Rae of Hope Read online

  “Because of who you are.”

  That didn’t make sense. “‘Cause I’m Rae Kerrigan?”

  “Yes, silly, and because of your parents.”

  “What about my parents?” Rae could hardly remember anything about them. She’d been so little when they died in that terrible fire almost ten years before.

  “I don’t think it’s my place to explain.” Devon nervously shifted his weight from foot to foot. “Maybe you should talk to Headmaster Lanford.”

  “I plan to.” She chewed on her nail, imagining some scary, crazy principal dressed in long, dirty robes who spoke in proverbs of truth like her uncle. “What’s he…uh, like?”

  “He’s good. Big guy. Bad hair. You’ll like him, and he’ll answer all your questions.” Devon absent-mindedly traced his tattoo with his fingers. “Don’t pack your bags and jump on the first plane back to New York. Give Guilder a chance. It’s even better than the brochures say.” He grinned, showing his adorable dimple. “We’ll grow on you. And trust me, when you get inked, you’ll be glad you’re here.”

  “On my sixteenth birthday, like Molly said? I’ll get a tattoo on my arm?”

  “Nah, yours is on your lower back.” Devon’s cheeks turned a light shade of pink. “It’s way cooler on girls than guys.”

  Sexier was the word he didn’t say, but Rae could read it on his face. She’d seen tattoos on girl’s backs but never thought of them as anything more than ink. A tramp stamp. She needed to start taking notes if she planned to fit in at this school. “I guess I’ll just have to wait three days and see Molly’s.” She had so many questions bubbling inside her. She wanted to ask if they got to choose their tattoo or if they were pre-selected for them. Maybe they had some kind of list. If there was, when did she get on it? She pressed her lips together, not wanting to appear denser than she was sure she already looked.

  “Sure, or some of the older girls will show you.” He pointed toward Aumbry House. “Molly’s talking to Haley and Maria. They’re both sixteen. Want to go meet them?”

  Butterflies bashed around inside Rae’s gut. What if everyone knew about her like Devon did? What did that mean anyway? She let out a slow breath. “Sure.” No sense in being shy in front of the hot, and probably senior, boy. For some reason, she wanted to impress him and being a recluse wouldn’t accomplish that.

  As they walked back to Aumbry House, Molly ran over to greet them. The other two girls followed at a slower pace.

  “Rae, meet Haley and Maria!” Molly gushed the introduction in what Rae was beginning to see was her typical fashion.

  “Hi,” said the blonde-haired, brown-eyed girl. “I’m Haley.”

  A tiny, dark-haired girl peeked around Haley’s shoulder. “Hello.”

  Rae blinked. She could’ve sworn Maria had just said “hi” but she hadn’t seen the girl’s lips move. She glanced at the others to see if they’d heard it as well, but she couldn’t quite tell. Maybe it’s the jetlag in my brain playing tricks on me.

  Devon checked his watch. “Ladies, I’d love to stay and chat, but I’ve a football match. My housemates will be ticked if I don’t show. I’m already late.” He patted Rae on her shoulder.

  As he jogged away, Rae noticed the others staring at his retreating figure. No surprise there. He’s part superhero.

  “He’s so hot,” Molly murmured.

  “And sexy. Definitely worth watching,” Haley said. “And chasing.”

  “No dating, remember?” Molly half-heartedly chided.

  “Guilder highly discourages that. It’s taboo – not that I plan on paying attention to that rule.” Molly walked behind Haley and reached for the back of her shirt. Haley deftly stepped just out of reach.

  Molly didn’t even acknowledge the dodge. She just powered straight on into conversion. “Can we see your ink?

  “Have you figured out how to use it?” Molly, definitely not the shy type.

  Haley laughed. “I, by no means, have mastered my gift. But I’m sure I’ve figured out what I can do. Coming here is only going to make me stronger and better.” She pulled her shirt up and turned around to show her back to both of them. Above her jeans was a stunning tattoo of a whirlwind or tornado.

  “So, what all can you do?” Molly asked as she impatiently tapped her foot.

  “I can make wind.”

  Molly snorted.

  Haley shot her an annoyed look. “No, silly, not that kind of wind. I create wind. Big wind, or even just little gusts.” Haley twittered a high-pitched laugh which Rae found annoying. “At my old school, I used to send small gusts to mess up my teacher’s piles of papers, other stuff like that. Right now, though, if I try anything stronger, I end up flying backward.”

  Molly skipped ahead to the next subject, seemingly unimpressed with Haley’s power. “What about yours, Maria? What’s your ink?”

  Rae felt sorry for the tiny girl. She looked like she wanted to disappear. Rae decided to come to the rescue and end Molly’s little impromptu inquisition. “Hey, why don’t we head over to where Devon’s playing?”

  “And meet more cute boys?” Molly gave a little kid-like bounce. “Let’s go.”

  The girls headed off to the sports fields.

  “Thanks.” A soft voice spoke inside Rae’s head, causing her to misstep, but she quickly caught herself. She glanced at Maria from the corner of her eye and nodded. When Maria smiled, Rae grinned. Holy Cow! That really happened! She talked in my head! This school is going to be so amazing.

  Molly suggested they head to the middle of the sidelines, so they could see both teams. They sat down on the bleachers to watch. It didn’t take long for Rae to figure out Devon was easily the quickest and most talented on his team. The boys seemed oblivious to the girls sitting in the bleachers, which Rae didn’t mind. It gave her time to calm the butterflies in her stomach.

  A boy on the opposite team dribbled the ball near his goalkeeper. In the blink of an eye, he’d passed midfield and streaked around a defense player. He took a shot on the net, scoring easily. Rae blinked and rubbed her eyes, wondering if she was seeing things.

  “No goal! No goal!” Devon waved his arms in the air. “Riley, you know the rules. Only natural play—no gifts!”

  “Give me a break! I can’t help if my slow running is faster than everyone else’s,” Riley shouted. His teammates cheered and slapped him on the shoulder.

  “You’re not faster than the speed of light without your gift! No way can you argue with the laws of physics.” Devon tapped his head and the other boys laughed. “Trying to impress the girls?” The guys started walking over to where the girls sat.

  “Whatever.” Riley scowled at him.

  Devon bowed dramatically to the girls.

  “Hey, I’m Riley.” He stepped in front of Devon.

  Rae noticed a tattoo of a cheetah on his wrist. That explained his speed.

  “Gals, this is my team. Our keeper is Nicholas, our two defensemen are …” Riley’s eyes and mouth stopped moving when they came to Rae. He simply froze, staring at her like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Is it my hair? Is there something on my face? She suddenly wished she could hide behind Haley. But no matter how hard she wished, she could see by the look on his face, the something which had stunned him to silence, was her. “You’re Rae Kerrigan, aren’t you?”

  All laughter and jostling from the guys walking toward them stopped instantly. Rae swore all their jaws dropped open at the same time. Her temper flared from embarrassment and the stress of the day combined with the fact that she had no idea why everyone was acting so strange. Words rushed out of her mouth before she had a chance to think them through. “Yes, I’m Rae. I’ve no idea what you’ve been told about me, but let me assure you, I feel ten times more uncomfortable around you than you do around me.” You strange bunch of gifted people have no idea how terrifying you are.

  Devon came to her rescue. “Don’t mind Riley. He may be fast as a cheetah, but he has the tact of a rat.” Riley scowled at D
evon’s comment, but it broke the ice, and the boys laughed and relaxed. They obviously trusted him. Hmm…cute, superhero, tactful and now, trustworthy…nice package.

  Molly piped up, “I’m not inked yet. My birthday’s in three days. Rae doesn’t turn until November fifteenth.”

  Rae stared at her roommate in shock. How did Molly know that? She hadn’t told her. Molly had the date wrong. Due to a clerical error when she was born, her birth certificate showed the wrong date, but at this point Rae didn’t really feel like correcting the mistake, since Molly shouldn’t have known it in the first place. It suddenly seemed like a very good idea to make sure her true birth date remained a secret.

  “So you’re just normal ‘til November?” one of the younger boys asked. “Poor you for the next few months.”

  Rae just stared mutely at him. Poor me?

  “That’s Brady. He turned sixteen four months ago, but he’s been here since he was thirteen,” Devon said.

  “Didn’t help him learn any skills on how to control his gift,” a different boy teased. Brady just smiled and pushed his fingers at the commenter, who went sprawling backward.

  “Brady can control wind, like Haley.” Devon ruffled Brady’s hair. A tall boy with his dark, almost black, hair tied in a ponytail, rested his arm on Devon’s shoulder. Rae noted the confident, comfortable gesture. This was obviously one of Devon’s friends and Rae decided she wanted to know all of his friends. She’d need to start gathering information since everyone seemed to have the details on her already.

  “Hiya. I’m Julian. My talent is by far the most interesting. I can draw the future.” He tapped his long, artistic fingers on his wrist. “I’ve just had a vision telling me it’s half past four and Lanford’s getting hungry. If we want to eat, we’d better start heading back.”

  The guys collected their belongings. Rae stayed close to the girls as they headed back to the school buildings. She felt uncomfortable about the impact her name caused but she didn’t know what to do about it, or even the reason behind it. She was glad that Devon walked beside them, along with Julian, who seemed unfazed about her identity. Anyone behaving like a normal person ranked high on her good list at the moment.

  About half-way back, Devon interrupted what had become a comfortable silence. “We’ll see you shortly, at the table.” He let his shoulder rub against Rae’s. “We’ll save you a seat.” The guys headed into Joist Hall, and the girls continued to Aumbry House.

  “Don’t you think they’re all super -hot?” Molly whispered as they headed up the steps.

  “Dunno.” She shrugged, caring more about information than boys at the moment. The headmaster had better be at dinner tonight. She wanted to get some answers to the millions of questions flying around in her head.

  Chapter 3

  Headmaster Lanford

  Back in their room, Molly did a quick hair check and make up refresher. Quick wasn’t quite the right word exactly. She needed half an hour to fix what, in Rae’s opinion, already looked perfect. Then they headed back down the stairs to meet the other girls.

  “If we’re the only four here so far, why the heck does Madame Elpis wanna meet downstairs? She makes it sound so…mandatory,” Molly whined as they waited at the main entrance.

  Rae ignored the childish tone of Molly’s complaint. “Do you know what her i-ink is?” It felt funny trying to talk as if she understood everything.

  “Madame Claws?” Molly laughed. “Not a clue. Each professor, as well as the headmaster and dean, is inked. So we know she has one, we just don’t know what it is.”

  Rae grinned. Molly could switch moods faster than a light switch.

  Haley, followed by Maria, came down the black and white marble stairs. “I heard Guilder won’t hire anyone who isn’t inked,” Haley said. “My father says the school may seem like any other prestigious college, but everyone who graduates from here does big things. They’re all successful and make loads and loads of money.” She paused to flash a haughty smile. “My father does very well and has big plans for me.” Haley finished with a snobbish smirk.

  “What’re you gonna do with wind power?” Molly asked flatly, rolling her eyes.

  “I’ll find something, and I’ll be rich,” Haley’s expression transformed from snobby to terrifying, making Rae nervous.

  What’s the deal there? Rae wondered if Haley was any relation to the Wicked Witch of the West. All she needs now is the cackle. Rae could just picture Haley all done up in the witch’s black dress saying “I’ll get you my pretty!” and had to turn away from everyone to compose herself so she didn’t laugh out loud.

  “Um, okay…” Molly held her hands up. “How? I don’t get how everyone here makes big money, if we’re supposed to keep these abilities hidden from the rest of the world.”

  Haley smiled, all BFF again and Rae made a mental note to stay out of her way. She might switch moods as fast as Molly, but for some reason, it was creepier with Haley.

  Haley linked her arm through Molly’s. “Wait ‘til you get your ink. Then you an’ I’ll figure out what we can do. We’ll be rich and nab us some even richer hubbies.”

  Rae wanted to gag. Real Housewives of Guilder? How lame could they be?

  “Haley’s not that bad. Her father was real disappointed when Haley inherited the gift instead of her younger brother. Seems the gift gene is usually passed to males, and there has only been a shift in the past, like, forty years. Some people still would prefer that boys get the gift rather than girls.” Maria’s quiet voice in Rae’s head bore a hint of bitterness.

  Rae shifted to dispel the shiver that crept down her spine. It felt incredibly strange to have someone else’s voice inside her head. Can she read my mind too? She turned to Maria and half-smiled. The worried crease on Maria’s face disappeared. That’s not a no…better find out the answer to that question.

  Before Rae figured out how to test the issue, Madame Elpis strode in from outside, her heels clicking on the marble tiles. “Ladies, one should not keep gentlemen waiting, especially at meal times.” She turned and reached for a switch above the door. As she raised her arms, her blouse lifted revealing her ink. Rae strained to see over everyone’s shoulders. It was a little bird, a magpie. Molly flapped her arms and made a sour face. The girls giggled, barely managing to suppress the laughter before Madame Elpis straightened and shot them a stern glance.

  Molly straightened and whispered to Rae, “Madame Crow definitely has eyes in the back of her head.” Rae thought to herself, You ain’t kiddin’.

  The girls followed Madame Elpis along the path, past Joist House to a smaller building set in the shadows. A plaque on the wall by the door proclaimed it Refectory Dining Hall. White with wooden beams throughout, topped with a thatched roof, it reminded Rae of a post card her aunt once got of a Cape Cod house.

  The sound from inside the dining area was like a stadium full of screaming fans. But as they entered, all the noise and activity came to a standstill.

  A very large man with an overgrown comb-over stood up from his seat at the front table. “Ladies, I’m Headmaster Lanford.” He turned slightly and cleared his throat loudly. “Gentlemen, I’d like to introduce you to the new students at Guilder.” He walked around the table and introduced the girls by name.

  The boys clapped with each introduction, but hands froze midair at the mention of Rae’s name. Boys leaned in toward each other; a murmur of whispers buzzed around the room.

  Rae closed her eyes and wished the floor could swallow her up.

  Headmaster Lanford seemed oblivious to the reaction. He simply told the girls to find empty seats. From the size of his belly, he seemed to be someone who didn’t like to miss a meal and maybe had seconds and thirds to boot. He probably pinches chips from other people’s plates too.

  Devon’s voice rang across the silent room. “We’ve got seats for all of you.”

  Rae was so relieved to see a familiar face, she nearly ran to him even with everyone staring. Would hiding under the t
able be any less noticeable? She settled beside Devon and stared at her empty plate.

  “Hope you’re hungry,” the boy on her other side said. “I’m Andy.” He reached for the water pitcher.

  His sleeve slid up, showing Rae his ink. Dark ink detail in black, grays and browns displayed a wolf sitting on its haunches. Rae’s natural curiosity over-ruled her discomfort with her surroundings. She couldn’t stop herself from asking. “Do you have the characteristics of your tattoo? Like Devon does with his fox mark?” Rae dropped her gaze and scolded herself for sounding like Molly with the back-to-back questions. She worried she had probably just screwed up royally, and managed to make an already bad situation even worse. Surprised when Andy laughed, she looked up at him.

  “No, I’m a shifter.” He pulled his sleeve up all the way and traced the image with his fingertips, allowing Rae a better view. “Don’t worry, I’m a good wolf. There’s no need to be concerned for Little Red Riding Hood or the Three Little Pigs. They’re all safe from me.” He winked at her.

  “Good to know.” She laughed, liking his teasing banter. “Are there any other shapesters…I mean shiftsters…shape-shifters?” She cringed inwardly over her tongue-tied, stilted conversation. Could I act any thicker?

  “One other.” Andy pointed to a guy with a beak-like nose sitting further down at their table. “Rob. He shifts into an eagle. Lucky bugger gets to fly!”

  “You’re joking?” Rae glanced at Rob who sat across the table, disbelieving the long-armed boy could actually turn into an eagle. She thought back to the large bird on the bus ride and wondered if it could have been him.

  “He’s the only one at the school right now who can fly. It’s pretty cool and unbelievable at the same time.”

  Rae smiled. “Everything seems pretty cool and unbelievable. Trust me.”

  Devon leaned across Rae and grabbed the basket of buns. “Pretty much all of us here knew about gifting before we started, at the age of twelve. Plus our dads usually explained things prior to coming.” He chuckled. “Kinda like Dad’s ‘facts of life’ lecture.”