Solomon Academy 1: Della

DELLA

Bone Boy’s lips meet mine and I moan at his taste as I feast on his aura. I take it all. I even feel the aura of his friend still holding onto me as I taste him too. It’s so delicious I can’t stop. And I don’t want to.

I hold onto both of them and feed. I lose myself to the pit until it’s all gone. I take a deep breath and lick my lips, savoring the delicious memory.

I open my eyes and see the result of my feeding. I drained them dry. The desiccated husks lying on the ground look like mummies. Just bones covered in peeling gray skin.

“Oh my God,” I whisper, backing away from the bodies. “No. No, no, no, no, no. Not again,” I chant in denial.

My mind is flooded with the memory of another body. Another time. My mom screaming, “Monster!”

My phone rings, making me jump. I take a few deep breaths to calm my racing heart before I answer.

“Hello?” I ask.

“Hey, hun! Are you sure you don’t want to go out tonight?” Lily asks.

“Actually, yeah. That sounds like a good plan,” I say, glancing at the bodies at my feet.

“Perfect! Meet me at The King!” she says excitedly.

“Okay. See you soon,” I say before hanging up. I turn and run. I run far and fast.

I make it to an old diner and slip into the bathroom to change. I need to blend in. I need to hide, and now I have blue fucking hair! Perfect!

I change out of my leggings and T-shirt and into the tight royal blue dress that Lily bought me for my birthday. I pull my ankle boots back on and put on my jacket. I stuff my clothes into my bag, toss my curls to one side, and smudge my eyeliner a bit. There. A Halloween look.

I take in my appearance. Small and curvy, now wrapped in a blue dress that matches my blue hair. I look okay for someone who just killed two people, until I reach my eyes. My golden eyes, even framed in dark makeup, look empty and scared. I’ll just have to fake it ’til I make it. If anyone asks, I’m a smurf.

I make sure to have my knife up my sleeve, just in case. I’m a tad bit on edge right now. Can you tell?

I leave the bathroom and order an iced tea to go so I don’t get yelled at for not being a customer.

I navigate the crowded streets to The King. I’m almost there when a hand reaches out and pulls me into an alley. I have my knife out and at the man’s throat before he can react.

“Let go of me,” I hiss. He immediately does, raising his hands as if I’m a cop. His aura is the cleanest damn thing I’ve ever seen. Just a mix of calm and curious shades of blue and happy oranges. What is he doing dragging women into alleys?

“What do you want?” I ask, knife still against his throat. He’s a good foot taller than me, maybe more. He has clear crystal-blue eyes and beautiful copper hair. His black T-shirt is straining against his chest. It’s annoying.

“Delaney? Delaney Hearst?” he asks. He doesn’t look scared. In fact, he looks a little excited. Weirdo.

“Nope, sorry,” I lie, releasing him. I slide my knife back up my sleeve. “I don’t know what kind of girl you think I am, but dragging someone into a dark alley might not be the message you want to send,” I advise. I hear a deep chuckle from behind me. I take a step back so I can see both of them.

“She’s right, you know,” the second man agrees. This guy is a bit older than me and very attractive. He’s wearing a navy-blue three-piece suit. He kind of looks like the Tenth Doctor from Doctor Who. A suave string bean in a suit with messy brown hair.

“Well, how was I supposed to do it?” Hottie Blue Eyes asks. I take a slow step back.

“Chat her up. Introduce yourself,” String Bean suggests with a shrug.

“Well, that’s just crazy.” Hottie grins.

I retreat another step.

“It sends a less threatening tone,” String Bean advises, making it sound like a teaching moment.

I’m glad they’re having a good time trying to kidnap me, but I’m gonna go. I take another step back and slip into the crowd, pulling up my hood.

I make it to The King, miraculously in one piece. Lily squeals when she sees me and bounces up and down, much to the delight of several men in line who are enjoying the view of her ample chest.

“Della! Ooh, I love your hair!” she says as I walk over to hug her. She drags me over to the bouncer who, I assume, also enjoyed the view of her chest, because he lets us in with a wink.

Lily pulls me along behind her all the way to the bar. She orders some weird drink that sounds like a lip gloss flavor. I order a bottle of water.

“God! You’re such a buzz kill!” she whines.

“You know me. Invite someone else if you want to go drinking with someone.” I shrug. I slip my knife into my bra and take off my jacket. The music is a chaotic mix of electronic sounds, but Lily seems happy.

She leaves me to go chat up some guy on the dance floor whose pants look to be one shimmy away from dropping to the floor.

“Hey, beautiful,” a guy says as he slides up beside me.

“Not interested today,” I say honestly. It’s a pity because he is hot. He’s big and broad with a flirty smirk and a sweet aura of pinks and oranges. His aura tells me he has a few problems, but he doesn’t dwell on them. I may be starting to regret not being interested.

“That’s fair. May I sit here anyway?” he asks. What do you know? A man who listens to me. He’s getting more and more attractive with every word.

“Sure.” I shrug.

“I’m Oz. What’s your name?”

“Della.”

“It’s lovely meeting you, Della. Is that short for something?” he presses.

I turn to look at him face-on and instantly regret it. I see both Hottie and String Bean watching us with the air of sports fans watching a hockey game. “Yeah. Adelaide,” I lie.

“That’s really pretty. It suits you.” He smiles. I don’t miss the deflation of his broad shoulders.

I turn back to the bar and watch him in the mirror. He shakes his head at String Bean. I am livid. He’s about to get up but I slip my knife out of my bra and in between his legs. He stiffens as I lean into him like I’m coming on to him. “I don’t know what you boys are up to, but if you don’t leave me the hell alone, then your other boys will go missing. Got it?” I whisper in his ear.

He nods quickly and I pull back. God damn, he looks excited, too, but not the way Hottie was. Oz looks like he won something. What is it with these guys? I slip my knife back into my bra and shrug back into my jacket. I grab my bag and brave the dance floor to find Lily.

I can’t find her. I check my phone and see her text.

Lilly: Found me a man. Later.

Well, isn’t that nice? What ever happened to besties before testes? I shake my head and make my way to the door. I need to figure out where I’m crashing tonight. There’s no way I’m going back to that asylum.