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CHAPTER 108
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Marked CHAPTER 109
“NO!” sobbed Caleb, as he turned to me, rushing to my side.Caleb was so distracted, he did not see Sergei, standing over us, holding the bloody sword, pleased at his work, grinning an evil grin.“You killed me before my time,” he snarled down at me. “Now I have returned the favor.”Sergei suddenly raced off, darting down the aisle of the church.Kyle scurried to his feet and raced after him, and out the front door.As they ran past her, Samantha regained consciousness, and in one quick motion, she grabbed a hold of the unconscious Sam, hoisted him over her shoulder, and bounded off after them.The church was now empty, save for me and Caleb. And Rose, lying off to the side, whimpering, bleeding.“Caitlin!” Caleb cried, as he held my shoulders. He leaned over me, caressing my face, and I could feel the tears streaming down his cheeks.He had been too shocked by seeing me hurt to even think of the sword. He knew, somewhere in the back of his mind, that the others had left the bu
Marked CHAPTER 1
As I walked into my new classroom for the first time, I felt embarrassed. Everyone in the packed room was staring at me. There didn’t seem to be any place left to sit.I hated this new school already. I hated always being transferred, my mom always moving to a poor and dangerous new city. Now I was in one of New York City’s worst neighborhoods.I hated my mom, too, who, I knew, didn’t even love me.I stood there, feeling like an idiot. I heard laughter and felt sure it was directed at me.Just as I was getting ready to walk out of the class, and maybe even out of the school, I heard a voice.“Here.”I turned.In the last row, beside the window, a tall boy stood from his desk.“Sit,” he said. “Please.”He was gorgeous. He had smooth, olive skin—I couldn’t tell if he was Black, Spanish, White, or some combination—but I had never seen such smooth and soft skin, complementing a chiseled jaw line.His hair was short and brown, and he was thin. There was something about him, someth
Marked CHAPTER 2
I was still thinking about Jonah as the class ended and the bell rang.“Hey,” I said to him. “Do you want to walk me to my next class—”But at just that moment, all the kids rushed from their seats and my voice was drowned out. He couldn’t hear me and when the crowd cleared away, I lost sight of him.I shuffled into the hallway. It was the widest school hall I’d ever seen and it was completely packed, all the kids crammed in. There must have been thousands of kids in these halls, a sea of faces stretching endlessly.The noise was terrible, bouncing off the walls, and I wanted to cover her ears. I felt claustrophobic.Hundreds of kids stood there, clamoring, screaming, and shoving each other. It looked like a prison yard. It was all too loud. These kids laughed too loud, cursed too much, shoved each other too hard. I closed her eyes and wId it would all go away.Why me? I wondered.Looking out at the sea of new faces, I felt alone. Not because I was the only white girl—I actually
Marked CHAPTER 3
“Mind if I join you?”“Yes—I mean no,” I said, flustered.Idiot, I thought. Stop acting so nervous.Jonah flashed that smile of his, then sat across from me. He sat erect, with perfect posture, and put his violin down carefully beside him. He gently laid out his food. There was something about him, something I couldn’t quite place. He was different than anyone I’d ever met. It was like he was from a different era. He definitely did not belong in this place.“How’s your first day?” he asked.“Not what I expected.”“How so?”“Everything here is just so…different. So big. So loud. So….unwelcoming.”Then, I quickly added:“Except for you.”He smiled.“Meeting you was the only good thing that ever happened to me in this place,” he said.I couldn’t believe it. It was as if we were thinking the same thoughts.“I know what you mean,” he said. “My first day here was awful. And I still feel like I don’t fit in. Sometimes this place feels like part school and part jail.”I felt so m
Marked CHAPTER 4
My first school day over, I exited the building into the sunny, March afternoon. Although a strong breeze was blowing, I didn’t feel cold anymore. I felt alive, and free. I could not stop thinking about Jonah.I wondered if I had acted like an idiot in the cafeteria. I had stumbled over my words; I barely even asked him any questions. All I could think of to ask him was about that stupid viola. I should have asked where he lived, where he was from, where he was applying to college.Most of all, if he had a girlfriend. Someone like him had to be dating someone.Just at that moment, a pretty, well-dressed Hispanic girl brushed by me. I looked her up and down as I passed and wondered for a second if it was her.I turned down 134th street, and for a second, forgot where I was going. I’d never walked home from school before, and for a moment, I blanked on where my new apartment was. I stood there on the corner, disoriented. A cloud covered the sun and a strong wind picked up, and I su
Marked CHAPTER 5
I was shoved hard from behind.I raised my elbows as I hit the concrete, but that barely cushioned my fall. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see my journal go flying, its loose papers spreading everywhere.I heard laughter. And then footsteps, coming at me.Heart pounding in my chest, my adrenaline kicked in. I managed to roll and scramble to my feet just before they reached me. I took off at a sprint down the alleyway, running for my life.They followed close behind.At one of my many schools, back when I thought I would have a long future somewhere, I took up track, and realized I was good at it. The best on the team, actually. Not in long-distance, but in the 100-yard sprint. I could even outrun most of the guys. And now, it came flooding back to me.I ran for my life, and the guys couldn’t catch me.I glanced back and saw how far behind they were and felt optimistic that I could outrun them all. I just had to make the right turns.The alleyway ended in a T, and I could
Marked CHAPTER 6
I stood before the door to my new apartment, staring. I had no idea how I got there. The last thing I remembered, I’d been in the alley. Somehow, I’d got myself back home.I remembered, though, every second of what happened in that alleyway. I looked down at my arms and hands, expecting to see them look different—but they were normal. The rage had swept through me, transforming me, then had just as quickly left.But the after-effects remained: I felt hollowed out, for one. Numb. And I felt something else. Images kept flashing through my mind, images of those bullies’ exposed necks. Of their heartbeat pulsing. And I felt a hunger. A craving.I really didn’t want to return home. I didn’t want to deal with my mom, especially today, didn’t want to deal with a new place, with unpacking. If it weren’t for Sam being in there, I may have just turned around and left. Where I’d go, I had no idea—but at least I’d be walking.I took a deep breath and reached out and placed my hand on the knob.
Marked CHAPTER 7
“Mom’s gone,” said the voice on the other side. “Went down for cigarettes. Come on, let me in.”I opened the door.Sam stood there, staring back, concern etched on his face. At 15, he looked older than his age. He’d grown early, to almost six feet, but he hadn’t filled out yet, and he was awkward and gangly. With black hair and brown eyes, his coloring was similar to mine. We definitely looked related. I could see the concern on his face. He loved me more than anything.I let him in, quickly closing the door behind him.“Sorry,” I said. “I just can’t deal with her tonight.”“What happened with you two?”“The usual. She was on me the second I walked in.”“All she does is scream and yell at me,” I added. “I think she hates me. No—I am sure of it. Sometimes I think that she wishes she never had us.”Sam looked sad, but I could see in his eyes that he understood. And that he felt the same way.“At least she left,” he said.“For now,” I said.I dreaded her return.“I think she h
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