The Family Secret

CHAPTER 6

Katerina:

I learned two things fast at my new island high school. One: it wasn’t just a regular everyday run of the mill school. But I had already suspected that. It was a posh, elite college for the ultra-wealthies perfect family heirs. The students at the school were perfect - a little too perfect. They wore their uniforms with unsettling precision, their smiles polite but void of any compassion or warmth - their eyes a little too sharp, too knowing for their age. They spoke around us in measured tones and laughed - never too loud and certainly never too long. To any outsider looking in, they looked exactly how you would imagine that elite class to appear - disciplined, refined, and no doubt brilliant. Whether that brilliance was in deception or in an education only the mega rich could afford, I hadn't decided yet. But something was off. There was an uncomfortable stiffness in the air here, like the school itself was holding its breath. There was no single thing to point out, no obvious wrong to acknowledge as the cause for the unease that crept up on me like a threat in the night. But it was there nevertheless, just out of my reach. Just beneath the flawless surface, a hum of tension, like everyone was playing a game no one would care to explain to me, and losing wasn’t going to be an option.

Number two: the Caspians were a very big deal around here. I figured that out almost immediately, not because they introduced themselves like royalty, but because everyone else treated them like they were. The way people talked about them, even the way they looked at them - it wasn’t just admiration, it was reverence. Dare I say, it was also fear. No wonder Jordan and Jayson walked around this seemingly unchecked arrogance and entitlement. They weren’t just rich kids flaunting it at a regular city school, they were among their own peers, their own kind - a school filled with kids just like them and for some reason or another, the Caspian boys held their seemingly unwavering respect. Julian seemed a bit more grounded, but all three of them carried this untouchable status, like they owned the place. Honestly, maybe they did. Maybe they were personally funding the school, who knew. But among a student body full of trust fund babies and what I would imagine is a legacy of legendary last names and generational wealth, the Caspians still managed to stand out amongst the crowd. And yeah, the fact that they were ridiculously good-looking didn’t hurt. If they’d walked into my old school, people would’ve sworn they were gods. They were the kind of boys that were magnetic, popular, that had life easy. The kind of people you didn’t just notice, you remembered. But this wasn’t my old school and I was the new girl in a sea of people who all knew each other. And yet somehow I was walking the halls to my first class on my first day with a boy who shouldn't have looked at me twice. Jayden with his unwavering smirk, outrageous confidence, and casual gorgeousness. He had the kind of presence that made hallways stare. His behaviour contradicted the impression the other student seemed to have of him. I had the distinct feeling that they were privy to an entirely different version of the boy next to me. He walked close and unrushed, like he wasn’t in any hurry to get where he was going. The entire tour before class - he had been throwing little comments my way, somewhat teasing, definitely very curious, like he was trying to figure me out. People noticed. They definitely noticed. Heads turned as we passed, eyes trailing us like they couldn’t believe what they saw. Whispers had begun before we were even halfway through the school. Girls who you would think would normally get his attention now stared, some outright confused while others’ bitterness was poisonous even from afar. Mostly, everyone gave me that subtle once over like they were trying to place me. But Jayden didn’t seem to care that we were causing a scene. His focus never wavered. It's like he didn’t even see the effect that he was having on them. When we reached my classroom, just as the first period was approaching, he leaned in just slightly, his voice low.

“Ill have to leave you now. But you’ll be fine,” He said as I lifted my gaze to him.

The way he looked at me was more deceiving than his behavior, it was like I was already someone who mattered to him. My heart beat irregularly - this was bad. This was so terribly bad. I was supposed to be his cousin. It shouldn't have mattered that I was adopted. He opened the door for me and told me he would see me later before jogging off, disappearing into the sea of students as the bell rang. And then it was just me. I stepped into the classroom, and everything quieted. Conversations cut off mid-sentence. Now they were all watching me, trying to figure out who I was in a school I doubted received new students often. The room was filled with a dozen perfectly uniformed heads turning in sync like something out of a movie. I could feel the weight of their stares, most curious, a few dismissive like I wasn't worth their notice. I made my way through the rows of occupied desks to the back, feeling the first day nerves threatening to overtake my composure. No matter how many times I tried to reassure myself, I knew like I knew the sky was blue that this wasn’t just any high school. It was the kind of place where last names mattered more just as much as first impressions, and I was already out of place. Designer bags slung over chairs, glossy hair, polished nails, fancy accessories, yeah, everything about them screamed money. I clutched my schedule a little tighter and forced my feet to keep moving. I had just taken my seat when he walked in. Jordan Caspian, with perfectly tousled dark hair and a casual arrogance that came from old money and too many people telling him yes. He sauntered in like he owned the room. Whispers rippled through the rows, but his sharp eyes scanned past them all . He made the room freeze without saying a word. Students straightened in their seats, eyes flicking from his easy stride to the expression that suddenly darkened as he caught sight of me like I was a glitch in his perfect little world. Then he took the seat beside me, on my right. I shifted nervously, as I felt his eyes on the side of my face and only breathed again when the teacher walked in. Apart from the fact that I clearly didn't belong here, I also didn't know what to say or how to make the image I portrayed last night any better to him.

“Good Morning class. We have a special addition this morning.” The teacher said, his eyes finding me quickly. He gestured, “Please welcome Miss Collin, she is the newest member of the community and her guardians are the Caspians, so I expect you all to make an effort when it comes to making her feel welcomed and included.”

I'm sure that connected the dots for a number of people. Any who had seen Jayden walking me to class and Jordan taking the open seat besides me despite there being plenty of others. Thankfully, the teacher didn't ask me to stand and say a few words which I was eternally grateful for. The class began and I drove in, taking notes and paying utmost attention. Half way through the class though, the girl on my left leaned in, smiling.

“Hi, I'm Rebecca.” She said, a perfect, polished smile gracing her flawless face. She was another blonde.

“Kat.” I replied, returning her smile.

“It's a beautiful island, isn't it? How are you settling in with the Caspians?” She asked and I wondered at her sudden interest.

“Yes, it's wonderful and well I think.” I told her.

“Good. I'm glad to hear it. Where are you from? How did you land up here?” She prompted, and I could tell she was looking for information but that I believed was normal. I was new, obviously people were going to ask questions.

I opened my mouth to reply when his voice silenced me. “You are disturbing my work.”

I felt a blush of embarrassment darken my cheeks as I turned. I had assumed he would have been looking at me but his eyes were narrowed to the girl past me. She didn't say another word the entire class and for some reason that annoyed me. When the bell signalled the next class, I started packing up my bag, standing to leave when a hand shot out to still me. My gaze snapped to Jordan, who didn't let go until the last person was leaving.

“I'm sorry about last night Jordan.” I told him quickly. “My emotions are just all over the place and it wasn't right but it made me feel alive again. The excitement of it. But it won't happen again.”

“We have a reputation here and you are now representing my family.” He stood, towering over me in the small space between the two desks. “I expect you to keep that in mind.”

I straighten my spine, “I didn't start it.”

He tilted his head ever so slightly like he was analyzing me, “I know that. You think I don't know my own brother? Let's avoid an awkward situation, because that's what it'll be when he gets bored like he always does and you are pining away in my house.”

My eyes widened in surprise, how little does he think of me? I laughed lightly, attempting to keep the irritation from my voice, "That's a bold assumption to assume that it meant anything more to me than an escape from my reality.”

He searched my gaze, “Maybe now.”

“Look, I think you have the wrong impression of me. I -” I started, lifting my chin when he interrupted.

“No, I think I know exactly what you are.” He leaned in, using his size to intimidate me into holding my tongue.

This close, I could almost feel him brushing up against me. He was the most beautiful man I'd ever laid eyes on. But beneath the beauty and practiced confidence that had evolved into arrogance was a quiet detachment, a boy who had been touched a thousand times yet never truly reached.

I pressed a single finger to his board chest, pressing the nail into his shirt and widening the distance. “I think you aren't as knowledgeable as you believe.” I said as he straightened. “Now if you will excuse me. I'm going to be late to my next class.”

He smiled. No warmth or amusement in the curve of his lips, “Watch yourself Kat.” He warned me but I was already leaving. His words followed after me like a promise I'd rather he never fulfilled.