Good Morning, and welcome back!
Hello to all the new readers joining us on this journey. I hope you are all ready to meet Edward!
Thank you to Mel and Gemma!
FOUR
Edward
It is not a sign of arrogance for the king to rule. That is what he is there for.
— William F. Buckley, Jr.
There was little else that I coveted more in the world than the hopeful expressions of people who didn't know me, but would do anything for my attention.
There was something deeply satisfying in their thinly veiled desperation, the ignorant foolishness they carried on their yearning faces, or the frail tenuous tremor of hope in their voice. I loved the hunger people had for my attention, loved how rapacious they grew with every word from my mouth. I craved the humiliating degradation they subjected themselves to just for a moment of my attention.
I was a god, and they all worshiped at my feet.
I had been running the Academy since my first day here. It didn't matter that we had been but tiny children, still unaware of the intoxication when you had complete power over another. I learned quickly, and I never faltered.
Not once in my eighteen years.
For those like me, born into power, the Academy was our kingdom. We were raised here, taught how to govern, how to seize power, and how to use that power to manipulate. We were trained to be lethal in our decisions and ruthless in our rule.
Not all who came to the Academy were born into the elite, and it was immediately clear when one of those commoners joined us.
Fumbling, frightened of their own shadows, and reeking of desperation to fit in, they often would do anything they were bidden by another student.
Some have even tried to kill to fit in.
It was this power that I was entrusted with, this power that I wielded over my peers. I had absolute control, and in my kingdom, everything went according to my plan.
…
We were lounging in the common room—Angela on one side of me, Jessica on the other. Both of them had hands on my thighs, desperately trying to get my attention, to be good enough to suck my dick later. I'd consider them in my own time. Jessica was the pathetic kind and would let you do just about anything to her, but Angela liked it rough and had a personality that inspired a certain level of savagery.
I didn't know what kind of mood I was in yet, so until I decided, I'd let them both dangle.
Across the room from me, Emmett was laughing at some ignorant freshman who had tried to challenge him in chess. It had been amusing to watch Emmett take the child down, leaving him on the hook long enough for all of us to witness his humiliation. When the freshman lost, he slipped to the ground on all fours, and Emmett leaned back in his chair, kicking his feet up to rest on his back.
I gave the freshman less than five minutes before he buckled under the weight.
"See," Emmett said, folding his arms behind his head. "Nemo me impune lacessit."
I rolled my eyes from where I was sprawled out on the sofa. "Honestly, Emmett. Are you still going on about that motto?"
His blue eyes cut across the room to mine. "I will stop reciting the motto of the great house of the Stuarts when they finally kill us all off!" he shouted, throwing a fist in the air.
I rolled my eyes again.
"Such family pride." Jasper sighed from an armchair he was leaning back in. We looked at him. "When will you accept that the Stuarts lost?"
Emmett's brows furrowed. "We didn't lose." He hissed. "We made an executive move."
Jasper rolled his eyes before bringing his book back up to block his face.
"A lot of shit coming from a guy whose family can't give up their glory days from the Civil War. How did that go for you confederates again?" Emmett asked, leaning forward and distributing more weight onto the freshman's back. The kid coughed, his elbows buckling slightly under the shifting pressure.
Jasper, unruffled, flipped a page in his book as he responded. "And yet, my family is third."
That shut Emmett up, and he leaned back, scowling.
"We'll make it higher." He grunted to himself. I leaned back on the sofa, letting Angela cop a longer feel as she curled into my side.
"It doesn't matter," I muttered.
The guys ignored me. The one and only thing that couldn't be argued over was our ranking. We all had one, and nothing we could do could change that ranking. At least, not yet. Once we were set loose on the world, it was all of our jobs to move up the ranks.
Those at the top were the best at keeping everyone else down.
"What the hell are you reading anyway?" Emmett asked, throwing Jasper an annoyed look.
Jasper didn't flinch. "The Magna Carta."
Emmett and I burst out in laughter, and Jasper lowered his book slightly to grin at us. "Shut the fuck up." Emmett chuckled, shaking his head. His heels dug deeper into the freshman's back and the kid buckled further. It would only be a matter of seconds before he gave out.
"Edward," Jessica whispered, trying to get my attention. Before I could ignore her, the door to the common room snapped open, banging hard enough that the heavy oak let out a loud crack as it connected with the wall. I glanced up, rolling my eyes when Rosalie Hale stormed in, all six feet of her blonde bombshell looking thoroughly pissed off, again.
The room fell silent as she stomped into the room.
Rosalie was a fucking jungle cat, and sometimes it was better to disappear when she was pissed.
"Everything all right, Rosy?"
I looked at Jasper in surprise. The man had a fucking death wish. Rosalie was the only person I'd ever met that I couldn't control. Sure, she had her tweaking points, but for the most part, she hadn't cracked yet.
It was almost impressive.
"Shut the fuck up, you hick," she snarled.
I snorted, and she shot me a glare. I leveled her with a look, clearly inviting her to channel her aggression out in any sort of physical way she saw fit. She huffed and turned away from me, throwing herself onto an empty sofa.
"I take it your parents visited?" I asked.
Only one thing ever got anyone all that worked up around here, and it was always a visit from family.
"The scum," she spat. None of us argued. Her family was scum. They were powerful as hell, but they were still scum.
Jasper set his book down on his lap. "Want to make some bad decisions?"
Rosalie looked up at him.
"Always," she said, leaning forward. He nodded and dug into his pocket. He pulled out a bag of white powder, tossing it her way. She caught it easily, nodding to him and slipping it into her pocket.
"There's plenty more where that came from," Jasper told her. She huffed but nodded to him in acknowledgment.
"Speaking of bad decisions," Angela said, her eyes cutting toward the south wall of the common room. We all turned to see Alice Brandon trying to sneak by, her hood up over her head, her shoulders hunched as if she could hide from us using horrendous posture. Alice froze when we all looked at her before bolting for the door. The girls burst into cruel laughter as she ran away.
Alice was one of the commoners that had been brought in three years ago. She'd started out like everyone else—wild and desperate to prove herself—but within two months, she'd retreated into herself, becoming a weird muttering lunatic who screamed at anyone who got too close to her. We'd never had a loony at the Academy, and while Alice was her own unique type of fun to torment, it usually didn't last. Her scream was shrill, and once she got going, she didn't stop.
Mostly, we left her alone, though the girls still picked on her ruthlessly.
"God, I still can't believe they let a freak like her in," Rosalie said, leaning back on her sofa. I nodded in agreement. So much for this place having standards.
"Speaking of third class," Rosalie said, sitting up suddenly. We all looked at her. "Did anyone see the girl in Val's office?"
I felt Angela and Jessica stiffen at my sides. They both knew the score. I'd keep them around as long as I didn't get bored or unless someone else became more interesting. I liked shiny new toys, and I knew both of them would get territorial if the girl in Val's office was even remotely attractive.
"Hot?" Emmett asked, clearly on the same page as me.
Rosalie rolled her blue eyes. "Hardly. Plain, common as hell, and utterly unimpressive." She shook out her long hair, acting out some invisible shampoo commercial only she was aware of before she continued. "Apparently, she's one beer can short of trailer trash. Can you believe that? Actual trailer trash."
Rosalie's voice was full of disbelief. We'd never had anyone at the Academy who had actually ever lived in a trailer. There was no way someone who had could ever keep up with us.
Honestly, it was a miracle anyone outside the Sixteen could get in.
"She's not staying though, right?" Jessica asked. I glanced at her. "I mean, trailer trash can't possibly make the cut."
Rosalie shook her head, leaning back again on the sofa and stretching her long as hell legs out in front of her. "There is no way. We're not even from the same universe as garbage like that. She'll never keep up."
I felt the girls relax next to me. As much as I enjoyed their jealousy and possessiveness, it was also annoying as hell. If they got too clingy, I'd ditch them on sheer principle.
"Too bad." Emmett sighed. "We could use some new blood." He stretched, pressing into the freshman's back and the kid let out a pitiful cry, crumbling to the floor. We all laughed as the kid tried to crawl out from Emmett's feet.
"Get out of here," Emmett told him once he was fully upright. "And don't come back until you're prepared to win or kill me."
The kid ran out of the room and Emmett leaned back again, smirking. He had a talent for provoking the younger students into doing stupid shit. I was certain when that freshman woke up this morning he had no intention of challenging Emmett.
"What this place needs is better standards." Rosalie hissed. We looked at her. "How are we supposed to remain the elite when they keep bringing in scum from the gutters?"
She leveled both Angela and Jessica with withering glares, and the girls shrank into the sofa. I smirked.
"So long as the trash is hot and easy, I don't care." I sighed, tilting my head back on the sofa and shutting my eyes. I could hear Rosalie snort in annoyance.
"You're such a slut," she snapped.
"All hail the king of sluts," Emmett cheered.
I smirked, opening my eyes and looking at them across the room. "Anytime you'd like a ride, Rosalie," I said, reaching around Jessica to pat my lap. Jessica huffed angrily and Rosalie rolled her eyes, ignoring me. I grinned and shut my eyes again.
I let my mind drift as the room filled with conversation. I didn't care about any of it; I honestly didn't care about anything.
Life was next to meaningless when you had everything.
"Heads up," I heard a voice say, coming into the common room. I opened my eyes, sitting up in time to see Headmaster Valencia step into the room. Behind him, was the most average-looking girl I could picture. Brown hair, brown eyes, lightly tanned skin, all hidden under a truly hideous dress. Everything about her was dull and boring and unextraordinary.
"Students," Val called. "This is our new student, Isabella Swan. She will be joining our senior class."
There was silence, and then Jessica snorted.
"You have to be kidding me." She hissed. "She can't."
"Oh?" Val asked, looking at Jessica. "And why is that, Miss Stanley?"
Jessica flushed when all the attention in the room shifted to her. "Because she can't keep up with us. She's never going to be smart enough."
"They let you in," Jasper drawled from where he was still reading his book. Emmett and I both snorted out a laugh and Jessica flashed me a hurt look.
"That is enough, Mr. Whitlock, thank you," Val said, shaking his head. "As for Miss Swan, it will be up to her whether she's able to keep up or not. Miss Weber, please show her to a room."
Angela huffed but climbed off the sofa to stand. Val turned and exited, leaving the girl in the doorway. I'll give her one thing—she didn't flinch at all when we all stared at her.
The tension in the room started to grow the longer we all stayed silent. I knew no one would talk, wanting to see how far we could push her to make her uncomfortable. She didn't fidget, didn't even look around the room. She kept her gaze firmly on Angela.
I could see Emmett turn his head in my periphery, and I looked at him in time to catch his impressed shrug. I looked back at Isabella and Angela.
Angela couldn't take it. She snorted and turned on her heel, heading toward the apartments. "Huc veni!" Angela shouted, issuing Isabella orders in Latin. Isabella followed her, not looking at any of us.
"You see?" Rosalie said, before Isabella had left the room. "Utter trash."
We all laughed, and I watched for any signs Isabella had heard us. Her shoulders tensed, ever so slightly, but other than that, she gave no sign she'd heard anything. She followed Angela out of the room and I sat up further on the sofa.
"What are they thinking?" Emmett asked, voicing my thoughts. "There is no way any normal person can keep up with us, not at this point in the game."
"It's a test," I said quietly. Everyone looked at me. "Val doesn't care about her. This is about us. He's testing how…" I looked at Jasper, who clearly understood my meaning. "Efficient we can be," I continued. "He wants to see how fast we can break her into nothing."
Rosalie grinned from the sofa across the room.
"Fine, game fucking on."