Gods From the Machine (3 page)

“
You know, I was talking to Matt and he said you were planning on skipping the Cotillion. I have to say, it’d be a real waste of Peter’s generosity if you stayed inside.”

“
That’s easy for you to say. You and Matt are like the ideal couple, so you’re going to have fun regardless. Besides, you both know I hate dancing.”

“
I think the real problem is that you don’t have a date.” Joni pulled a pen from one of the bags.

Nick shrugged.

She wagged her index finger at him. “Look Nick, you’re pretty easy on the eyes. You could have had a date if you planned ahead. Now all the good girls are taken.”

“
So you can see my dilemma,” Nick said.

“
What about Rebecca Ryder? She’s cute and I don’t think anyone asked her yet.”

“
She’s going with Paul Evans.”

“
That must be salt to the wound.” Joni grimaced. “Then again, he
is
the president’s son. I’m sure no girl would say no to him.”

Nick raised a brow
. “Are you telling me you’d say yes to him too?”

“
Spare me, he’s a creep.” Joni sketched the insignia. “But at least he’s going to the Cotillion.”

“
So he’s a socially active creep.”

Joni rolled her eyes.
“That’s not the point. You never go to any events, Nick. Maybe if you were a little more open-minded you’d be more popular with the other knights.”

“
That’s not the real reason everyone hates me and you know it. By the way, I don’t get why you’re defending him. You’re my best friend’s girlfriend, that should put you on my side by default.”

“
Of course I’m on your side. I’m just saying you should just let loose once in a while. You’re too young to be so tense all the time. So what’s it going to be? I want to celebrate your birthday with you and it won’t be the same if you’re not in the room when it happens.” She capped her pen and tossed the book back to Nick.

“
Fine, I’ll go.” Nick reclined back in his chair. “Tell Matt thanks for going through such lengths just to convince me.”

Joni smiled.
“I’ll let him know it was a success. And remember, it’s open invitation, so at least you’ll get the chance to mingle with some of the civilian girls.” Joni picked up her bags, and left him in the library alone again.

She was right, why should he miss out on this opportunity? Why should everyone else get to have fun while he was sulking in the library? He would go and
try his best to enjoy it, or at the very least, meet some people who weren’t already poisoned by hate for him. He was feeling optimistic for tomorrow night, but little did he know that it was just the beginning of terrible things to come.

2. My Fair Valentine

The New Year’s Cotillion met Nick’s expectations in the worst way possible. The theme this year was “Moonlight Romance,” and so the venue was hosted at an elegant, two-story ballroom with an outdoor garden and several balconies for private mingling. There was a small lake outside with small boats for rentals, as well as a lit stone path for lovers who wanted to take a casual stroll. Nick wore his Garrison formal clothing: a silver tunic over a white dress shirt with matching slacks.

With drink in hand, he waded
awkwardly around the center deck of the second floor for almost an hour, watching couples dance below. It was uncomfortable to be so out of place, surrounded by so many people, but isolated from everything at the same time. Nobody there he could relate to: no friends other than Matt and Joni, and they were busy dancing with each other. Members outside the Garrison were not usually allowed to partake in social gatherings, but for special events like the Cotillion, everyone was welcome. So far, he didn’t meet any new people, just the same old unfriendly faces. What a waste of time. Perhaps he shouldn’t have come at all.

The double doors swung open. A
lmost immediately everyone stopped and turned their attention to the newest civilian guests: a sea of blondes and brunettes, but in the crowd a single red headed girl caught his eye. Unfortunately her face was obscured by everyone else in front. Nick felt a bit strange that he had such an intense desire to see this person up close, but something told him she was worth taking a second to discover. What was the harm with a little curiosity anyway? It wasn’t like he was preoccupied with anyone or anything else at the moment.

Nick made his way across the bridge, b
ut there was no sign of her in the pack of girls. Perhaps she’d made her way to the first floor. He shuffled through a raucous group of Garrison soldiers, walked down the stairs and into the crowd of dancers.

A
s he pushed and squeezed between sweaty couples, he realized she was probably invited as a date by one of the other knights. Like most everything in his life, it was too good to be true. Nick gave up, and turned to walk upstairs and back into his own private bubble.  It was then that a melodic voice drew in his ears.

“
I’m looking for Matthew Cunningham. Have you seen him?”

Nick found himself staring into the face of the red headed stranger. It was dark and the lighting was very inconsistent due to the flickering strobe lights, but even then he could tell she was strikingly beautiful. Nick let his eyes drop quickly to the floor a
nd rise back up, doing a double-take on every feature of this mysterious girl. He tried his best not to stare, fearing it would make her feel uncomfortable, but he couldn’t help it. She was a complete knock-out.

“
Excuse me?” Nick had never felt more dumbstruck in his life.

“
I’m looking for a boy named Matthew Cunningham. He invited me to this dance, and I don’t know anybody else that showed up from my school. I wanted to thank him for the invitation. Have you seen him?”

“
Matt? Well, last time I checked…” Nick looked around the room. Matt was nowhere to be seen. “He was dancing with his girlfriend.”

She smiled politely, sticking out her ha
nd formally. “You look familiar. Have we met before? I’m Quinn Valentine. What’s your name?”

“
I don’t think so. I definitely would have remembered you.” He took her hand and shook it. “I’m Nick. Nick Emberson.” She had a pretty firm handshake for someone who appeared so delicate.

“
Well, it was nice meeting you, Nick Emberson. Maybe I’ll see you around.” As she walked away, Nick was at a complete loss for words. He must have stood still for at least five minutes with a dumb look slapped across his face before he was snapped back into reality by a hand tugging his shoulder.

Matt
waved a hand in his face. “You okay there buddy? I just saw what happened.”

“
Y-yeah, sorry I just got a little bit distracted,” Nick said.

He laughed deviously and nudged Nick suggestively.
“I could only see the back of her head from where I was standing, but from your dopey expression I could tell she was something. Do us all a favor and wipe the drool off your face before you ask her to dance.”

“
Matt.” Nick’s heart thumped against his chest like an out-of-control jackhammer. “This girl literally just took my breath away. I barely had time to say anything, but there’s just something about her.”

Matt
’s eyes lit up. He grabbed Nick shoulders and turned his body to face him. “What’s her name? Where is she? This is big Nick! I’m telling you, we have to catch the perpetrator before she strikes again!”

Nick chuckled lightly.
“Very funny, but unfortunately I think she’s interested in you. Her name was Quinn, and she was actually looking for you. Should Joni be worried?”

“
Quinn. Quinn…” Matt repeated the name as he tried to remember. His eyes grew wide upon realization and he snapped his fingers. “You mean Quinn Valentine? Sorry, that’s been such a popular name since the Great War. Leave it to celebrity heroines, right? Anyway, I met her when I went in town to invite some civilians. Apparently she just transferred to Glenhaven High. She’s never been to a Garrison Cotillion before so to be nice I invited her. I didn’t think she’d actually show up, but I guess it worked out in your favor, didn’t it?”

Nick struggled to keep his face from h
eating up. Thankfully, the darkness concealed how red he must have appeared. He had dated many girls in the past that were considered to be very beautiful, so why was he feeling so strange now? Why did knots tie up in his stomach and his heart palpitate so quickly?

Matt laughed loudly.
“So Nick, what do you think? Should I work the good old Cunningham charm?”

“
What do you mean?” Nick asked, still not fully recovered from the encounter.

“
Where did she go?” Matt scanned the room. He flashed a devious grin. “You’re about to owe me big time. You’re so lucky we’re best friends, Nick.”

Before Nick could stop him, Matt patt
ed him on the shoulder and hurried in the other direction. He disappeared into a crowd of dresses and formal wear, leaving Nick standing there like a sailor stranded out at sea.  If Matt was thinking about doing what he thought he was doing… No, Matt wouldn’t set him up, would he? He was always looking out for his best interests, but Matt also knew Nick was not very good with confrontation. What was he trying to pull? Before long, Matt reentered the room with Quinn trailing closely.

“
So I hear you’ve met my best friend Nick,” Matt said.

Quinn
smiled warmly. “Yeah, he was the cutest knight I’ve met tonight.”

Nick
felt himself turn as red as a tomato.

He couldn
’t stop smiling as Matt continued, “So Nick, having gotten better acquainted with Quinn here I found out that she also happens to be very interested in Garrison weaponry.”

Nick was catching
on. Matt had a certain reputation for his knack with women, before settling down with Joni. A natural-born smooth talker, he was an absolute genius when it came to the art of flirty banter.

“
Here’s an idea, buddy. How about you show her the
Wolfsbane
? It’s hanging on one of the chairs over there.” Matt pointed to the dinner table where he had been sitting. He turned back to her for approval. “What do you guys say?”

“
Sure, I’d love to see what you got.” Quinn smoothed her hair with a slender hand and flashed her smile once again.

Nick couldn
’t decide whether he should be pleased or mortified. This was going to be a challenge for sure. He had to admit, he was rusty when it came to the dating scene, but he wasn’t letting this opportunity slip by. Time to play it aloof. A girl like this was probably used to being the center of attention and he had to try to avoid all the common pitfalls of the guys before him.

“
So it’s settled then,” Matthew said. “Listen, I’d join you both, but Joni wants to dance.” Right on cue he snapped his fingers, pretending he had just come up with a new option. “Here’s an idea, how about you guys go up to one of the balconies. It’s a nice night, so the moonlight should do it more justice.” He took quick glances to his sides. “Now I got to get back before she gets mad. Have fun guys.” He moved quickly out of their circle and got lost in the crowd.

“
Um, shall we?” Nick asked.

“
Lead the way,” Quinn replied.

Nick found the
Wolfsbane
on the chair and laid it gently into her hands. He led her up the stairs and outside to a vacant balcony. The night air was colder than before, much to his pleasure. However, she didn’t share his reaction: she wrapped her arms around herself and her face scrunched up in a very uncomfortable looking manner.

“
Cold?” Nick teased.

“
Is it that obvious?”

“
Here.” Nick pulled off his tunic and draped it around her perfectly sculpted body. He felt the goose bumps along her arms as he helped her slip it on.

“
Thanks, but what about you?” Quinn asked. “That shirt you have on can’t possibly be thick enough to keep you warm.”

“
It’s nothing. I happen to like cold weather. Winter is the only season that doesn’t irritate me.”

“
You must be a robot then, because it’s like twenty below right now.” Quinn breathed warm air into her hands.

They grew
silent and took in the night sky. The moon had the perfect ambience for a situation like this, so cliché and obviously romantic, but perfect nonetheless. As Quinn was busy examining the blade, Nick snuck a better look at her in her natural state, without the shoddy lighting, and realized why he was justified in being so taken by her in the first place.

S
he looked even more beautiful out here. In the room, it was hard to distinguish her dark hair color, which he could see now, was clearly a rich, fiery red. It was medium length and just touched her shoulders. Her face was devoid of imperfections and had the classic features of a true beauty, with high cheekbones and a cute, button nose. The way she carried herself seemed to be both self-assured and independent. However, these traits probably came across as arrogance, which threatened other girls. Her milky complexion seemed to radiate in the moonlight, giving a distinct contrast to her hair. She had big, deep green eyes, which were accented further by her black dress that was simple in design, medium in length, with spaghetti straps. The dress hugged her figure in a way that blew his mind. The word “perfection” seemed to be the only way to describe her. Built like a supermodel, it was as if she walked straight off a billboard and into reality. She was very feminine, but also had a slight seriousness that indicated that she wasn’t meek, like the average civilian. Beneath her cool exterior, she carried a very powerful personality as well, one that should not be trifled with.