⚜Guardian⚜

Chapter Six

Lacey was thinking up her next problem when a knocking sound interrupted her thoughts. Lacey slid off of the bed, figuring it was probably the residents of the room adjacent to theirs, coming to complain about the Justin Bieber music Alyssa was blasting at full volume. Lacey cracked the door open, ready to defend her room mate's bad manners.

"Hey!" Kaylie squealed, grabbing Lacey into a hug. Lacey couldn't think to say anything for a moment, having forgotten completely about Kaylie.

"Aren't you going to invite me in?" Kaylie teased. Lacey snapped out of her thoughts, her lips stretching into a lengthy grin. She stepped back, waving her arm like a doorman and bowing.

"Of course!" Kaylie walked in slowly, eyeing every inch of their room with sustained reverie. It was as if she was seeing a really bright light for the first time. She walked over to Lacey's bed, plopping down and crossing her legs. She was like a firecracker- never completely still.

"So, where have you been?" Kaylie begged, practically glowing. Lacey absently wondered who Kaylie was rooming with, but didn't care enough to ask.

"Actually I got a concussion after I fell in the lake. I'm fine now, but today I had to see Dr. Griffin," Lacey explained, sitting on the bed and leaning her head against the wall.

"Oh, I'm so sorry! When will you be back in swimming?"

"I'm not really sure. I haven’t been cleared for physical activity yet," Lacey exclaimed, picking at the edges of a pink pillow. She watched as Alyssa rummaged through their closet, muttering to herself about a pink Paris T-shirt.

"Oh my gosh, what ever happened with you and that blond boy?!" Kaylie wondered, waggling her eyebrows insinuatingly. Everything, Lacey thought, wincing to herself.

"Well, we are kind of...weird right now," Lacey admitted, her face twisting so much it looked like she was sucking on a lemon. Kaylie's eyes lit up with the promise of gossip. Even Alyssa looked interested, and she leaned on the headboard, saying nothing, her eyebrows raised.

"OMG, what happened!?" Kaylie inquired, leaning forward. Lacey winced, wishing she hadn't mentioned it. She had no idea how to convey the situation without sounding like a psychopath.

"Uh, well... You know his brother, Theo?" Lacey began, making up a story as she went along. Kaylie nodded so quickly she reminded Lacey of a bobblehead.

"His brother is in a really dangerous...gang. Like they kill and torture people for fun," Lacey added, thinking of how Theo had made her smite the demon. The thought alone made bile rise in her throat. Kaylie gasped aloud, her hand clutching her heart.

"What does this have to do with Asher? Is he in the gang too?" Kaylie interrogated, sucking in a large breath. Alyssa was strangely stoic, seemingly quiet for once.

"There's the thing- I don't know. When I realized what Theo was, I kind of ran away from Asher. He could be dangerous." Lacey admitted, hiding her face in the pillow. She wished more than anything that her life could have been simpler than this. She wished her biggest problem in life was getting boys to notice her, or not knowing what to wear. She wished to be normal.

"Asher isn't in a gang." Alyssa stated. Both Kaylie and Lacey turned to stare at her, eyebrows raised. The fact that Alyssa was so serious and following their conversation easily was the equivalent of dropping a bomb in the center of the room.

"You should ask him," Kaylie said after a long beat of silence. Both Lacey and Kaylie still stared at Alyssa , who was ambling over to her own bed. Alyssa picked up her phone and texted someone furiously, giggling at something. Lacey tore her eyes from Alyssa then, looking back at Kaylie.

"Do I ask him before the headmaster's speech or after?" Lacey muttered sarcastically. Kaylie rolled her eyes, tossing a pillow at Lacey.

"Seriously! Pull him aside and ask him," Kaylie advised. Lacey thought about this for a minute. Asher had told her he already knew what his brother was. Why don't I ask him? Lacey questioned herself.

"Dinner!" the dorm mistress yelled, rapping on the door. They all sprung to their feet in unison, tying their shoes on and jogging downstairs. During the Headmaster's speech, Lacey decided she was too cowardly to even confront Asher. She decided she wanted nothing to do with either of the brothers. When the headmaster's speech finally concluded, Lacey rose, getting in line with the others. Tonight's seating arrangement had been by dorm room, so she didn't know anyone but Alyssa. She had just gotten her plate of food when she felt a gentle tap on her shoulder. She jumped, praying it wasn't Theo. She looked up into burning violet eyes, and her heart twisted. It was Asher.