6.

“Eden,” a strained whisper beckoned me into the theater the next morning at school. I recognized Kiran’s voice and obeyed immediately. Sending a thought to Avalon and instructing him to continue on to class, lest anyone get suspicious. I ducked into the theater and found Kiran just inside the double doors.

First things first, he pulled me into his arms with a passionate kiss. I gave in immediately, letting his mouth press against mine, relishing the stolen moment. I pushed Kiran’s back against the clothed wall and tangled my hands in his tussled hair. He pulled me closer with a firm hand on my lower back, his other hand getting lost in the tangles of my own hair.

Eventually he tried to pull back, remembering there was a reason he called me in there, but I refused to relinquish my hold, pulling his neck down once again. He didn’t resist and I found his lips strongly against mine once more. My shirt had come un-tucked and his fingers found their way underneath the hem and on to my lower back. It was the first time Kiran had been brave enough to touch my usually-hidden skin so boldly and it made me only want him more.

I pressed my body closer to his, kissing him even more fervently than before. My hands tugged at the hem of his shirt, and then slipped underneath, until I felt his skin hot against my hands. Our passion was illuminated in a swirling cloud of mingled magic surrounding us.

Outside the theater doors several girls walked by laughing and talking loudly. We were suddenly several feet away from each other, doing our best to recover our composure. Kiran’s hands worked swiftly to re-tuck his shirt and straighten his tie, while mine struggled to regain the length to my skirt and smooth out my own shirt. I saw him smile adoringly at me even in the darkness, and returned it with my own version of a shy smirk.

“You’re awfully brave,” he teased, but the look in his eyes told me he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“There’s just something about those lips,” I replied coyly, walking over and giving him the smallest, but sweetest kiss I could restrain myself with.

“Stop distracting me,” he whispered sweetly, while pulling me into his arms again. The passion between us threatened to ignite, and I forced myself to remember he probably had a purpose in calling me in here. “I need to know what my cousin wanted at your lunch table yesterday,” he was suddenly matter of fact, making the anxiety from yesterday fresh in my mind.

“He was asking about Lilly, but seemed interested in me, Kiran. Why is he here?” I asked, letting the tension slip into my voice, not on purpose, but it was there all the same.

“I am not entirely sure. His interest in Lilly is perfectly natural, especially from someone in my family. I’m sure it’s nothing. He is obviously wondering what all the fuss was about I'm sure. And I know his mother was not happy with my father for sending me stateside. So he could be telling the truth about that, too. Where is Lilly, by the way? ” he asked, calmly dismissing my fears. “Did you know he was coming?” I returned to the subject carefully, not willing to lie to Kiran so early in the morning.

“No, I didn’t, which doesn’t exactly mean anything. He says his mother wants him to go to school with me, and I believe him. Like I said, she was more than upset at my father for leaving Sebastian behind.” Kiran tried to sound confident, but I could see him thinking deeply about this. “If father sent him, then he is only curious. If he truly suspected your identity, he would have sent more than Sebastian. Believe me. And a lot sooner than now. We will just have to be more careful than ever. That includes not getting caught in the theater,” he reproached playfully and then kissed my ear sweetly.

“I suppose you’re right,” I mimicked his accent, before turning to kiss him on the mouth. “Besides,” I continued, returning to my deadpan lack of an accent, “we both know that Mr. Lambert is going to welcome your arrival to class no matter how late you are, and I will be blamed entirely for it. He will probably tell you I’m a bad influence on you,” I said dramatically as we exited the theater.

“Aren’t you though?” Kiran teased and we both laughed or rather giggled at each other until we made it out into the hall and found Sebastian wandering around the lobby. We both stopped dead in our tracks. Neither one of us able to come up with a sound excuse we suddenly felt that we owed Sebastian.

“We were just, um, we were just….” Kiran stammered. I recognized his flare in magic and his instinctive need to protect me.

“It’s alright, cousin,” Sebastian assured us soothingly, “Your secret’s safe with me.” He smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes and gave him a menacing, evil look.

“No, it’s not; I mean there’s no secret. Eden sometimes forgets to use her magic and then she lets it build up and then she has to release it and she usually does so in the theater. I was actually looking for Talbott. We just happened to bump into each other,” Kiran explained quickly, but with confidence. “Where is he anyways? Have you seen him, Sebastian?” Sebastian shook his head negatively and I watched his smile diminish ever so slightly, but the suspicion in his eyes was unmistakable.

I began walking towards class, leaving Kiran behind me. I didn’t acknowledge him any more, hoping to prove Kiran’s excuse.

“Is that true, Eden? Sometimes you forget to use your magic?” Sebastian was by my side in a moment, walking up the marble stairs to English.

“Yes it is true. One of the perks of being raised human,” I laughed out loud, hoping to sound casual.

“That sounds dangerous,” Sebastian said pointedly. “What’s the longest you can go without using your magic?” He questioned further, and a feeling of uneasiness crept up my spine.

“Oh, not very long at all. If I go even thirty minutes without using it, I suddenly cause an explosion or burn down a building or something,” I turned to face him and gave him my most charming smile. I pulled my long dark hair out of my face to give him the full effect of what I hoped to be a very captivating gaze. He stared back, deeply into my eyes and I forced myself not to look away. We stood there paused on the marble steps, competing with each other in a silent staring contest.

“Eden Matthews, I need to see you right away,” Amory’s sharp voice suddenly called from the bottom of the staircase. “There is a mess in the theater and if I find that you have been blowing trash cans apart again without cleaning up your mess, you are going to be in serious trouble, young lady,” Amory had taken on the role of principal and the effect was actually terrifying.

I turned immediately back down the stairs, leaving Sebastian to stare after me. Kiran was nowhere to be seen and I was suddenly grateful my grandfather was also the principal of this school. Amory pointed towards the theater and I quickly obeyed his unspoken command.

“Off to class with you, Mr. Cartier. It may only be your second day, but that is no excuse for tardiness,” Amory maintained his authoritative tone until after Sebastian had ascended the stairs. He then followed me silently into the theater, lighting the house lights enough so we could see each other.

“This is no good,” Amory worried softly once we were behind the double doors of the quiet theater.

“So he is here to spy on me?” I asked, afraid of the answer, but already certain I knew the truth.

“I can’t be sure Eden. He seems too curious about you for his sudden arrival to be a coincidence; but then again it was his mother who called and enrolled him, not Lucan. Maybe he was only curious after your interruption at the trial, his presence here might not have anything to do with Lucan,” Amory chewed on his thumbnail while pacing nervously. His image was strikingly similar to Avalon’s, both men great leaders despite their small habits.

“I don’t like him, Amory,” I whispered, reminding myself of how disturbing I found his presence.

“No, I would hope not. His personality is much more similar to his Uncle Lucan’s than even Kiran’s. I think it best if you steer clear of him altogether,” Amory turned his gaze on me and smiled sadly.

“I’ve been trying,” I mumbled, grumpily.

“I know,” Amory replied sympathetically. “I’m afraid those Kendrick boys don’t know how to leave you or your mother alone.”

“Great.”

“Aw, the price of beauty,” Amory pulled me into a side hug and kissed the top of my head.

“Yeah, right,” I groaned sarcastically, but blushed from the compliment all the same.

“Ok, here’s a pass, off to class with you,” he handed me a pink slip of paper, excusing me from being late to class.

“Mr. Lambert’s going to be so mad at me,” I squeaked, but Amory only laughed at me.

I bounded up the stairs, hoping that Amory was right. Hopefully Sebastian was only curious about my opinion at Lilly’s trial over the All Saints Festival. Maybe there was nothing else to his arrival.

----

Let’s ditch the rest of the day. Avalon sent me his thought telepathically in the middle of French.

I’ve missed too much already. I’ll get behind in chemistry. I responded glumly.

Ok, Eden. It’s time you come to terms with your magic. What good is it if you don't use it for homework? We’re skipping and that’s final. Avalon made a good point. But I couldn’t help but feel guilty for both skipping and cheating on my home work. It’s not cheating, for the last time! Avalon read my thought and I heard him grunt audibly behind me.

Fine. I gave in. It will probably be better to get away from Sebastian for a while anyways. Do you think Amory will excuse us?

This is a legitimate skip, Eden. If there are consequences to pay, we’ll pay them. We can’t continue to rely on Amory to excuse our behavior. People will get suspicious, especially that new Kendrick. Avalon’s mind voice was full of disgust, and I felt how sick and tired he was of having another member of the monarchy around and it had only been two days.

After French, Avalon and I made our way down the marbled staircase on our way out of the building, hoping to remain undetected. We were almost to the back door when a snotty voice rang out from behind us.

“And where do you think you’re going?” Seraphina’s piercing high-pitched voice demanded of us.

I turned around not entirely sure what to say. Although I would have liked to ignore her completely, I felt guilty for some unexplainable reason and couldn't just dismiss her. Ok, maybe not so unexplainable. I was cheating with her fiancé....

“Avalon forgot something in his truck,” I replied sweetly, at the same time riddled with remorse.

“That takes two of you?” She stared at me, long fingers on small hip. Her shiny blonde hair was brushed into perfection and her lips a shiny shade of pink gloss.

“Um, yes,” I said simply, and ran my fingers through my wild wavy black hair subconsciously, trying to untangle it.

“Listen Eden, I don’t know what you think you're doing, but you should know that I am not going to sit back while you try to steal my boyfriend.” My mouth dropped open from surprise, but she continued, “And listen, you better watch out because I will destroy you. Do you understand me? I will ruin your life and make you wish you never discovered those stupid powers of yours. To think Lucan wanted to know if there was anything special about you! Are you kidding me? You’re nothing but an insignificant peasant; you don’t even know how to use your magic, let alone what to do with it. You are absolutely nothing to me and you need to learn your place. Stay away from Kiran or I will annihilate you. That is a promise,” Seraphina stood there perfectly poised and perfectly put together, her one hand gripping her waste firmly. She was much too pretty to be this mean.

I stood there, cowering. I knew I was in the wrong. And I knew she was fully capable of delivering on her promises.

“Whatever, Seraphina,” I mumbled weakly, my voice shaking from fear of her.

She stood there staring after me for a few moments longer, the blue of her eyes turning to ice. I felt myself struggle to swallow, wishing she would just go away. And then finally, with one last look of contempt, she turned on her heel and walked away, her black stilettos making a hard clicking sound against the polished marble floor. One hand never left her hip, while the other hand flipped her glistening hair over her shoulder. This was why she would be queen one day; she was capable of striking fear into all people.

Avalon burst into a fit of laughter as soon as Seraphina was gone. He was practically rolling on the floor, unable to contain himself.

“You might as well have said, ‘Yes, ma’am,’” he wheezed through explosive laughter.

“Shut up,” I spat back defensively. “What was I supposed to say?”

“Oh man, that was the funniest thing I have ever seen," his hilarity eventually subsided into a softer version while he wiped tears of laughter from his eyes.

“I will never have a good day at Kingsley, will I?” I turned around and pushed the backdoor of the History and Language Building open, walking out into the fall drizzle that had clouded the early afternoon sky.