Page 3 of Darkness Defined

“What’s your problem? Haven’t you ever seen a fire demon before?” He bared his teeth at me. “I suggest you wipe that look off your face before I do it for you.”

My hands curled into fists at my sides.

“Oliver.” The boy flinched at Mr. Smith’s tone. “How many times have we talked about fires inside?”

Oliver tore his angry glare away from me. “It’s not my fault! Rufus started it.” He gestured behind him and a column of fire shot from his hand.

The fear I’d been doing my best to ignore prickled along the back of my neck. Actual fucking fire had come out of his hand. If he could do that, it was entirely possible the creep twins really had turned into light.

What the hell is this place?

“Shit,” Oliver hissed, shaking his smoking hand, which seemed like a terrible idea to me.

“Language,” Smith admonished.

“I’m telling you. It was all Rufus.” Oliver shot me a glare, and I quickly wiped the panic from my face.

Logically, I realized that getting into a fight with this kid could likely be the end of me, but if he started something, I’d finish it. The fire would be tricky, but I’d gone up against guys twice my size and come out unscathed. I was too close to freedom to let some brat intimidate me.

Smith crossed his arms while a scowl pressed into his full face. “That’s enough, Oliver. You and Rufus can go see Miss Mary Ann. I’m sure she’ll be able to sort this mess for you and perhaps remind you about the importance of being careful.”

Oliver groaned and turned to the open door. “Come on, Rufus, you heard him. Time to go see your girlfriend.”

Another kid poked his head out. He was smaller than Oliver, with sun-starved white skin and a dark mop of unkempt hair on top of a spindly frame with a thin neck like some kind of creepy bobble head. The observation was reinforced by the fact that his eyes were abnormally large and couldn’t seem to hold still. Together, they trudged down the hall.

Smith rested a hand on my shoulder and I about near jumped out of my skin. “I’m sorry. It’s a never-ending battle around here. Adolescence is hard enough. When you add to it budding powers, things can get a bit dicey. Safety is our number one concern, though. Fighting is strictly prohibited,” Smith finished pointedly.

I frowned. That was often easier said than done in most cases. Smith nudged me along until the hall opened onto a massive room. Where I’d been expecting the usual sterile white walls, the room was a warm cream decorated with all sorts of art. It made an odd contrast to the standard metal tables with attached benches and the pristine—and currently empty—buffet.

“Meals are promptly at eight, noon, and seven. Though there are snacks available. No junk food, but plenty of fruit.” Smith gestured vaguely down a wide corridor. “You’ll find the sleeping quarters that way. Girls on the left, boys on the right. A fresh set of clothes should await you on your assigned bunk. Lights out at nine. Now if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll be joining Miss Mary Ann in dealing with our fire-starter.” He spun on his heel, leaving me standing all alone at the entrance to the cafeteria.

I glanced at the analog clock on the distant wall. Two hours ’til dinner. My stomach growled at the prospect of food and I was half a step away from making a beeline for the snack table. An apple sounded like a fantastic change from the scraps I’d been able to snag over the last couple of weeks. And yet, I hesitated.

A quick glance down the opposite direction Smith had gone showed a hall shockingly devoid of people. I chewed my lip and debated what to do. I could grab some food and even the fresh set of clothes, but that would waste precious time. Both Smith and whoever Mary Ann was were occupied. The path to the main entrance was wide open and after what I’d witnessed, I had no desire to stay here.

I made my way down the hall, careful not to appear rushed or like I was doing something I shouldn’t be. The path stayed clear all the way to the remarkably mundane double doors leading to the street and freedom. I smiled to myself and didn’t bother looking back as my pace quickened. With any luck, the doors would be unlocked.

I reached for the push bar and suddenly found myself walking back the way I’d come. My worn-out shoes squeaked as I came to an abrupt stop and looked around. With a frown, I spun around and aimed for the exit with more conviction… only to end up even further down the hall instead of outside where I should have been. I growled and tried again… with the same result.

“What. The. Fuck?” I glanced between the door and the hall where I kept ending up. Before I could second guess myself, I sprinted for the door.

“When you’ve tired yourself out, I’ll take you to the showers where you can get cleaned up.”

I jumped at the unexpected voice and turned to find an imposing woman leaning against the wall. She had dark hair pulled up into a bun, was easily a head taller than me, had greenish skin, and, yep, those were tusks. I swallowed hard and took a step back.

“You must be Matt.”

“What the hell are you?”

She flexed an imposing pair of biceps as she straightened. “Smith mentioned this was new to you. We’ll address the impropriety of asking someone ‘what’ they are later. For now, I’m more concerned with getting you into clothes that don’t look like they’re going to disintegrate. Come with me.” She turned and began walking down the hall toward the cafeteria and the dormitories beyond, clearly expecting me to follow.

Though she hadn’t bothered to introduce herself, I had a sneaking suspicion I’d just had my very first run-in with the infamous Mary Ann. She glanced over her shoulder and I hastened to catch up. Maybe I could stay a little longer.

Chapter 2

Daniel

ALEXI