The Fire Wars Read online

  He was, I thought, reaching out a hand to steady myself on the edge of the principal's desk, one of the most handsome men I had ever seen.

  “I guess I'm taking you around for orientation this morning.”

  “Don't get so excited, Cutter,” drawled the principal in a dry voice. “There's another one coming.”

  “Cutter?” I took a step forward towards the boy, noting for the first time his impossibly blue eyes – the color, I thought, of the ocean whose sparkle I could still see shining in his hair.

  “Varun Cutter, at your service.” He leaped up and crossed the room, shaking my hand and lingering only a second too long at the greeting. “I don't mind if it's only you.”

  “I'm sure you don't,” Dr. Newton muttered under her breath.

  “It's nice to meet you,” I said. “Are you related to Antonio Cutter? My mom works at the hotel. We've just moved here.”

  He grinned – a broad, friendly smile. “Yeah, I'm his nephew. I live with him – and he makes me work for him after school. He wants me to help pay my tuition here – the old-fashioned way. Hard work and sweat and all that.”

  “Were you at the luau last night?” I looked more closely, eager to read in him any signs of recognition. “You look awfully familiar.”

  “Yeah...” He thought for a moment. “Yeah – so do you, as a matter of a fact. I remember seeing you with your mom – Rose Evers, right? The new Event Director?”

  “That's right.”

  “She did a great job last night. I was going to go over and thank her – the food hasn't been that good at a luau in years. But then the dancing started, and I knew Antonio would be anything but pleased if I missed that. It's my special skill.”

  My heart leaped. So it had been Varun I had danced with last night! But his bearing was so different now. The man I had danced with last night had been harsh, even boorish, rough and almost cruel. But Varun was so kind and sweet, with such a frank, straightforward manner. And while the Cutter I had spoken to last night had been decidedly foreign, Varun spoke with a distinctive all-American twang.

  But if it wasn't Varun I'd danced with, that only left...

  An all-too-familiar voice filled the air – slightly sour and yet brilliantly aloof, with that same hint of an English accent. “I hope I haven't arrived too late. Didn't hold you up, did I, cousin?”

  I whirled around to catch a glimpse of Chance Cutter himself. Now that I saw him, I knew immediately that he was the man with whom I had danced. His lithe, strong body was narrower and taller than Varun's; his hair was not long and blonde but slick and jet-black. The same powerful force seemed to control him; his hips swayed ever so slightly from side to side as he filled the room with his presence: dynamic, cocksure. If I had thought Varun was the most gorgeous guy I had ever seen, Chance was evidently giving him a run for his money.

  “You're just in time,” said Dr. Newton. “The other student has already arrived.”

  Chance caught sight of me, and instantly his eyes widened. Clearly he recognized me, too. But then he caught sight of Varun, and it was evident that he was not pleased.

  “So you're giving the tour, are you, cuz?” He scoffed. “Had I known that, I wouldn't have bothered turning up.”

  “Happy to see you too, Chance,” Varun rolled his eyes. “Listen – just let me do my job, will you?” He handed us each a map of the school grounds.

  I looked up at Chance. So, this was the mysterious dancer from last night, after all. I felt my heart pounding at the memory of his touch, at the heat of the flames – flames that I was so sure were real. I remembered feeling their heat, as powerful a warmth as the sparks I felt when he touched me. Had it all been an illusion, as my mother had said? No, it couldn't have been – it felt so real...

  And then I remembered once again what she had said about him. The girl who had been burned. The accident.

  I didn't even realize I was staring until Chance coughed out a distinctive a-hem. “So I take it you made it home safe and sound,” he said in a disdainful tone. As I looked up at him, I almost imagined that I could see the flames lapping at his face once more.

  “So you were the dancer from last night.”

  “So, you figured it out. Clever girl.”

  His words stung, and my cheeks grew hot. “Even without the mask, I could recognize that stuck up tone anywhere!” I shot back.

  “Oh, look, she has a sense of humor.” He raised his eyebrows, speaking to nobody in particular.

  “Oh, look,” I glared at him, “he has imaginary friends to talk to.” I looked him up and down. “I guess I shouldn't be surprised. If I talked to people the way you do, I wouldn't have any friends either.”

  Varun's soft chuckle interrupted our discourse. “See that, Chance? Guess you finally found a girl who doesn't worship the ground you walk on.”

  Dr. Newton was judiciously ignoring all of us, working furiously on a set of papers, evidently far too old and jaded to care about high school sparring matches.

  “Sorry, Chance,” I laughed as I took Varun's bait. “I come from Angel Island, Southern California. I've seen my fair share of cocky jerks, and believe me – they were every bit as handsome as you were.” This wasn't strictly true, but I was too annoyed by Chance's aloof act to care.

  Chance glowered at me, but by now my attention had turned to Varun. “So how about that tour of Aeros Academy?” I said, ignoring Chance's stare, the prickling in my blood that reminded me of last night's flames. I slipped my arm through Varun's.

  Suddenly, the prickling disappeared. Instead I felt a cool force – calm, as gentle as the lapping of the ocean under the fool moon – overtaking me. My attraction to Chance, my anger, my frustration seemed to vanish. Instead, as I touched Varun's arm, I felt only serenity, only calm. Then, all at once, the serenity turned to chaos, as what felt like enormous tidal waves washed over me.

  I staggered back. “What was that?” I looked around.

  “What was what?” Varun helped steady me.

  “I just felt waves of...” I laughed at how silly I sounded. “Something.”

  “Probably nerves, eh?” Varun patted my arm.

  As I looked up at Chance, he seemed even angrier than before. His arms were crossed and his eyes were dark with hatred. And as I stared at the shadow that he cast on the wall behind him, I noticed something very strange indeed.

  His shadow seemed to be surrounded by flames.

  Chapter 4

  Varun led me back out into the receptionist's office. “So, you ready to see the brave new world of Aeros Academy?” He laughed. “It's not that scary, I promise. Not everyone here's like my cousin Chance. Speaking of which...” He looked up, waiting for Chance to follow us. But he had vanished – seemingly skulked off while we hadn't noticed. “Typical,” he said. “I guess Chance thinks he's too cool for orientation. Never mind. It'll be his own fault when he can't find the room for AP Post-Erosion History.”

  I smiled back at him. I could definitely see shades of Antonio in Varun – far more than I could in his biological son, Chance. I understood now what my mother had said about Antonio only having one 'true' son. Where Chance was aloof, snobbish, and rude, Varun had the same laid-back sense of humor as his uncle. He certainly wasn't the type to insult a girl while dancing with her. If Antonio had asked Varun to dance with me, I thought defensively, he would have done it like a gentleman, and never let on that he was only doing it out of obligation.

  I felt more at ease with Varun than I had with anyone since I had arrived in Aeros. His affable, easy charm was like balm on my fears, quenching the anxiety inside me. Even if Chance didn't turn out to be the friend I had hoped for – a fact that was looking less and less likely the more I got to see of him – it looked like at least one Cutter cousin would be there for me.

  We walked through the hallways as Varun pointed out for me the classroom numbers (ascending, clockwise) and the locker numbers (counterclockwise). He made an imitation of Ms. Weaver, the English teacher, speaki
ng in a high-pitched British tone. Then he imitated Mr. Cook, the physics teacher, shuffling his feet and looking down as he talked to the class. I laughed. Varun knew how to break the ice and make me feel more at ease. I was glad I was stuck taking what could have been a routine tour, with Mr. Gorgeous and down-to-earth Varun. Everybody seemed to like Varun, or at the very least, respect him – he said a jovial “hello” to every group of people we passed, and they all responded in kind.

  “You don't have to be so nervous,” said Varun, patting my shoulder. “Everyone's nice here. Or at least they will be – once they get to know you. We're not all cliquey here. It's a friendly place.”

  “I'm sure,” I said with some trepidation as we approached a group of girls lounging langorously by the water fountain. They were the most dressed-up of any of the girls I had seen so far today – immaculately slathered in layers of makeup, each strand of hair individually highlighted, no doubt, by an expert stylist. Their eyes fixed on me in a unified plan of attack – rather, I thought, like the approach of feral wolves.

  Varun seemed blissfully oblivious to their suspicious stares. “Hey, girls!” he waved broadly. “Skipping class again?”

  “Va-rooon!” The tallest of the girls, a slender blonde with blood-red nails and heavy mascara, reached out her arms like tentacles, ensnaring him in something between a hug and a caress. “Va-roon, I haven't seen you in for-eev-er.”

  “Haven!” Varun patted her back. “Been busy with the swim team! How've you been?”

  “Oh, you know.” She laughed, a laughter that died away when her eyes fell upon me. “Who's this?” said Haven, looking as if Varun had presented her with a dead cockroach instead of a live girl.

  “My new girl! Meet Mackenzy Evers” said Varun. “I'm Orientation Leader this year.”

  Haven's dark lips curled in a smile. “Oh, that's so sweet! Helping the little lost newbies find themselves some friends.” She turned to me, her smile turning to treacle. “You must be so grateful having someone take pity on you to show you around. I know I'd be so scared if I turned up here on my first day – not knowing who to talk to, how to dress...” She gave a pointed look at my sun-dress. “Is this what's in fashion where you're from? I think you're so brave for wearing orange. I don't know anyone who can get away with looking skinny in orange...but apparently you're willing to take the risk, right?”

  “Technically, it's coral,” I said, through gritted teeth.

  “Oh, coral?” Haven put a finger on her necklace – a gorgeous coral choker. “I can see that. Of course, I wouldn't have imagined that you'd want to wear it, with your skin tone. Green and orange, you know. But good on you for trying!”

  I decided not to take the bait. “Thank you!” I said. “Your necklace is so beautiful. I love the color of coral – it really reminds me of the ocean. Swimming off the east coast of Angel Island...”

  “You like to swim?” This appeared to change things, and Haven's false saccharine sweetness shifted rapidly to dispassionate professional interest. “Would you say you swim at a JV level? A varsity level? Have you ever been in Archipelago?” All honeyed tones were gone as she looked me up and down, evidently assessing the various muscles it took to make a good butterfly stroke.

  “Haven's the captain of the girl’s swim team,” one of the girls said. “You should try out!”

  “We're really serious about our swimmers here,” another chimed in. “Like – really serious. But ever since three of our best girls graduated...”

  Haven looked slightly sour as Varun disentangled himself from her arm and took my hand. “Come on, Mackenzy,” he said. “We've got to get through half of South Campus before class starts.”

  Haven's lips were now in a full pout. “But we've just started getting to know her,” she crooned softly. “This mysterious Mackenzy Evers – we have so much to learn.”

  Varun led me away. “Just ask her to sit with you at lunch!” He patted me on the shoulder. “I'm sure Mackenzy would love to get to know you girls a bit better too!”

  “Oh, sure,” I said. But while my voice was definitely tinged with sarcasm, Varun's evidently wasn't. It was clear, I thought, that poor Varun hadn't the foggiest idea of the gauntlet Haven had thrown down in the form of her false politeness. He probably thought she was being genuinely friendly.

  Boys, I thought grimly. Angel Island or Aeros – they were the same everywhere. They were uniformly blind to the subtle machinations that went on among groups of teenage girls.

  And it looked like Varun in particular was blind to Haven's nastiness. I thought once more of her arms around his shoulder and my heart sank. It was too early to even think about dating, I told myself – I wasn't about to get my hopes up on anybody. Still, I couldn't help but feel a slight twinge of disappointed.

  “Your girlfriend seems nice,” I said, trying to conceal my real feelings.

  “My girlfriend?” Varun let out a big belly laugh. “Haven? No – gross!” He stopped himself. “I mean – not gross-gross but...we grew up together! I've known her since I was picking my nose and she was cutting the hair off Barbie dolls.” He sighed. “That's the problem with a place like Aeros. We've all grown up together, pretty much everyone's already awkwardly dated everyone else by the time we finished junior high. It's a pretty incestuous kind of place. Especially with our parents being...” He sighed. “My uncle's not like that, of course, but a lot of parents want to make sure we don't mix with – you know, outsiders.”

  “Public school kids?”

  “I wouldn't put it that way, but...”

  “But?”

  “But...yeah. Some of the families here can be really exclusive when it comes to who's in or who's out. Which makes for a pretty awkward dating scene here at Aeros. When you've practiced your first kiss on someone during Spin-the-Bottle and accidentally gotten your braces stuck together, it's pretty hard to think of them as legitimate dating material.” He sighed. “Haven and I...well, let's just say she's a lot happier once she got that retainer removed.” He patted me on the shoulder. “Be prepared to be treated like fresh meat for a while,” he said. “You're probably the only girl most of these guys haven't known through the girls-have-cooties phase.”

  “I'll keep that in mind.”

  “So, new girl,” we had by now ended up at the gym, where a group of uniformed students were already running laps around the perimeter. “What do you think of the hallowed halls of Aeros Academy so far?”

  “It's...definitely different from my old school,” I admitted. “We didn't have a plush school lounge with a cappuccino machine during recess – that's for starters. We had a couple of ratty old couches on loan from the theatre department and a water fountain that always served rusty water...plus, I didn't know schools ever even had marble sinks. Or “pan-seared tilapia” on the lunch menu. I got used to my diet of mystery meat.”

  “Well, mystery tilapia isn't so bad,” said Varun.

  We were interrupted by a pair of loud shouts coming from the gym.

  “Is someone hurt?”

  “Let's go!”

  Varun and I ran back into the gym, looking for the source of the cries of pain. Someone was lying on the ground, his face pressed into the mat, his arms and legs pinned back by another boy who knelt triumphant above him.

  “Nice job!” A male voice boomed through the gym. “Not bad at all.” The owner of the voice jogged over to the mat, pressing his stopwatch with a loud beep. “Just under ten seconds,” said the coach. “That's record time, especially when it comes to beating Daniel here.” He looked down at the fallen boy from beneath the visor of his baseball cap. “Daniel, you're going to have to work a little harder to maintain your number-one standing with this new kid around.”

  Daniel groaned and grumbled as he forced his way back up from the mat. “Yeah, Coach,” he muttered indignantly. “I'll try harder, yeah...”

  But as he rose, I caught sight of the victorious boy, who held out a hand to help Daniel up off the mat. When I had seen him be
fore, he had been perhaps too carefully dressed in a black cashmere shirt and fitted trousers. But now, in his gym clothes, he seemed unconstricted, powerful, free. His broad shoulders and powerfully sculpted chest tapered into black track pants the color of his hair, that outlined muscular legs. He was shirtless and sweat glistened off his smooth tanned skin, and I couldn’t help staring.

  I had known lust before, but this was lust at first sight. I blushed as my mind almost wandered off into an area I did not want to share with the rest of the class. As gorgeous as he was dressed, he was definitely the kind of guy who would outshine all the guys when he wasn’t. I had felt how strong his arms could be when he pulled me close to dance with me at the luau, and his chest was wide enough to hug two of me. As much as I hated myself for doing so, I felt myself grow weak at the knees, my anger for him mingled all the more with desire. It was not fair that the most perfect male body in the world had to belong to a guy who seemed to want nothing to do with me. I let out an involuntary soft sigh, and he turned his head around to look at me with those razor-sharp blue eyes.

  It was Chance.

  Chapter 5

  Varun let out a noticeable sigh of annoyance – the first time he'd betrayed anything other than relaxed affability all morning. “Chance,” he muttered under his breath, just loud enough for me to hear. “Do you always have to be such a show-off?” He shrugged and took my hand. “Come on, Mackenzy,” he said. “I don't think Chance needs any more of an audience than he already has right now.”

  But as we turned to leave, the loud, rumbling voice of the gym coach echoed once again through the room. “Ah, is this Miss Evers?”

  I stopped short in my tracks, causing Varun to bump straight into me. At the proximity of his touch, I felt once again the same feeling that had overtaken me in the principal's office. I felt cool and fresh, as if waterfalls were rushing over me. Safe – enveloped in water. The feeling left me breathless and I quickly stepped away from Varun's touch.