Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 88849 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88849 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 444(@200wpm)___ 355(@250wpm)___ 296(@300wpm)
Gus rolled her eyes and retorted nastily, “Right, Shay. You should be the one talking after what you did today. And no, I don’t intend to do anything like that. But the guy will leave his stepdaughter alone after I’m done with him. Promise.”
“You’re not going to kill him.”
“Promise,” she repeated forcefully.
“Fine,” I relented and was rewarded with a flash of perfect teeth. As she turned to leave, I called out, “And no Vespar involved.”
Gus braked, didn’t turn around. And then continued, but not before I heard a few choice words.
The bell sounded, and I heeded. The rest of the day was like usual. I watched, silent, as everyone else played their social games. The quiet ones stayed with their cliques and sent furtive glances at the popular ones. The geeks did their own thing and managed to avoid all contact with any jock. The popular girls whispered together or hung off the arm of their boyfriends. I caught sight of Leah one time, and she managed a tight smile my way. All of her friends looked my direction and then bent their heads over their table. The guys looked and quickly averted their gazes.
I wasn’t a part of their social hierarchy. According to my bloodline, I was supposed to use them as pawns. I knew Giuseppa and Vespar did. I knew they loved the game. They loved the “mind screwing,” how they put it. And I knew Kellan did it, but his appetite seemed a bit deeper. I wondered if he was happy with the shallow mind playing with the Leahs in our school.
I’d never wanted to do that. I’d never felt compelled and, if anything, I wanted to do the opposite. I wanted to stop it.
I felt a burning on my wrist and touched my sleeve. I felt the tattoo burning my skin. I wondered if it was rotating or staying in place. It moved at times, like when it knew I was paying attention to it. And other times, it was just there, like a reminder for something. I just didn’t know what.
When I got to humanities, the tattoo stopped burning. Thank God.
I dropped my books and slumped into my usual table. We sat on the left side, by the windows, and in the middle. The populars liked to sit in the back, which was fine by us. It never mattered because my siblings surrounded me.
Vespar and Giuseppa slid into their table, just in front of me, and bent their heads close together. Kellan dropped his books beside me and slid into his own chair. He turned, studied me intently like he always did, and then lounged back in his chair.
Just then, Mr. Hawkins strode into the room and dropped his lecture book on the table before he took up a marker and turned to the board. “Okay, class. Tell me what you know about religion.”
Silence scattered over the class and their conversations. And then, after a beat of silence, Leah spoke up, “I’m Catholic. Is that what you mean?”
Another girl raised her hand. “Was this part of our reading? I thought we were supposed to read chapter seven in our book? I don’t remember any discussion on religion there.”
Mr. Hawkins ignored her and looked at Leah. “Yes, Leah. Catholicism is a form of religion. You’re correct. Now tell me about being Catholic.” He smiled encouragingly and pushed up his thin wire-rimmed glasses. He tugged down one of his sleeves from his white polo shirt. His bicep muscle flexed, momentarily, and then it relaxed as Leah spoke up, falteringly, “Uh…I guess…I give confession.”
“Purgatory!” Scott yelled out laughingly.
“Yes, Mr. Lorrells, but there’s more to Catholicism than purgatory. There’s so much more to religion than Catholics. Tell me something more class, please.”
Kellan looked at me, long and hard, and then spoke up, clearly, “It’s the intellectual battle for a soul.”
Everyone was shocked, just as myself. The Bradens didn’t talk in class discussions. We weren’t called on, and we were never even required during a class reading. And now, here Kellan spoke up, our leader.
After another beat of silence, Mr. Hawkins gathered himself and rasped out, “Yes, Kellan, but I was looking for something more.”
Kellan shrugged. “It’s the idea of where the soul goes after death. It’s about if the soul can be corrupted during life or not.”
“And what do you think?” our teacher challenged.
Kellan smiled tightly and glanced sideways at me. “I think everyone’s already corrupted, but there are some who don’t agree.”
Mr. Hawkins caught the glance and trounced eagerly. “Shay, what do you think? Do you think souls can be saved? Not corrupted?”
I was furious with Kellan, but I wasn’t sure what to say. I was caught off-guard, “I think souls are just a prize to some. I think they can be saved, yes.”
Both Giuseppa and Vespar turned around in their chairs, wide-eyed, as they looked at us, at me. I refused to flush underneath their scrutiny. Kellan had baited me for a specific reason. I wasn’t going to back down.