Chapter 2

Aeron slowly sat up and mopped her face. It was unfair—it was always unfair. Not bothering to clean the blood from the floor, she left for the library. Her mother was waiting with the first aid kit and some lunch. She plopped down and dropped her head on the table for her mother to fix.

“Aeron, you should know better than to yell back at him.” Her mother’s voice was soft. “It’s your temper.”

“Huh?” Aeron asked.

“Besides the fact you are a girl, you have a temper to rival his. It’s why he singles you out over Decius.” Her mother cleaned and stitched up the wound in silence. “There is a dead white cat in your room. Please keep Jazz hidden until you return to school. If your father finds him…well, you know your father.” Her mother pushed the tray of lunch towards her. “Eat. Besides saving lives, you lost a good amount of blood.”

“Thank you,” was all Aeron was able to say as her mother left in silence. She took a bite of the tuna sandwich and felt a trickle of energy return to her. It was times like these Aeron wished she didn’t have to go back to school; wished she could stay here with her mother. The thought of her mother alone in the house with her father stopped the blood in her veins. Aeron would do anything to be sure her mother was safe—she’d endure her father just for that.

Back in her room, Aeron found the dead cat in a box on her bed. The resemblance to her long-haired Himalayan was astounding, and she double checked the closet to be sure it wasn’t him. But his blue eyes gleamed at her from the darkness.

“Come here Jazz,” she cooed at him. Slowly he crept into her arms and she kissed him lightly. “You can’t go wandering the house any more Jazz. You gotta stay here in my quarters.”

She was just placing him back in the closet when Decius walked in. He looked from the dead cat in the box to the live cat in her hands, and laughed. “I knew you’d find a way around it.” He sat down on her bed pushing the box to the floor. “I heard the maids complaining about cleaning blood off the study floor again. How’s your head?”

Most people would consider the smirk on his face smug, but Aeron knew his intent. It was the look of ‘you should have known better, but I would have done the same’. “It’s fine. Mom fixed it in no time. Where do you think I got the dead cat?” She pushed the box under her bed, still unnerved by the likeness, and sat next to him. “How’s your ferret?”

“She’s royally pissed you put her on the plank—not that she was in any real danger. Anyway, I was coming to see if you wanted to run some drills with me.”

“Maybe later,” Aeron said, leaning back on the bed and closing her eyes.

“What did you tell him?” Decius asked, trying to be nonchalant.

“About the drowning, sneaking out, or the cat?” she tossed back at him. She knew he wanted to know how she got away with only a few stitches.

“Sneaking out, but any of it I guess.”

Aeron cracked an eye at him. He was leaning against the foot of the bed, staring at her. “Well,” she said, “he couldn’t care less about the kid we either drowned or saved. Oh, and he wanted me to tell you your efforts are better off placed in school work than figuring out how to sneak me out of the manor.” She sat up to see his reaction, and was pleased to receive a death glare in return.

“Why…”

“Because at the beginning of the summer, he told me ‘as long as I am in this manor you will not be leaving it’ and I told him since he wasn’t in the manor when I left, I really didn’t break any of his rules.” She leaned herself back again, and laid her head on the pillow. She was sure she had a slight concussion.

Decius laughed, just softly at first, but then it got louder and Aeron felt her mouth twitch into a smile. She let laughter bubble up inside her, joining him. It took some time before they both settled down.

“Ah,” Aeron breathed out. “Anyways, it was more because of Jazz than anything else. With allowing you to take the credit for the loophole and threatening your ferret…”

“Well sis,” he said, still chuckling, “you certainly know how to pick your battles.” He stood up and headed for the door. “Get some rest. We’ll get some practice in tomorrow.” Aeron closed her eyes and felt Jazz jump on the bed. He lay down by her side and they drifted off to sleep.

Aeron woke to the smell of bacon. Her head was throbbing, and her vision blurred when she opened her eyes. She took her time sitting up, allowing her world to wobble around her.

There was a tray of food on her bed side table, with a cup of pills and a note: Your vitamins and some pain killers~ Mom

She smiled and pushed Jazz away from eating her bacon. “Shoo!” she said, and began devouring her breakfast. She had just finished off her orange juice when Decius barged in.

“Rise and shine lil’ sis!” he said, and threw open the curtains.

She covered her eyes and groaned. “You’re only older by three minutes.”

“Best three minutes of my life,” he countered, and threw her wardrobe open. He grabbed a pair of sweats and a tank top and tossed them at her. “Let’s go. I have tutoring session this morning I need your help with.”

Aeron caught the clothes and glared at him. “It’s too early.”

“It’s past noon,” Decius said.

“Why do you need me?” Aeron complained, not moving from her bed.

“Because, father promised the best and that’s you, even if he refuses to acknowledge it.” He was now rummaging in the bottom of her closet pulling out shoes. “Where are your sneakers?”

She smiled at the sight of him tossing high heels and boots around the room. “It’s fine. I’ll get them.” She ran a hand over her head and felt the dried blood from yesterday. “I just need to shower.”

He stopped tossing shoes about her room and looked up. A wicked smile lit his face. “You know,” he said, “you’d look good as a red head.”

She chucked a pillow across the room at him. “Get out.”

Decius ran for the door. “Meet you in the drawing room in fifteen,” he said, slamming the door behind him.

The drawing room was Aeron’s second favorite place in the house, besides the library. It was where everything related to their school studies was done. It held mats, platforms, weapons, weights—anything which would be needed for training. Decius was already stretching when she entered, and Aeron gracefully plopped down next to him.

“So who is our newest pupil?” she asked.

“Luke’s cousin—Sophie.”

Aeron’s heart jumped at the mention of Luke—Decius’ best friend. “I didn’t know he had a cousin at the Institute.”

“He didn’t. She’s his Aunt Rosemary’s kid.”

“Rosemary—as in banished from the family, couldn’t even come to Luke’s parent’s funeral Rosemary?” Decius nodded. Aeron was shocked. She remembered the fight which had broken out at Luke’s father’s funeral just last year.

They stretched in silence, waiting for Sophie. Aeron wanted to ask how Luke was doing, how anyone was doing. Her summers dragged since she had no contact with the outside world.

“Have you heard from Luke? From anyone?”

Decius gave her a knowing look—he knew she had more than platonic feelings toward his best friend. “I haven’t heard from any of the girls—although Shannon would be the only one to check-in. Justin said he was heading to a family farm for the summer, and Luke is travelling Europe with his cousin Perry—supposedly it’s his birthday present from his grandparents.”

“Supposedly?”

“Now that Luke’s father is dead, he is the next heir to the Wayward estate.”

Aeron nodded. She hated politics and twisted family rivalry.

There was a knock on the door and Aeron and Decius jumped to their feet as Luke’s grandfather, Mr. Wayward, entered. He was tall, with perfect posture, and his muscles could be detected even under the expensive suit he wore—it was hard to imagine this man was eighty-two.

He was followed in by Sophie and their father—who sneered at Aeron. “What are you doing here?” he asked.

“I asked her to help me,” Decius said, jumping to his feet. “I’m not really the best with kids, let alone little girls.” Aeron stayed silent. If she disagreed, Decius would get a beating right alongside her.

“It’s no problem,” Mr. Wayward said, in a kind voice that did not match his hard exterior. “My grandson is rather fond of you, Aeron, and I can see why. Andrew, she is a spitting image of Susan—although from what I hear she has much more potential. Luke was disappointed to hear neither of you were able to travel with him through Europe.”

Aeron gave him a quizzical look. She hadn’t known they’d been invited to Europe. She glanced to her father and saw a hint of anger pass his face. And who was Susan?

“Well,” Mr. Wayward continued. “I’m sure you both will be a great help with Sophie. She has three years of work to learn.” He placed an aging hand on Sophie’s shoulder, and Aeron really looked at her for the first time. She was small, and with three years of school work to be learned, placed her at only eight—but Aeron could certainly see she was a Wayward. There was something in her tiny face which mirrored the man standing beside her.

“Thank you, Mr. Wayward,” Decius said, breaking Aeron’s thoughts.

“We will have her caught up in no time.” The two men left the drawing room, leaving Aeron and Decius to catch Sophie up on the fundamental practice of the Learn to Live Institute: Parkour and assassination. Aeron looked Sophie over again. “So tell me, Sophie, what do you know about the Learn to Live Institute?”

Aeron and Decius were two of the top students at the Learn to Live Institute—a private school in New York City. The Institute portrayed itself as many prestigious private schools did—highly educated students of very rich alumni. But they were more than just a selective school. A student must have more than money and academic potential to be admitted. It was unheard of for a transfer student to be accepted—although when your grandfather is the oldest member on the Board of Elders, anything is possible.

Aeron motioned for Sophie to start stretching and warming up while she explained the history of the Institute. “The building where the Institute currently resides has been around since World War II, and term Parkour was adapted just after the Vietnam War. Once your training begins you will be known as a traceuse—a female practitioner of Parkour. Before then, our ancestors worked out of their homes. We were slightly disorganized and often ended up killing each other when two families were sent after one mark. Realizing you never know who you might be killing, besides your mark, our ancestors tapped into the flight not fight concept.

“We are the only school which embraces this instinct. The others will kill whoever is in their path, friend, foe, or innocent bystander. Can you guess why we decided on this?”

Sophie looked up at Aeron. “Because if you both flee, then you don’t kill your kin. If you flee and they chase you, then you know it is not a friend and probably not an innocent bystander chasing you.”

Decius nodded, and offered Sophie a hand up. “Good, now let’s start by teaching you how to roll. Rolling is the both the most fundamental and the most used skill a traceur could know. What good is leaping from platforms and buildings if you break your leg on the landing? This combined with strengthening drills is your every day regiment. Are you ready?” Sophie nodded, and Aeron held back a laugh as the girl bite her lower lip in concentration—a habit Luke also had.

Rolling and drills was quite the work out for Sophie, who was dripping in sweat when Mr. Wayward appeared four hours later. Aeron was just showing Sophie what she would be able to do one day, after years of practice—cat leaping, vaulting, quadrupedal movements and finally coming out of a landing in a roll when he entered.

“That was impressive, Aeron!” Mr. Wayward said, smiling—the smile was less kind and more calculating this time, giving Aeron the chills. “Looks like she had a good workout then.” He smiled down at his granddaughter. “Andrew, it wouldn’t be too much of an inconvenience if I brought Sophie back here every day? She has missed three years of training and I would like her caught up.”

Aeron’s father smiled politely—a look Aeron associated with ‘get as far away as possible’. “Why doesn’t she just stay here?” he offered. “There is plenty of room, and it would be much more inconvenient for her to be driven two hours each way for training.”

Aeron let her eyes jump back and forth between the two men. She had never imagined her father doing favors for anyone, and here he was—practically serving the older man with a silver platter.

“That would be most ideal, thank you.” Sophie’s grandfather squatted down. “Now Sophie, you will be a good house guest and train hard. I will be back in a few weeks to check your progress. I expect you to be beyond landing and rolling by then.”

“Of course, Grandfather,” Sophie said, hugging him. Aeron was again surprised by the softness of this man, who she was sure had killed hundreds of people, and ordered the hits of hundreds more.

“Would you please show Sophie to the guest rooms?” their father asked, dismissing them from the room.

“Yes, father,” Decius said, and the three left the room heading toward the west wing. They stopped at the top of the stairs and directed Sophie into a door on the right. “These will be your rooms. There’s a bathroom, and small library through the doors in the back. The kitchen is back down these stairs and to the left. If you need any help just press the intercom on the nightstand, and a maid will be up to help you.” Sophie nodded, and closed the door behind her.

Aeron and Decius reached the west wing—their living quarters—in a peaceful silence. They each had half the wing to themselves, only sharing the main common room. Aeron looked over her shoulder as she headed to her rooms. “Thanks D,” she called across the room. She knew he understood it was for more than just protecting her with their father—it was for choosing to stay with her, instead of traveling Europe with Luke.

*

The rest of the summer flew by, and Aeron was grateful for the daily training sessions with Sophie—they kept her out of her father’s violent path. Sophie didn’t talk much, and couldn’t, or wouldn’t, tell them much about her grandfather or cousins. Aeron had only ever met Mr. Wayward in passing at Luke’s house, and then again at the funeral of Paul Wayward—Luke’s father. She was curious to know why he had taken a sudden interest in his disinherited daughter’s daughter. But Mr. Wayward only visited twice, once to check up on Sophie, and then once to collect her and bring her home. If he was dissatisfied with the results of her training he didn’t say.

They returned to school on the first Monday in September. Aeron was anxious to reunite with her friends. The ride from their Connecticut estate to New York City took longer than she could ever remember. It seemed even longer than their first year, when they were only five. Back then, they stayed in the penthouse suite of the Institute with guardians—the counselors who mentor the students throughout the duration of their training. They were allowed home only during holidays.

As students got older, they moved into the suites above the Institute. Once a student turned fifteen, they were allowed to move into apartments without their guardian. They rode the subway to school, were responsible for household chores, and were given an allowance to go out into the city. This was Aeron and Decius’ third year in the apartments, and the first year their guardian wouldn’t be checking in on them—they had to be sure to check in with her.

Aeron cracked the limousine window as they entered the City. The smell of sewer, exhaust, asphalt, and greed brought a smile to her face. The limo pulled up to a skyscraper identical to those around it, with nothing about it marking exactly what it was; it was the Learn to Live Institute. There were kids of all ages in suits and dresses filing into the building.

“Please remember to call home, even a postcard would be nice,” their mother said softly. Aeron pecked her on the cheek. “Of course mother,” she said. “I’ll even make sure Decius does too.” Decius’ scandalous look made Aeron smirk.

“And please be careful,” her mother continued. “I know you are capable of taking care of yourselves, but please take care of each other as well.” She seemed near tears.

Aeron wasn’t used to seeing her mother vulnerable, and was glad Decius was not paying attention—he was on his way out of the car. “I promise. I will make sure he stays out of trouble.”

She kissed her again, and followed Decius out of the limo. “Hey,” she said, smacking his arm.

“Go say bye to our mother.”

“I was,” Decius said defensively. “I am!” And he re-entered the limo. Aeron straightened her outfit—a stylish gray Armani pants suit which complemented her gray eyes and platinum blond hair. She entered the steel frame building, wheeling a small suitcase behind her. Her real luggage would be dropped off by Josh—their driver—at the new apartment. Two doormen welcomed her into the building and she threw them a smile.

People were swarming this way and that; new students meeting guardians, older students reuniting, and everyone saying goodbye to their families—who were not allowed past the lobby.

Aeron grabbed her check-in package from one of the desks and maneuvered her way to the inside courtyard. It was tradition to meet by the fountain since the first year. At five years old, prospective students were told to find their way to the highest floor of the building, navigating the maze of staircases which seemed to randomly stop, and start again four floors up—they were designed to keep intruders out. There was no one to guide them—it was their first test. If they made it they passed. If they didn’t make it by dinner, the young children were returned to their parents and told it wasn’t going to work.

It was in the courtyard where Aeron had bumped into three other girls, literally. They were all lost, dragging tiny suitcases when by some turn of fate, they bumped head long into each other. A smile crept to her lips as she remembered how the embarrassment and fear quickly turned into friendship.

Aeron reached the courtyard, dropped to the edge of the fountain and scanned the crowds, searching for a familiar face. There was Decius in the main lobby, leaning against the grand staircase which lead up to the observation deck—the room which over looked the main training area. Teachers could watch as students learned to fight— Parkour, marital arts, kickboxing, there was even marksmanship in the basement. Learn to Live Institution teaches its students just that— how to live; otherwise you die. It even happened in training. The death toll averaged only about two students per year, which was less than other schools sharing the same curriculum: Assassination.

Aeron looked past Decius and saw Justin heading for him. Justin’s brown eyes sparkled in triumph as he went to scare Decius. It didn’t work, of course, because Decius had been watching him in the window’s reflection and turned, taking Justin to the floor. She rolled her eyes at their childish nature and moved her gaze to the entrance, where a blond haired girl with purple streaks was sprinting toward her.

“Aeron!” The girl squealed, dropping her bags and all but tackling Aeron to the ground.

“Hi, Alicia,” Aeron said, hugging her back. She pulled Alicia’s arms from around herself and picked up the forgotten bags. “Have you seen anyone else?”

“Not yet,” Alicia said, taking a seat on the fountain. “Shannon said she’d be arriving late. Her Grandmother is in town and doesn’t know she’s coming here. Thinks she’s going to some private school back in Connecticut; wouldn’t dream of her coming to New York City for school, you know, it’s too dangerous.”

The two girls laughed. They were the most deadly people in this city—they were who the muggers feared—though no one knew exactly who they were. Most family members didn’t even know where the students of Learn to Live really attended school. In fact, only kin to Alumni were admitted. It wasn’t a school of elite; it was the school of elite.

Aeron let Alicia talk without much interruption. She always had some interesting adventure or funny stories from her vacations.

“So, after scuba-diving, my brother and I headed for the horse stables. Aeron, these horses were huge! Don’t we get to pick electives this year? I wonder if there’s horseback riding. That would be awesome!” Alicia said, concluding her summer break.

“That would be awesome,” Aeron said, not really enjoying the idea. She had horses at home and stayed as far away from them as possible. Perhaps it had something to do with being trodden on by them as a child, and Aeron’s father leaving her in the barn with a broken arm until her mother found her several hours later. His reason? She should have been stronger—quicker to avoid the enormous beast from crushing her. Aeron shook herself from the memory. “Sounds like you had a great summer.”

“Is that Lesley?” Alicia asked in mild shock.

Aeron looked around. There was no one but a slender brunette walking toward them— she did a double take. If it was Lesley she must have grown a foot and lost her baby fat. She got to her feet as the girl approached, and there was no denying those strange, hazel eyes belonged to their friend.

“LESLEY!” Alicia yelled, and launched off the fountain to tackle her best friend to the ground.

The girl laughed, and awkwardly rolled out from underneath her. “Missed you too,” Lesley said. “Hey, Aeron,” she called from the ground.

“You look amazing Lesley,” Aeron said, offering a hand and helping the two of them off the ground. “Wow.”

Lesley laughed. “I know. So, where’s Shannon?” Lesley asked, looking around.

“She’ll be late,” Alicia said.

“Oh,” Lesley said.

“Well, let’s get to the apartment. I can’t wait to start decorating!” Alicia said. Grabbing the few bags, the three friends left out an unmarked door at the back of the courtyard, and entered the busy streets of New York.

Aeron lead the way to the subway; their first unsupervised trip two years ago was an adventure, like most of the time at the Institute. The four girls had gotten lost and ended up thirty-six blocks from their destination. Aeron chuckled at the memory.

“What’s so funny?” Lesley asked, swiping her Metro-card and heading to the platform.

“I was remembering our first trip,” Aeron said, waiting for Alicia to find her Metro-card.

“It’s here somewhere,” Alicia said, digging through her huge purse.

“No worries,” Aeron said, and swiped hers twice.

“Thanks,” Alicia said, throwing her purse over her shoulder and following them to the platform.

The subway was busy. The girls went from one train to another, chatting about summer vacation and which electives they were going to choose. Aeron let Alicia and Lesley carry most of the conversation. She was always confined to the manor during holidays, and as for electives those would be chosen by her father.

The building they entered was twenty blocks from the Institute, and the subway was only good for ten of those. Aeron didn’t mind, but nearing the end, Alicia complained about her shoes not being up for the walk.

The apartment was located twenty-five stories up—on the top floor. Aeron smiled at the view they had. It was huge, with floor to ceiling windows over-looking Central Park. The large windows filled the open floor plan of common room and kitchen with natural light. Four hallways branched off leading to the girl’s private rooms, each indicated by a name plaque.

Aeron put her suitcase by her hallway and looked around. “Wow,” she said. “This is…”

“Yeah,” Alicia added. “The nicest we’ve had yet.”

Lesley headed straight for the fridge. “Empty,” she said with a sigh. “You would think they’d at least give us a little food.”

“I guess a shopping list is in order,” Aeron said. She sat at the granite-marbled breakfast bar, and grabbed a pen and piece of paper.

“Not so fast!” a voice called from the doorway. Aeron looked up. Shannon was carrying two handfuls of plastic bags, followed by her driver, Thomas, carrying some more. “Well don’t just stand there!” she said. “Come give us a hand. I’ve got the boys carrying the rest up.”

Aeron jumped up and grabbed the bags from her best friend, bringing them into the kitchen. “How’d ya know we needed groceries?” Aeron asked.

“Oh, Keara told me we would. She said once you turn seventeen all responsibilities fall on you, even the first round of food.” Aeron nodded. Keara was Shannon’s older sister who had graduated last year.

The four girls, and Thomas, were putting the groceries away when the door opened again and Justin, Decius, and Luke walked in—arms full of bags. “Jeesh Shan,” Luke said dropping her suitcases to the ground. “What do you have in here, bricks?”

“Don’t be ridiculous,” Shannon said, with a wicked smile. “That bag has all my leather combat gear.”

Luke rolled his eyes. “Whatever Shan.” He leaned on the counter next to Aeron. “Hey Ron,” Luke said, bumping shoulders with her.

Aeron used to hate this nickname, but she had eventually come up with her own for him. “Hey Lulu. How were your travels through Europe?”

“Would have been better if you and Dee had come. My Grandfather is trying to make me take the family business a little more seriously. I wish he would focus more on Perry than on me.”

Aeron looked up at him and kept looking up; he had to be a least six feet tall now, and looked like an angel with his clear blue eyes, and sandy brown hair.

“You grew,” she said simply.

He looked down at her, and their eyes met. His blue eyes were darker then she remembered, and his sun-kissed skin glowed. Shannon’s voice broke through the haze of Aeron’s mind. “Aeron!”

She pulled her gaze from Luke. “What’s up?”

Shannon looked from Aeron to Luke and sent an unspoken apology. “Let’s get these boys outta here. We got some catching up to do!”

“Sure,” Aeron said, and looked back at Luke. He was just putting the last box of cereal away. “Thanks Lulu.”

“Anything for you Ron.” Her heart thumped for a second before he tousled her hair and smiled. Luke followed the other boys as Shannon herded them to the door with motherly shouts

of “Out!”

Once the boys had left, and Thomas had double checked to be sure they were all set before leaving, the girls sat around on the overstuffed sofas with cans of sodas and bags of chips. Aeron thought of how normal this was: the four of them, in their own apartment and swapping

stories of the summer.

“Lesley,” Alicia was saying, “how did you convince your parents to let you do the makeover?”

Alicia had been trying to give Lesley a make-over for years. Lesley blushed. “They don’t know,” she said. “I stayed with my aunt in California and we went out to the beach and she got me all new clothes and everything. My mother would have killed me if she knew. She’s so strict.”

Aeron knew this was an exaggeration. Lesley didn’t know what strict was. “I’m gunna head to my rooms and get settled in,” Aeron said, standing up.

Shannon stood as well. “Me too. Let’s plan to head out of here by seven tomorrow morning.” The two girls on the couch nodded and drifted off into conversation. Shannon followed Aeron to the two hallways on the right, and handed her an envelope.

“Thanks,” Aeron said, taking the envelope from her and feeling the familiar weight of a cell phone.

“I programmed everyone’s numbers in already,” Shannon said.

“I could’ve really used one of these over the summer,” Aeron said wistfully. It was somehow easier to hide a cat than a cell phone. “Thanks for getting it for me though.”

“It was nothing. I need to be able to get in touch with you,” Shannon said.

“Just incase?” Aeron asked, raising her eyebrows.

“Everything okay?” Lesley’s voice trailed over to Aeron and Shannon.

Aeron forgot they were even in the room. “Yeah,” she said. “Just catching up!”

“Oh, all right!” Lesley called back, and engrossed herself in conversation again.

Aeron motioned for Shannon to follow, and they headed down her hallway. Aeron’s room was just as beautiful as the common living area. It was large, with floor to ceiling windows and a private bathroom. There was a walk in closet, and by the windows was a huge cat tower where Jazz was sleeping. On the wall she shared with Shannon’s room was an adjoining door.

“You did a nice job arranging the living quarters this year,” Aeron said, plopping down on the loveseat by the window. Shannon sat on Aeron’s bed.

“Why thank you,” she said, slightly sarcastic. “It was easier without those two out there. If they had a say we’d all be sharing bunk beds.”

Aeron laughed. “They have a sweet innocence about them,” she agreed, sobering up. “I wish I had that.”

“No you don’t,” Shannon said, waving her hand. “Anyways, I doubt Luke would be interested in you if you did.”

Aeron felt herself blush. Luke—Lulu. “Well, it took him long enough,” she said, rolling her eyes. “Even just the end of last year he thought of me nothing more than one of the boys.”

“He travelled Europe,” Shannon added thoughtfully. “He must have realized he’d never find someone like you anywhere else but here. I bet Decius will be pissed.”

“I think he has the feeling it is inevitable,” Aeron said.

Shannon stood up and went to the adjoining door. “I’m going to get settled in. Wake you up in the morning,” she said, and left.

Aeron looked down at the cell phone in her hands—a connection to the world she had lived without every summer. She didn’t need it, but it was good to have—just in case. The other girls had received them their first year in the apartments in case of an emergency; her father had informed her she shouldn’t need one, and if she was killed because she didn’t have one, then it served her right and he would be glad to be rid of her. Aeron began unpacking the boxes and suitcases Josh had brought up. Jazz was still sound asleep. She had given him tranquilizers to sneak him out of the house and they hadn’t worn off yet. She was hanging up her dress suits and dresses when a buzzing sounded from her bed. She walked over and saw her phone lighting up and jumping around. ‘Lulu’ read across the screen. She smiled that Shannon had used her nickname for him.

She answered it. “Hello?”

“Just making sure Shannon gave me your number and not one to a dating line like she did last year,” his voice came from the other end.

Aeron laughed. “Maybe this is a dating line,” she joked, sitting down on the bed. “Maybe this is the direct line to my side job.”

“Very funny, Ron,” he said. She could hear the exasperation in his voice. “I just wanted to be sure.”

“How’s your apartment?” she asked, not wanting the conversation to end so quickly.

“It’s the same as yours. We’re across the hall and it mirrors yours, I think.”

It would make sense, she thought. They were always placed in the same building. “Well, you’ll have to come over again sometime and let me know for sure,” she joked.

“I’d love to.”

Her heart thumped again. “We met your cousin Sophie this summer. She’s a quiet girl.”

“I didn’t even know I had a cousin Sophie,” Luke said, his voice darkening. “I bet if Aunt Rosemary had stayed away last year, Grandfather wouldn’t have known either.”

Aeron was unsure what to say, and then yelling came from his end of the phone. “What’s going on?” she asked.

“I think Decius and Justin are arguing about the game room or something. Let me go break it up. Later Ron,” he said, jumping at a chance to change the topic and hung up. Jazz meowed loudly in Aeron’s ear. She mumbled and tried to push him off. She had gotten to bed much later than she wanted to, knowing Shannon would be waking her up around six.

—

“Jazz,” she moaned and tried to push him off again. He didn’t budge and meowed louder. “Fine,” she huffed; it was only five fifty-nine. She was just sitting up when the door adjoining her and Shannon’s room burst open and her light flicked on.

“Wakey-wakey sleepy head!” Shannon said. She walked over to the huge windows and flipped the switch, raising the automatic blinds.

“I’m awake,” Aeron groaned. “Jazz beat you to it.”

Shannon stroked Jazz’s fur, careful to avoid getting any on her crisp dress suit. “What time did you wake up?”

“Five,” Shannon said simply. “Now get in the shower. I’ll start breakfast.”

Aeron stared daggers after her friend; she was definitely not a morning person. Aeron fell back on her bed only to land on Jazz who jumped up hissing. “All right!” she said, standing up and grabbing a towel. “I’m going. I’m going!” she yelled to the cat, which lay smugly in the middle of her bed. Aeron emerged from her room a half hour later looking like a business women. She was in a black pin-striped dress suit, Armani of course, with knee high black boots. Her hair fell to her waist, straight with just the slightest hint of a curl at the ends, and her makeup was simple— black eye liner and mascara. Lesley and Alicia were already at the breakfast bar eating the stack of French toast Shannon placed in front of them.

“Morning all,” Aeron mumbled, sitting down and taking the orange juice Shannon passed over. She was greeted with a semi nod from Alicia and a grunt from Lesley.

“Thanks, Shannon,” she said, but pushed the plate of food away. “What? You know I can’t eat this early.”

Shannon’s green eyes pierced her morning fog. “Humor me,” she said, and pushed the plate back toward her. Aeron grabbed a fork and slowly began eating her eggs. Shannon knew how cranky Aeron would get—she was making Aeron eat more for herself than for Aeron—so Aeron ate as much as she could stomach, and then took two more bites. At seven sharp they headed out the door. The boys were waiting at the elevator. No one spoke while they rode the elevator down and headed toward the subway. The first day of school was always tense and a bit of a blur. They rode along the subway, looking almost like every other person on their way to work—except they were seventeen year olds dressed in high-end suits—carrying briefcases.

They were early, and Aeron was glad for the chance to sit on a bench in the courtyard and close her eyes. She felt Decius sit beside her. “Hey lil sis. Sleep well?” he asked.

“Like a baby,” she responded.

“Did you look at the electives?”

Aeron cracked an eye open to look at him. “Really? You’re seriously asking me that question.”

“What?” he asked. “I promised mom I’d look out for you. Isn’t your school work part of that?”

“What’s up your sleeve Decius?”

“Just look at the electives,” he said, and went to sit with everyone else, all who looked more awake with their cups of coffee. Aeron pulled her welcome pack out of her briefcase. Inside was a sheet full of electives to be turned in first day of school. She hadn’t bothered looking at it—having her father on the Board of Elders had its own disadvantages. There was scuba diving, equestrian, painting, and archery—her heart leaped, and then dropped. She had always loved archery. They had ranges at the house, but she was forbidden from participating unless she would ride the horses—which she wouldn’t. Scanning the list again, she realized why Decius had said to give it a look—the instructor for equestrian was Perry, Luke’s cousin. He had graduated just the year before, with Shannon’s sister Keara. She smiled and tucked her sheet back into the folder. Perhaps this year wouldn’t be that bad.

The lobby and courtyard had been filling up with younger children eager to start classes, and older students bored to death for having to attend another beginning of the year seminar. The doors to the training room swung open and the students filed in. Each age group sat together, some much larger than others. The five and six year olds held the greatest number of students combined, having twenty-six—of course none have had a real chance to be dismissed or killed yet, so they usually had the advantage. The average class size was about seven kids, a mix of boys and girls, but some years were more potent than others. The fifteen year-olds consisted of only three students—two boys and a girl, yet the thirteen year olds consisted of fifteen kids, having already lost three throughout the years.

Aeron took her seat and looked toward the makeshift stage in the middle of the room. It was the same every year: a speech about pride, safety, and hard work; introductions of old teachers and new; reminders to follow strictly to the Institute’s code of conduct and a copy can be found in each of the rooms. They broke for lunch, but Aeron decided to camp on a deserted bench and nap for the hour. She grabbed a sandwich and devoured it before easily passing out. Decius woke her and handed her a cookie. The seminar continued in the same boring fashion of repetition and warnings: ‘Don’t travel alone. Be sure you have cleared all assignments and field work with your guardian and teacher before executing anything’. Aeron allowed her mind to wander and found it lingering over Luke—times they had hung out, what he could have possibly done in Europe, how good he looked standing in their kitchen. Before she had realized, the seminar was over and they were lining up to return the welcome packets—with their selected electives—to Sarah, their guardian. Sarah was thirty-two and had been out of activity since her husband was killed. She had been their guardian for twelve years.

“I trust you all settled in nicely?” Sarah asked, as Aeron and her group of friends sat at the round table facing her. “As you know, this year I will not be checking on you. I will not be checking your grades, or classes, or whether you ate dinner. You are to contact me and keep me updated. I will be getting reports from your teachers, so I will know if you are lying. If you need advice or direction, as always, I am available to you twenty-four hours a day. Any questions?”

The group of teenagers looked around at each other, awkwardly. Aeron glanced at Shannon, who was always attentive and pouncing on the opportunity to learn more, but she was just staring intently at Sarah—waiting for her to say something she didn’t already know; she was unsurprisingly disappointed.

“Well,” Sarah continued, “if there are no questions, please pass up your elective sheets. I will have schedules to you by seven tomorrow morning.”

There was the shuffling of papers being passed forward and everyone standing to leave. Aeron checked her watch for the time and was shocked to see it was already nine o’clock. No wonder she was dazing off—she was famished. “Shannon,” Aeron called. “Want to get everyone together and go for dinner?”

“That’d be great!” Decius chimed in.

“Where are we going?” Justin and Lesley asked at the same time.

Aeron thought about it. She didn’t really care, she just needed food. “I don’t know,” she said, “how about—”

“Aeron?” Aeron turned around at her name. Sarah was calling for her.

Aeron looked back at her friends who were waiting for her answer. “You guys decide. Text me and let me know,” she said, and went back to the round table. Aeron had respect for this woman—she dealt with a lot between parents and students…this made Aeron think of her own father and she plopped into a chair. “This is about my electives isn’t it,” Aeron said. “What has he chosen for me?”

Sarah’s brown eyes were soft like melted Hershey kisses when she spoke. “He has said that you are to take nothing other than equestrian as an elective.”

“But we can take up to three!” Aeron said, a little louder than she intended. “I’m sorry,” she amended herself. Sarah’s soft smile—a pity smile—made Aeron want to hit something. It was just because she was hungry and tired, Aeron told herself, but she couldn’t squelch the anger from surfacing. “No, I’m not sorry,” Aeron found herself saying. She watched in Sarah’s wide eyes as she stood, snatched her welcome packet from the table, and walked away. Aeron felt the buzzing of a text message in her pocket, and ignored it. She pushed her way through the small children, all who stared up at her in amazement. She stormed out a side door and headed for the subway. She would go home and take a hot bath and eat something.

Aeron strutted down the streets, her gray eyes were narrowed and her mouth set tight. She looked like a stuck-up rich kid and she knew it. She heard the train as she reached the stairs and raced down them, but missed it by just seconds. “Great,” she mumbled. Looking around, it was strange to see how deserted the platform was—of course it was after nine p.m. on a Monday night. She moved further down the platform and perched herself at the edge of a bench. She should at least call Shannon and let her know she was heading home. Aeron pulled out her phone and paused—there was a noise coming from behind her. She raised the cell phone a little higher and saw in the black screen a reflection—two males behind her. They were leaning against the wall facing the other way. She relaxed a little and the next train sped into the platform.

Aeron dropped her welcome packet on the ground, and allowed the males to go before her. They entered a middle car, and she headed to the back where there would only be one entrance to watch. She sat on the bench at the rear of the train which gave her a clear view of all the cars ahead of her. She put her phone in her breast pocket and leaned back. Aeron didn’t think they would be dumb enough to travel back to her, so when the two males slowly made their way to the back car, she was mildly shocked. They were tall, white males wearing hoodies and baggy jeans. They weren’t much taller than her though, in her five inch heels.

“Hey sexy,” the one on the right said as he entered the car. Aeron looked up in feigned surprise.

“What are you doing travelling on the subway, alone?” the one on the left asked.

Aeron dropped her gaze. They had done this often, she realized. They had a system and a script. The two boys—they could only been eighteen or nineteen—had gotten close enough for her to smell their aftershave. Their hoods were pulled up, masking their faces, but she didn’t need to see their faces. “He asked you a question blondie,” the boy on the right said, taking another step closer. She could now smell his laundry detergent. “It’s not polite, not answering.”

Aeron snapped her gray eyes up to the boy closest to her and glared. It was a look that froze people mid-step—it was a look she had learned from her father. “It’s not polite to speak to a lady that way,” she said, in a voice that matched her glare. She only needed him to move a step closer, and he did. Aeron shot her left hand forward, grabbed the strings of his hood and yanked, closing the hood tight around his face. She took the strings and pulled to one side, swinging him off balance. She crossed the strings and tied them in a knot behind his head. The boy on the left stood frozen as his friend struggled to free himself, shocked by Aeron’s sudden movement.

“I’d run,” she said simply, but this seemed to snap him from his shock. He whipped his hood off and charged at her. She nimbly avoided him, jumping over the boy still on the ground, who had almost freed himself. She placed a well aimed kick at the boy on the floor’s face, but misjudged the speed of his partner who snatched her from behind. He had a strong grip, the big hoodie concealing how muscular he was, but it was clear he was only the muscle and the boy on the floor was in charge.

The leader had freed himself from the hoodie. “Clever trick,” he spat, and Aeron was glad to see she had broken his nose. “Clever trick, but you should have run.”

“I don’t run,” Aeron said outraged. “Do you see how high these heels are?” She aimed a kick at him again, nearly catching his face. “You can’t run in these.”

The muscular boy squeezed her tighter and Aeron found it was becoming difficult to breathe.

“I just wanted your phone,” the leader said. “But I’m sure those boots are worth a pretty penny, and that suit…” he took another step forward and traced a hand down the front of her suit jacket. Aeron spit in his face and he backhanded her. She tasted copper in her mouth and smiled. “Do you like it rough?” he asked, and with a twisted smile grabbed her face and tried to kiss her. Aeron pulled back and tried to wriggle away from him but all that was accomplished was her skirt was raised higher and muscle man squeezed harder. She let out a breath and slumped down in his arms. “See?” the leader said, coming closer to her again. “All that did was make you tired and royally piss me off!” he yelled in her face.

Aeron laughed. It wasn’t frantic or hysterical, but a deep humorous laugh.

“What’s so funny?” he demanded.

“This.” She drove a small dagger into his arm. In her struggle with Muscles, her skirt had risen high enough for her to grip the knife hidden there. He whirled back in pain, and she dropped her five inch heel onto the in-step of Muscles, who dropped her like fire. The leader pulled out his own knife which she easily kicked across the train. Aeron reached into her boot and pulled out a longer, deadlier dagger, and pushed him against the side of the car and placed the dagger to his throat.

“Muscles,” she called to stop the boy from attacking her. “You come one step closer, and I will kill him.”

Muscles stopped in his tracks. Now that she could see both boys clearly, they were related in some way—cousins or brother—it didn’t matter because it worked in her favor. They would not risk the other’s life. Aeron dug the dagger deep enough to draw blood, and the boy beneath her whimpered, which made her smile. “If you wanted my phone, all you had to do was ask,” she said. “Actually it wouldn’t have helped. I would have told you no and kicked your asses anyways.” The boy didn’t speak, but was taking raspy breathes beneath her. The train was slowing, and she was surprised to see she hadn’t missed her stop. “This was fun boys,” Aeron said, “but I need to get my beauty rest.” She stood, and glared down at the boy. “Actually, so do you,” she added, and hit him with the butt of the dagger. Aeron turned to Muscles, who was still staring at her. She slipped the dagger back in her boot and grabbed her packet from the floor. “I’d knock you out too,” she assured him, “because trust me, you need way more beauty sleep than me. But, someone has to carry that pile of crap home.” She thrust her finger toward the unconscious lump on the floor. The train came to a stop and she paused again before leaving. “Next time someone says run—run,” she said, and left the two boys, shocked and unconscious.

Aeron’s suit was ripped and covered in blood—it was ruined. She attempted to straighten it before emerging into the streets. She shouldn’t have bothered—there was no one around. She walked briskly back to the apartment, and it wasn’t until she was in the elevator she remembered her phone. “Damn!” she muttered, and pulled it out. There were three text messages and two missed calls. She shot a message to Shannon: Sorry—a text Shannon would know all was fine but she didn’t want to be bothered; she should have checked the messages.