Finn
"Rock, paper, scissors!"
Shit. I lose again. Fifth time in a row.
Beating Kaleb in a game is one hell of an almost impossible task.
He doesn't even gloat. He just gives me that smug little smile, like he already knows how it'll end. Like I'm some predictable rookie and he's the world champion of finger games.
"What do you want?" I ask, regretting even starting a game with him in the first place.
He raises an eyebrow. "To carry out my most annoying task of the day."
I grit my teeth. "I don't like humans. Why the hell would I want to be stuck with a nerdy one all day? Don't you have anything better lined up? We could play again—just one more time."
Kaleb snorts, leaning against the rusted rail. "Come the fuck on, Finn. You're never going to beat me, and we both know it."
I glance up at the station's arrival board. "And besides, there's no guarantee she's coming today. New student intake started last week. It ended two days ago."
"She'll be here," he says, his eyes narrowing exactly the way it does after he has made one of his bad boys moves "She doesn't have anywhere else to go."
What exactly have he done this time, did he kidnap her or threaten to kill her if she doesn't show up. There's just nothing Kaleb can't do to get exactly what he wants.
My brows furrows with the possibility of him using his special manipulation skill on her "You didn't…"
"Ofcourse I did burn her house down. She asked for it anyway. She made me come here every fucking day waiting for her, like an idiot, and she never showed. Now she doesn't have a choice. She'll take that stupid train. And be in this school before noon!"
I roll my eyes so hard it hurts. Today's going to totally suck.
The train screeches into the station, wheels grinding like it hates stopping here. A gust of hot wind follows, smelling like metal and engine oil. I fucking hate that smell.
Kaleb straightens up, that predator-smirk still plastered on his face.
"There it is. I'll be gone now. I only came out to this extent because I had a favour to ask from Kaveri this week," he says, nodding toward the stopping train.
He then enters his waiting Rolls-Royce, and it zooms off before I can blink.
Ohh, I hate you, Kaleb. I pick up the photo he gave me again and start to look out for deep red hair, the kind that looks like it was dyed in a bathroom mirror at 2 a.m.—bold and uneven. It falls around her face in loose, slightly tangled waves.
Thick-rimmed glasses perch on her nose, slightly askew. She wears a faded graphic tee, a cardigan with stretched-out sleeves, and jeans that have seen better days. Her shoes are scuffed, mismatched laces tied in quick, distracted knots.
Ohhh, fuck! I don't even want to meet her in real life.
"Excuse me, are you Kaleb Dimitrov? From Brookshigh Academy? The school said they sent a Kaleb to pick me up and I've been waiting. I..." an ivory-faced girl with a musk rose flush on her cheekbones asks.
"Holy shit!" I look at the photo I have and the girl in front of me and let out an unbelieving laugh.
"You are Hope Kendrick?"
"Yes."
The black velvet of her dress heightens the translucence of her face.
I can't believe I'm standing in front of a human.
And she's fucking beautiful.
Red hair. Warm hazel eyes. A spread of freckles over her cheeks and a little nose that's turned a bit red. Her face is well-modelled and feminine—very much unexpected for a nerd—and her glasses are nowhere on her face.
She clears her throat, takes a long sip of her breath, and then frowns.
"Fuck me—left, right, every day, twice on Saturday!" I exclaim in an amused tone
"Are you fucking insane?"her nose wrinkles at me.
No but I'm about to go Insane!.
Her eyes meet mine with a wary glance before her attention shifts to the departing train. Her sharp gaze lands on her phone for only a moment before it floats to the sky.
Hope is a nervous one.
Probably justified, all things considered. She's middle class, coming to an exquisite high-class supernatural academy.
"Sorry, I didn't mean that literally. Let's get you to school, Red," I say.
Hope rolls her eyes at me. She is slender, dark, and fiery, with eyes that glow and pierce my heart.
I swear I've never seen eyes that beautiful before. The others will definitely have a field run with this one.
Her skin is like pitch-tinted cream. Her seductive young body and wholesome good looks make me doubt she's actually human.
"Would you stop looking at me like a pervert?"
"P... pervert? Me, a fucking pervert? Come on, Red. Do you know who I am?"
"Kaleb Dimitrov."
"No, baby. I'm Finn. Finn Skyler."
"Mr. Skyler, I need to rest. It's been a long journey for me."
"Please, it's Finn. Don't ever call me Mr. Skyler. I..."
She moves before I can finish. How dare she? Oh my fucking goodness. I've never seen a human as feisty as this one.
Aren't they supposed to be obedient and know their place?
My hands fold into tight fists as white-hot rage burns in my veins. "Fuck."