The Half-Class by Kayvion Lewis

Chapter Nineteen

“He’s here again.” I moaned and opened my eyes, and Auntie strode back toward the door. “Tell your friend to stop banging on the barn door in the middle of the day, too,” she yelled, stomping down the stairs.

I grumbled and forced myself up. It must have been Cass—but why was he back so soon? It couldn’t have been more than a few hours since he left, judging by the light sneaking in through the curtains.

I trudged barefoot down the stairs, out of our darkened apartment, through the halls, and out into the main floor.

Cass paced near the bar. I rubbed his chest relentlessly. Something was wrong with him. Despite the nicer, darker-colored clothes that I was unaccustomed to seeing him in, and the too neat state of his hair, a frantic storm brewed past his eyes.

“I’m sorry,” he said as I approached him, “I didn’t wake you, did I? That’s stupid. Of course, I did.” He took a shaky breath.

“What are you doing here? I thought you’d be busy with your father for a while.”

“Yes,” he said. “I wanted to ask what you were doing tonight.”

I frowned. “Tonight?”

He nodded with wide eyes.

“You came all the way back here to ask what I was doing tonight?”

“Yes.”

Something wasn’t adding up, and I needed to know what. “I don’t have anything planned—”

“So, you’ll be here then?” he interrupted.

“I will.”

“Nowhere else?”

“That’s what I said.”

Cass dropped into one of the bar stools. Relief washed over him. Something really wasn’t making sense.

I folded my arms. “Where else did you think I would be?”

“Nowhere,” he insisted. “I only wanted to make sure that tonight, you could be away with me.”

“Away from what?”

“Nothing,” he blurted out. He sighed. “Danger.”

“Why would I be in danger tonight?”

“You won’t be. Not if you’re here with me, I swear.”

“Cass, you’re talking in circles.” What was he so hesitant to tell me? I needed to know, so I took a page from Kat’s book.

I laid my hand over his chest. I felt his chest rise and fall lightly under my palm and locked my eyes to his. “Tell me what’s happening, please?”

He laid his hand over mine as his eyes softened. I was almost shocked at how potent my gesture was. Who knew I could be so convincing? “My father,” he said, “my father has discovered a half-class haven east of the city. He’s sending some officers to investigate it tonight.”

My heart froze. The king found one of our havens? If I recalled correctly, Gilow and Jace had set up five or six of them in the forests around Bexbury. Most were small, making use of old cottages or makeshift campsites, with manor house being our only major one. I’d only visited one besides the manor, but that was enough to show me how important they were to our class.

My stomach clenched at the memory of the little half-class toddlers with curly hair and beige skin running around during my visit, and a pair of expectant mothers, one light-class, another dark-class, but both carrying half-class children. It was the first place since my parents died that I saw a dark-class woman and a light-class man kiss—outside of the barn or the races, of course. It was almost unreal. Those were the only places for people to go if they had half-class children born after the new laws were ordered, and the only places for different classes to marry and wear their wedding rings without shame.

And it was all illegal.

The king wasn’t sending people to investigate. He knew what his officers would find. And all of those souls would end up in prison, the work camps, or worse. I had to warn them.

I tucked my hands back under my arms, pinning them to my sides to keep them still. “And you thought I would be at one of these havens or something?”

“No, I didn’t.” He squeezed his eyes shut, only to open them a moment later. “I hoped not. But I had to be sure. I just, I couldn’t take the risk.”

Cass cared enough to make sure I wasn’t banished to prison or a work camp. But what about the rest?

It couldn’t be okay for me to have enjoyed moments like we had at the pond if I knew he was only concerned with my life while everyone else’s was in jeopardy. But I didn’t have any proof that was where his mind was. Not yet anyway.

I pushed down a growing unease and forced a small smile. “Thank you for your concern Cass, but like I said, I’ll be right here tonight. With you.” Whether I wanted to be or not.

He relaxed and leaned his forehead down against mine. “Good. Then forget I said anything else. You don’t need to worry about anything. I probably shouldn’t have been so worried myself.”

Don’t worry? Impossible.

I had to contact Gilow.

The moment Cass left, I bolted back to the apartment. I didn’t have a moment to waste.

“Kat!” I took the stairs two at a time and slammed our bedroom door shut.

“Kat!” I shook her. It took only a second for her to squirm up.

“What, what is—”

“I need you to go to Luke and tell him exactly what I tell you.”

She nodded. My tone must have told her that whatever I had to say was serious.

Kat left just past mid-meal. Would Luke be able to contact Gilow? What if they couldn’t get to the havens in time? Hell, we didn’t even know which one they were going after.

Damn it. I needed to be out there, but I couldn’t risk it. After Cass told me directly what would happen, I couldn’t risk relaying the information directly. If I got caught, I’d be solidifying my guilt. And who knew when Cass would be back since, apparently, he was stopping by whenever he wanted now. I had to stay put and hope for the best.

Mid-meal passed. Noon dimmed into twilight, and dusk faded into nightfall without Kat’s return.

I paced endlessly across our bedroom floor. What could be taking so long? All Kat had to do was relay a message. But somehow, night arrived, and my cousin still hadn’t returned.

Auntie Jen checked on me before heading out into the barn for the night. With her gone, I forced myself to bathe and change out of the dress I had worn for days and into some fresh clothes—who knows what—before moving my waiting game into the living room. I had plenty of time to look myself over and ensure that I looked at least a bit presentable, but every second that I didn’t spend biting my nails and pacing felt like a moment wasted.

Someone rapped on the apartment door, the sound reverberating only once before I swung it open. Everything in me wanted it to be Kat. I needed news—good or bad. Anything at all. But the vivid green eyes staring back at me were not Kat’s.

I smiled weakly. I had no idea when Kat would be back, no idea if the havens were safe, and now I had to entertain my prince and act like nothing was going on.

“Him, over there.” I pointed over to a man leaning against the barn wall. From our spot on the ledge, Cass and I could see everyone perfectly. Our legs swung precariously over the edge. Cass seemed hesitant to do so at first but he quickly got over it and joined me once I settled there.

“The man with the orange hair?” he asked.

“Yes. He comes in here every three days exactly with no respect for what day of the week it is, buys a beer, drinks it, then perches somewhere on the wall and doesn’t move for hours. Just watches people.”

“Why?”

“No idea. But he’s been doing it for months now. First, we thought he was just shy, so Auntie sent Christa—”

“Christa?”

“She’s tall, dark-class, really slender.” I scanned the floor for a brief second but couldn’t find her. “I’ll point her out if I see her. But Auntie sent her to flirt with him one day, but it was to no avail. Then Kat surmised that Christa just wasn’t his type and tried her hand at him.”

Cass smirked. “Let me guess, still not interested?”

“Not in the least. Then Sammy tried, and everyone in between too. It sort of became a game for a week or two. All of the girls tried to seduce him or even just get him to smile. But it’s been months, and no one’s succeeded.”

“How unusual.” Cass rubbed his chin. “Maybe he’s more of an observer than a participator.”

I propped back on my hands. “I think we haven’t employed someone matching his tastes yet. Although after the variety we’ve presented to him, I don’t know how many options there are left.”

Cass narrowed his eyes, still looking out over the floor. “Has she tried before?”

I popped up just in time to see Sammy making her way over to Mister Mysterious. “No, she has not.”

As if observing a theatrical performance, Cass and I watched attentively as Sammy stopped right in front of the man. Unfortunately, her back was to us, so we couldn’t see her face, but I was able to silently admire the sheen her dark curls held tonight. She’d tried with him before, but would he change his mind about her tonight?

The red-headed man looked curiously down at her as she spoke, but his face remained expressionless.

“She’s lasted a whole ten seconds,” Cass said. “Is that usual?”

Sammy lifted her hand to the man’s face, barely touching his cheek. I gripped the ledge. “It’s not. She might actually be doing it.”

Without warning, the man slid away, settling himself a few paces away.

“No!” Cass and I lamented Sammy’s failure at the same time. Sammy just strode away as if nothing had happened.

“Different night, same story,” I said. It was a shame Kat hadn’t been here to try too. She’d made it a personal challenge to attempt to seduce Mister Red each time he was here.

Kat, who still hadn’t returned.

My heart skipped a beat as I remembered why I’d really wanted to bring Cass up to my reading ledge; I could see when Kat got back. But somehow, I’d managed to lose myself in the moment with Cass. It had been nice not to worry for a few minutes, but now that my concern was back, I regretted ever letting it leave. The night was still relatively young, but who knew what time the king’s officers were going to head out on their search. They could be out now for all I knew.

“Don’t you feel a bit intrusive, watching people from up here?” Cass asked.

“Should I?”

Cass raised his eyebrows.

“What?” I shrugged. “If people come here, where they know there will be plenty of other people, they should expect to be watched. Whether they can see me watching them or not.”

Movement pulled my gaze to the barn door. Was it about to open? Was Kat about to enter?

“So you wouldn’t mind if people were watching you?

“People already watch me, Cass. Sometimes too closely.” No, the barn door wasn’t opening. Only a trick of the eye. “I don’t mind returning the favor.”

The barn door slid open, and I perked up hoping it was Kat.

A trio of soldiers stumbled in, already looking well intoxicated. I deflated.

“Are you looking for someone?”

My head flipped back to Cass. “What? No.” That sounded like a lie even to me. “Yes.” I tucked a curl behind my ear. “I was actually wondering if Donnie or Jasper were going to show up again tonight. Not that I wouldn’t love to see Donnie—”

“But Jasper.” Cass clenched his jaw. Had something happened between him and his friend since I last saw them? “I promise, he won’t be coming back here. Not with me.”

“Really?” Something had happened. Why else would he have been banned? Not that I was complaining. “Why not?”

Cass looked at me as if I already knew. “Because you don’t want him here.”

“Yes, but what else?”

“That’s it.”

Now I was the one frowning. “That can’t be the only reason.”

“Does there need to be another?”

He sent Jasper away for me? Only for me? And he didn’t even know everything Jasper had said to me, let alone done. I’d never been taken into so much consideration. Was my comfort that valuable to him?

“Cass, I—”

He faltered for a moment. “Of course, if you don’t want that, then I’ll tell him otherwise. I wasn’t trying to control who comes to your barn or who you see. I just thought—”

I leaned forward and pressed my lips to his. My hands ran into his hair, keeping him in place. It took him a moment to catch up, but before long, his hands were at my waist, and he was returning my kiss with equal fervor.

Another perfect embrace. Why couldn’t things with Luke be like this? Then maybe the ring he gave me wouldn’t feel so heavy on my finger. Though, then I’d feel worse about all the things I wasn’t feeling while kissing Cass—disgust, guilt, or nothing at all.

He pulled back for air, but I pulled him right back in. I could feel his smile against my lips. I kept him with me for as long as I could before I had to pull back for air too.

“So,” he said between breaths, “is it cheesy to say you take my breath away?”

I laughed and pulled him in again. “No,” I murmured between kisses. “Because you’re the air in my lungs.”

We laughed together, barely balancing our chuckles and kisses.

“You,” he held my waist tighter. “Breathe life into me.”

I had to pull away and just laugh for a moment. “Oh really?”

He pulled me back into our kisses. “That’s right.”

After a longer kiss than the others, I pushed him back onto the wood floor, letting his grip on my waist take me down with him. I fell right over him. He looked shocked for a moment, but I quickly covered that expression with another kiss. A long, deep one. When I pulled away, our faces and lips were only a breath away. My curls cloaked around our faces. “I’ve fallen for you.”

We shared a perfect smile. “I’m grateful that fall didn’t take us right off the ledge,” he breathed.

“I would have caught you. Maybe.” I leaned down to kiss him again and nearly succeeded before the ledge door swung open. I jerked up, but there was no way I was getting off Cass in time.

Albo—who else—froze at the door. His dark eyes moved slowly between Cass and me as he tapped a cigar in his fingers. My throat tightened, and my veins throbbed with the heat of shame. Here I was kissing a man who definitely wasn’t the one I was engaged to—whose engagement party or family had attended just days ago.

Albo’s gaze shifted away from our faces, just barely, and I realized he was looking at my hand. The hand with my ruby ring on it—conspicuously resting off of my ring finger.

“Hm.” He slipped his cigar into his pocket and left as quickly as he had come.

A wave of crimson flooded my face as I slid away from Cass. His face also had donned a bold shade of red. “Wasn’t that your cook?”

“Yes.” God, I bet I looked like a harlot. Albo wasn’t the type to go gossiping about it to everyone. But who was I to be kissing Cass with Luke’s ring like a stone in my pocket? Who was I to be kissing Cass while Kat was still out, completely unaccounted for?

Wanting to escape the shame whirling around in my mind, I grew antsy to do something. Why couldn’t I disappear—set off and find her? The feeling that I should’ve been looking for her all along was powerful.

No. What use would I be wandering around without direction? I needed to stay here with Cass. That was my job, after all. I’d stay as long as I needed to and cling to hope that everything was alright.