed a stick of butter. Lindsay was right behind me with a plate of sausages, fries, ketchup, and fish. Princeton doesn’t mess around with food either.

We couldn’t sit with the popular kids and I didn’t care as I followed Lindsay to the Outties table and even they gave me curious glances as I joined them. I sat down facing the glass wall where Miss Aurora was pushing strands of her hair behind her ear while talking with Noah. He was so effortlessly good-looking talking with her and it was impossible not to swoon so once again I don’t blame her.

“She’s so red I’m surprised she hasn’t lost her breath yet,” Lind laughed.

“Give her a few more seconds and she will find out just how annoying he can be.”

“Uhm I don’t know about that. Looks like she’s giving him her number.”

I looked and sure enough, Miss Aurora was handing something she had written on a sheet of paper to Noah who collected it between his thumb and index finger with a surprisingly dimpled smile. I didn’t even know he had dimples.

Miss Aurora waved, looking over her shoulder as she left him. Noah was still smiling as he watched her walk away and he wasn’t showing any signs of leaving. Did Miss Aurora swoon so hard she forgot he wasn’t supposed to be standing there?

He looked away from the card in his hand and turned toward the glass wall but he wasn’t looking at me. He waved at Leo who nodded in his direction. I looked away from both men too pissed off by the both of them and almost choked on my roll in my anger.

“Seems to me like you are surrounded by hotties and you don’t know what to do with them?”

“Maybe toss them into the sea.”

“Geez girl loosen up a bit. You are not exactly the most friendly puppy in the litter and it’s no surprise neither of the men you like return the feeling.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” I demanded with a raised brow.

“Your response to Noah, you have a crush on him uhn?”

“Hell will freeze over.”

“Yeah says the girl who falls in love quickly.”

I slammed my hands into my rolls and flattened them. Butter and dough spattered on the table and some of the Outties even jumped at my show of aggression. God, I live with sheep, I am a fucking wolf among sheep.

“Lindsay I appreciate your attempt to be my friend but it’s been only five hours and you know next to nothing about me so I’ll appreciate it if you fucking stop making assumptions.”

Kicking back my chair I fled out of the lunchroom and as I walked away from the stares and widened eyes, something warm dropped on my cheek and I realized with startling morbidity that something warm waswere tears. And to make matters worse more of them were dropping from my eyes.

“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck!” I chanted as I walked past hallways and doors. Somehow I ended up climbing stairs and reached the third floor and here I pushed open a random door and ended up in the library.

Just great. This is where more sheep come to hide from the popular sheep!

But it was almost empty except for the huge rows of shelves filled with early book editions that would make the National Library jealous. There were so many books and many of them were leather-bound. Somehow the architect had made the library like a big sphere and the center isle cut it into two halves and that diameter led to the librarian’s desk. The librarian was a sleepy grey-haired woman with glasses who had her nose buried in a voluminous book. I slipped inside one of the isles to hide from the curious glances I was getting.

Seriously you would think none of these people have seen someone with piercings and fishnets and boots. I feel like such a pariah. Bad enough that I feel like a fraud as the adopted daughter of a rich woman, a powerful Luna. I wonder what they will do if I shift into my wolf form in front of the whole school. Not that I would do that since everyone is suddenly so sensitive these days.

I leaned against the heavy shelf and slid down it with my eyes closed as I sucked in deep breaths to control my tears and beating heart.

First day of school and it’s just as I thought it would be. First that bitch, Emerald, then Leo going with her as if she holds him by his groin, and now Noah. Might as well kill me.

I puffed my cheeks to release another deep breath and opened my eyes and my blurry gaze fell on one leather-bound book nestled among others and on its side were hieroglyphics engraved in gold.

Out of boredom and needing something to take my mind off my sorrows I reached out for it. But no sooner had my fingers grazed the rough leather when a dull thud shot through my chest, knocking the breath out of me right where I sat.

My hands dropped to my side, the book slid off the shelf and landed on the floor and I suddenly fell to my side with my eyes wide while I struggled to breathe. Somehow I passed out and I don’t know how long I laid there wondering if I was dead but when I blinked again I wasn’t alone anymore. There in front of me was someone on his knees replacing the book into its rightful place on the shelf. Then he turned to me and his face came into view.

I couldn’t help but groan inwardly.

Fuck my life.

It was redhead Colin.