To Heaven and Hell

Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Greyson

I am fuming by the time that math is over. Eden kept driving me insane by asking every stupid question as possible, and I could see the bruises on Emily's neck out of the corner if my eye. Eden cracked in a moment of weakness the other night, and she is in full on bitch mode to make up for it. Aspen keeps trying to tell me that I should just ignore her, but she is making that very difficult.

I drown out the people milling about me as I stalk to the lunch room. When I reach the bottom of the steps a hand clamps down on my arm. I yank it away and spin around. "What?" Nix jumps at my angry voice. The tension releases from my shoulders when I realize that it's only her. "Sorry, been on edge lately."

"It's okay," she shakes her head. "If I were you I would be on edge too."

I turn away from her and back toward the lunch room. My eyes fall onto Eden. No. I can't handle this now. I bite down hard on my bottom lip, spinning around on my heel. I leave without getting a lunch. I don't even care anymore. It is going to take all my will power to not kill her. I have dealt with her for years now, but I don't know how much more I can take.

The doors leading out to the front of campus slam shut behind me. I walk on the path that leads toward the gates of the school. We aren't allowed outside of them during the school day, but right now I don't give a damn. I am already in hell, how could it get any worse?

I squeeze through the iron rods and stumble out on the side walk. I look up at the sky. This is where I woke up. After my OD, this was the spot from where had to Luca drag me inside. A shudder runs through me. I didn't want to be here then, and I don't want to be here now. Screw hell, I want out.

"Greyson." I spin and see Nix on the other side of the gate, eyebrows raised at me. "What are you doing?"

I look over her shoulder at the front of the school building. "Come with me," I ask.

"What? But we--we aren't--we can't." Her words splutter as she tries to grasp them.

I can't help but laugh. "Not used to breaking rules, are you?"

She shakes her head.

I walk up to the gate, closer to her. "All the more reason to do it."

I watch as she takes a breath. She slides through the bars of the gate with ease. She regains her footing and then glances back at the school. "Where are we going?"

**

"Do you do this often?" Nix asks me with a milkshake in her hand.

"No actually, I haven't done this before." I shrug and keep walking, staring at the ground. "I mean, I guess it doesn't matter. It's Friday anyway and everyone goes out on the weekends. We just got a head start, that's all."

"How do you know it's Friday? I haven't been able to keep track of the days here."

I point at a sign in front of one of that shops. "Well, that says Friday Specials, and the first thing I invented in when I got here was a calendar."

"I should have thought of that," she sips on the milkshake. She looks over at me. "What?" she asks.

That's when I notice that I am staring at her. "Sorry, I didn't mean to stare." I run a hand through my hair, pushing the gray away from my eyes. I feel the words roll off my tongue before I can stop them. "How did you end up here? I mean, really. You claim that you don't know, but there is just something off." She looks away from me, her hair obscuring her face from my view. "You can tell me, you know. I am one of the more trustworthy people down here."

Her eyes flick back to me. I can see the debate that is going on inside her mind. "I just..." Her voice starts in a whisper and then she stops.

"I am not going to tell anyone. If you want to get it off your chest, you can trust me,"

"That's just it," she finally says, "I don't know who I can trust down here." She stares at the ground. I grabs her arm and stop her. She looks up at me. "I just don't want to screw this up."

I blink confused. "Screw what up?" I ask.

She doesn't answer. Instead her eyes focus on something behind me. I watch as the color drains from her face. Panic sets into her eyes, the blue turning from a calm sea to raging ocean. Her hands start to shake. "No," she mutters. "No no no no no!" She stumbles back and runs in the opposite direction, away from what she was staring at.

I run after her, momentarily glancing over my shoulder to see Aspen and his girlfriend.

Andi

No

Fucking

Way

A girl stumbles back to her chair and calms herself. There perched upon a table all high and mighty is Phenoix. Her legs are crossed no her back perfectly straight. I want to snap it right then and there. She has her wide over used doll eyes popping open.

Please, I think, save the theatrics. I have to admit that seeing her here surprised myself. When did Miss Perfect become evil? I scan the boy next to her. I've seen him before with Aspen. He's a delectable looking fellow, the accent is delicious.

"How did she get here?" Nix whispers. It's funny that she can't tell I'm amazing at reading lips.

"The door?" The boy mumbles back.

"No," Nix lightly hits him. "Who is she?" She looks as if she's going to be sick. Good.

"Insider." He answers.

I pretend I'm not watching as I snag a spoon.

"Are you going to get in line?" Aspen awkwardly stands between the untensils and the counter.

I wave him away. "Get me something, okay?"

I only catch bits of Greyson's sentence. "... Who is essentially on the inside.... Luca thinks satanic stuff... All the secrets."

Damn his accent, I can't catch what he's saying at all.

"Andi?" Aspen calls.

"Will you shut the fuck up please?" I snap. Apen stiffens but I roll my eyes. I hear him set down the ice cream he just got us and the ding of someone walking our the door. Whatever, his weakness is annoying. I look at the ice cream, I'm not even hungry anymore. I make my way over to the circular table.

"Hello little Nix." I say sweetly. I want to rip out her silken hair. I want to wipe her makeup off. Most of all: I don't want her here.

"Andromeda." Nix replies. Her voice is shaking. I stifle laughter.

"Please, it's Andi." I pull a chair from another table.

"Do you know each other?" Greyson pushes around a straw in his drink.

"Of course we do. She's my sister."

Nix starts to shake. I shrug my shoulders in a whoops gesture.

"Are you going to try and run again?" I smile.