Rae of Hope Read online

  Rae exhaled the breath she hadn’t realize she’d been holding. The banging of hammers and screeching whine of electric saws reverberated through the hallway. She was so nervous, the hammering could have been coming from her heart and she wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference.

  Rae took her time up the marble stairs and, once on the landing, headed left to the end of the hall. Biting the inside of her cheek, she gave a light knock at the slightly open door and peered in. Empty. Rae cautiously pushed the door open and surveyed her new room.

  Thick, lush brown carpet covered the floor. Two beds, with matching duvets and tan suede pillows, rested against the opposing walls. One of which already sat full of half-empty suitcases. Modern closets with ample space matched perfectly with the antique desks built into the wall by each oriel window. Rae inhaled deeply, taking in a mingled sense of fresh paint and the unique scent of antiques.

  Finally! It’d been one helluva long day of traveling. Much of the tension ebbed from her shoulders and she cracked a smile for the first time in hours.

  Rae dropped her suitcases on the uncluttered side of the room. Her roommate, Molly, must have stepped out halfway through unpacking. Her closet doors were spread open, with hangers already full of clothes and more shoes than Rae had owned in her entire life. She’d never been big on dressing up, but she still knew designer labels when she saw them and she saw an awful lot of them in that closet. Hopefully, her roommate didn’t end up being superficial. Rae stood there wondering how she’d deal with it if she had to room with Guilder’s Next Super Model. Visions of her roommate stomping up and down the room in heels practicing her “walk” distracted her. She didn’t hear the footsteps walking down the hall to the door.

  “What are you doing in me room?” Rae jumped and dropped her purse. A fashionably dressed girl stood in the doorway. She had dark, mahogany red hair, the kind women paid insane amounts of money to try to copy. Oh great…well, here we go.

  “Molly?” Rae swallowed. “I’m your new roommate.”

  Molly stared Rae up and down. “You’re Rae Kerrigan? I pictured someone totally different. You’re not scary at all!” She laughed as if at some private joke. Scary? Me? What is she talking about?

  “Name’s Molly Skye. I’m from Cardiff, in Wales.” She shoved one of her suitcases onto the floor and dropped into the small, open space on the bed.

  Rae watched, confused. Why would anyone think of her as scary? Because she lived in New York? She had a terrible premonition of being the odd one out, and school hadn’t even started yet.

  “You’re not sixteen, eh? No ta’too?” Molly pointedly dropped her gaze down to Rae’s waist, as if she expected Rae to show her something.

  Tattoo? Rae squinted, trying to listen closer to Molly’s accent. The way she spoke, some of the words were hard to make out. Why would she ask if I have a tattoo?

  “Me birthday’s in three days. It’s going to be so awesome!” Molly leaned back on her elbows. “When’s yers?”

  “My birthday? Uh…not ‘til November.” Straight into the personal info. Okay, I think I know what my roommate is going to be like.

  “November? You do have a long wait.” Molly grimaced and shook her head. “Poor you. You’ll be the last one inked for sure.” She jumped off the bed. Rae noted the strange comment, but Molly’s motor-mouth went speeding on, so she filed it away for examination at a later time.

  “What’d you think of our room? Pretty cool, eh? Aside from the construction on the floors above us.” She shot the ceiling an annoyed look. “I just talked to one of the workers. He said they finish at four. They start again at like eight in the morning! Can you believe that? Who gets up at that time, anyway?”

  Wow. Molly can talk without pausing for breath. Rae nodded and tried to keep up. She watched Molly roll from the balls of her feet to her heels, back and forth continually. It was a typically nervous gesture that Rae attributed to meeting new people. Everybody has their issues, but it’s still surprising, considering how fast she’s talking.

  “Can you believe we got invited to Guilder? We’re two of sixteen females within a landmass of rich, supposedly unattainable, handsome boys.” When Rae didn’t respond, Molly squinted at her. “You do know why you’re here, right?”

  Rae shrugged. Jet lag seemed to be eating her brain cells. “To be honest, I don’t really know what you mean. I haven’t been in England since I was six and I know nothing about Guilder.” Despite numerous Google searches at home and having my nose buried in the brochure for an hour on the ride here.

  “You’re not slow or something, are you?” Rae shook her head slowly wondering if her talkative new roomie had just insulted her. Molly stared, scratching her head. “You really don’t know, do you?” She looked up and to the left, obviously recalling something important. She straightened, as if quoting some bit of brochure from memory. “Guilder’s a highly sought after educational institution, but it is primarily a school for the gifted. People who get to go to Guilder know why. The rest of the world has no idea!”

  Rae curled her fingers tight, her nails digging into her palms. She felt stupid and also irritated at herself for feeling stupid. It wasn’t something she wanted to deal with, especially after such a long day of travel. “What makes us…gifted?”

  Molly’s eyes grew huge. She paced the room. “Oh, my... Me da’s never going to believe this. You seriously don’t know ANYTHING?!”

  Rae felt her blood pressure rising. She knew she was tired, confused, and nervous. None of that it was helping her temper, but she was determined not to lose it on what amounted to a total stranger. She pressed her lips tight to stop any snappish comment that might escape. Can’t the ditz just answer a simple question with a straight answer?

  Molly swung around in front of Rae, dramatically squared her shoulders, and put on a serious face. “When we turn sixteen, we receive our ink blot.”

  “What?”

  “A ta’too.” She leaned forward and whispered, “It gives us special powers.”

  Pause…say what? “P-Powers?” Rae tried not to laugh. Had her uncle sent her to an institution for the insane? “You’re kidding, right?” Uncle Argyle had told her the experience would change her life, but hadn’t said how. Rae figured he meant she’d do some growing up – like a maturity thing. And, of course, there was that silly proverb. But perhaps he’d mistakenly sent her off to a giant rubber room.

  Molly waved a hand. “I’m serious. The gift is passed down from generation to generation.” She blew out an exaggerated breath. “Any guy around here who’s sixteen has a ta’too on the inside of his forearm.” She dragged Rae toward the window and pointed to the building across from them. “That’s the boys’ dorm. Let’s go outside and walk around. I’ll get one of them to show you what I mean.”

  Her eyes dropped down to Rae’s clothes, her lips pursed tight together. “Do you fancy a quick change before we go?”

  Rae laughed, despite her roommate’s serious expression. Molly definitely was crazy, but she had a point. She’d dressed comfortably for travel, and even though she wasn’t big on fashion, even she drew the line at meeting her new classmates looking like a worked-over hag. She could use some freshening-up. “Yeah, give me a moment.”

  “I’m off downstairs to try and find some cute boys. Meet me outside when you’re ready.” Molly left, still chattering nonstop with no one in the hall to listen.

  Rae opened the closest suitcase and grabbed the first pair of jeans and top within reach. She hesitated and dug a little deeper into her suitcase. The jeans were fine, they were new, but a white t-shirt seemed too plain. She found a pink Converse tank top with ONE STAR written in sparkles. She pulled out her hair tie, wishing her unruly black curls were straight like Molly’s perfect hair. She never bothered with makeup because she had crazy-long eyelashes that mascara seemed to only want to clomp up against, and almost everything else just made her look kinda like a sloppy hooker. Keep it simple, that’s what her aunt had always t
old her. She settled for lip gloss, and deodorant, and then grabbed a pair of sandals before tossing her purse under her pillow. Now, time to find out what Molly’s been babbling on about, or at least, maybe meet some cute guys. She might be invisible most of the time, but eye candy was eye-candy, no matter which side of the Atlantic it was seen on.

  Once outside, she shaded her eyes against the bright sunlight with her hand and searched for her new roommate.

  Molly stood further down the sidewalk, talking to a very hot guy with chestnut brown hair, dark eyes and a dimple on his right cheek. It disappeared when he stopped smiling and began talking again, making Rae a little sad. She wanted to see that dimple again. Rae bounded down the steps, and then slowed down, trying not to appear too excited. She flinched and covered her head when a loud crashing noise sounded from above, and a large piece of debris flew down from the fourth floor and landed in the blue bin beside her. Face burning, she pretended it hadn’t bothered her and continued walking. Molly and the boy turned to stare in her direction.

  Rae heard someone holler from above, but couldn’t make out what the guy said. Embarrassed by her reaction a moment before, she ignored the shout and kept walking. Molly’s eyes grew big, her hands flew to her cheeks and her mouth dropped open. She screamed. Rae stared as Molly frantically pointed above her head. Rae tipped her head up. She froze in horror when she saw a huge, severed piece of wood paneling balanced like a seesaw on the window ledge several floors above.

  The wood scraped against the windowsill, and teetered as if undecided which way it should fall. Oh crap! A gust of hot, dry wind blew by, knocking the severed beam into final decent. It spun as it fell and all sound was just gone.

  Fight or flight. Rae dropped her gaze, her eyes darted about. The guy beside Molly moved toward her frozen frame. Everything moved in slow motion except for the guy running like a freight train. He was greased lightning, moving faster than anything Rae had ever seen. It didn’t seem possible for a person to move so fast. And why am I focused on him when I’m about to be squashed like a bug?

  Chapter 2

  Proverb of Truth

  Just as she was about to throw her hands over her head for what little protection she could offer herself, Rae’s neck was jerked sideways, she went flying through the air and landed on dry dirt with a thump. Before she could react, warm arms wrapped around her body, forcing her head against a hard chest. They rolled together a bit and, and just as they stopped moving, Rae felt and heard the impact of the paneling hit the ground exactly where she’d been standing a moment before. Dropping her head back against the ground, trying to remember how to breathe after having the air squished out of her lungs, she opened her eyes and waited for them to focus. The cute guy lay on top of her, and the wooden beam had crashed down in the spot where she’d just been standing. The cute boy rolled off, but not before she got a thrill from the smell of his musky scent with a hint of delicious aftershave. Wow…

  She stayed on the grass, unable to tell if being winded came from the fall or the boy. Rae spat some dirt out of her mouth and did a mental check. Nothing felt broken or even hurt too bad. Still dazed, she stared up at the building, trying to figure out if what had just happened was real. The shoulders and heads of two men in hard hats popped through the window.

  “Everyone all right down there?” the one wearing a white hat shouted.

  The boy glanced at Rae then called back up. “I think we’re fine, but you guys are nuts!”

  “Yeah, sorry about that. We’re done for the day now, anyway.” The men laughed and disappeared inside the window. Rae thought it seemed a bit rude of them, but had other more important things to focus on at the moment.

  The boy dusted dirt and grass off his knees, then held his hands out to help her up. “I’m Devon Wardell.”

  Rae wiped her forehead, feeling dirt and grime mix into her skin. Great first impression Rae. She forced her attention back to the boy and nodded, her gaze drifting from his handsome face down his lean torso and along his bare arms. There, below the elbow of his right arm, lay a tattoo of a cute little fox with big ears. She blinked and sat straight up, silently pointing. Suddenly afraid all of Molly’s crazy talk might be true, Rae didn’t have the courage to ask.

  “It’s a Fennec fox. They’re originally from the Sahara Desert.” Devon’s expression remained serious.

  “You don’t have long ears.” Molly stated as she stepped over Rae to stand next to him. Rae could hardly believe the lack of concern for her well-being. Gee, thanks roomie.

  Devon laughed. “No, I don’t. Most of us don’t actually take on the look of our ink.” Shoving his hands in his pockets, he winked at Rae. He swallowed and then opened his mouth to speak, but Molly started before he had a chance.

  “That’s so cool! So, what’s your gift? I mean, besides the speed thing we just saw. Did you figure it out right away?” She moved in front of Rae, blocking her view.

  Devon sighed and sat down on the grass and Molly followed suit, settling next to Rae and actually leaning into her, making Rae wonder what she’d done to deserve having her personal boundaries invaded. However, it wasn’t of the utmost importance at the moment, since Devon was again talking, flashing that dimple her way. “No, I didn’t. The morning I turned sixteen, I had no idea of the tatù’s power. My father’s got almost the same one, but we never talked about it.” He stared up at the sky and snorted, then he smiled at the girls.

  “That night I figured it out quick.” He gave a wry chuckle. “I got me some pretty cool nocturnal gifts.”

  “Awesome night vision?” Molly asked.

  “Yeah, and incredible hearing. Plus, Fennec foxes can jump, and are super fast.”

  Understatement, Rae thought. Speeding-bullet fast…

  “Fantastic!” Molly dropped to the ground and sat close to Devon. “I can’t wait! Only three more days for me. My father’s got some zigzag line, which he uses at his jewelry shop and a few other places he owns. It’s like he’s got a pair of jumper cables instead of hands! Hopefully, I’ll have something more girly for my power.”

  Rae finally found her voice around the same time her brain caught up to the conversation. “Wait. Your dad’s got a tattoo?”

  Molly gave her a funny look. “Of course. Your parents bo–”

  “Are you sure you’re all right?” Devon cut Molly off.

  Rae didn’t miss the move, wondering what it was about, but was unwilling to re-direct his attention back to the conversion. “I’m fine, I think.” She stretched her back. “Just shocked, that’s all.” Which was putting it mildly. I just narrowly avoided death, and am now surrounded by people obsessed with tattoos who also have superpowers. Fantastic…Sure…I’m great…

  “Rae!” Molly turned, as if suddenly remembering the recent traumatic event. “Wow! You could’ve been killed! Glad Devon saved you, or I’d get stuck with some dolt of a roommate.” She flipped her hair behind her shoulder. “What about you? Do you have any idea what yours is going to be? Any help from your dad? Or mom?”

  Devon elbowed Molly in the ribs, but kept his concerned eyes on Rae.

  “I…uh…my folks…” Rae didn’t know what to say or think. Why would her parents have anything to do with this? Could what she was hearing even be remotely possible? Strange as it might seem, she knew it was true. It just seemed to make sense deep down inside, even though she couldn’t pinpoint why. Or…I could be going crazy… Her stomach clenched and rolled. She suddenly felt woozy. “I…um…I think I need to walk around a bit and get some fresh air.” She started to stand.

  “Wait. I’ll come with you. In case you pass out or something.” Devon reached for her hand and helped her to her feet. Once she was up, he didn’t let go, and Rae didn’t want him to. “Molly, think you could grab Rae a bottle of water or something?” He smiled, and the cute dimple appeared again.

  “Sure. I’ll meet you guys on the front steps of Aumbry House.”

  Rae enjoyed the thrill from Devon’s warm, strong
hand in hers. She followed him down the sidewalk, concentrating on slowly breathing in and out. The dizziness began to disappear, but the dull pain of a headache beat at the back of her skull.

  They passed a building marked Joist Hall. “I’m sorry Molly threw all of this on you. For the record, we aren’t crazy. Headmaster Lanford told me you probably didn’t know anything about our ink-art.” He stared straight ahead. “The school isn’t sure how much your uncle or father might’ve told you.” He looked at her out of the corner of his eye. “Did you know they both attended Guilder?”

  What? She planned to kill her uncle next time she saw him. She had obviously been owed a long conversation, stuffed with pertinent information, before he put her on the plane. But all I got was a stupid proverb. She shook her head. “Why do you know so much about me?”

  Devon laughed and patted her shoulder. “You’re quite the talk of Guilder at the moment—the English-American who convinced the headmaster, and dean, to open the college to girls.” He coughed, as if trying to cover his words. “Or, uh…you know, open another college for females only…technically speaking that is....”

  Wait a sec…Rae stopped in her tracks. “I didn’t convince anyone! I haven’t even spoken to the headmaster or the dean. One day I got a letter telling me I’d been accepted. I just assumed my uncle applied without asking me. He’s originally from Scotland, so I thought maybe he knew about this place.”

  Devon waited a few paces ahead. “Weird.” The puzzled look on his face turned to teasing. “Well, the faculty’s pretty excited you came. You might not know them, but, trust me, they know all about you.”

  “What’re you talking about?” She crossed her arms and felt the beginnings of annoyance emerge from her inner turmoil.

  “You’re special.”

  Rae’s face burned. Giddy from his comment, she couldn’t help but laugh. “No, I’m not. I’m just one of the average, quiet, sorta -smart girls. Though, at this moment, I feel pretty dumb.” She tapped the toe of one sandal against the heel of the other. “Why in the world would the dean, headmaster, or anyone else think I’m special?”