Adore (Wish, Book Three)

“So, what do we do about the boots?” Kathleen asks, looking around.We’ve all just unpacked, and Quill is still settling in his new barrack, which is right next to ours.“The counselor in charge for this island is Levi,” I read the small information pamphlet we got which was left on our desks. “His office is a ten-minute walk.”I glance out the window at the dark, roiling clouds and shudder. “The wind is picking up. I’ll take the wet mud over rain any day.”Susan sits up. “Baby.”“You bet your sweet behind, I am.” I sprawl back on the bed. “I’m going to go complain to him.” Susan gets to her feet. “I want my boots.”“Put one in for me as well,” I call out lazily.“You snooze, you lose.”“I’ll get one for you, Taylor.” Beth smiles at me. “I know your shoe size. Come on.”I don’t stop them from leaving, wanting to take a nap. However, not five minutes pass before I hear a quiet rap on the door.Groaning, I get to my feet and make my way to the door, only to see Abigail standi

Isabel and Beth get along, much to my surprise. The younger girl plasters herself to Beth, finding excuses to stay by her side.It irritates me, but Beth is all smiles over it. She’s always been the nurturing sort, so it’s not like I don’t understand. But I don’t have to like it.It’s been a week since Isabel joined us. It’s obvious that she isn’t my biggest fan, but then again, I don’t like her much, either. She has this standoffish air about her. Aside from Beth, she gets along well with Susan, perhaps because of how close they are in age. However, she has this disdainful attitude towards Quill and I, and she just ignores Kathleen. We have our first trial today as Level Two students, and I’m feeling a bit tense. We’ve been working with locator orbs for a few days now. They are made of pure energy and have a core that makes them function. We’ve been learning to maintain them while carrying them, and I’ve not been doing so well.Isabel, on the other hand, is great at it. She’s e

I knock on the door to Counselor Levi’s office.The sun has already risen. All the students are in their barracks, and classes are cancelled for the day.Levi looks tired when he looks up. “Oh, it’s you. Do you need something?”I’ve tried my hardest to keep it together after we were sent back to the barracks without any confirmation on who the missing student was. Deep in my heart, I know the answer. But I couldn’t sleep, couldn’t rest without being sure. “Did you find the missing student?”Levi’s expression goes blank and that gives me all the answer I needed to know. My heart sinks in cold fear.“Go back to your barrack.”“It’s Jesse, isn’t it?” I persist, my hands clammy. “Jesse is the one who’s missing.”Levi gets to his feet, his expression tense. “I told you to return to your barrack!”“He tried to save me!” I burst out. “He distracted them while I went to sound the alarm!”“Taylor—”“Is anyone even looking for him?!”“Of course, we are,” Levi gives me a sharp look.

The water is freezing.I’m not the best swimmer out there, so to hold my head and swim in the murky water is a little hard when I can’t even make out the direction that I’m going in. I keep breaking past the surface to make sure that I’m going in the right direction.When I reach the jagged rock, I cling to a portion of it, my lungs burning, as I try to desperately draw in air. Shaking, I look at the distance between this rock and the other one. It’s going to be at least three whole minutes, and that’s even if I swim like I’m in the Olympics. There’s no way I can hold my breath for that long. Shivering from the cold water, I stare across the lake. I’m strong. I can make it. Can Blood Moon Hybrids even die from lack of air?I glance back at the shore, but the fog is too thick to see anything.“J-Just do it,” I mutter to myself, my teeth chattering from the cold, “For J-Jesse.”Taking another deep breath, I plunge down into the water. Moving fast, I kick my legs, trying to use my

JesseMy head is throbbing as I roll over to my side.The iron chains around my wrists and ankles have me as weak as a baby. I can’t even lift my head without effort. Whatever curse is on these chains, it’s draining my abilities, suppressing my vampire strength.I shouldn’t have tried to play hero.Even now, I was still desperate to prove myself to Taylor.Closing my eyes in despair, I push myself against the tree into a sitting position. It’s been days since they’ve been dragging me around, but I don’t understand something. I’m still near the islands. They move for a bit, maybe an hour, changing direction at what seems like random. But there doesn’t seem to be any method or reason.I hear footsteps approaching me, and I quickly close my eyes, not wanting another interaction with this person. However, she’s smart enough not to buy into my act.“Open your eyes, Jesse,” the voice of my ex-girlfriend reaches my ears. “How long are you going to keep at this?”I open my eyes, st