Atlantis Academy: The First Element

CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE

"Are you two alright?" Arielle's next to us on the stairs.

I drop his hand like it's molten lava and clear my throat. "Mm-hmm."

"Yeah." Caelum clears his throat too. "I think we're okay."

That's when I finally notice that everyone else has stopped on the staircase, and they're staring at me and Caelum with all kinds of expressions. Some look amused. Others look annoyed.

But some of them aren't looking at us at all. They're looking down at the steps with open disgust on their faces because...

I look where they're looking, and my stomach hollows out.

My shit is everywhere!

And by shit, I mean the entire contents of my backpack.

And by everywhere, I mean strewn across a dozen stairs both above and below me.

Oh my God.

I quickly slip my backpack off, full of sick dread at how lightweight it is. The small tear I noticed near the zipper earlier has now become a giant, gaping hole... And my backpack is completely empty.

My pulse roars in my ears, and my face goes sunburnt hot as I begin to frantically gather my belongings.

The plastic bag I had that was full of money, old papers, and pictures must have popped like a goddamn piñata on the way down. Everything that was in there is now in random piles, mixed together with my orientation papers, my dirty extra clothes, and the toiletries, pain killers, and snacks I got from the beach house. The steps look like my old bedroom floor.

Aah, this is so embarrassing!

"What on Earth happened here?" Arielle's voice sounds far, far away.

I don't answer. I just keep lunging for the nearest dollar bills and papers so I can shove my shame back into my torn bag.

Caelum leans down to grab some of the papers that fell on the step below him. Then he crouches to pick up some more, and panic cascades through me.

There's a bit of beige fabric peeking out from under the papers at his feet.

Oh my God! No!

It's my dirty underwear from yesterday, and Caelum's hand is inches from grabbing them!

I feel like I'm moving in slow motion as I painfully skid down two steps so I can reclaim the underwear first.

Why why why whyyyyy the hell did I have to go and grab the ratty, old beige pair?

Caelum hesitates just long enough for me to reach the underwear first.

I swiftly shove them to the bottom of my backpack, but there's no way he didn't see them. They look like a freakin' parachute!

His tan skin seems a bit flushed as he hands me the pile of orientation papers and pamphlets he picked up first.

"Thanks," I mumble, not meeting his eyes.

The other kids are murmuring and outright laughing now, and my eyes are burning as I scoop more of the mess into my bag.

"Okay, everyone." Arielle's voice breaks through my humiliated panic, though she still sounds like she's talking from another room. "No more gawking. The next group will be waiting, and we're past our allotted time. Please file out quietly and wait for us on the boardwalk outside."

I break into a sweat as I scramble up a few steps, feverishly shoving pictures and dollar bills into my backpack, scanning around to see if there's anything even more embarrassing I need to hide.

But what could be worse than dirty granny panties?

Not much.

I choke back a groan and try to clean up faster.

"Clumsy bitch." It's Zara, heading past me on the wide staircase with her murderous friends.

My stomach churns, and I try to ignore them as I shove my birth certificate and some other yellowing papers into my backpack.

FML.

Can my first day get any worse?

Caelum clears his throat from behind me. He's on the step below me with another armful of my junk—my mom's old papers, dollar bills, and the bag of trail mix.

I accidentally meet his green eyes.

They're kind, and full of pity for me. Wonderful. That's the look I wanna see when a hot guy looks my way. I turn even redder.

"Thank you." My voice cracks on the words as I take the mess from his arms.

Then I get back to collecting the rest of it. Dirty jeans, shirt, socks, my raincoat, baby pictures I try hard not to look at... and endless, endless, endless! quarters.

I curse Bert and Ernie, loyal and stingy patrons of The Rock, for giving me so many damn quarters. Useful at the laundromat, sure, but it's like "Where's Waldo" on these leaf-patterned steel steps.

"Speed it up!" Arielle's at the bottom of the staircase in her vivid green robe, tapping her foot impatiently.

Everyone else is long gone, except for me and Caelum.

I scan my immediate area. I think I got it all, but there's more on the steps below, where Caelum is.

I clutch my full bag to my chest carefully, because it's starting to overflow, then turn around to descend the stairs.

I pause when I reach Caelum's step, because something's not right.

He's standing perfectly still, staring down at a pile of my junk in his arms.

He slowly raises his head, and my chest tightens in a vice.

His green eyes are cold now.

And he's looking down at me with pure contempt.