Page 12 of Caelum

ELEVEN

EVE

Settling into Caelum was surprisingly easy. It helped that most people ignored me. Well, save for Stefan, Nestor, and Eren. I had a feeling that when their friend finally woke up, he’d hang around me too just because they were close, but otherwise, the rest of the students seemed to go out of their way to avoid me.

It made me grateful for whatever it was that linked me to Stefan. I didn’t want to be alone anymore. I felt like I’d been alone all my life, and now I was here, with the promise of a community, but it was only being followed through by Stefan and his friends.

My major complications stemmed from not understanding what people were saying. It didn’t matter that everyone spoke the same language. What they said was what confused me.

I had no idea how someone could throw shade, and harshing someone’s mellow? What on earth did that even mean?

It wasn’t that people went out of their way to confuse me either. But references to movies went over my head, I had no idea who Sheldon Cooper was, and when it boiled down to it, I got sick of asking why He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named couldn’t be named so I’d read the full series to catch up.

Of course, I read the books, watched the shows, and sat back with the boys and viewed the movies, but I only had so much time in a day.

Despite housing all these souls within me, they didn’t extend time and make it easier to multi-task .

“You’re not concentrating.”

I blinked at Merinda. “I am.”

“Thought it was a sin to lie,” she grumbled.

“Well, it was back at the compound, but I’m no longer there, am I?” I retorted, satisfied with my answer when she muttered at me.

“Look, concentrate. I have places to be.”

“You say that often. Why are you teaching me if you want to be elsewhere?”

“Because I like you, kid, and yeah, that stuns the shit out of me too.” She looked me up and down. “When are you going to stop borrowing your little friends’ shirts?”

I frowned. “When I can buy clothes of my own that don’t?—”

“Don’t, what?” She cocked a brow, eying the T-shirt that was far too large and all the more comfortable for it. “Fit?”

“I’ve never worn anything so revealing in my life as the clothes in my closet.”

She shrugged. “You have money. Buy your own shit.”

“Buy my own shit?” I scowled at her. “Why would I buy that?”

“God help me, you’re so literal,” she growled. “I meant you can buy whatever you want. Most kids don’t have allowances as large as yours.”

“I don’t want to be a burden, and Nestor, Eren, and Stefan don’t mind me wearing their shirts.” Goodness, I wished I could wear their shorts as well. These things called yoga pants went all the way up to the apex of my thighs. Sometimes, they even dug between my most private area!

It was beyond bewildering why females wore them.

“If you want to get laid this century, wear some of the clothes in your closet. Let the guys see your assets. Once you get your freak on, you’ll calm down some. Might be less uptight.”

Considering I understood about seventy percent of that sentence, I just murmured, “If you say so.”

“Meaning you’re going to ignore me?”

I shot her a smile. “I didn’t say that, did I?”

“Diplomacy, I like it. Not.” She shot me a dirty look. “What was I saying about Loreleis?”

Merry was here to tutor me in things that I should have learned four years ago upon arriving at Caelum. Since I was late to receiving any kind of information about my species, I had to catch up.

It wasn’t fun.

Nicholas, the principal, Damon, the man who stood sentinel over the front doors, and Merry each held classes on the different souls and how they worked. Thankfully, that was the only time I spoke with Nicholas. One class was more than enough with him.

I quite enjoyed the theory. It was the active sessions I didn’t like.

As anticipated, I was a lot rounder than most women in the school. They could do things called dropkicks and uppercuts without looking like a tomato and getting their yoga pants stuck up their buttocks.

I was certain that was the devil’s work, but for all I’d learned about another kind of world within this world, there was no such thing as that. Or magic. More’s the pity.

When Merry stared at me expectantly, I rummaged around my brain for what she might have been talking about. Mostly it was about the voice and how a Lorelei used it to engage, bewilder, or entrap humans and creatures alike.

“You were trying to show me how we lulled the compound to sleep,” I replied after a few moments of heavy thought.

She pursed her lips. “Do you remember the song?”

I frowned. “No. I don’t really remember joining in with you if I’m being honest.”

“Is it a blackout in your mind?”

Her concern had me hesitating. Which answer wouldn’t get me into trouble?

She waved a hand, almost as though she’d heard my silent question. “Never mind. What can you remember?”

“That everyone fell asleep. That’s it.”

That had her lips firming into a line before she began to sing. The notes had every hair on my body rising to attention, and a quiver shot down my spine in response to the beautiful song. There was a faint warbling to it that reminded me of birdsong, but equally, there were words that I remembered hearing from before. Even if that wasn’t active memory, it was like I’d heard the song when that was a sheer impossibility.

Stefan had introduced me to YouTube and the millions of songs that were out there now. Having endured hymns all my life, Chet Faker and Sam Smith were a definite improvement.

Still, before now, I’d only ever heard religious songs, and this was definitely not that. It was in tongues . I’d never heard that before I’d crossed through the portal into Caelum.

On edge because my memory was playing tricks on me, I noticed I had her attention. One hundred percent.

She broke off, fracturing the beautiful song. “Aren’t you tired? ”

“Should I be?”

“Can’t you ever answer a question?”

“Can’t you?”

Merry grunted then turned her back on me to stare out of one of the windows.

The room we were in was considered small for Caelum. It consisted of a round table that was almost as large as the room itself. Odd chairs surrounded it, and I liked the one with the wide back that had wings where I could rest my head while I listened to whatever my tutors were teaching me.

There were paintings of all varieties on the wall. Some in colorful frames with others in ornate gilt. They depicted anything from battle scenes to portraits of beautiful young ladies. Not an ounce of space was free save for where there was a chalkboard. Caelum seemed to have hoarding issues, which I was up-to-date with considering Nestor had insisted we watch something called Hoarding: Buried Alive the other day while Eren was working out.

On the side wall, there was a view of the ocean that I had to fight every time I came in here. Concentrating on work was hard when all I wanted to do was look beyond the glass.

Watching Merry stare out at the view, I was hesitant to break her train of thought. I knew I was unusual. Not just because of the whole ‘eight souls’ thing, but because I said things that surprised them all.

Not just Nicholas, Damon, and Merry, but Nestor, Eren, and Stefan too.

I didn’t mean to bewilder them, but whenever I asked a question, I seemed to. Sometimes I didn’t even have to open my mouth to perplex them as was the case now.

“What do the boys make you feel?”

The question came out of nowhere, and I shifted uneasily in my seat. “Why do you ask?”

“Because I’m curious. I’m not like Nicholas and Damon, Eve. I won’t just talk to you about theory but about life. About being a woman in this world. A world that isn’t bound by the ties of religion or a man’s whim.”

I frowned at that and then thought about what she was saying. “They confuse me,” I admitted eventually, settling on those three words because while they weren’t the whole truth, some of it was.

“In a good way or a bad way?”

I was surprised that I understood what she meant. “Sometimes, it’s bad.” I licked my lips and pressed a hand to my belly. “When I watch them hitting each other, I get confused. There’s warmth here when I see them fight, watch them try to best each other, but then there’s fear they’ll hurt one another.”

She hummed under her breath. “Any news on Alexandre?”

I shook my head. “No. He’s still sleeping.”

Merry pulled a face. “Damn Hell Hounds punch hard. What is that now, two weeks? Happened the day you arrived, didn’t it?”

“Yes. They’re worried.”

“Understandable. We’re not often ill this long. We heal quickly. That Alexandre hasn’t, doesn’t bode well.”

My eyes flared wide. “You think he might die?”

Merry shrugged. “We live long lives, but we’re not impossible to kill, and Hell Hounds? They’re the strongest of us all.”

“Because their anger shields them,” I quoted what Nicholas had told me earlier that week.

“Yes. We’re all tied to something, Eve.”

“I know. That’s where the basis of the seven deadly sins comes from, isn’t it? Lust for the Incubi and Succubi. Sin Eaters are the gluttons. Gargoyles are sloths, and Vampires are greedy. Hell Hounds are wrathful, with Weres being prideful.”

“And Loreleis are envious.” She smirked. “Or should I say we covet what we cannot have.”

I gnawed my lip as I stared at her smirk. “Are we evil, Merry?”

“Just because our traits were misinterpreted along the way and used as a guideline for humans doesn’t make us true sinners, Eve. Anyway, you know religion doesn’t belong here.”

I did, and though I preferred it to my past life, that didn’t make it easy to break the habit.

My earliest memories involved the Church. We attended twice a day, three times during the festivities. Even as a child, we’d worked hard, had many chores, and going from such an active day to a relatively slow one was surprising.

Though most of the other students complained about the load the Academy placed on them, I didn’t because it wasn’t.

I didn’t have to help make dinner for hundreds, didn’t have to serve men who leered at me when my Lorelei was in full force. There were these marvelous machines called dishwashers that didn’t necessitate my rubbing my hands raw as I cleaned hundreds of plates. I didn’t have to teach the children, didn’t have to read the Bible out loud. And, most importantly, I was never punished physically.

That was the most joyful difference between the compound and here.

Even if I made a mistake, even if I did something wrong or even refused to do something, they never used brute force against me.

It was deliciously liberating, and to a certain extent, intoxicating.

“Do you know what that heat in your belly means?”

Merry seemed intent on driving a point home, but I didn’t know where she was going with this.

I’d been at Caelum for fifteen days now, and most things confused me but being with Nestor, Stefan, and Eren didn’t. They were the only things that made me feel grounded, and I didn’t appreciate Merry stirring things up and making me question their friendship.

I scowled at her. “Why are you trying to make things harder for me?”

“I’m not. I’m trying to teach you something.”

Her bland expression didn’t appease me at all. “Okay, what are you trying to teach me exactly?”

“How relationships between men and women work.”

“I don’t want to know. Not yet.”

“They’re creatures, Eve. That’s what they want. And if you hadn’t been raised where you were, you’d want that too. I’m trying to spare you any confusion.”

“I’d prefer to stay confused,” I argued. “I’ve seen lust, Merry. Trust me. I know what it looks like, and it’s nothing like how the boys look at me.”

She sighed and pressed her back against the panes of glass so she could stare at me and shake her head at the same time. “What you saw was a perverted lust.”

I couldn’t argue with that. “Yes. It was.” The Brothers waited for an eighteenth birthday to wed a girl, but it didn’t stop them from drooling over the Sisters.

“It isn’t always like that, Eve,” she argued.

“I should hope not.” I smiled at her. “Are we finished for today?”

“Not really,” Merry stated grimly. “But we can pick things up tomorrow. You’re reading those books Nicholas gave you?”

Was I ever. I’d never had access to such reading material in my life. I was in heaven.

Literally.

Caelum was the word for heaven, after all. I’d learned that after Nestor had shown me how to use Google Translate.

The Internet was beyond wonderful. A true gift that most disrespected by wasting it on cat memes and taking pictures of their morning coffees. As magnificent as coffee was, I didn’t understand why people took so many photos of it .

“I’m almost through them all,” I assured her, and that had her cocking a brow at me.

“Really? That was some heavy reading material. You understand everything?”

“Yes. If anything, I understand those books more than I understand any of you.”

“That’s because they were written right about your era—seventeen eighty-nine.”

I grinned at her, amused and surprised by that amusement.

Clambering to my feet after I pushed the chair away, I murmured, “If that’s everything?”

She sighed again—she did that a lot—and wafted a hand at me in dismissal.

I took no offense. I don’t think she particularly liked me, but equally, there was something that tied her here. She’d indicated that she was leaving the second she could, and yet here Merry was. Still on campus, still willing to teach me about things I was only beginning to understand.

Leaving the room, I headed down the corridor to the Garland Room where Stefan said they’d be waiting on me to finish up.

Was it strange having friends that were boys? Perhaps. But I found I quite liked it. I’d always enjoyed my brother’s company, even if he’d been beyond pious and dull as dishwater some days. Being with Nestor, Stefan, and Eren was amusing. They were always bickering, and though their propensity for fighting was slightly disturbing, the boys at the compound had been quite similar. Except here, they weren’t whipped for fighting. There was no punishment, in fact.

The long hallway was armed with the strange things I’d seen my first day, objects Nestor called suits of armor, and I stopped in front of one I liked the most. It was silver, but it was plated with gold in certain areas, and the mask looked as though it had two eye patches which soared higher as it connected with the upper part of the helmet. It reminded me of a flame, but those flames made horns that were beyond devilish.

“They say the first Sin Eater wore that.”

Having been ignored by mostly everyone, the fact that someone was talking to me surprised me. I turned my head, and seeing one of the boys Stefan and his friends loathed, I hesitated before curiosity got the better of me. “What makes them say that?”

“The horns.” His accent was strange. Everyone had their own twang, though tongues made communicating simple, but his was stronger—I liked it. It was pleasing to my ear. He was pleasing to look at too, especially when he grinned at me like he was letting me in on a joke.

“Why?” I stared at the boy who was tall, had golden blond hair, and whose skin was a pale gold from the sun. He had stubble on his chin that glittered like metal shards in the overhead lighting, and his green eyes pierced me to the quick as he stared down at me with something in those eyes I couldn’t discern.

I didn’t particularly like the way he was looking at me, but I’d seen worse things on a man’s face, so I felt no need for fright.

He reached forward and touched the point of the horn, exactly where I was, and I jolted in surprise when our fingers connected—on purpose. He purposely touched me. But when I moved back and away, Reed eyed me warily then raised his hands and backed off, explaining, “He was mistaken for the devil, and then the Sin Eaters took to wearing them during the first millennia. Christianity has been entwined with our world ever since. The church just doesn’t really know it.”

“Why are you talking to me?” What I was really asking was why he’d tried to touch my hand.

If he was taken aback by the question, he didn’t show it. “You were looking at it and I knew something about it. We all know you’re a blank slate where our history is concerned.”

“And you thought you’d fill in some of the gaps?”

He shrugged and started to walk off.

Though I hesitated for a second, I called out, “Thank you.”

He stopped walking and turned around a few feet away so I was back in his line of sight.

“You’re Reed, aren’t you?”

“Yes. And you’re Eve.” He tilted his head to the side. “Was there an Adam waiting back at that cult for you?”

Discomfort filled me, and I wished that news of my past hadn’t filtered through the place, even if I understood the logic of sharing it. I was old. Too old to be so behind on all the classes. The students would be curious, might even make life difficult for me here, and that was why Nicholas had held a special assembly to explain things.

While I understood it, I didn’t appreciate the necessity.

“No Adam,” I retorted, “but a Bryan.” My smile was taut. “He was seventy-eight and told me that prayer would help control my souls. After we were wed, of course.”

His mouth curved with disgust. “Seriously?”

“Most seriously. Even better,” I told him, turning back so I could reach up and press a hot hand against the cool metal of the armor’s breastplate, “my parents were incredibly happy that he had picked me.”

“Why?”

The question was why was I telling him this? I didn’t really know, but there was no need not to share this kind of information with anyone. But the others hadn’t asked. Not that I blamed them.

I usually kept them occupied by having them translate the random things they said. I was determined to speak like a normal seventeen-year-old before the end of the year.

“Because my father had a temper. He’d beat us from time to time, and while that wasn’t an issue, he was indiscreet. The bruises would show. He was punished for that , not the beating. Every time he did it, it lowered our status in the compound.”

“And marrying the old bastard would have improved how the family appeared?”

Nodding, I murmured, “It would have done more than that.”

“Like what?”

“It doesn’t matter anymore, does it?”

“Do you miss it?”

I snorted. “No.” Shooting him a look that had his mouth twitching, I retorted, “Would you?”

“No.” He hesitated. “But I’m not you, and I wasn’t stuck in my own personal hell for as long as you were.”

“True, but I was different, wasn’t I? The souls always kept me apart from everything. I never imagined that being different at the compound would save me in the outside world.”

“Did they beat you often?”

“No. I was good. I didn’t misbehave. I did everything within my power to keep under the radar,” I told him, proud at being able to use the slang words in the proper context.

“Makes sense.”

Did it? I wasn’t sure anything made sense anymore. That didn’t mean I wasn’t happy with the status quo, but if sense was what I’d been taught since I was a young girl, then Caelum was the New Order’s definition of insanity.

“Thank you for telling me about the suit of armor.”

He shrugged. “I’m a Hell Hound. Guarding Sin Eaters’ backs is what I do best.”

“Will your friend wear something like this when you graduate?” I wasn’t sure what happened then, but Eren said we policed our people and that made sense.

My question had his lips curving, and I’d be damned if it didn’t make those green eyes sparkle. “That would be like riding a horse and cart when you could take a high-speed bullet train to work.”

A high-speed bullet train?

I knew what each individual word meant so I figured it out. Sort of, but I made a mental note to Google that later.

“Meaning there are more efficient armors now?”

He nodded. “Yes. Back then, creatures didn’t trust one another. We worked alone.”

“Why?”

“This was before Caelum. Imagine being raised the way you were, except without Merry coming and saving you. Creatures learned of their abilities in an…” He winced. “I guess you could say organic manner. It was fucked up, and everyone finally got their heads out of their asses and figured out that someplace like Caelum was necessary if we were going to survive.

“That’s when souls started working together. You find most creatures now either run in Packs or in teams. Sin Eaters, for example, always work with a Hell Hound. Always. And usually a Vampire too.” He shrugged. “It’s just how it works now.”

“And having a Hell Hound and a Vampire on your side is better than a heavy suit of armor?”

Amusement made his eyes twinkle again, and his biceps bulged as he folded his arms across his chest then leaned back against the wall. “Yeah. Just wait until you go on a trial run. Then you’ll see the difference.”

“What’s a trial run?”

Reed shook his head. “Your language really is kooky, isn’t it?” When I blushed, he sighed. “A trial run is when they take you out, let you see the creatures in the flesh. They usually do that when you’re eighteen.”

“Why would they do that?” Goodness, why would I even want to do that? It sounded terrifying!

“So you can see the reason we exist, of course.”

When I frowned, he levered off the wall and murmured, “Anyway, I have to go. It was cool talking with you.”

I nodded, kind of relieved when he left but mostly processing what he’d just said.

Our reason for existing.

Well, every species had one, so I supposed it made sense. It was just the first time anyone had actually mentioned it.

I worried my bottom lip with my fingers as I headed toward the Garland Room, which was named for all the moldings that ran around the ceiling. Right in the center of each wall, the moldings gathered together into a garland of flowers. It was the only old part of the room though. Everything else was modern. From the squashy leather L-seater sofas to the huge screen TVs.

When I stepped into the doorway, I hesitated for a second, seeking out Stefan. He looked stressed—his brow was puckered and his mouth was twisted in an unhappy snarl. Nestor and Eren didn’t look that much better if I were being honest.

I was used to being around angry men, but at that moment, I knew I didn’t have to go and sit with them if I didn’t want to. I could go back to my room or head for the library. I had options.

Strange then, that even though I had those options, and even though I was a little uneasy about the boys’ tempers, I still moved into the room and toward them.

When they saw me, Nestor and Eren shuffled up so I could take a seat beside Stefan. They always did that, and I never complained because he smelled the best.

He was like how good fries taste but for the nose.

Part of me wanted to eat him up, but the other part questioned how that was physically possible.

“Everything okay?” I asked cautiously as I raised my knees and curved my arms around them.

The leather was soft and comfortable, but it was even better when Stefan raised an arm and curved it around my shoulder.

I pressed my side into him, immediately feeling better and not really knowing why.

It was strange to be in a room with someone and just be content because that person was there. It was even more bewildering when that person was a stranger whom you barely knew in the grand scheme of things.

God worked in mysterious ways, though, and I wasn’t about to reject this particular gift. Not when these three guys were the only ones who were talking to me on a regular basis and didn’t look at me as though I were about to develop horns.

“What day is it today?”

I was aware that to most people, to normal people , that question would indicate that Stefan was unsure if it was Monday or Tuesday. For us? The question went a whole lot deeper. Two weeks ago, I wouldn’t have been able to identify the soul in charge, but now? I was pleased to admit I could .

Clearing my throat, I murmured, “Sin Eater.” I knew because I was starving. Starving. With a capital S. I felt like I could eat a million burgers and still be hungry.

Stefan snorted. “Want to grab something to eat in the kitchen?”

“No. Not yet. I ate breakfast before my class with Merry.” I had to control myself. Back at the compound, there had only been so much food. Here? It was endless. If I didn’t want to end up rounder than the big balls some of the women used when they were training, I had to find some semblance of control.

I was already twice some of their sizes, and because of the clothes here, there was no hiding it.

He shrugged. “Okay.”

“What are you today?”

A grimace twisted his mouth. “Hell Hound.”

Ah, that explained his mood.

I turned to Nestor, who said, “Lorelei.”

Wow. In just that one word, I had my answer. My mouth started watering and not for fries. Squeaking, “I’d never have guessed,” my cheeks burned when the three of them chuckled.

“You’ve never been around a male Lorelei, have you?” he rasped, making everything deep inside me quiver. Things that I didn’t even know could move.

Wow.

“Well, not really. I guess they must have been around me here, but you know no one speaks to me.”

It wasn’t a complaint, and it sure as heck wasn’t one now considering the punch he packed when he spoke.

But I frowned at the other two. “You must have had a Lorelei day.”

Stefan and Eren shrugged. “We shielded you from it.”

“Why?”

“Because you weren’t ready to hear it,” Stefan reasoned.

“And I am now?” I wasn’t sure why they’d think that.

“Yes. You’re adapting to life here.”

I was? Okay, I was getting used to the day-to-day routine, but adapting was a strong word.

I barely understood what people were saying, and though I was reading through the class material as fast as Mjolnir traveled when Thor called his hammer home—the boys had a thing about Marvel movies—I was still in the dark about most things. At least, I thought I was.

Rather than argue with them because I’d seen how testy the Hell Hounds could be—I knew from my own personal experience that as a mild-mannered person, when that mood hit me, I could ram my fist into the wall—I instead questioned, “Eren? What are you today?”

“Were.” That was Eren, ever short and sweet. He didn’t say much, but he watched. Hard. Sometimes I thought I was far more interesting than the blood and guts that were always spilling in the movies they insisted on watching.

The first time? I’d sobbed at the sight. Now after two weeks of two movies a day? I was gradually getting used to seeing people’s insides.

“Why don’t you and Stefan go work out together instead of watching movies? You know you’ll both feel better.”

Stefan murmured, so close to my ear that I was grateful today wasn’t his Lorelei, “Are you trying to get rid of us?”

I gaped at him. “No. I’m trying to make you feel better.”

He smirked at me. “Don’t worry about that. Just being with you puts me at ease.”

“It does?” I half-squeaked that, biting on my lip when the others started snickering at me.

“It really does.”

“You’re surprisingly good for our moods,” Nestor stated, his tone matter-of-fact.

I’d noticed little things about all of them like that. How Nestor was usually reasonable and how Eren wouldn’t use three words if he could get away with saying two.

Mostly, I picked up on this because I let them interact around me without having much to say. Not because I wanted to stay on the outskirts of their conversation, but because I had no choice. I felt as though I were still speaking English while they conversed in tongues . It was very hard picking up on their meanings when they used so many phrases that we’d just never used back at the compound.

“Well, I’m glad I am. But I don’t think I do anything,” I admitted, not about to take credit for something I hadn’t done.

Stefan squeezed my arm. “Sometimes you don’t need to say or do anything, but being there helps.”

Because I understood that sentiment, I didn’t argue. Instead, I settled back and watched the movie on the screen. I was getting used to never watching the beginning or the end because invariably, someone called us away before the movie finished or I came into a room after it had started. Surprisingly enough, it didn’t diminish my enjoyment of the stories .

I had a feeling that would wane once I was used to the miracle that was a TV.

Still, because I wasn’t as absorbed as the rest of the room in the movie, I saw him first. He was a bit like Nestor in coloring, with olive skin and dark hair. But he was pale, a little washed out, and his cheeks were gaunt. His dark hair wasn’t as rich as Nestor’s and didn’t gleam like black silk. The clothes he wore hung on him, and there was something in his eye that had me nuzzling into Stefan.

The faint movement stirred Stefan’s attention. His gaze drifted from the movie and to me—he called it checking in on me—and when it returned to the screen, he froze when he saw the boy in the door.

When he released a kind of whooping sound, I jolted in surprise and lost my balance, tumbling into the cushions as he jumped straight up and rushed over to the boy hollering, “Alexandre!”

And even though I was relieved that Alexandre was finally awake, a part of me wondered if my time with Stefan, Eren, and Nestor had just run out.

What use was a dimwitted girl when they had their friend back?