Page 15

Roxy

I felt so much better by lunchtime.

Not that I was in the least happy to be confined here, but I had managed to find the rest of my classes and even wind up in the dining room. My stomach growled as I joined the end of the line. Although I had finished my coffee on the way to homeroom, I had forgotten about the scones wrapped up in my bag. They’d make a good snack when I was locked in the room tonight. I sure wished there were a way to avoid that locked door. Never considering myself claustrophobic in the past, I had found a part of me that just dreaded the coming of night.

At least I didn’t have a fever at the moment. Those were mostly at night and early in the morning now, but it still made me afraid that the venom was working inside me yet.

“Roxy!” Desi’s voice pulled me from my thoughts. She held up her filled tray. “See you at the table.”

Today’s offerings were indeed not tacos, so maybe I had heard the intercom voice correctly. Instead, there was a tossed green salad with three choices of dressing and a big pot of beef stew. The salad appealed, the stew not so much, but I had missed breakfast and it was a long time until dinner, so in addition to a large serving of salad, I filled a bowl with stew and helped myself to a couple of slices of bread. For drinks, there was milk, water, and iced tea, which was my choice.

Desi sat in our regular place, digging into the stew with such pleasure, I expected it to be way more delicious than it smelled. But the first bite I put into my mouth tasted like cardboard and it only got worse. “You like this?” I stared into the bowl and saw smallish bits of meat and vegetables floating in a greasy broth.

“Compared to some things around here? It’s great. But if you don’t want yours?” She reached out grabby hands, but I kept my food on my side of the table.

“Gotta keep up my strength,” I intoned, and forked up some salad. The Caesar dressing I’d chosen was a bit salty, but it tasted good in general. “What a morning.”

“Yeah?” She dipped her bread in the stew. “Anything in particular happen?”

“No, it was just a lot to take in. That history class was the worst. I tried not to let myself get upset, but that teacher is majorly into blood and guts, isn’t he?”

She shrugged. “You get used to it eventually. But at first, it triggered me pretty hard.”

“Me too. Enough that I kind of shut it out after a bit and now we’re going to be tested on it?”

“I have notes.” She reached down into her book bag, identical to mine, and pulled out a notebook. “You can have them. I was listening.”

“I wish I had been able to.” I accepted the notebook from Desi. “But thank you so much. I promise to do better next time. It was just such a shock.”

“I know. Let’s talk about something more pleasant so we don’t end up with upset stomachs.”

“Like what?” Because I truly couldn’t think of a thing.

“Those guys you’ve been palling around with.”

“I told you, Odin and Sol were just assigned to help me, by the office, and Evander…” Oops.

“What about him?” Desi leaned across the table. “Evander doesn’t work in the office.”

Just then, the three guys came in at the same time and got in line.

“Lower your voice,” I hissed. “They’ll hear you.”

“Ooh, you have to tell me everything. What did you do with Evander?”

“I didn’t do anything. After we separated last night, I was trying to rush to get to my room, and you know how lost I’ve been.”

“So, two seconds after I left you, Evander found you? How romantic?”

“It wasn’t like that at all. First, another guy with a foxy face found me, and he threatened me with demerits.”

“Foxy as in the animal rather than the antique expression meaning he’s cute?”

“Yeah. He was awful and bragging like he had some kind of power over the other students.”

Desi was getting near the bottom of her bowl of stew, and she wiped it clean with the bread. “Yeah, I know the one you mean. Reinard. He doesn’t admit it, but rumor has it he has some fox in his lineage. Mostly wolf, though. And he is not powerful, but he is a powerful kiss-ass. Avoid him.”

“You don’t have to tell me twice.”

“And speaking of twice, did you get lost a second time?”

“I did, and that was when Evander found me and walked me home.” I forked up some salad. Lunch was only a half hour and I hadn’t eaten very much. “Right to my door.”

“Wow. That could have gotten him in trouble if he’d been caught. Wonder what he was doing outside after curfew.”

Me too. I also wondered.

“Tell me about Sol. He seems a little bit stuffy to me.”

Desi nodded. “I don’t know any of those three well, but Sol is the one with the most tragic story, I think. He was going to be pack alpha, and now that he’s been bitten, his daddy dearest has said he’s out. Won’t even let him challenge for the position. And they say he was raised like a little prince.”

“No wonder he’s reserved. That must be a phenomenal letdown. What will he do when he gets out of here?”

Desi was silent.

“Desi, we do get out of here, right? Eventually?”

She set her fork down and started piling her dishes on the tray.

“Desi?”

“I don’t know. Nobody that I’m aware of has left since I’ve been here.”