Shadowed Desires

Chapter Two

I might have been one of the few who actually looked forward to going back to school. Not that I would let anyone know it, but the reason I looked forward to most was Mason Caine. Mason Amideo Caine, to be precise. Wasn't that name musical?

But seriously, it felt like it had been a year instead of two weeks, since I'd last seen him. The early morning school routine returned to its usual chaos; Mikey dumped milk on Sarah . . . again. That meant another outfit change, setting everything else behind schedule. Instead of getting mad, I kept my face neutral. All I had to do was picture Mason in my head, and that was all she wrote.

My mom cast her suspicious gaze upon me, not bothering to hide her curiosity after I brought a freshly changed Sarah back downstairs. I would have appreciated she not do that when I wasn't looking. I knew that look all too well. Something was up, and she knew it. But there was no way in Hades I was telling; at least not anytime soon.

Mom drove me to school, while my other younger siblings took the school bus. They didn't go to a private school like I did. Though slightly irrelevant, I used to attend a private school that my (ahem) father's family owned. Due to various reasons, the school was administratively closed. I never learned exactly why, but I also didn't care. As far as my father's family goes, I hoped to never see them again. Especially after what Brandon and I endured at their hands last month. But only a fool could hope. Like a bad STD, they were doomed to return.

There was something about those people that just would not take "no" for an answer. I'd heard plenty of my mother's rants through the cracked bedroom door. She didn't know I was a nosey kid back then. I recalled a time when I watched both my parents making their bed. My mother was on one of those rants she never had in front of us. My dad's face would look grim, as if silently agreeing with every word she said.

It wasn't just seeing Mason that excited me; I would see the rest of the guys also. Petr, the ever-hyper harbinger of chaos, and best friend. Benjamin, our big golden retriever (or mascot as Petr like to call him occasionally) would likely be around with his usual silly grin. He assumed the role of being everyone's big brother. As far as I knew, he and Mason were close; despite the fact they were cousins. Speaking of close, there was one more to mention here; Nathaniel. He and Petr were about as close as close can be. It was most definitely a bromance. Considering their shared family histories were intertwined, I suppose it was only natural. The thing is, wherever Petr caused trouble and chaos, you could always count on Nathaniel to be the one cleaning it up. He'd even do so without complaint. It was comical to perceive Petr as a spoiled rich kid (which he was not) and Nathaniel his faithful butler. Even though Nathaniel kept us all in line, he spent most of his energy on Petr. It was a job none of us were willing or energetic enough to undertake. You could say that keeping Petr in line was a full-time job – 25/7 to be precise. Yes, I meant to include that extra hour, because with Petr, 24 hours are not enough.

We had a trio of new arrivals to Shadow Wood Academy also. Well, maybe not so new anymore for that one guy. As far as I was concerned, he was just another ordinary, nameless dude amongst the masses. I'm sure I'll meet him soon enough.  The second, however, was much more interesting.  During the week of Thanksgiving, a dark eyed, dark haired, pale skinned, quirky yet slightly sassy wytch moved to town – Derek Antonescu. I had first met him at the Samhain Ball held at Lockhart Manor.  Meeting him, to say the least, was an experience.

Derek was a literal genius. He had almost twice the necessary credits required to graduate. He had even turned down an offer to attend Oxford University on a full scholarship his Junior year. Derek and I were becoming fast friends, even more so than my relationship with Ellie. Although there was still a great deal of mystery surrounding Derek. Oftentimes, trying to get a read on him, was like slamming my head into a brick wall.