Cardinal

Chapter 15

I spend the whole day with Julie and we fall asleep again laughing and watching movies and television shows I missed while I was on hideaway. 

She explains the rumors of the gifted, carefully avoiding talking about my links further. I silently hope that she throws me a bone so I know what to expect when I go back to the academy. 

As if she hears my silent plea, her tangential thoughts start back to my topic of interest. 

"You'll probably also run into the clique when you're there so might as well tell you this now." 

God, I hope it's not as bad as I'm imagining it to be. I'm also very grateful that she doesn't keep anything secret and blurts out every rumor and saucy detail she knows, to me. 

"So you've met Kayla, and then Sicily. Then there are the main girls Keenan and William usually share and cycle through, Lana, Jessica, and Courtney. They all work at the academy of course because they've got nothing else to offer anybody else. Except, Sicily is actually in a Merc team, which baffles the hell out of me because she's nowhere stronger than some people there."

It's almost comical just how much dislikes them with the sneer on her face as she talks about them. Julie goes off-tangent again on some other units' scandals. My mind zooms into keywords she had just said. 

Share? Cycle? My mind swirls at the idea and I feel like I'm going to throw up. I don't think I needed to hear that. Sometimes, ignorance is bliss. However, something is odd about this whole situation. Other gifted don't usually touch other people's cardinals or links due to the possessive and jealous streak of most members of the unit. 

"Wait, Jules. This is all weird. Nobody knows that I'm their cardinal?" 

She looks at me with an expression like she's been caught taking cookies out of the cookie jar without her parent's permission. After all these years, you'd think that they would be searching far and wide for me and letting everyone know that they've found their cardinal. 

"Uhm, all of our parents induced a gag order on all of us and we couldn't say anything more. I don't know, Lil. It was so weird after you disappeared. Nobody wanted to talk about you or even acknowledge that you disappeared. Every time the guys would go to the wardens about it or go see the magistrate, they were blown off. It eventually got to the point where we felt like we were going crazy. Like we imagined you." 

I put that information in the backburner and decide to deal with it another time. Tomorrow, I'll talk to them and get my answers. Something fishy is going on and I'm going to get to the bottom of it. Their safety is my number one priority and I will destroy anyone who threatens it. 

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The next day, Julie drops me off at the mansion. When we curve around the ridiculous fountain, there are four figures waiting for us. 

Similar to the day at the coffee shop when they first found me, the whole unit's here, waiting for me. Though this time, they're standing there awkwardly. 

I curse outwardly. I don't think I'm mentally prepared for this discussion. Here we go. 

She helps me unload my stuff from the car in a speedy fashion. So literally 10 seconds. Keenan grabs all of my duffel bags and starts to head inside. 

Julie scowls at each one of them and huffs. 

"She will be living with me permanently if she wants to. Just know that! Bye, Lil. Text me on your new phone please." 

She hugs me goodbye and jets off in her stupidly fast car, tires squealing. 

Right. I don't know how to work that and I make a mental note to get to that later.