Touch of Sibyl

Untitled part

Early the next morning, Friday, I stood out on the main upper quad, shivering in the cold along with the other students. Classes had been canceled for the day, and the professors were busy herding everyone toward the buses, which had been pulled into the parking lot behind the gym.

The buses would haul us a few mountains over to Powder, the ski resort where the Winter Carnival was being held.

Then the weekend fun would begin. Yippee-skippee.

I pulled my purple plaid coat tighter around me and shifted on my feet, trying to stay warm. Next to me, Danica talked to Carlos about the slopes they should hit once they got to the resort.

The Valkyrie had on a pink designer snowsuit and a matching toboggan with a poofy white ball dangling off the end of it. That hat would have looked ridiculous on me, but it made Nica seem quirky and cute. And of course everything from her outfit to her purse to her lip gloss went perfectly with the expensive luggage at her feet. Sometimes I thought Nica took the matchy-match look a little too far.

I'd stuffed my clothes for the weekend into an old gray duffel bag I'd dug out from the back of my closet. Jeans, hoodies, graphic T-shirts, sweaters. My wardrobe was way more downscale than Nica's designer duds. I'd also brought along some of my favorite comic books, a stash of sugary snacks, and Vic---just in case the mystery Reaper tried to kill me again and I needed a sword before the weekend was through.

I wasn't the only kid with a weapon. Most everyone had a sword or a dagger or two stuffed into their luggage. I could tel by the way the metal clink-clink-clinked together as the bags were loaded onto the bus. At Myth's, weapons were just another kind of accessory-- a status symbol that let everyone else know what kind of warrior you were, what kind of magic you had, and how powerful you were.

Finally, we shuffled to the front of the line and boarded the bus. It wasn't your ordinary school bus. Oh, no. Nothing but the best would do for the rich kids at the academy. The bus was something a rock star would have, with plush, reclining seats and a flat-screen TV mounted above every third row. There was even a minibar in the very back, next to the restroom, although the profs on-board were making sure nobody was drinking anything stronger than soda-for now. I doubted the alcohol ban would last long, though, since I'd heard so many kids in the library talk about all the wild parties they planned to have before the weekend was over.

Nica and Carlos snagged two spots about halfway back on the bus, in one of the sections where four seats faced one another. They shared a quick kiss before Nica pulled a map of the ski resort out of her oversize purse. The two of them bent their heads together and continued their previous discussion about which slopes they wanted to try out first.

I dropped into one of the seats facing them. We hadn't even left yet and I already felt like a third wheel. I sighed. I liked Nica and Carlos together----I really did. They made a cute couple, and they were good for each other. Nica brought Carlos out of his shell , while the band geek calmed the Valkyrie's quick temper. But seeing them together just reminded me of the fact that I didn't have a boyfriend---just a mad, mad crush on a guy who didn't like me back.

As if to prove my theory, Zac stepped onto the bus.

The Spartan looked as scrumptious as ever in his black leather jacket, blue sweater, and faded jeans. For a moment I sat up straighter, hoping that maybe, just maybe, he'd see me, walk to the back, and take the seat next to mine. Yeah, I was really that pathetic.

Sam boarded the bus right behind him, dashing my small, silly hope. Zac stuffed the Amazon's bag into one of the overhead compartments, and then the two of them sat down together. I had a perfect view of them from my seat. Great. Just great.