House of Darken (Secret Keepers #1)

I nodded a few times, keeping my happy face on. That seemed to satisfy everyone. A party didn’t sound like the worst thing in the world, and if I still didn’t want to go when the day arrived, it was easy enough to make up an excuse.

The rest of lunch passed quickly. The conversation was fun and lively between the other five, and I got to listen and learn all the gossip. I did notice how much time Cara spent looking up at the elite section, sneaking glances whenever she thought no one was watching her. It was definitely time to grill her on the way home. She needed to spill everything she knew about them.





5





My afternoon classes consisted of art, which I was terrible at, and biology, which I loved. Both had elite in them, but none were the Darken brothers. Two blond elites were in my art class, a male and female who could have been twins they looked so similar. I learned their last name was Royale, but other than that they were quiet and kept to themselves.

By the end of the first day I was exhausted. It was like my brain had been on hyper-overdrive as I tried to keep up with this new world, and by the end I was ready to sleep for a week. I could have kissed the moving sidewalk as I jumped on it, zoning out as it zoomed me toward my locker. I stumbled off the end, still not any better at dismounting, and quickly dropped all my books off. No homework had been assigned today, which seemed peculiar, but was probably a first day bonus.

There was a decidedly laid-back approach to learning here. Most of the teachers had asked us to call them by their first name. Textbooks were used, but it was mostly frank discussion that made up the curriculum, and there seemed to be value placed on the opinion and voice of students.

I could get used to that.

“Emma, wait up!” Cara called from the moving path, leaping gracefully from the end and reaching my side in seconds. “We can catch the bus together,” she finished breathlessly.

I slung my now very light bag over my shoulder and grinned. “I was planning on waiting for you. You still have to fill me in on the elite.”

She quickly glanced left and right, before bringing her gaze back to me. “Yes, we can talk a little about it on the way home.”

All day she had been so weird about the elite, seeming to both fear and admire them in equal measure. She’d warned me away from them and then spent half our lunch break watching them. Girl was definitely confused about how she felt. I could relate. There had been a reason I continued to spy on them across the street every day. The fascination was there, no matter how much I wished it away.

There weren’t a lot of students on the bus we caught.

“Trials start today for the teams,” Cara said as we took our seat in the middle of the bus. “It’s really a formality. The same students are always chosen.”

That reminded me of something and I let out a low groan. She raised an eyebrow in my direction. “I need a few more extracurriculars for college,” I told her, barely holding in another groan. “My last guidance counselor told me how competitive scholarships are, and if I want to be in with a decent chance, I need to pad my application.”

Cara dropped her pack between her feet and gave a little nod as she straightened. “I’m the same. Thinking about joining the school paper, and maybe volunteering for one of the committees. Prom or something.” She quickly added, “As long as you don’t want to be a cheerleader, then we have plenty of time to decide. There’s a list near the main office. We can check it out tomorrow.”

Relief washed through me; there was still time to decide. When she had said all the tryouts started today, I’d thought I missed my chance. “I definitely don’t want to be a cheerleader. I don’t have a lot of pep, and my flexibility is about minus fifty.” I had never been one of those kids who could put their leg over their head. I was more likely to be found trying to touch my toes and only reaching my knees.

When about half a dozen students were seated across the bus, the driver – a middle-aged man with kind eyes and a cheery smile – shut the door and slowly pulled out of the main parking lot. As we drove by I noticed the Darkens' cars were still in the lot, which probably meant those elite were on the football team. Figures.

As the school disappeared, Cara and I slumped into our seats, and she shifted to face me. The mascara around her eyes was smudged, the fancy up-do in her blond hair falling out, but she still managed to look confident and put together. My last thirty bucks said I didn’t look nearly as good.

“What I’m about to tell you is ninety percent rumor and ten percent guesswork from me.” Her voice was barely above a whisper.

“So pretty much zero confirmed fact?” I murmured back.

She nodded. “There is something weird about the elite in this town. Weird like … they’re not normal humans.”

Obviously they weren’t normal humans. They were rich and powerful and connected, like meeting the president, or a movie star.

Cara must have noticed my expression, because she shook her head. “No, it’s not just that they are beyond perfect, or that they have enough money to buy most countries, or that there is not a single door in this world which doesn’t open for them. It’s more … I don’t even know how to explain it. If I had to guess, I would say they were literally not from Earth.”

She shot me a look, probably waiting for me to laugh and accuse her of being crazy. I didn’t though, because I was very used to this sort of theory now. The Finnegans had me well prepared. “You think they’re something supernatural,” I whispered, wanting more information. “Like … vampire or werewolf or something?”

Cara blinked a few times, before she expelled a huge breath of air and sank even lower. “Honestly, I know I sound crazy. I know this. And probably the elite are just mafia or something. But if they were vampires it would make so much sense … explain away their oddness.”

I had definitely picked up on that odd vibe. Even the way they garnered so much privilege and respect in Starslight. I mean, football players were treated pretty well in my hometown, but this was an entirely new level.

“Did you know teachers are swapped in and out all the time, sometimes in the middle of the school year,” Cara continued. “I don’t even remember most of their names.”

I wasn’t sure what to think or believe, but I was starting to understand what had brought Michael and Sara here. These elites were definitely bringing attention to themselves. Odd that it was happening now, considering Michael always monitored that sort of thing and he had seen nothing until recently.

Could his original theory be right? Were we lured here for some reason? Was that why they were not home yet? My heart rate was starting to pick up, heat rushing my body as panic and adrenalin warred within me. If my guardians were not home when I got there, I would give them until tonight. Then I would have to do something. Talk with the security. Follow their path.

Sucking in deeply, I breathed through my worry, knowing there was nothing I could do until I saw if they were home or not. Cara was looking at me strangely, so I quickly changed the subject.

“So, will they start giving out more homework?”

Tilting her head to the side, she observed me for a beat longer, shaking her head, blond strands swishing across her shoulders. “No, we never get homework. The teachers don’t like to mark it.”

Third bonus for the week. “You’re always staring at the elite? Why is that?” The tactless question exited from my mouth before I could stop it.

I expected a glare, but she just let out a deep sigh. “Last year, at one of the Friday night parties, before Mitch and I started seeing each other, I hooked up with an Imperial. You haven’t seen them yet, they never come on the first day – actually, the Imperials only come to school when they feel like it. They fight with the other founding families. Lots of tension.”

I flashed back to my history text to those families: Imperial, Royale, Darken, and Leights.