Home > Ember (Eagle Elite #5)(16)

Ember (Eagle Elite #5)(16)
Author: Rachel Van Dyken

“You should do that more often,” I croaked.

“I may… if it gets that reaction where your eyes go all crazy, and that trap you like to call your mouth finds the sudden urge to mute itself.”

“Happy moment destroyed,” I grumbled.

“Let’s go.” Phoenix nodded toward a building next to the Commons. “Lunch. Let’s go feed you.”

“I eat, you eat. That’s the deal.” I rushed to keep up with him.

“I smiled. You’re the one officially in my debt.”

“I love the sound of owing the great Phoenix De Lange a favor. Please, please let it be sexual,” I pleaded.

Phoenix shook his head as if he was totally unfazed by my comment. “Barking up the wrong tree there, little girl.”

“I’m not a little girl!” I huffed, barely keeping myself form pushing him into the tree, like a little girl at recess.

“Oh look! Lunch, friends to make, people to talk to...” Phoenix pointed to the door. “Go ahead.”

“By myself?”

“Prove you’re not a little girl,” Phoenix challenged. “Go into lunch by yourself, tons of professors around, cameras everywhere. I’ll wait out here on the steps… eat a protein bar, make some calls.”

“Fine, Grandpa.” I lifted my nose in the air. “But when I come out with tons of friends and forget your name, don’t get all moody on me.”

“I’ll try to restrain myself.” He’d already turned around and was moving toward the far side of the stairs.

Nervous, I fought the urge to run after him, wrap my arms around him, and sob into his chest.

But I wanted to prove I could do it. So I turned on my heel and made my way into the building.

The minute I opened the door, the smell of food hit me square in the face. My stomach decided that, yes, going through the door was the best idea I’d had in years. That was until I opened the second door and came face-to-face with a group of twelve students, all sitting around a lunch table and eating. A few other tables were scattered around, one or two students sitting at them on their computers, not paying attention to anything and typing furiously like the world was going to end if they stopped.

The table with the most kids all stopped eating — at the same time, as if they’d planned it.

“Um…” I tucked my hair behind my ear. “I must have the wrong room.”

“Hey, you’re Bee!” A tall guy with sandy brown hair stood and walked toward me, smile wide, hand outstretched. “Come on in.”

I took his hand, shook it, and tried to paste a confident smile on my face as the rest of the students around the table looked at me anxiously.

“How do you know my name?” I asked, taking the only empty seat next to him.

“Student Body President.” He shrugged. “It’s my job.” His eyes narrowed. “You’re Tex’s sister, right?”

“Right.”

“And your bodyguard? Does he eat?”

“Phoenix?” I asked, surprised he knew so much. “No, he prefers protein bars to people food.”

“Ah…” The guy was good-looking, clean cut… but not Phoenix. Then again, nobody compared to Phoenix, and when you hung around the guys I did, everyone pretty much paled in comparison to their hotness. My brother excluded, for obvious reasons.

“I’m Pike.” He tossed me a menu. “I hope you don’t mind, but you were kind of late, and I didn’t want you having to wait to eat, so I ordered you a burger and fries.”

I sighed in relief, though it was a bit weird that he was expecting me. “Sounds amazing.”

A plate of food was set in front of me as I glanced around the room. It looked like a really nice dining room. But it only had space for a few students, and Eagle Elite had over five thousand… I was still trying to figure it out when the girl to my right elbowed me.

I glanced up.

“Name’s Hartley.” She grinned, her green eyes sparkling like she knew some crazy secret I wasn’t a part of. “Are the rumors true?”

“Rumors?” I repeated, stealing a glance at Pike.

“A little rude, don’t you think, Hart?” Pike interrupted. “Let her at least eat before you start asking questions.”

“Sorry.” Hartley tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. “I’m just really curious…” She looked around the table. “I mean I can’t be the only one who’s curious.”

“Hart,” Pike warned.

“What!” Hart held up her hands. “I’m sorry. I’m not trying to be offensive, but The Elect leave our school, rumors spread about all these killings, mafia is like this revered word around here, and then she shows up at school with a bodyguard, and not just any bodyguard, but one of the original elect who used to freaking run this school with an iron fist. And I’m supposed to keep silent and not ask questions?”

The rest of the people around the table were looking at me like I was supposed to answer them, like I knew the answers.

“Sorry,” I managed. “I don’t really know who The Elect are.”

Everyone burst out laughing.

“She’s good,” Hart said. “They taught her well. She’s a good liar.”

“No!” My eyebrows knit together in confusion. “I seriously don’t know who they are… and why does my background even matter?”

   
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