Page 60

Not Your Barbie Girl

I sense the guys arriving, but it’s like I’m encased in a bubble of fury. The rage within me is flowing through my veins as if it’s replaced the blood, and my entire body is sparking with energy. My ears are ringing and the dull throb of my speeding up heartbeat pounds along with the shrill sound. It’s as if time has stopped around me, and I’m merely existing as a physical representation of the emotions swirling within me like a wildfire of pain and vengeance.

Antigone Lisel Beauregard is the last person on this planet I ever wanted to cross paths with again.

Of course, Amy Matilda and her cronies know that. They’re the ones who convinced her to commit her first betrayal. That they brought him along means they know what bullshit she pulled at State U. For all I know, they helped orchestrate it.

People can grow and change, but mean girls like Amy Matilda derive their power from controlling others. Their entire identity is based in the reality where they are the top of the food chain at all times. It was a culture shock, I’m sure, for Amy to arrive at Brown and not be the Queen Bee she would have been if she’d stayed at State U. Meddling with the lives of her ex-peons back home would have satisfied her desire to destroy anyone who dared to pick themselves up after she squashed them.

Hell, I wouldn’t even be surprised if those bitches had a bet going about how long it would take to make me crumble. Bored rich kids are like that everywhere—selfish, self-centered, and cruel.

“Oh, Jolene. What a turn on the old song… it was me who took your man,” Antigone crows, shaking her long wavy red tresses off of her shoulder. “I’ve been waiting to say that for years ! I even spoiled my costume theme so I could have flowing red locks to make it even more ironic.”

I blink, still not able to speak because of the amount of absolute murder coursing through my mind and heart. Isis tightens on my waist, and I feel the rest of my companions step into the bubble I’m trapped in. Soft snarls and growls escape the servals and hounds, followed by a screech and a caw from the birds above me. The connection between me and the animals intensifies as they move closer, and it’s like my brain is ping-ponging from them to the guys.

Why do I feel so weird? Why can’t I speak?

I want to scream at the woman who almost destroyed my psyche twice, but I can’t get anything to come out.

“No witty retort? Nothing to say from the great savior of losers everywhere?” The man next to Antigone cringes, and I look at him with curiosity.

Trevor hasn’t aged well in the past decade—likely a product of being married to a shrew like her. His clothes are designer, but he’s gained weight and his skin is sickly pale. The goatee on his chin looks ridiculous; he never could wear facial hair well. His expression is defeated, like he has no choice but to stand here and watch her try to destroy me one more time.

He was a coward then, and he’s a coward now.

What surprises me most is the lack of emotion I feel looking at him. When he walked out on stage with her, descending the small steps like the King and Queen of prom, I thought my heart would try to rip itself out of my chest. But all I feel now is a dull ache where love once was and pity for the man who died when he made his choice all those years ago. I’m not even angry with him—only her—and that’s puzzling.

“Sugarplum, we’re here!”

Wolfie’s cry snaps me out of the trance. The violence within me channels itself from my feet to my head, and tears form in my eyes. They aren’t tears of sorrow, though; they are tears of fury. All the emotions dancing over my skin like sparks converge in a shield over my skin, pushing words out of my stomach into my mouth like a fist.

“ Who do you think you are ?!”

My voice booms in the room like I’m using a megaphone, and my body feels weightless as I lift my hand to point at the woman in front of me with a sneer gracing my lips. I turn my head, hoping to give a panicked look to my boys. It feels like I’m not in the driver’s seat in my skin and I have no idea what is happening. Am I getting ready to black out again? Fuck, I hope not.

“Tiogair, you need to breathe and let it happen.” Doyle’s words echo in my mind as his hand rests on my shoulder. “Don’t fight it. I can sense your fear, but what is inside of you will protect you. Let go, and I promise, you will be okay.”

Closing my eyes, I do as he says, letting go of the tenuous grip I keep on my emotions in public. I vowed never to let people who sought to harm me see how I felt again, but with the boys forming a half-circle around me, I feel stronger. I can handle the pain if it’s coming.

“Well, isn’t this sweet! The Catastrophe has a stable of men she services. It doesn’t surprise me to find out you’ve become the town whore, Jolene. You were always running after men like you had an itch to scratch when we were younger,” Antigone laughs, waving her hand carelessly.

Her friends watch from a distance, and I wonder why they aren’t stepping up like my guys. I knew Amy and her crew were vicious, but I didn’t realize they were cruel enough to weaponize someone and leave them stranded to take the blame. More’s the pity for her, though, because I’m not the lonely girl I was the first time a scene like this occurred.

I’m stronger, smarter, and I have a cadre of people behind me. My ex-best friend and ex-fiancé no longer hold the power over me they did when Trevor broke our engagement to be with Antigone. The years of therapy and work on my self-esteem will not be destroyed simply because this bitch exists in my stratosphere again.

“I asked who the fuck you think you are, Antigone. Have you gone deaf or is the space between your ears echoing?” I growl, stepping forward to get in her face.

“Uh, Teddy? Do you see…?” Wolfie’s question cuts off, but I ignore him as I continue to glare at my nemesis from school.

“You’ve been nothing but trash, Whitley, and I haven’t regretted ratting you out once in thirteen years. You deserved your punishment.”

It feels like I’m floating in space; that’s how infuriated I am. The indignation is like needles poking through my flesh, and I lift my chin as a strange sensation burns its way up my spine into my shoulders. I raise my hands in the air as my vision darkens and the tears continue to run down my face. “ Den eísai áxios tou chrónou mou, adynami . Tha érthei i óra sas kai tha eínai éndoxi. Xekiniménos kléftis !? 1 ”

A giant burst of energy escapes, the sound like a thunderclap inside, and panic sets in when I realize I’m definitely blacking out this time.

What in the hell just happened?

* * *

“Andrew, she still hasn’t emerged yet. They promised she was special, and she’s useless! We’ll never advance our standing in this godforsaken town if she’s a dud!”

“Have patience, Eloise. Andromeda said some children emerge late—even after college. Those children are usually the strongest and most powerful because they tend to be ones left by higher tier extranormals. She could even be multi-sided. We have to wait it out. Besides, it’s not like we’re going to disown her if she turns out to be without a supe strain, right?”

The silence is heavy as they look at one another. Neither of them heard me creeping down the stairs to find out what their latest fight was about. Unfortunately, like always, it’s about me. Every time I spy on them, all they’re ever arguing about is why I’m not good enough. Or at least, that’s what my mom seems to think. Something I haven’t learned or developed is making her want to send me away, and I have no idea what it is. I’d fix it if I knew. Many things come naturally to me as I learn quickly. I’m sure I could do it if I knew what to focus on.

“We took her in on the condition she would help us further our careers, Andrew. You weren’t supposed to get attached to a mutt. If she can’t help us by the time she turns eighteen, we’ll see her off to college and that will be that. It’s not as if adult children want to spend a lot of time with their parents, anyway.”

Her heels click on the parquet as she walks into the kitchen. My dad follows her, whispering his response in a harsh tone. I’m sure they’re being quieter in the kitchen because it’s below my room, but they don’t know I’m not up there. I guess it’s comforting to know they’re trying not to be cruel to my face, but somehow, it doesn’t keep the tears from falling. I wipe one off of my cheek, frowning when it comes back a brilliant red.

That’s odd. Did I cut myself and I haven’t realized it?

If I’m bleeding, I’ll have to head upstairs and clean up. Mom will be furious if I dirty her floors and blood is impossible to get out. She nearly lost her mind the first time I had my period and stained an expensive set of Egyptian cotton sheets. As if I could have predicted that, right?

Closing my eyes, I smile to myself as I make a dash for the stairs, moving fast enough that it feels like I’m flying. If only I could fly away from here, I’d never come back—not in a million years. Between the mean girls and the elite boys., I hate school and now that I know my mom wants to get rid of me, I hate her, too.

Maybe someday I’ll find a place I belong, but I know in my heart it’s not Whistler’s Hollow. I’m going to travel the world and when I’ve lived the best life I can, then maybe I’ll come back to show them how wrong they were about me.

Someday…

I wake up, sucking in a deep breath and looking around in a panic. The room is all white, and everything looks sterile and clinical. I try to raise my arms, but I can’t because something is tying them down, and it’s not for happy fun time. This is tight and meant to keep me in place.

Where in the actual fuck am I?

“ Hey! Hey, assholes! I’m awake and I am not happy !”

My shouts echo off the walls of the room, and I flop back with a huff of irritation. A red light blinks on a camera on the wall and I glare at it before flipping the lens off. If someone thinks I’ll be an easy victim, they’ve got another thing coming. I’m confused, angry, and worried, so these fuckers are going to be very sorry once I get my limbs free.

Where are my animals? Where are the guys? Who in the hell let some Frankenlab kidnap me?

The door swings open, and I level myself up, preparing for a fight even if I don’t know how I’ll manage it yet.