First Semester (Elton Hall Chronicles Book 1) Read online

  Elton Hall Chronicles:

  First Semester

  By Sarah Fischer

  Elton Hall Chronicles: First Semester

  Copyright © 2017 by Sarah Fischer.

  All rights reserved.

  First Print Edition: March 2017

  Limitless Publishing, LLC

  Kailua, HI 96734

  www.limitlesspublishing.com

  Formatting: Limitless Publishing

  ISBN-13: 978-1-64034-032-9

  ISBN-10: 1-64034-032-7

  No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission. Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to locales, events, business establishments, or actual persons—living or dead—is entirely coincidental.

  Dedication

  I dedicate this book to the girls whose voices have been silenced, to the ones too afraid to come forward, and for those who are still fighting to survive. Also, to Kelsey McKnight who is largely responsible for giving me the confidence to release this story.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

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  Chapter 1

  As I was only nineteen, I’d never been to a casino before, but this was pretty much what I imagined. There were waitresses clad in little black dresses bringing multi-colored cocktails to students with varying sizes of chip piles. Shouts of excitement erupted as the roulette wheel stopped and cheers exploded from the craps table as someone chucked the dice.

  Looking around at everyone, it was easy to ignore the basketball hoops folded up toward the ceiling and the bleachers pushed against the wall. Annabelle and I swiped our university ID cards and were given the fake money.

  “Where do you want to go first, Violet?” Annabelle asked as we looked around Elton Hall University’s gym.

  I eyed the poker table with a sly look on my face. My dad had always been a big poker fan and had taught my brother and me to play. Mind you, we never played with more than one hundred pennies. Over the years, I had turned into quite the card shark, but I liked to keep that a secret. Half of the fun was in the hustle.

  “I know how to play Texas Hold ’Em poker so why don’t we go over there,” I suggested, and we headed toward a table with several open seats.

  My roommate had decided to attend another school last minute, therefore, my double was temporarily a single. So I decided to say hi to the shy girl across the hall, Annabelle. Luckily, she didn’t think I was a serial killer and came with me to the university’s welcome night event, Casino Night.

  As I sat down, I noticed Annabelle didn’t. “I am going to watch first. I have no idea what you’re doing,” she assured me as she slid her Mary Poppins size bag under my seat. Annabelle’s dark eyes surveyed the table with fear but for a second I thought I saw a glint of excitement.

  “Okay, I can explain,” I started as I traded in my fake money for chips. As I was going over the game to her, I couldn’t help but notice the sex on a stick sitting two chairs away. He pulled my focus at first, but I didn’t want him to see the effect he had on me so I turned to look at Annabelle and avoided his gaze entirely.

  I tried explaining to her but it was no use.

  “Yeah, I’m still confused,” Annabelle complained to me.

  “That’s okay, just watch a round or two and you’ll figure it out.”

  I looked down at my hand and saw two tens, a club, and a diamond, and Annabelle nodded as I showed them to her. The betting began and I looked around at the rest of the table. Next to me was another guy. He was wearing a superman shirt and khaki shorts. He had thick glasses and unmanageable eyebrows. He also seemed really nervous as his knee bounced uncontrollably and a trickle of sweat slid down his face. Next to him, the sexpot was staring at his hand, looking indecisive.

  He was older, maybe around twenty-six or twenty-seven, with a little bit of stubble caressing his chin. He had an angular face with a strong jaw and a heavy brow. His dark brown, almost black, hair was gelled to the side. Big green eyes surrounded by long dark lashes looked up over his cards. For a second, I was mesmerized. Then I realized I was staring for an uncomfortably long time and returned my attention to the game. There was no way I was going to let him throw me off.

  The blonde girl on my other side had just placed a bet. It was a small wager and looked more like she was fishing to try to see what everyone else had rather than providing clues to the cards she had. I raised the bet a little to see if I could scare her off. I also wanted to send a little message to the remaining players that I had something. Hopefully, though, they thought I only had a small pair.

  The guy next to me folded almost instantly. However, the Greek god next to him looked me straight in the eyes. He seemed to be trying to read my soul he looked so deep. My heart raced as I held his gaze, determined not to be the first one to break the trance we seemed to be in. He smiled slowly, showing his perfectly white teeth. The tooth to the right of his front tooth was a little crooked. Ah, he so he had a flaw! The now almost Greek god called my raise.

  As I predicted, the other girl involved folded. So it was just Hercules and me. The dealer dealt three cards, the flop, and I tried to contain my excitement. It was the three of diamonds, seven of diamonds, and the ten of hearts. I had three of a kind.

  I showed Annabelle the cards again. She nodded and I used that moment to pull my face together so I could face Hercules again. It was up to me to start the betting and I was determined not to reveal anything to him. I raised and gave him a sweet smile.

  “I call,” Hercules said as he looked deep into my eyes again. I should have looked away. I wasn’t that good at hiding my feelings, and if he kept looking at me, the lust I was feeling for him would be all too obvious. But maybe that was a good thing.

  The dealer dealt the next card and placed it with the three community cards in the middle of the table. It was the five of diamonds. I was sitting pretty at this point. From looking at Hercules, I had to think he was sitting on a pair. If he was, then I had him beat. There was another round of betting and I felt my heart pounding in my chest. The adrenaline from the game mixed with the sexual energy flowing through me was almost too much to handle.

  The last card, the river, was dealt then placed with the other four in the middle of the table. It was the seven of clubs. I had a full house. I pulled myself together while looking at my pile of chips, pretending I needed to think about what I was going to do. I could feel Hercules’s gaze on me and that was really what was making me blush. Considering how pale I was, that was not hard to do. I took a deep breath and raised. Hercules smiled big this time and it reached his eyes. They squinted and crinkled a little on the edge. It was a breathtaking smile. I shook my head and tried to get it together.

  “All right. You may know the rules of the game, but I’ll bet you don’t really know how to play. I raise you two hundred dollars.” Hercules threw th
e chips in the middle and gave me a smug, satisfied look.

  My adrenaline really kicked up another notch and I was practically bouncing out of my seat. He had challenged me and assumed he had me beat. I took a deep breath and smiled at him. If I was wrong, then I was going to look like a complete fool in front of him.

  “I call.” I pushed the chips into the middle and then turned to look at Annabelle. I gave her an excited glance and returned my attention to Hercules. He had a glint in his eyes and it was completely naughty. I felt like he was undressing me with his eyes and I soaked it in. Anyone could see that the sexual desire was mutual.

  “Ladies first,” he insisted, indicating that I should flip my cards over first. I wasn’t one hundred percent sure but I thought he had a British accent. It sent a purr through my body that was not easily silenced.

  “I believe my full house beats your three sevens,” I said as I flipped over my tens. The smirk on Hercules’s face fell as he flipped over his two sevens.

  “How did you know?” He shook the hair out of his eyes and looked at me incredulously. The accent was real.

  I couldn’t immediately look away as he seemed to have me in that trance again. So I decided to play with him a little. “A lady doesn’t kiss and tell,” I teased as I collected my chips.

  He stared back and his mouth slid into a devilishly handsome smirk. “You’re not playing games with little boys anymore. You should be more careful not to taunt me.”

  “I’ve been looking for a man to play with for a while now, let me know if you find one. I’ll be sure to show him a good time.”

  Hercules chuckled for a minute and wagged his pointer finger at me. “Nicely done.”

  I smiled at him and then turned to look at Annabelle. “What do you think? Wanna play?”

  “I’m not playing! You’re like psychic or something. I’m going to go grab a drink. Do you want one?” she asked as she grabbed her bag.

  “Sure, I’ll take a Coke if you don’t mind,” I said as the dealer sent me two new cards.

  Hercules barely noticed the cards that were dealt in front of him. He was too captivated by what had just happened. Really, I just guessed and got lucky. But there was no way I was going to tell him that. Being a lady of mystery was way more fun.

  “All right, let’s do this again. I’ve got your number now,” Hercules jeered as he finally picked up his cards and I looked at mine.

  I was sitting on an eight of hearts and a nine of clubs. Not the best hand but I had a lot of opportunities for a straight. I checked. Hercules and the blonde checked.

  The game continued as the three community cards were placed on the table. After another round of betting, the blonde next to me folded. It was just Hercules and me again. Annabelle hadn’t come back with my drink yet so I had nothing better to do than to look at Hercules’s deep green eyes. They dipped down and he stared at his cards.

  As he was mulling over his options, I found myself looking at the rest of his face again. He had a straight nose that seemed to suit his face. But what really took my breath away were his lips. They were full and luscious with just a hint of red to them. I began to wonder what it would be like to kiss those lips. How it would feel to have him leave a trail of kisses down my neck. For that trail to drop below my collarbone and inch ever closer to my breasts. To feel those lips caressing my…

  “What’s your bet?” The dealer had tapped the table in front of me to get my attention. Apparently, the world did not actually stop while I was imagining his lips.

  I shook my head and looked at my cards again. After the river card had been flipped, I had my straight. I didn’t know exactly what Hercules had but I had a feeling he was bluffing.

  “I think you’re compensating for something. I raise to two hundred dollars,” I purred, staring at him straight in the eye.

  “You have no idea what I am working with.” Hercules laughed. He had a deep laugh that tickled parts of me that had been left dormant for too long. It was intoxicating.

  “I call.” Hercules tossed the chips in the middle, as if acknowledging that I had just called him out.

  “Ladies first, I assume?” I asked as I flipped over my cards. I had a smug look plastered on my face because I was sure I had him. When he flipped his cards over, he confirmed I was right.

  Hercules shook his head at me and smiled. “You are really a hustler, aren’t you? Coming in all innocent but really knowing exactly how to play the game,” Hercules commented in that rich accent as the dealer took the cards and began to shuffle.

  “Sweetheart, I have always known how to play the game.” I looked up at him through my eyelashes. His voice was melodic and stroked my inner animal. It was gentle and dangerous at the same time.

  “Oh, I am sure you do.” He held my gaze for a second too long. Then he gathered his rather small pile of chips up and walked over to the roulette table.

  “I think I’m done too,” I said as I grabbed my chips and walked over to meet Annabelle at the concession table. She was busy talking to a gorgeous man with thick blond hair and blue eyes. His muscles were instantly apparent and he oozed confidence. He should have left me panting like a puppy but I couldn’t help but notice that he didn’t have the same effect as Hercules had on my system.

  “You won all of that?” she asked as the guy left. But it took me a second to hear her. I was too focused on the fact that I noticed Hercules had been watching me from the roulette table. I tried to act cool, but inside I was bursting. He seemed to ignite something inside of me that I was not quite ready to explain to Annabelle yet.

  “Yep. My dad, brother, and I used to play poker together all the time when I was young. I picked up a few things.” My mouth had gone dry so I took a long drink of the soda she’d given me. I was sure it was just from the game, though, and not him.

  “So, do you think you’re going to join any clubs?” Annabelle asked, apparently oblivious to the internal struggle I’d been having.

  “I’m not sure. I think I may look into pledging a sorority. My mom was in one and she had a really good time. But I heard you have to wait until second semester to pledge.” I hadn’t really thought about clubs. Since I didn’t really know anyone, it was probably a good idea for me to look into it. “What about you?” I asked Annabelle.

  “They have this club where they plan for concerts and comedians to come to the school. They also put on smaller events throughout the year. That guy, Trent, was telling me before he had to catch up with his friends. It is called EET, Elton Entertainment Team. They have an interest meeting tomorrow at one. I think I’m going to check it out.”

  “Yeah, that sounds fun. Do you mind if I come with you?” I asked as I tried to keep from searching for Hercules.

  “Nope! Sounds good. Want to meet up and then head over?” Annabelle asked.

  “Awesome! Why don’t we give blackjack a try? I promise I don’t have any tricks for that game,” I assured her as I finished my drink.

  “Okay, but I warn you, I can’t even do basic math,” Annabelle said, and we walked over to the table. The rest of the night went on without incident. Annabelle turned out to be really lucky and did well in blackjack. It helped that the dealer did the counting for her.

  As the games were closing, we turned our chips in for raffle tickets. I didn’t win anything, which didn’t surprise me. I never won raffles. Annabelle, though, won a thirty-two-inch flat screen television. I helped her carry it to her room before we said good night.

  I fell asleep thinking of Hercules. I could not believe I didn’t even get his name. It just seemed out of place to ask for it. So I guessed I would keep calling him Hercules. Though I doubted we would see each other again. The school was small but it wasn’t that small. He was older, so probably in the more advanced classes or he was part of one of the master’s degree programs the school had. Even though I assured myself we would not meet again, I found myself dreaming of a different time where he and I could be together.

  Chapter 2 />
  The next morning was a late one for me. I woke up in a state of utter confusion around eleven. I had no idea where I was for a couple of seconds. It was the first time I’d woken up in a new place without my family in the next room. I lay there for a second and let it set in. I felt a little bit of panic start to surge up inside me but then pushed it back down. I was ready for this.

  I helped myself to my cereal stash and had some breakfast. While eating, I sat on my bed and looked out the window. It was sunny without a cloud in the sky. I never really was one for taking walks or being outside for long periods of time, but I had the urge. I threw on some jean shorts and a white cotton shirt. I found a pair of blue flip-flops and grabbed my wristlet. I figured I needed to get my books for class so I might as well walk over there and pick them up. With this thought, I went back to my room and grabbed my hot pink backpack.

  ***

  It was a beautiful campus. There were all sorts of benches and tables scattered around the field to allow students a place to study outside. Next to the benches were flower beds with pink, white, purple, and yellow flowers bursting about. But it was the castle that really took my breath away. It was the first time I would walk through those doors since I visited the college last year for orientation.

  I took a deep breath and opened the doors of the castle. The inside had been modernized, much to my dismay. There were phone charging stations in each hall and vending machines that accepted credit cards. That was until I reached the basement. The integrity of the castle had been kept down here. The stone walls were gray and felt smooth and cool to the touch. It would probably be freezing down here in winter but I almost didn’t care. It would be worth it just to walk under the massive arches and sit on the stone bench in the corner by the window overlooking the garden. Apparently, the school had a degree program in horticulture and they worked down there. It was a quiet safe haven and I had a feeling I would spend a lot of time there.