Fireheart [Fanfiction - Alternate Universe]

Infiltrating The 24th Floor

[Header image of Dorian Havilliard]

The front door banged behind Celaena as she kicked it close with her heel. She dropped her bag to the floor, and walked towards the stairs as she took off the school's jacket.

"Don't leave your shit lying around," Sam yelled behind her, and Celaena turned around just in time to catch her bag midair and spin in a full circle not to lose her balance as she hung the bag back over her shoulder.

"I leave my shit wherever I want, Cortland," she quipped.

"Someone's in a mood already?" Sam asked, walking towards Celaena and stopping only an inch from her.

"I am not in a mood, but you keep getting in the middle and fucking things up. I don't need your damned help!" She yelled, pushing Sam with a finger against his muscly chest.

"Celaena, Sam, that is enough," a voice called from the top of the stairs.

Sam squared his back, his jaw tightening up just a fraction, and Celaena turned around quickly, letting her pleated grey skirt fan around her.

"Arobynn," she said with as much honey as she could add to her voice. "I didn't expect you to be home so early," she added, smiling broadly, as if him being home could make her happy.

"How could I not? It's your first day of school after all, how did it feel like? It must be exhilarating to be surrounded by so many people of your age after such a long time," he said, making his words sound like a caress, but Celaena could still feel the venom behind them.

Arobynn Hamel, their legal guardian and carer, wasn't one to care. No, he only cared about the things that would benefit him, and this plan was not one that he had been keen on to start with. Celaena had managed to convince him, to persuade him with sweet words and perfectly planned strategies. She knew infiltrating Adarlan Elite High would lead to her finding the truth about what had happened with her parents, and convincing Arobynn had been her top priority for months.

Returning to the world of the living after nine years of living like a ghost was going to be a challenge for her, she knew that, but she was ready for it. Not that she wasn't used to dealing with people, or to playing parts; but the crowds from her night life weren't like the rich kids from Adarlan. She knew rich though, she knew them from the inside, from sneaking into their houses and stealing their secrets for Arobynn, she knew them from examining and stealing their most precious possessions; from plotting against them countless times.

"It was a good day," Celaena replied, making sure not to give much away. "I still don't understand why you sent Cortland though," she added, not being able to avoid complaining about it. She glanced back at Sam with her eyes narrowed. 

She was almost hoping Arobynn would admit to not trusting her after what had happened the last time she went rogue.

"I think he can be a helpful asset," Arobynn simply said, and then he walked down the stairs, brushing Celaena's arm in a calculated caress as he walked past her. "I trust you can find out the truth," he said, placing a finger under her chin. "But I also think you shouldn't get too much attention to yourself, and having another new kid in school may be good for that," he finished as he turned around, and kept walking towards the lounge.

There was no way Celaena could avoid getting attention, she wasn't just another girl in the bunch and eyes always darted to her whenever she was in a room. Her long golden hair was the first thing people noticed, followed by the curves in her body; and her muscles. Most assumed she spent her nights in the gym, running and lifting weights, or that she was a cheerleader. They weren't too far off, but there was so much more to her training schedule. Celaena and Sam could sometimes spend up to six hours in the basement's gym.