Perfidious Read online

  I thought for a second, but before my brain could process what was happening, I spoke.

  “Sure.”

  What did I just say?

  I mentally yelled at myself before I followed him over to the table of football players and cheerleaders.

  Though I recognized a couple of people from gym class, I didn’t know the others. They were the popular kids, the ones I never really tried to get to know—too much attention from others. And attention wasn’t a good thing. Not when I wasn’t all human.

  For most of lunch, I sat quietly eating beside Greyson, listening to the endless conversations about football and parties.

  Noah said my name.

  I jumped, looking up at him with a mouthful.

  “Elisia, you live on the outside of town, just down the road from me, right?” He paused so I could answer him.

  I nodded, still mid-chew.

  “So, you live on the edge of the Dead Zone too, right? You ever think about having a Halloween party in your backyard? I had one last year, but, um, it didn’t exactly go as planned.”

  Everyone laughed.

  I faked a chuckle.

  I hated the name, the “Dead Zone.” People gave it that name because of how many people entered the forest and went missing. Humans knew stories of Perfidious, but since the first days of its existence, Perfidious had become just that—stories. No one really believed in monsters or that they could live so close to them.

  I swallowed my food. “No, I guess I never did.”

  “Well, I think you—Ouch!” Noah stopped, looking up at Greyson on the other side of me.

  “Sorry,” Greyson spoke up. “Noah has parties on the mind all the time. He hosts fifty parties a year at our house, and I don’t think I wanna know how many parties he’s influenced other people to have.”

  Noah swallowed a mouthful and pointed his fork at Greyson. “You’re one to talk. Where do you think I get half my ideas?”

  Greyson looked down at his tray, his lips twitching like he was trying not to snicker. I laughed with everyone, a real laugh. The smiles around me made me feel warm. It was nice hanging out with humans, pretending I was normal.

  After lunch, the day flew by in a haze. My mind was preoccupied, thinking about the party. What would I wear? Should I wear clothes there or just my bathing suit?

  I went from class to class, just going through the motions. Butterflies swarmed around my insides. I’d heard a lot about how rowdy Noah’s parties could get and was probably in over my head, especially since it was the first party I’d been invited to. But I was still excited to go.

  Just like I was excited to spar with Kalvin and my new sword.

  After the last bell, I made my usual route home, heading around the house, throwing my backpack inside through my window, and jogging into the woods. Kalvin waited for me outside my cellar. I waved at him as I grabbed the sword, but I was too anxious to chat.

  A sword came down at my face.

  I reacted quickly, throwing my right arm up to block the impact.

  Kalvin stopped the swing inches from my bare arm. I looked at the scene and realized my sword was in my other hand. He removed the dangerous blade and gracefully returned it to his side.

  “I could’a taken your arm off,” Kalvin stated, using his teacher voice. “Using the blade as an extension of your arm doesn’t mean use your arm.”

  “I know. I know.” I stuck the sword into the ground. A little too hard. “Ugh! I’m used to combat, both hands. I can’t do this. I’m not cut out for a single blade. Can’t I just train with something like your daggers?”

  “Daggers have short blades, and you don’t have protective dragon skin like I do.” He shifted his weight, studying me. “You were so excited about this, Elisia. Where’s your mind at? Cause it’s definitely not sparring with me.” He paused, and a smirk rose to his lips. “If I’m such a distraction, then we shouldn’t train together anymore.”

  I had to look away from his piercing eyes. “No, that’s not it. I don’t like the one-handed style. I’m used to using the other person’s momentum against them. I like having two weapons.” I held up my two fists but dropped them in a wide gesture. “Don’t you have anything that I can combine my combat with instead of completely learning a new style? Got anything else I can hold in both hands, instead of daggers?”

  “Hmm…” He shifted his weight and stroked his nonexistent beard. “I’ll take ya to my mom’s tomorrow. I’m sure she’ll have an idea on what you should use.” His smirk grew mischievous as he eyed me up and down. “I know that with a body like yours, ya can be deadly with just your fist.” His expression turned serious again. “However, I also think ya should have some sort of blade, especially with the way Perfidious is.”

  “Kalvin, I can’t go tomorrow. I have plans…”

  He raised an eyebrow.

  “Some of my classmates invited me to a party,” I explained.

  “Interesting. What kinda party?” Disappointment laced his empty tone, but he never let it show in his features. He set his sword on the ground.

  “A pool party. It’s with a bunch of humans, though, so my mom’s gonna help me cover up my Anchor. I don’t want anyone to ask questions about it.” I sat down on an old tree stump with a split that broke off in two parts, making it almost look like a destroyed couch.

  Kalvin sat next to me, and together we watched the streams of light through the trees starting to dim. The sun was close to setting. I elbowed him and he grinned, lowering his head. His black hair hung in front just above his brow, but he never let it get long enough to cover his eyes completely.

  “I should probably head back soon. I’m exhausted,” I said, looking up and resting the back of my head on the longer part of the tree.

  “Wanna work on combat and sleep at your place tonight?” He turned his head to look at me.

  I didn’t need to think about it. “Sure, why not? I’ll text my mom to let her know.”

  I got up and sent a quick text to Mom, planting my feet to prepare for his “surprise” attack.

  His smile grew and then vanished.

  Kalvin stood and, in one swift motion, aimed a punch directly at my stomach. I jumped back and got into a fighting stance as we circled one another, waiting for someone to make the first move.

  4

  Sun rays peeked through a crack in the roots above me. I rolled to my side on the soft mattress, pulling the covers over my head. On the verge of falling back asleep, my eyes flew open.

  If the sun was high enough to peer through the roots, I’d be late for school. I tossed the covers to the side and flew out of bed.

  Sadly, my foot caught a lump on the floor, and my body became a victim to gravity. I fell face first into the hard dirt. I turned over, planning to kick the lump for tripping me.

  Kalvin’s sleeping face stopped me. I forgot he stayed over the night before. He sprawled out on his usual bed whenever he visited, a spare mattress on the floor, softly smiling in his sleep and showing no signs of waking. I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding. He usually wasn’t the kindest person in the morning.

  Well, neither was I, but I could not be late. Not that day, anyway. If Greyson noticed I wasn’t at school, he might take back his invitation, and I was looking forward to the party. I quickly changed my clothes around the corner of the circular L-shaped area where Kalvin couldn’t see if he woke up. I rummaged through my bag to make sure I had everything.

  Check.

  I reached for the door, my palm encircling the knob—

  A pair of arms reached around my neck.

  My body tightened, ready to jab an elbow into the attacker's rib cage on reflex.

  Kalvin’s sleep-filled voice tickled my ear. “Ya should stay.” He rested his chin on the top of my head. “I don’t want ya to leave.”

  “Kalvin,” I sighed. I grabbed his arm and flipped him over my shoulder. He crashed on the ground in front of me in a millisecond.

  He had to rais
e his voice over my laughter for me to hear. “Why must you torture me?” His toothy grin mocked me, not even phased by the impact. Stupid dragon skin.

  “Oh, please. You’re such a shameless flirt. I have to go to school. I’ll be back later to spend the night. We’re going to Tamara’s early.” I smiled back.

  “I remember. Well,” he said, propping his head up with his arms, “I’ll wait in this exact spot for ya.”

  I placed a hand on my hip as I made sure I didn’t need anything else. “There’s no food here.”

  He got up, fast as a blur. “On second thought, I’ll wait at my place.”

  We both climbed out of the cellar and said our goodbyes before I ran to my house. I quietly grabbed my backpack from the place inside my window before running to school. The ten-minute walk took me about two minutes. I didn’t care who saw me.

  The bell rang as I rounded the corner to my math classroom. My empty seat in the back row was only about five or six steps away, but I couldn’t see if the teacher was looking towards the class or the white board.

  Greyson still sat in the seat next to mine.

  I waved to get his attention. His eyes caught mine, an amused smirk spreading across his face. Then, he raised his hand.

  It confused me, but I had to trust that he wasn’t ratting on me.

  Mrs. Walker asked what he needed.

  “Could you write the extended form of number three on the board? I’m confused on how the order should be.”

  I heard the shuffling of feet from the teacher. Greyson looked my way, motioning me to come in, so I quickly tiptoed my way to the desk. Mrs. Walker continued writing on the board, and I pulled out my book, opening it to a random page.

  I turned to look at Greyson, mouthing the words thank you. He replied with a short head nod before returning his attention to the board.

  Mrs. Walker turned around to speak to the class, grazing over me. She closed her mouth and narrowed her eyes. “Ms. Meyer.”

  I stiffened.

  “Did you just sneak in here?”

  I gave her my most innocent look. “No, I’ve been here the entire time.”

  Her features hardened as she placed her hands on the pattern of oversized flowers covering her hip. “Then explain why this is the first time I’ve seen you today.”

  I tried not to show my pride. “Have you put your glasses on yet?” I had used the excuse more than once that year but in different situations. I was so glad that it hadn’t failed me.

  She looked like she went to push up her glasses, finding they weren’t there. She grunted and returned to the lesson.

  Greyson leaned towards me. “You need to teach me how to do that to Mr. Hobbins.”

  I snickered silently and whispered back. “Just tell him his motorcycle distracted you on the way in. He loves to talk about the importance of a good automobile for the entire class period.”

  He smiled as though what I said was the most obvious answer in the world.

  “We’re on page 124,” he said as I flipped through my book.

  “Thanks.”

  I watched the clock tick by, counting away the day. By the time gym came around, my impatience to leave school and get ready for the party had become unbearable.

  I rushed home before the final bell had stopped ringing. As soon as I jumped through my window, I removed my clothes and slid into my purple bikini. The top looked like an infinity sign, crisscrossing in the middle of my chest, and the bottoms had the same pattern on the sides.

  Mom walked in to check on me. “Are you sure there won’t be any alcohol there?”

  “Yes, Mom. No alcohol.”

  She made me sit down as she applied makeup to cover up my Anchor. “This thing is always so hard to cover up. It’s pretty, and you can pretend it's just a normal tattoo. Why don’t you just let people see it?”

  I furrowed my brow and turned down the corners of my mouth, my voice becoming quieter. “I hate it when humans ask me about it. It's easier to cover my Anchor with makeup than answer questions with lies.”

  Mom wrapped her arms around me, pulling my gaze to her reflection in the mirror. “Well, I’m a human, and I love both parts of you. Who knows, maybe you’ll meet some people at the party that you could open up to.”

  I loved her optimism, but her carefree attitude was something I never understood. I hugged her and stood up. “And you’re sure that I don’t have to make dinner or do extra chores tonight?”

  “Let’s just say our agreement is on hold for tonight,” she said as she handed me my rainbow cover up.

  I wrapped it around me and tied it at my waist, checking my appearance in the mirror one last time. To most humans, I looked exotic, but I loved my unusually bright features. It was the only visual hint that I was part elf, besides my Anchor.

  But the makeup concealed it, showing just a normal shoulder. I would still need to be careful and avoid getting my upper half wet. The makeup wasn’t waterproof.

  I walked out the front door and started down the road to Noah and Greyson’s house.

  5

  Music reached my ears before I had even made it to the driveway. The open front door beckoned me inside the two-story house. A huge crowd of people, most of them I recognized from school, already loitered in the rooms and hallways. The bass pulsed through my body as I maneuvered through the crowds to the pool.

  Less people were in the backyard. Some swam in the pool or sat around the edge, dangling their feet in, but most stood in small groups scattered around the backyard. Everyone seemed like they were having a good time, but my eyes were searching for Greyson.

  Someone tapped me on the shoulder.

  “Hey, Elisia. When did you get here?” Noah greeted me, handing me a drink. His hair seemed browner in the sunlight.

  I raised my eyebrows and looked hesitantly from the red plastic cup back to Noah’s face.

  His smile grew. “I only serve the hard stuff at night parties. But I would still be careful. This is some strong strawberry punch.”

  “I just got here a minute ago,” I answered his original question as I took a sip. “Wow, this has a lot of sugar in it.”

  “Too much? Greyson can go overboard sometimes.” He chuckled, flashing perfectly white teeth.

  “No, not too much. Just a surprise.”

  “Think you’ll enjoy yourself, first-timer?”

  “Yeah, and it seems like I’m not the only one.” I avoided a splash from someone jumping into the pool. “It looks like the entire high school is here, plus some.”

  He took the compliment instantly, and his eyes gleamed with pride.

  “Speaking of people, is Greyson here yet?” I asked.

  “Well, considering he lives here, yeah.” He pointed to a group of muscular guys across the yard as he took a sip from his cup. “He’s right there—the one in the sunset shorts. Well, I gotta go play host.” Noah gave me a genuine grin. “Let me know if you need anything.”

  I walked toward the group Noah had pointed out, looking for Greyson. It was hard to tell which one was him until I spotted the sunset swim trunks. The person next to him shifted slightly, bringing more of a shirtless Greyson into my view.

  Shock shivered down my spine, stopping me dead in my tracks.

  Greyson had a tattoo on his left shoulder. Dark grey ink stood out against his tan skin, a circle with a triangle inside of it with another triangle inside of that, but the second triangle was upside down. The mark shimmered, and I knew.

  It was an Anchor.

  A sinking feeling grew in the pit of my stomach, but I did my best to collect my composure, making sure no one saw me staring at him. Greyson laughed at something before I tapped on his shoulder. He turned around and met my gaze.

  He beamed with surprise. “Hey, Elisia, I almost thought you wouldn’t show up.”

  "I told you I was coming, didn't I?" I smiled slightly, but my mind stayed focused on the Anchor.

  “Yes, you did.” He pivoted back to his group. “I’ll cat
ch up with you guys later.”

  I got another quick glance at Greyson’s mark, still with the distinctive shimmer. My heart fell; I had hoped I was just seeing things.

  When he turned back around, my eyes shot to his. We would have to talk about it, but I didn’t want it to be awkward. Him noticing me staring at it would definitely make it awkward.

  “Greyson, can we talk?” I asked, somehow sounding more serious than I intended.

  His brow creased. “Sure?”

  “Alone,” I added, throwing a quick glance to the group of guys still within earshot.

  Greyson frowned but led me to the other side of Noah’s backyard. The house bordered the pool in an L-shape, so we didn’t have to go far to escape human ears.

  Once I knew we were out of hearing distance, I dropped my act. “That’s an interesting Anchor. I've never seen an insignia like that. What does it mean?”

  Greyson looked confused. “What’s an Anchor?”

  “Greyson, I know that isn’t just a tattoo,” I spoke slowly.

  He probably thought I was human. I usually tried to keep my Anchor covered at school, so he most likely hadn’t seen it before, unless he spent time in the girl’s locker room.

  “Wait, so, you wanted to talk alone about my tattoo?” Greyson broke eye contact as he lowered his chin.

  “Yeah. I didn’t think you’d want others to overhear our conversation.”

  He was being overly secretive about it for no reason. I called it an Anchor. He should have caught on that I knew about Perfidious.

  "Yeah, okay? Um…I don't know what it means. I was so nervous about getting a tattoo, I don’t remember," he responded, acting the same way I did when someone asked about mine.

  “You can drop the act. I know you didn’t ‘get it’ from a person.”

  A puzzled look in his eyes stopped me from saying anything else. My eyes widened as the realization struck me.

  He didn’t know what I was talking about.

  My brain wasn’t working, but my mouth acted on its own. “Wait a minute…you really don’t know?”