Criteria (YA Paranormal Romance) (Wisteria) (2 page)

The sound of banging interrupted her thoughts.
 

“Come in.”
 
Fi rolled over.

Standing at her door was Yumi, nineteen years old and average height, but very skinny with short black hair and an eternal tan. “You heard?” she asked, betraying a slightly exotic accent.

“The new people? Yeah. Have you seen them?”

Darting to the bed, Yumi pulled on her arm. “No, but we’re going down there now.”

“No, Jack said—”

“I want to see them before Jack and the other guys get carried away.”

“Carried away how?”

“You know how Jack can be when he feels threatened. He’s a bit insecure and it’s going to be worse since there were two guys and we don’t need any more guys here.”

“Why do you keep putting him down like that? We’d be dead if Jack didn’t take control. Left to Greg, we would still be rummaging our way through Essex, starving or dead.”

Yumi’s face fell at the mention of Greg.

“I didn’t mean that. It’s just—” Fi saw that she’d upset Yumi.

“Greg did the best he could. He was the only one who agreed that we should head to Lady Luggard’s and barricade ourselves in here. Remember, Jack wanted us to go to Luton Airport?” She headed to the door. “Now, after Greg’s gone, it miraculously became Jack’s idea?”

 
“Jack got us here in the end.” Fi wasn’t going to argue with her. “Did you and Jack have a fight? Is that why you’re talking about him like this?” She was a little irritated that this was the girl Jack was still with. Yumi didn’t even sound like she liked him.

“What happened to him was wrong.” Yumi squeezed the bridge of her tiny nose, obviously irritated by the same conversation they’d had so often. “Things would’ve been different if he’d been here. He deserved to be here.”

Greg ran away from the group as they were heading to Lady Luggard’s, after trying and failing to attack Jack. He was great guy once, but he slowly seemed to lose his mind as the pressures of trying to keep the large group alive got to him. That and he was too fat to run.

“If Greg was here, we’d have a lot less food, that’s for sure. Man, he ate like a pig.” Fi covered her mouth after the words slipped out. “Sorry.”

“Is that why you hated him?”

“I couldn’t stand him because he was a slob, but I hated him because he was going to get us killed and because he treated everyone like dirt. Especially Jack—he was threatened because Jack was a better leader. Why the hell any of you thought he could be any kind of leader, I’ll never figure out.”

“At least Greg didn’t murder anyone.”

“Jack didn’t kill Greg. It was an accident.” Fi leapt up and marched toward her. “And, if you think that, why is he your boyfriend?”

“Boyfriend?” Yumi rolled her eyes. “My relationship with Jack is
complicated
, but don’t ever call him my boyfriend. Jack would still have taken over as leader. Either way, I’d be stuck with him.” Forcing a smile, Yumi opened the door. “I don’t want to talk about Greg anymore. Let’s go and see the visitors.”

“Yumi, we’re not done—”

“I don’t want to talk about it anymore!”

Fi frowned, not sure what to say next. “Why are you with Jack if you don’t want him?”

“Never mind that.” Yumi shook her head and hugged Fi. “I’m complaining about nothing.”

“I don’t see why you’d complain about him. You can pretty much do whatever you like because your boyfriend is in charge. You’re like the First Lady around here.”

“So? Monty’s basically his second in command, so that makes you what?”

“Nothing is ever going to happen between me and Monty.” Fi resisted the urge to gag.

“I see the way he looks at you.”

“Nothing is ever going to happen! Even if he was the last man on earth, I’d never do him.” Fi scowled at Yumi. “I’m tired of having this conversation over and over. Just leave it.”

“I’m your best friend, so that means I can talk about things you don’t want to hear.”

“You didn’t want to talk about Greg and I dropped it, so do the same for me.”

“Greg was different,” Yumi whispered as her face turned red. “Greg saved my life twice, and I repaid him by siding with Jack.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”

“Come see the new people with me and I’ll forgive you.” Yumi’s expression brightened. “This guy kind of looks like Prince Michael.”

“You're joking, Prince Michael of Devon”

He'd been at one time the hottest single royal. Fi couldn't open a magazine without seeing his face or butt plastered on at least half of the pages.

“Wasn't he dating that singer
Persephone Sinclair at one point?” Fi recalled.

“Yeah, but that didn't last long. He dumped her for some movie star.”

“You can't seriously believe it was him.” Fi rolled her eyes. “The royal family are locked away so tight they can't even use the loo.”

“It's not Prince Michael. This guy's far too young. I mean Michael's got to be at least thirty. This boy can't be more than fifteen or sixteen.”

“Okay, let’s go see.”

“Plus, there’s even a hotter blond—according to Penny.”

“I’m sure Penny has got her claws in him already.” Fi tried to sound more enthusiastic, but all she wanted was get back in time to see Jack.

“Yeah, but have you seen yourself compared to Penny? Once he sees you, trust me, he will be completely smitten. As long as Jack lets them stay.”

“He will once he’s finished asking them questions. I mean, he let Colette and Tamara in last year.”

“But they were girls.”

A few minutes later, the girls were on the steps leading down to the cellar. As they descended, they heard a thud followed by a grunt.

“Steven, are you okay?” A girl Fi had never heard cried out from below. “Are you crazy? You hit him.”

“Shut up!” a guy with a deeper voice shouted back. It was belonged to the massive six-foot-tall Brian Kemble, one of Jack’s inner circle.

“Go to hell!” the unknown girl screamed.

“Ah, crap!” Yumi looked panicked.

“Tell me, how did you find us?” Jack’s strong voice rang through the nearing darkness. “How many more of you are out there?”

“What are they doing?” Fi whispered.

“I don’t know. Jack said the guys were just going to talk to them and find out why they’re here.” Yumi crept forward.

“We didn’t know anyone was in this place,” another girl sobbed. “We were lost. I—”

“You’re lying!” Brian raged.

Fi swallowed hard. This was what Jack didn’t want her to see. Following her best friend, Fi moved into the cellar. She moved past the stacks of tinned food and ammunition they’d scavenged over the years.

The room was lit up with a series of candles. Peeking around a pile of cartons, she spotted four teenagers, kneeling on the ground in front of Jack, their hands behind their backs. Surrounding them were five of Jack’s inner circle of friends, including Monty and Brian. These were the guys who ran things at Lady Luggard’s.

“Fine.” Sporting a black bruise on his right eye, Prince Michael's sneered. “Believe whatever you want.”

Fi had to admit, the guy did look a little like the royal. He had Prince Michael's curly brown hair, grey eyes and square jaw, but he was clearly too young. Plus he wasn't that cute.

“Don’t talk to him. They clearly don’t understand English,” a plump girl with long braids joked.

“Don’t play with me.” Brian grabbed the girl’s braids. “I can make you talk.”

“Go for it. Bigger, nastier people than you have tried and failed,” she seethed.

“She’s just trying to get you upset.” Jack stopped Brian. “Let her go.”

“I told you the truth,” pleaded the other new girl, a stunning blond with sapphire eyes. Her rich, wavy locks shook across her face as she spoke. “Please, don’t hurt us.”

“Two healthy, well-dressed kids with guns and knives show up at the only place in miles with food, water, and weapons? You expect us to believe it was a coincidence?” Jack asked.

“Yes, it—” the blonde girl continued.

“Amanda, don’t,” the brown haired boy whispered.

“Please, just let us go. We got lost,” Amanda, the blonde, implored as tears streamed from her eyes.

“Why? So you can tell your people where we are, and then they’ll come and take our home?” Jack’s gaze was locked on the blonde girl as if she was some deep puzzle he was trying to figure out. “No, you aren’t going anywhere until you tell us the truth.”

“We were looking for safety. Nothing more,” the girl with braids defended.

“And, if you want be in our group, then you need to meet the conditions. The first one being, we need to know you’re not a threat.” Jack’s intense gaze was still fixed on Amanda.

“You’re an idiot if you think you can keep us.” The girl with braids laughed.

“Wisteria, don’t—” Amanda muttered.

Brian grabbed Wisteria’s neck. “You think this is a joke?”

“It is if you expect us to meet some impossible standard.” Wisteria winced.

“Impossible standard? What would the people in your camp do if a bunch of us showed up armed, like you did?”

“They’d probably do what you’re doing now, or kill you.” Wisteria grunted with the pain of his hold. “But, we didn’t come here because we thought there was a camp. We thought the place was deserted.”

“Stop lying,” Jack warned.

“You’re hurting her!” The brown haired guy tried to charge at Brian, but his hands were chained behind his back. He was easily stopped by Monty, who knocked him down.

“We got separated from our group and needed rest. We saw the fences and hoped this place might be secure for the night,” she continued. “I suppose if we knew there were psychos in here—” She choked as he tightened his grip.

“Let go of her!” Amanda wailed. “Steven, do something!” she pleaded to the blond guy.

Steven didn’t move. He just knelt there motionlessly. It was almost as if he was in a trance.

“Garfield?” Amanda hurried over to the brown haired kid, but was unable to offer much to help, as her hands were also bound behind her back.

“Tell me where your group is and how many of you there are, or he’ll make your girlfriend suffer.” Jack turned his attention to Garfield.

“She’s not my girlfriend,” Garfield groaned as tried to get back on his knees.

Steven looked up at Fi and gave her curious look. “If you’re going to kill us, just do it. Like she said, you’re not going to listen to anything we say, right?”

“Jack, what is this?” Yumi walked past Fi into the group. “Have you lost your mind?”

“This is none of your business.” Letting go of the braided girl, Brian marched up to Yumi and attempted to force her back out. “Leave, girl.”

“Brian, seriously.” Yumi twisted his arm around his back and kicked him aside.

A few of the other guys chuckled.