“Well, here’s your room.”
Will stood at the doorway of the room, staring around at the blank, dusty walls with vague interest. They were in the old college dorm room. It looked as though an experienced contractor had knocked out the walls to the left and right of the original dorm room, making one three times as large. But that had been quite a while ago, of course. He set his bags down just inside the door and stepped in. Charlisa and Noratuk, who had followed him upstairs, followed him inside.
“It’s a bit small,” Noratuk commented lightly. “But that’s the price you pay for being the new guy, I guess. This used to be Richard’s room before he found another one he liked.”
“It’s fine,” Will said, almost completely genuine. “I’m sure it’ll be better once I clean it up and decorate a bit.”
Noratuk shrugged. “Should be enough, in any event. We’ll bring in a TV and whatever you want. The game room in the rec area is also fully decked out.”
Will chuckled at that, and when she looked at him with raised eyebrows, he explained. “Still feels like a college dorm. That’s not a bad thing, just, uhh, feels a bit weird.”
“Oh well,” she said. “We can get you anything you need to clean it up. I’ll send a few of the boys up to help. After dinner, of course.”
“Of course,” Will repeated. He stacked his bags in the same spot and dusted his hands on his thighs. “I don’t mind cooking again.”
“Eh, don’t worry about it,” Noratuk said, already stepping back out of the room. “We’ve got pizza. Edward didn’t want to wear you out after the long day you’ve had.”
Will stepped out as well, turning to see Charlisa surveying the room with little interest. Obviously, this dusty unused room didn’t appeal to her. He’d change that, he thought with an inward smile. “Coming, Charlisa?”
“Yes,” she said, moving to follow him and Noratuk. “I just don’t like pizza much, that’s all.”
The pizza was pretty good if a bit basic. The entire Nexus had gathered downstairs in the kitchen and were already fully involved in eating by the time they got back. A few looked up long enough to nod at Will as he appeared to sit with them, then returned to the feast. Charlisa slid into the seat beside him as Noratuk moved to the table where Edward sat. The Alpha was staring off into the middle distance as he ate, obviously preoccupied with something in his mind. He didn’t seem to realize that half his bites missed, forcing him to glance at the slice he was holding.
“So Noratuk was the first person Edward shared his power with?” Will asked Charlisa, reaching across the table to pick up a slice of pizza. “That’s what she said, at least.”
“Yep,” Charlisa said. “They’ve known each other since they were children.”
“Childhood friends, eh?” He asked, then stuffed his face with a large bite of cheese and pepperoni.
One of the Nexus members looked up at him, his eyes quizzical. Will glanced at him, his mouth full. “What?”
“You didn’t know?” He asked. When Will tilted his head, obviously confused, the Nexian laughed. “Noratuk used to be his wife. She still technically is, but they annulled their marriage after the war with Smith.”
Will almost choked on the bite of pizza he’d taken. Coughing roughly, he snatched up a nearby bottle of water and took a swig, pounding his chest. When he finally had enough air to speak, he asked Charlisa, “Wait, so Noratuk is your-”
“No,” she said, a bit quick. “My mother died giving birth to me. I think of Noratuk as a big sister. Dad was young when they had me.”
“Ah,” Will replied. It seemed the adequate response, and he certainly couldn’t think of anything else to say. “Wait, so are they still technically together, or not?”
“Edward forbids it most of the time,” the Nexian said. “But if it’s been a long day…”
His voice trailed off and he gestured in the direction of the Alpha. Will turned to look at Edward, who had leaned over to Noratuk and had his head resting on her shoulder. She was idly stroking his hair with one hand. Will gave a little start as he realized that she was staring directly at him, her eyes slightly narrowed. Was she angry with him about something? Or had she not truly accepted him as a member of the Nexus yet? He knew that there were a lot of people among the native population who didn’t like the white people of Alaska much. It was something he’d come across a few times already, particularly outside city limits.
“Don’t mind her,” Charlisa’s voice said into his ear. She scooted a bit closer to him on the bench so that her leg was resting against hers. It was such a slight movement that he wasn’t sure anyone else noticed. “She cares about me a lot, so she’s just a little suspicious.”
“Wait,” Will said, his brain trying to recover from the previous revelation. “She already knows about-”
Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.
“Of course,” Charlisa said lightly. She let out a quiet sigh and reached for a slice of pizza finally. “I told her and Dad when we got back. She’s known that I like you for months now. She was the one who told me to just go for it.”
“Remind me to thank her for that advice,” he said quietly. When Charlisa beamed at his comment, he felt his stomach do a flip, setting somewhere in his ribs. “Still can’t believe it. I never thought that this could happen to me.”
“Me liking you?” Charlisa asked, a coy smile on her face. “Or joining the Nexus?”
“Both,” Will sighed. “This has been a crazy week.”
“Crazy good, or crazy bad?”
“Definitely good,” Will replied. He glanced around at the other members of the Nexus. “Not sure if I’ll ever feel like I fit in, but I’ll give it a shot.”
“Hey,” the Nexian who had spoken interjected again. “Don’t think about it too much. From what Nora told us, you’ll be fine. She says your flame’s strong, and you seem like a real Alaskan. Keep that up, you’ll turn out alright.”
“Thanks,” Will said, grinning awkwardly. “What’s your name?”
“James,” the man said. He extended a hand and they shook. “I’m one of the older members. Let me know if you get trouble from anyone else. Especially Richard.”
“I can handle Richard,” Will said darkly. “We’re on even ground now, and I think he’ll find I’m not any easier to bully just because I’m the newcomer.”
James raised an eyebrow at that but didn’t comment. He returned to his pizza, and Will did the same, trying not to focus all his attention on how close Charlisa was to him. Even over the smell of the pizza, he could still catch the scent of her perfume. Before he knew it, he’d eaten his fill, and awkwardly rose from the bench. A few eyes followed him as he stepped back, and James gave him a small wave. Charlisa, who hadn’t eaten past her first slice, also got to her feet.
“I’m going to bed,” She said. “See you tomorrow, Will. Big day.”
“Big day?” He asked, not sure what she meant. Then it hit him. “Oh. Right.”
Tomorrow was his graduation ceremony at the high school. In all the chaos of joining the Nexus, he’d forgotten about it completely. He hadn’t been to school for the entire week. What did his friends think had happened? The last week was optional, so maybe they thought he was just playing hooky. His friend Ben probably felt hurt that he hadn’t invited him along for the fun. He pulled out his phone, checking to see if he’d gotten any new messages. Sure enough, there was a new voice mail from his friend.
“Good night everyone,” he said. “I’m gonna go make my room ready and pass out for the night.”
Almost nobody replied to his farewell, so he and Charlisa made their way out of the cafeteria together. He glanced back one more time to where Edward and Noratuk had been sitting. The Alpha was still there, head resting on her shoulder, his eyes staring directly at Will. Did he also know that Charlisa and he had kissed? Once again, he couldn’t read Edward’s expression, so he couldn’t be sure. But he didn’t have any more time to think of it, as Charlisa grabbed him by his arm and dragged him out into the hallway.
“You okay?” She asked, her dark brown eyes staring into his intently. “You seem upset about something.”
“Do I?” He hadn’t felt upset. Maybe it was some lingering unease. “I’m just not sure how I feel about the graduation ceremony. I’m not sure if I even want to attend.”
“You’ll have to,” She replied. “Dad will make you go. It’s important for the people you knew to know that you’re a different person now.”
“I don’t look different, though,” he said. “So they won’t be able to tell. Especially indoors, because they won’t notice my heat.”
“They won’t notice that,” she agreed. “But they’ll notice you wearing your furs.”
“I have to wear furs to the graduation ceremony?”
“Of course,” she said simply. “Every time you go out in public, you’re required to wear them. I got an exception because of school, but even I’ll be wearing my furs for the ceremony.”
“Alright then,” he said. Truth be told, he was excited at the prospect, even if he would stand out like a sore thumb. The first person to wear Nexus furs that wasn’t of native descent. Exciting, yet terrifying. “I’ll talk to Noratuk tomorrow about it. She said she’d get it sorted out.”
Charlisa smiled at him. “Good night, Will.”
She rose slightly onto the tips of her toes and kissed him again. He’d half-expected the action, but it still came so fast that he wasn’t quite ready. She’d broken away before he could react. All he could manage was a feeble “Good night.”
He watched her walking away down the long hallway, his head filled with a pleasant sort of buzzing. It was only when she’d turned the corner and vanished from sight that he remembered what he’d planned on doing once he got some privacy. He pulled his phone out again and scrolled through his contacts until he found Ben’s number. Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves he pressed the call button. It rang for several seconds, then Ben picked up. His loud voice came through the tiny speaker on the phone at once.
“There you are!” Ben exclaimed. “Took you damn long enough. I was about to go kick down your door if you didn’t call me back!”
Will laughed weakly. “Sorry, Ben. Crazy past few days, you know how it goes.”
“Of course. But why haven’t you been to school? And why didn’t you invite me to whatever the hell you’ve been up to?”
“About that,” Will said. “I got something to tell you. Only, you can’t tell anyone else just yet. They’ll find out in time.”
“A secret!” Ben sounded giddy at the prospect. “You know I’m excellent at keeping those. Very well, what is it?”
Despite himself, Will grinned. Ben had a way of getting extra formal as a joke, and it always sounded ridiculous. “So, I… kinda joined the Fire Nexus.”
The silence on the other end of the line lasted so long that Will pulled the phone away from his ear to make sure the call hadn’t disconnected. It was still going, so he put it back. “Ben?”
“You’re… joking, right?” Ben asked. “This is some kind of joke.”
“Nope,” Will said heavily. “It’s the truth, even if it’s not believable.”
“Well damn. Guess you’re not going to college, then.”
“You don’t believe me,” Will said, sighing impatiently. “But just wait. You’ll see tomorrow.”
“If you say so,” Ben replied. “Anyway, I gotta go. See you tomorrow.”
“See you tomorrow.”