Destruct: The Guard Trilogy Read online

  My old bathroom had a crack in the mirror, which if you stood directly in the center, it would distort your image, so we always had to stand off to the right. If you went to the left, there was a good chance of falling into the shower. A shower that had a loose shower head, cracked tiles and water that never seemed to get hot enough. I mean, I had always heard stories about how awesome the senior campus was, but I never actually saw for myself. I guess, I’m a ‘don’t believe it until you see it’ kind of girl.

  “You have to take a look at this,” I shout.

  “No, you have to take a look at this,” she calls back.

  I run out of the bathroom and find Jacinta standing in front of our new wardrobe with her mouth hanging open in disbelief. I make my way over, curious as to what could possibly be so exciting about the wardrobe when I finally see it. What I thought was a wardrobe door is actually a door into a tiny little kitchen. Complete with a kettle, microwave, and a teeny, tiny, little fridge.

  We have hit the jackpot.

  “You’re kidding me,” I say with my eyes bugging out of my head and my jaw dropping to the floor.

  “What did I tell you? This year is going to be awesome.”

  After I finally get my mind around how unbelievably amazing our room is and wipe the drool off my face, we begin to unpack, setting up our room just the way we like it. I grab the box with my speakers in it and set them up on our new desk, plug my iPod in and hit shuffle. “Welcome home,” I smile as we get on with the task of unpacking this monstrosity of boxes.

  ----------

  It’s after 10 pm when we put the final touches on our room. I’m completely exhausted. I flop into bed, grab my laptop off my bedside table and begin typing out an email. I consider texting, but Mom has always been shocking with her phone.

  To: Gabrielle Moore

  From: Bianca Moore

  Subject: Senior Campus!

  Hey Mom,

  It’s been a major day! Jacinta and I finally got around to packing our room then Mrs. Clark said we were good to move into the senior dorm, so we have literally spent the whole day packing and then unpacking.

  Our room is amazing, even comes equipped with a kitchen and living room, I can’t wait for you to see it. I’ll give you the grand tour next week when you drop Millie off.

  Hope you’re doing okay.

  Love you,

  Bianca

  I put my laptop on the floor and slide it under my bed. I scoot down, pulling the blankets tight around my shoulders and fall into a deep, well deserved sleep.

  Chapter 2

  The past week has flown by. It’s pretty much just been the seniors here on campus, hanging out and mucking around as we wait for the school term to start. It’s Wednesday morning when I receive a call from Mom saying that she’s an hour away with Millie and makes plans to meet me at the front gates of the Academy.

  When her car pulls up, excitement fills me. Millie jumps out and rushes towards me before flinging her arms around my neck. Millie is basically a mini-me, though hasn’t quite grown into herself yet. She’s shy and guarded around most people, but with me, she’s more than happy to be herself. I meet Mom at the back of the car and give her a big squeeze before I turn to open the back and grab Millie’s bag.

  “How’s my girl?” mom asks.

  “I’m good. I’m so excited about starting Combat Training on Monday,” I beam.

  Mom gives me what she thinks is an encouraging smile, though I see the concern behind her eyes. “I know, you’re going to do great, sweetheart.”

  I give her another tight hug. “I’m going to be ok,” I reassure her as we start towards the Elementary dorm to pack up Millie’s room.

  We spend the day packing and moving, and luckily for us, Millie doesn’t have nearly as much crap as I do. By lunch, we’ve finished setting up her new room and after hearing me rave about my room all morning, it’s not long before we’re heading straight towards it.

  “Oh, whoa,” Millie says as she storms into the center of the room, not needing any introductions to the shocked Jacinta sitting on her bed, surprised by the sudden twelve year old roaming around our room.

  “Oh, hey, Mrs. Moore,” Jacinta chimes at my Mom, hopping up and giving her a big bear hug.

  Mom wraps her arms around Jacinta in a tight squeeze. “Oh, Jacinta darling. I have known you since you were five years old. How many times do I need to tell you to call me Gabrielle?”

  “Sorry,” she says, bashfully. “How have you been?”

  I leave Mom and Jacinta to their catch up and show Millie all my favorite features of my new room and am pleased to see the same jaw dropping reaction from Millie when I show off our kitchen.

  “Bianca wasn’t wrong about this room,” I hear my Mom say to Jacinta. “I think you’ll be quite comfortable here. I doubt you’ll actually get any school work done,” she laughs.

  “I know, we’ve already planned our first senior party,” she jokes.

  Before long, we’ve finished the grand tour of our room and stand in front of Mom’s parked car saying our goodbyes. “Be safe,” Mom says as her eyes begin to water. “I’ll miss you girls.”

  “We’ll miss you too,” I say as Millie and I both barrel into Mom with the tightest hug we can possibly manage. I know I only saw her two weeks ago, but not knowing when the next time I might see her again has my emotions running wild.

  Mom steps back from us leaving a hand on either of our shoulders with tears still in her green eyes. “I wish your father were here. He would be so proud of you both.”

  “We know, Mom,” I say, giving her a sad smile. “I wish he were here too.”

  Mom is quiet for a while, no doubt thinking about the anniversary of his death that’s approaching in the next two days. Her gaze falls upon us in that weird, loving way only a mother could do. “Alright, I better get going. Be good, train hard, and I’ll call as often as I can.” She gives us each a kiss on the cheek and climbs into her car, waving goodbye as she puts the car in drive and disappears through the gates.

  “It’s just you and me now, kid,” I say to Millie as I walk her back to the junior campus. “You know where to find me if you need anything.”

  “Yeah, yeah, and you know where to find me too,” she responds.

  “When did you get so big?” I ask, suddenly surprised by how mature she’s become over the last year.

  “Oh, that happened while you were busy fussing about some guy or which color you wanted to paint your nails,” she laughs.

  “Wow, you really are my sister,” I laugh, realizing her attitude is more like mine than I had ever known. “But seriously, choosing the perfect color is a very important part of a woman’s life, you’ll soon understand,” I smile.

  I drop her at her room with a big hug and a promise to visit as soon as I can before heading back to find Jacinta.

  ----------

  Beep, beep, beep

  I wake with a start as my alarm rings loudly through the room. I reach over and turn it off, realizing it’s finally the first day of senior year and let the grin spread over my face. I sit up in bed and look across at Jacinta who’s squinting at the early morning light shining into our room.

  “I got the shower first,” I yell, jumping up and bolting into the bathroom, slamming the door behind me.

  “Damn it,” Jacinta groans from the other side of the door. “You better be fast.”

  Ten minutes later, I’ve finished in the shower. I wrap a towel around me and exit the bathroom. “It’s your turn,” I announce moving towards my wardrobe.

  “Finally,” Jacinta scowls and makes her way into the bathroom.

  The Academy doesn’t make us wear a uniform though they are pretty strict on the ‘appropriate clothing’ rule. Since I’ll be in combat for the most of my day, I pick out my favorite workout shorts that sit just perfectly on my butt and grab a cute top. I sit on the edge of my bed tying up my shoes as Jacinta makes her way out of the bathroom.

  “Good timing
,” I say as I slip back into the bathroom and begin the usual morning ritual of doing my hair and makeup. I tie my long thick hair up and finish off my look by running the black mascara over my long lashes and letting my green eyes ‘pop’. Yep, just perfect for the first day of senior year. I had considered parting ways with my long hair over the break, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it. I guess it will be a lot of buns and up-do’s for me.

  I wait for Jacinta to finish getting ready and grab my bag that’s been dumped on the desk before finally heading down to the cafeteria for breakfast. As we walk through the door we find the cafeteria buzzing with senior students. We walk over to the long bar filled with endless choices. I search the long table until my eyes rest on what I’ve been craving and I beeline straight for the pancakes, filling my plate and getting a little cup of maple syrup and butter.

  I find an empty table and take a seat when I reconsider my breakfast. I go back over to the breakfast bar and add some whipped cream and strawberries to the top of my stack. I walk back to the table with a huge, satisfied smile, waving to Jacinta when she gets that stupid look on her face, wondering where the hell I’ve gone.

  Jacinta places a plate of bacon and eggs down on the table beside me. “I’m going to grab a juice. You want one?” she asks.

  “Yes, apple blackcurrant, please,” I say.

  As Jacinta disappears from the table, I get stuck into my pancakes. “My, oh my. Look what the cat dragged in,” I look up with a mouth full of pancakes into the beautiful faces of Trey Carter and Daniel Wilson. Both unbelievably good looking in that turning from a boy to a man kind of way. The boys have been best friend with Jacinta and I since before I can remember, there has never been a time where I can’t remember these two going along with all my crazy ideas. Well, to be honest, Daniel’s ideas are just as crazy as mine, if not worse.

  Trey has got the typical beachy, surfer vibe just like Jacinta and I’m pretty sure he has a pretty nasty crush on her too, which of course, she’s completely oblivious to, but I’ll make it my life’s mission to get these two together, even if it kills me. I know she feels it too, after all, Trey has floppy golden hair, green eyes, and a ripped body, just the way she likes it.

  Daniel, on the other hand, has been my on/off crush for the past year and I am happy to announce the crush is finally off. Well, at least I think it is. He is a complete flirt, though I don’t mind as it’s a total ego boost, and besides, who doesn’t like a little male attention? I mean, when he turns it on, he really turns it on.

  In the looks department, he’s a complete opposite of Trey with his dark hair and intentionally seductive eyes. Daniel is a complete player and absolute heart breaker with his smooth talking and ripped body, though, with both boys also being selected for Combat Training, being ripped is kind of a requirement for these guys.

  A grin spreads over my face. “Well if it isn’t Tweddle Dee and Tweddle Dumb,” I say as they sit down on the other side of the table. “You guys excited for Training?” I ask.

  “Hell yeah,” Daniel says. “I get to see you every day,” he winks, apparently laying the charm on thick today.

  Jacinta plonks an orange juice down in front of me and takes her seat. “Hey, I wanted apple blackcurrant,” I complain as Trey’s eyes zero in on her.

  “Tough luck, they were all out. It was either this or water,” Jacinta explains, “and I assumed, by the number of calories you’re insisting on devouring today, you weren’t feeling the water thing.”

  “That would be correct,” I laugh as I dig back into my pancakes and begin mumbling around a full mouth. “Water sucks. Do you know what fish do in water?”

  “Don’t remind me,” she groans.

  We finish off our breakfast and before I know it, we’re running late. The four of us scrape our plates and get on our way to the main hall to receive our class schedules when I realize I’ve left my phone on my bedside table. Crap. I can’t possibly make it through the day without my phone.

  “You guys go,” I say. “I’ll be there in a minute.”

  Jacinta gives me a questioning look but shrugs it off before she heads off to the hall with the boys. I take off towards my room and slam straight into a solid wall. “Oomph,” I grunt as my body is flown backwards. I stumble around, trying to find my balance when I realize it’s not a wall, but a very solid body. A body which is now covered in steaming coffee.

  Crap.

  My eyes instantly roam up the wall of muscle to find a very pissed off man staring down at me with a scowl. If he wasn’t about to lose his shit, I’d say he was damn sexy. “Sorry,” I cringe as I wonder who the hell this guy is. “I’ll grab you some paper towels,” I offer and turn back towards the cafeteria.

  “Don’t bother,” the man growls with a shake of his head as coffee drips down his arms and into a puddle at his feet.

  “Ok, then,” I say a little awkwardly as I turn back to him, only to start gawking as the coffee begins to really seep into his clothes and glue his white shirt to the hard ridges of his chest and abs. Wowza. I’m pretty sure I drool a little and have to mentally check that my mouth isn’t hanging open.

  Seriously? Who is this guy? He’s definitely too young to be a teacher. Maybe he’s someone’s older brother? I don’t know, but I will make it my mission to find out. If he doesn’t need any paper towel, how about a date? That I could certainly help him with.

  “Don’t you have somewhere to be?” he asks with a raised eyebrow and a strange authority deep in his voice.

  “Uh, yeah,” I say, again very awkwardly. But let’s face it, some battles just aren’t worth fighting. I think I’ll cut with my losses before I make things even worse. I can figure out who this guy is later, find a way to apologize properly. Say under the bleachers? “Sorry,” I murmur with a cringe before taking off like a bat out of hell. Making sure I keep my eyes up and watching where I’m going.

  Five minutes later, I meet Jacinta at the hall and we walk through the big double doors together. It’s the largest building on the senior campus and we find Mr. Garcia, my slightly overweight and slightly greasy science teacher from Junior year. “Good morning,” he says. “Please find your seats. They’re in alphabetical order by surname,” he instructs. “And make it snappy, we have classes to get started on,” he adds before glancing away. Geez, would it kill him to have a bit of enthusiasm for a Monday morning?

  I glance over at Jacinta who has the same annoyed expression on her face at having to deal with Mr. Garcia this early in the day and roll my eyes at her. She gives me a knowing grin before she heads off towards the front of the room.

  I head to the back and find my spot. I squish my way through the mass of students until I find an ‘M’ written in marker, taped to the chair in front and turn down that row, searching for my name. It doesn’t take long before I find the chair in question with a folded slip of paper reading my name.

  I fall into my chair between a scowling Jessie Martin, who had missed out on getting into Combat Training and Ron Munroe, possibly the strangest kid on campus, but he’s harmless. I pick up the paper and take a seat, unfolding it as I wait for the teachers to get the show on the road.

  I look down at the paper and find my class schedule before attempting to commit it to memory.

  Bianca Moore:

  Monday: Werewolf Studies, Science, Mathematics, Combat Training

  Tuesday: Alchemy, National History, Language, Combat Training

  Wednesday: Fairy Studies, Geography, Study Period, Combat Training

  Thursday: Vampire Studies, Guard Law, Guard History, Combat Training

  Friday: English, Science, Mathematics, Combat Training

  Hmm, it doesn’t seem too bad. Hearing what sounds like someone squawking, I glance up from my schedule to find The Academy Principal, Ms. Peterson, in her best skirt suit with her hair pulled back in a slick bun, looking as professional as ever while attempting to get the rooms attention. Mr. Garcia joins her and gives an ear-shattering whistle that echo
’s throughout the large hall, followed by a satisfied smile as the room quiets down. Ms. Peterson and I have always had a bit of a love/hate relationship. She loves to get me in trouble and I hate being sent to her office, which happens a lot more than I care to admit.

  “All right. Now that I’ve got your attention,” Ms. Peterson starts, looking annoyed that it’s taken so long to get started, but what did she expect on our first day back of our senior year? “I’d like to welcome you all to a new year. I trust you have all had a wonderful break,” she says.

  “Now, it’s time to get serious. Your senior year has finally fallen upon you and I feel you should all, by now, understand the importance this year will have on your lives and your future as part of The Guard. I expect that each and every one of you will put in the effort required to get yourselves exactly where you need to go. So, with that in mind, I’m sure you would have all noticed your class schedule on your chairs. If you have not already, I’d like you to take a quick moment to familiarize yourselves with your new schedule.”

  Ms. Peterson pauses for all of thirty seconds before starting up again. “Right, now that’s out of the way, I’d like to introduce you all to your new senior year advisor, Miss. Layton,” she says, indicating to the tall young blonde who has suddenly appeared standing next to Ms. Peterson. She couldn’t be any older than thirty. A wolf whistle followed by a murmur of appreciation from the male half of the students echoes through the room as she takes her position behind the podium.

  “Good morning seniors. As Ms. Peterson said, I am your new senior year advisor. My name is Miss. Layton. Now, I won’t keep you long as you have your first class to get to,” she starts. “I’d like you to think of me as less of an authority figure and more of a friend, someone who can offer you guidance and assistance throughout the year. My office is in the back rooms of the library, so do feel free to drop in whenever needed. I know your senior year will come with many challenges and a tough workload, so I will be having individual meetings with you all over the next few weeks to see how you are settling in and handling your studies. So, unless Ms. Peterson has anything else to add,” she says, glancing towards Ms. Peterson, who shakes her head. “Then I’d like you all to grab a year planner from the back of the room, then you may be dismissed to attend your first class of your senior year.”