My Light

Alison

I know the exact moment Xavier Carmichael decides he hates me. It’s my first day at Westbridge Preparatory, and I’m standing in the main hallway clutching my schedule like it’s a lifeline, while I try not to look as terrified as I feel.

The marble floors gleam under fluorescent lights, and everything smells like old money and new paint. Girls in designer uniforms brush past me without a glance, their laughter echoing off vaulted ceilings as they walk by. I so don’t belong here and I know it! This environment so beyond what I’m used to that I’m finding it hard to breathe!

My mother married Aiden Carmichael three months ago in a ceremony that cost triple what our old house cost, and now I’m supposed to pretend I fit into this world of trust funds and summer homes in the Hamptons.

The blonde bob Mom insisted I get for “a fresh start” Has me feeling like a look like a little kid playing dress up. I tug at the hem of my uniform skirt, regulation length, but it feels too short, making me feel exposed, visible when I just want to be, not seen... Invisible. I bite my bottom lip nervously as I walk; while trying to remember the room number I’m supposed to go to for first period.

A chill runs up my spine causing me to look up from the hallway floor as I walk. And that’s when I spot him. Xavier Carmichael is impossible to miss. He’s leaning against a locker at the end of the hallway, surrounded by mostly girls but a few guys who look like they’re orbiting a black hole.

He’s massive! Seven feet of leather and muscle and danger, and even from here, I can see the dark tattoos crawling up his neck, disappearing beneath the collar of his shirt. He’s not wearing our school issued uniform. Because he’s Xaiver... Black jeans, black t-shirt stretched across shoulders that seem too broad to be real, and his leather jacket that probably costs more than my car.

He looks like he could break someone in half without trying which causes me to involuntarily shudder. Our eyes meet across the crowded hallway, making me suck in a breath. His eyes golden eyes go dark, pinning me in place for a moment. The noise of the hallway fades for a heartbeat as I gaze at him. He stares at me with an intensity that causes anxiety flood my body.

I watch as he clenches his jaw; and his expression turns hostile. The asshole then looks away like the sight of me disgusts him. My new stepbrother, ladies and gentlemen, yay.

I’ve only met him twice before. Once at the wedding, where he stood beside his father in a suit that looked like it was strangling him, refusing to meet my eyes. The second time was at his father’s home or rather mansion, where he walked past me in the hallway without a word, leaving only the scent of cigarettes and expensive cologne in his wake.

Mom explained his behavior away as “adjusting.” That he’s not used to sharing his father’s attention. That I should give him time. But the way he’s looking at me now doesn’t feel like adjusting. It feels like a threat.

“You’re Alison Monroe, right?” I jump, tearing my gaze away from Xavier to find a boy standing beside me. He’s cute in that clean-cut, preppy way with sandy hair, friendly smile, and the uniform polo shirt with the collar popped. Everything about him screams safe.

“Um, yeah,” I manage, clutching my schedule tighter.

“I know.” His smile widens. “I’m Brett. Brett Ashford. We’re in the same homeroom.” He gestures down the hallway. “I can show you where it is, if you want. This place is a maze when you first get here.”

Relief floods through me. “That would be amazing, actually. I was just...”

“She doesn’t need your help.” The voice comes from behind me, low and rough, and I freeze. I don’t have to turn around to know who it is. I can feel him; a wall of heat and hostility at my back, close enough that I catch the scent of leather and something darker, something that makes my pulse spike.

Brett’s smile falters. “Oh, hey, Xavier. I was just...”

“I said she doesn’t need your help.” Xavier moves around me, positioning himself between us, and I have to tilt my head back to look at him. God, he’s so fucking tall! I feel like a child standing next to him, small and fragile and utterly insignificant. “She’s my stepsister. I’ll show her around.”

The way he says stepsister makes it sound like a curse. Brett takes a step back; hands raised in surrender. “Sure, man. No problem. I didn’t know...”

“Now you do.” Xavier’s voice drops lower, and there’s something in it that makes Brett’s face go pale. “Spread the word.”

Brett nods quickly and disappears into the crowd, leaving me standing here with my heart hammering against my ribs, staring up at Xavier’s impassive face. “Why did you do that?” I say, trying to keep my voice steady. “He was just being nice!”

Xavier’s eyes drop to mine, and the intensity in them steals my breath. Up close, I can see the details I missed from across the hallway; the sharp line of his jaw, the small scar cutting through his left eyebrow, the way his dark hair falls across his forehead in a way that should look careless but somehow looks deliberate. He’s beautiful in a brutal, dangerous way that makes something low in my stomach tighten.

“Nice,” he repeats, like the word tastes bitter. “Is that what you think that was?”

“I. What else would it be?” I ask furrowing my brow in confusion.

His jaw clenches. For a moment, I think he’s going to answer, but then he just shakes his head and turns away. “Stay away from Brett Ashford. Stay away from all of them.”

“Excuse me?” Anger flares hot in my chest, burning away the fear. “You don’t get to tell me who I can talk to.”

He stops. Turns back. Takes a step closer, and suddenly I’m very aware of how small I am, how easily he could crowd me against the lockers if he wanted to. How easily he could do anything.

“In this school,” he says quietly, “I get to do whatever I want. And what I want is for you to stay the fuck away from guys like Brett Ashford. Understand?”

My hands are shaking. I ball them into fists at my sides. “You’re unbelievable. I didn’t ask to be your stepsister, okay? I didn’t ask for any of this. But we’re stuck with each other, so maybe you could try not being a complete dick for five minutes!”

Something flickers in his eyes; something that might be surprise, or anger, or something else entirely. Then it’s gone, replaced by that cold, hostile mask. “No,” he says simply. “I don’t think I can.”

He walks away, and I’m left standing in the middle of the hallway, trembling with anger and confusion. Around me, students whisper and stare, and I realize with a sinking feeling that whatever just happened, everyone saw it. And now everyone knows; the new girl is Xavier Carmichael’s stepsister.

I don’t understand why he hates me so much, why the sight of another boy talking to me made his whole body go rigid with barely contained violence.

My stepbrother is an asshole, and I’m going to have to survive the next four years under the same roof as him. I take a shaky breath, smooth down my skirt, and head towards my homeroom class alone. Behind me, I can feel his eyes on my back, burning like a brand. Watching me walk away.