Chapter 11: Eve

I arrived back at the academy in one piece after our little jaunt in the woods, relieved when none of the Rogues chased me. I wouldn’t put it past them not to. This was nothing but a game to them. I was nothing but a game to them.
I found Kasey coming out of the cafeteria as I arrived back at the academy. Her eyes went wide when she spotted me, and she hurried to join my side.
“Thank God you’re okay,” she said breathlessly. “I didn’t know where they were taking you. Did they hurt you?”
“They didn’t hurt me,” I said. “This time, anyway. They made me visit that creepy ass cemetery with them.”
“But they didn’t hurt you?”
“No.”
“I’ve always wondered what they do back there,” she said as we walked, nibbling her lip anxiously. “I mean, really, who in the hell hangs out in a cemetery for fun?”
“They do,” I said with a shrug. “But they’re freaking psychopaths. Does it really surprise you?”
“It surprises me more that you came back without a scratch,” she said earnestly. “The Rogues aren’t known to play nice.”
I wanted to tell her that, really, they weren’t so bad. They were jerks, sure, but aside from initiation night, they hadn’t laid a hand on me. Their intimidation now came from their words, and they were mighty good at it. But I’d known jerks before. A massive asshole back home was the very reason I was even here.
“Uh-oh,” said Kasey suddenly, and we stopped abruptly as the Rogue’s girl, Sadie, rounded the corner, her eyes on me as though she’d been waiting for this very moment.
“Hey, bitch,” she said, stepping in front of us as she glared at me. “Where the fuck did the boys take you today?”
“What are you talking about?” I glanced over Sadie’s shoulder, feeling Kasey tense beside me, hoping there was a staff member around who could de-escalate this before Sadie flew off the handle.
“Don’t play dumb,” she hissed, backing me into a corner. “I saw you leave with them.”
“They took me to the cemetery,” I said. “Why does it matter?”
Rage flickered in the girl’s eyes, and she shook her head.
“You stay the fuck away from them,” she snarled. Before I could react appropriately, she shoved me back with open palms, an animalistic sneer on her face. I bumped into the far wall as my textbooks dropped from my hands, hitting the concrete floor with a loud thud.
“Screw you,” I snapped, pushing off Kasey’s hand as she tried to pull me back. “You can have them.”
“I already have them,” Sadie said, putting her hands on her hips. “You’re nothing to them, you know. Just some plaything because they’re bored. But I’m already here. I belong to the Rogues. And I won’t let some snotty, psychotic, weak little girl come in here and ruin it for me.”
“I’m not here to ruin anything,” I said. “I shouldn’t even be here.” I longed to reach out and punch Sadie in the face, but I forced my anger down. I didn’t need more enemies. I was walking on eggshells as it was.
“Just stay the fuck away—"
“Problem, ladies?” someone asked, coming around the corner, and Beau’s gaze flickered between Sadie and me. He folded his arms and leaned up against the wall, tilting his head in amusement. “Sadie, are you picking on the new girl?”
Shooting one last scowl at me, Sadie turned to Beau, smiling sweetly. “I’m just putting her in her place, lover,” she said, reaching out to touch him. I was surprised when Beau pushed her hand away, leaving Sadie looking like a scorned puppy dog.
“Don’t let Keane find you picking on her,” he said. “He’ll have your head for it, you know.”
“But—why?” she asked. “I belong to you. Not—not this stupid little girl.”
Beau shrugged. “I don’t make the rules,” he said as if that were even remotely true. With Sadie’s back to me, I leaned down to pick up my books, trying to gauge my quickest escape route before Sadie went psycho bitch on me again. For once, I was glad that one of the Rogues had stepped in. Without them, I was nothing. Less than nothing. And Sadie knew it.
“Come on,” Kasey whispered to me, and I nodded anxiously, more than ready to be as far away from Sadie and Beau as possible. As we turned to escape, Beau reached out, snagging my arm and pulling me to a stop.
“Sorry about that, sweetheart,” he said softly, ignoring the daggers Sadie shot at him with her eyes. “If anyone else gives you problems, you be sure to let us know.”
“I can take care of myself, thanks.” I wrenched my arm out of his hand. He resisted for a moment, challenging me, and then dropped it with a smile. I hated how nice of a smile he had. Just one more thing to try and avoid. Beau, just like Teague and Keane, was handsome. Three very different men, all of whom made my body react in ways I wasn’t proud of. They were jerks, so why was I so smitten?
“Bye, bye,” said Sadie with a sneer, glaring at us as Kasey and I made our escape. I felt Beau’s eyes on my back as we walked away, and a chill coursed its way up my spine.
“God,” Kasey said as soon as we were safely out of earshot. “She’s such a bitch.”
“Yeah, she fits right into their little crowd,” I said. “I just wish she’d leave me the hell alone.”
“As long as the Rogues have their eye on you, I wouldn’t count on it,” said Kasey. “Sadie is a crazy bitch. That’s why they like her so much.” She lowered her voice, glancing over her shoulder before speaking again. “Keane likes the crazy ones the best,” she whispered. “Probably because he’s just as psychotic.”
“What’s he in for, anyway?” I asked, and Kasey shrugged.
“No one knows for sure, but there have certainly been plenty of guesses.”
“Like what?”
“Murder,” she said. “Some say he killed his sister in cold blood. Slit her throat with a knife.”
“Why would he do something like that?”
“Dunno,” she said with another shrug. “Why would he cut himself and make people drink his blood with wine?”
“Touché.”
“His schizophrenia is supposed to be pretty bad when he’s not on his meds,” Kasey continued. “From what I’ve seen and heard, I wouldn’t put anything past him.”
I hated myself for being so intrigued by this man. But not just by him; by all of them. They were assholes, grade-A douchebags that didn’t deserve a moment of my time or attention.
And yet I couldn’t stop thinking about them. Dreaming about them.
It made me wonder how crazy I really was. After all, what sane person could look at three men like the Rogues and be unabashedly smitten with them.
“What about the other two?” I asked. “Keane and Beau. What’s up with them?”
“Beau has a gnarly case of OCD,” Kasey explained. “When he’s not on his meds, he starts getting delusional. But honestly, I personally think he’s the sanest out of all three of them. He keeps Keane and Teague grounded, in my opinion.”
“Teague seems like something else,” I noted as we arrived at our dorm, shutting the door behind us to talk in private. “What’s up with him?”
“Teague is out there for sure. He seems like he’s the most unstable. Bipolar, but it’s pretty severe. One time he was off his meds and actually went hunting with a butcher’s knife he stole from the kitchen. Slayed and hung a dead rabbit over the entrance of the academy for all to see.”
“Holy shit.”
“Yeah, I know. But honestly, that doesn’t even touch some of the screwed-up stuff they’ve done. There’s a reason people here don’t mess around with them, not even the staff. The Rogues are ruthless. As far as I know, they’ve all been on their meds recently, but all it takes is some rebellion, and this place will go up in flames. And I mean that literally.” Kasey shook her head and sat down on her bed, pulling the pillow against her for comfort. “One time, Keane set fire to the chapel. Luckily Mr. Carter caught it before it went up in total flames, but it was all because his meds hadn’t been working right, and he thought the devil was trying to brainwash us all.”
“You’re joking.”
“I wish I was.” Kasey laughed, but it was humorless. “Ironic, isn’t it, that a man like Keane Hearne could possibly believe that the Devil was anyone but his very own self.”