Gabriella Poole - Blood Ties (Darke Academy)

antennae tingle the way some of the others did. Surely she hadn’t been one of the dark, hooded figures at the Arc de Triomphe ceremony.

Surely … Remembering the sinister horror, Cassie shivered.

‘I think you’re being summoned,’ Jake said, his dry humour not quite covering the note of disdain in his voice.

Cassie averted her eyes hurriedly. ‘Don’t be daft. I’m not going over there. I’m sitting with you guys, same as always.’

‘Ah, we are honoured, Ms Bell!’ A mischievous singsong lilt was in Isabella’s voice, but Cassie’s sideways look stopped her short. The

last thing she needed was to give the impression that she wanted to be treated differently now, especially around Jake – she was already

wary of his feelings towards her.

Cassie nudged Jake and forced herself to smile. ‘Oh, I get it. You want to get rid of the third wheel so you can have Isabella all to

yourself, eh?’

Jake chuckled and held up his hands in mock protest, but his grin quickly faded as he glanced at someone approaching behind her. ‘I

think we have the full complement of wheels,’ he muttered, turning away.

‘Is this seat taken?’

Cassie looked up sharply and her heartbeat broke into a sprint.

‘Ranjit!’ Cassie felt her face redden at the undisguised enthusiasm in her voice. ‘Um, hi. No, it’s not taken.’

‘Can we come to order, please?’ At the front of the classroom Herr Stolz was attempting, with little success, to exert his authority.

‘Welcome back, all of you. Mr Singh, if you could take a seat, please? We must begin.’

Ranjit nodded a nonchalant apology in Herr Stolz’s direction before sliding elegantly into the chair beside her. Isabella looked at Cassie

and giggled; Jake remained silent and unsmiling. Ignoring the low ripples of surprise surrounding her (maybe not everyone in the school

had seen their clinch in the atrium after all), Cassie opened her textbook and smoothed down its pages carefully. She flushed as Ranjit half-

turned his head to her and smiled.

A tingle on the back of her neck told her that more eyes were upon her. She glanced quickly up and turned in her seat, expecting to find

half of the Few drilling daggers into her back.

So it was a surprise to meet only Richard’s steady, miserable gaze.

Richard must have got some of his joie de vivre back over the course of the lesson, cheered by his own good-natured taunting of the

hyper-serious teacher. When he approached Cassie at the bell while Ranjit was delayed by Herr Stoltz, he was all charm once more.

‘You’re angry with me. You’re angry with me! Cassie, sweet girl, I can’t bear it. I shall kill myself. No, I shall throw myself on the streets. I

shall sell my body for a few groats and die, pale and thin, in a garret. I shall waste away. I shall write desperate, terrible poetry. I shall—’

‘Shut up, Richard.’ Cassie turned away, adjusting the heavy pile of books in her arms as she peered through the jostling students, trying

to catch sight of Isabella and Jake. They were already out in the corridor and all wrapped up in one another. She glanced around for Ranjit,

but now he was speaking to his roommate, a lean Danish boy called Torvald.

‘For you, darling, I’ll shut up,’ Richard said smoothly.

‘In my dreams. In everyone’s dreams.’

‘I’m still in your dreams?’ He clasped his hands to his heart, mock-swooning.

Cassie scowled, cross with herself. If she got drawn into his silly banter there was a chance she’d forgive him. And he didn’t deserve to

be forgiven. ‘Bugger off, Richard. I mean it. Surely you must realise that your little act is totally wasted on me now.’ Cassie walked

deliberately away towards Isabella, stopping at her roommate’s side with a feeling of vicious satisfaction. Richard was left standing in the

doorway; she could see his reflection in the glass, looking lost and genuinely wounded. Good.

The thought of Richard was banished from her mind by a jolt of electricity as Ranjit returned and placed one hand gently on the small of

her back. Ayeesha and Cormac followed closely behind him. A little reluctantly, Cassie turned to them and smiled. ‘Hi, guys.’

‘Hey, Cassie, Ranjit,’ called Ayeesha as she approached. She turned to Ranjit and nodded with obvious respect. Cassie still didn’t have a

full grasp on the hierarchy of the Few, but there was no doubt who was top dog. A little thrill of power went through her at the thought that

she was dating him. A smile twitched at Ranjit’s lips, as though he knew what she was thinking.

‘Don’t wander off,’ continued Ayeesha. ‘Come up to the common room. We should show you around, Cassie.’

‘We’re going there now, thought we’d skip English lit,’ added Cormac.

Cassie took a breath. In spite of Isabella’s obvious interest, she’d been half-hoping she could avoid the Common Room: the elite,

exclusive, sacrosanct common room of the Few …