Page 5 of Colton

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Fucking hell, she’s intimidating as fuck.

Artemis is sitting across from me, wearing the same uniform as me, a snake tattoo on her wrist, peaking through the blazer. The head of the snake ends on the back of her palm, my eyes glued to the gorgeous design.

“Did you pick up your materials from the Dean?” Artemis asks, and my eyes snap to hers. The tone of her voice is soft, but her expression says otherwise. It’s like she’s already bored with this whole ordeal before it’s even begun.

We’re in the library, surrounded by mountains of books. The smell is something I adore deeply, and although I’m not as well-read as Sophia, I enjoy reading in my spare time. Especially in a place like this — where the options are endless, the ambience is cozy, and the sunlight is peeking through the windows.

“Not yet,” I sigh. “I’ll do it later tonight.”

Artemis nods. “Alright. I got my part already, and we need to finish this within the next month and a half.”

“How do you want to do this?”

She shrugs. “We can do our parts separately, then meet a couple of times after we’ve finished, to discuss it thoroughly before presenting it.”

“Sounds good to me,” I nod. “Out of curiosity, why are our materials being distributed by the Dean?”

“Oh, that’s just because before he became the Dean, he was the economics professor here, and he’s still in charge of anything economics class related.”

This is when the warning of Grace’s contempt towards the founding families creeps into the back of my head. I straighten up in my seat, and although Artemis seems harmless, I can’t shake away the fact that Grace is convinced they’re criminals. After all, there’s no reason I shouldn’t believe her.

This is my chance to try and pry.

Slowly, I lean in, trying not to be intimidated by Artemis’ overwhelming presence. “You’re from Saint Valley, right?”

She nods. “Yes. Why?”

“Oh, no reason,” I chuckle. “I’m just curious about the most gated city in the United States.”

Artemis narrows her brows at me, and if I thought that she had any semblance of friendliness on her face earlier, it’s all gone now. “Curious? If you’re so curious, you should come during the tourist season.”

“I will,” I bite the inside of my cheek. “But since you’re a local, I thought I’d ask where to go and what to see. Sure, I could ask a tour guide, but I’m assuming you know of the best and more unique places.”

Although there’s still a trace of doubt in her eyes, her shoulders are no longer as tense. She smiles, tapping her index finger on the wooden table, eyes never leaving mine. She’s trying to read me — to figure out where I’m going with this, but I’m not going to show her all of my cards just yet.

“Ah, that’s what you meant,” she chuckles. “Well, I can put together some good restaurants and sight-seeing places for you, if you’d like?”

“If it‘s not too much of a bother.”

She waves me off. “Not at all. But that’s not what you really wanted to know, is it?”

Her voice suddenly turns very cold, and the gaze makes me flinch. A knot forms in my stomach, and it’s not a pleasant feeling. There’s something in her green eyes that’s making me second-guess the decision to try and question her.

“No,” I breathe out. My palms grow sweaty, and I fist them on my lap, gripping the sleeves of my blazer, trying to gather the courage. “I’ve heard the five founding families are a bunch of criminals.”

A beat of silence.

Then, it’s Artemis’ deep, loud laughter that fills the library. There’s not too many people around, and those that are annoyed by her laughter don’t seem to have the courage to say anything. Instead, the sound of her heart-felt laughing echoes in the vast room, genuine amusement on her face.

“You’re a bold one, aren’t you?” She laughs again. “I’ve never had anyone outright say that to my face. You’re something, aren’t you?”

I blink. “Uh… are you upset?”

“Not at all,” she grins. “You’ve grabbed my attention, pretty girl. Now is your only chance to ask me questions. Whether I’ll answer them truthfully or not, depends on the question.”

“For all I know, you can lie.”