IVY
I expected an acknowledgement, not a face-swallowing hug or a public display of affection. There were too many eyes on me, expecting my downfall and embarrassment, and I was looking to be saved. But Cassian, my long-lost, or would I say estranged, stepbrother, stood there, his face bland and expressionless.
I didn't give up, I moved an inch closer, staring directly into his eyes.
"Cassian, I have been trying to reach you. Your numbers wouldn't go through and your socials were deactivated. How is it that..."
I trailed off, feeling the ugly memories flash across my mind. I didn't come here looking for a fresh start, but Brother Cassian was part of the past I had been trying to escape.
"Won't you say something?" I probed further, standing on my toes to match his towering height. "If anything, it's rather rude to disappear on your kid sister in that manner, or don't you think? I have had to live alone in our house with a stray cat."
Cassian lowered his head now, his ocean blue eyes boring deep into mine. But just when I expected a response, he turned around and walked away.
"What!"
One of the girls in the group uttered and they all began to laugh. "Brother indeed, the new girl is desperately trying to belong. A sister of the Serpents, how silly."'
"She isn't silly." Cassian's voice rang across the hallway. "She is better than all of you." I looked up to find him standing by his locker, his eyes fixed intently on mine. I searched for any glint of familiarity in them, but I couldn't find any. What was happening?
"You should all go to class," he said to the crowd. "Don't make me say it twice."
Ronan came forward and took my hand.
"You heard the man, everyone, return to your classes, respectively." Then he turned to me.
"Would you like a can of soda little sis?" he gave me a knowing look, but another gasp erupted from the crowd.
"She really is their little sister."
"No, I'm not," I shouted at the crowd, but nobody was listening to me. "He is just being..."
I couldn't finish the statement, Ronan tightened his grip around my wrist and pulled me away. The chattering from the crowd of students increased, and I could hear their words in my ears.
"Why did you do that Ronan?" I questioned angrily.
"Do what?" He said mischievously, obviously enjoying the entire charade.
"What do you mean do what? You just lied to those people. Why did you call me your little sister?"
He raised his shoulders in a small, nonchalant shrug.
"I just gave the school something to talk about, and that said, I just made you popular and protected by our clique." He chuckled sinisterly. "You don't know these people, they live and die by gossip."
"But I don't want to be a topic. I just want to get my degree and graduate."
He shrugged again and moved to the vending machine in the empty cafeteria. While I stood by the door, waiting for him. First, I was offered a room in the west wing of the dormitories, and now the Blackmoore Clique were regarding me as their sister, so much for a new life. Ronan, having gotten the drinks from the machine moved deeper into the cafeteria.
"Hey, where are you going?" I called after him.
"I'll be back. You can head to class without me. Tell the lecturer you're a Blackmoore, and he'll let you in. Damn, we really should get you a sigil to wear around your neck."
"What is that supposed to mean?"
He lifted a hand in a distracted wave, phone pressed to his ear, his voice swallowed by the hum of conversation I couldn't catch. Then he was gone.
"Ronan!" I snapped, but he didn't so much as glance back. Frustration burned through me, and I sagged against the wall, eyes shutting hard.
"This is worse than I thought. With no other choice, I turned around and started heading to class. The halls were silent, save for the gentle patting of my feet and nervous thumping of my heart.
"Wait," something suddenly crossed my mind and I half ran in the direction of the cafeteria. "The lecturer said I am not eligible to participate in the class, is there a reason for that?"
"Yes, there is."
The voice came from behind me, and before turning around, I knew who it belonged to, Cassian! He was standing there, leaning against one of the abandoned lockers, his arms folded across his chest. How had he appeared suddenly?
"What are you doing here?" I asked, getting defensive. "I really need to get to class."
"Come with me." He said in a cold, authoritative voice. "We need to talk now."
"There is nothing to talk about." I fired back defiantly. "You don't want to be affiliated with me, is that why you had to wait for the crowd to disperse. Is that really so big brother!"
"I am not your big brother!" His voice went over the roof. "My name is Cassian, I am a guy just like anyone you come across, don't look at me with brotherly eyes. "
"You are not making any sense, brother," I clenched my teeth to suppress my anger. "You could have at least come to my rescue at the time I needed you to. Do you have an idea what those girls are saying about me right now?"
"I don't care what they're saying, you just dragged the Serpente Circle into ridicule. I can't be your stepbrother or anyone you've known outside of the circle, and you do well to understand that."
"It's fine then. No more stepbrother."
"That is not all, you should also be grateful. You have been given the VIP life."
"Well, I didn't invite myself to your ugly part of the dormitory." It was my turn to raise my voice and l did it without restraint. "Hell knows I would have rathered a garbage can."
Cassian's eyes froze into ice and I read something underneath them—a crack beneath his demeanour, an unwilling betrayal of his own resolve. This step brother of mine, a thin smile spread across my face at this thought. Enigmatic, yet endearing, fiery yet considerate.
"Ezra has a girlfriend." He suddenly announced, as he turned to walk away. "I'm telling you this so you would stop flirting with him shamelessly."
Those words slapped me across the face but I would be stupid to show any sign of hurt. So I shouted back.
"Flirting with Ezra is better than living with a stray cat. What do I know, that cat was better than you Cassian."
There was a pause then a long stretch of heavy silence. Slowly, Cassian turned back to face me, his blue eyes now glinting like sapphires caught in candlelight.
"That wasn't a stray cat Ivy." His voice wrapped around my name with a tender familiarity. "It was a gift from me to you. A gift from a lover—not a brother."