Later that night, the eerie silence of the infirmary seeps in, settling around me like a heavy, uncomfortable blanket. I toss and turn on the narrow bed, the thin sheets doing little to ease the cold that seems to have seeped into my bones. After everything that happened, sleep should come easily, but a gnawing unease keeps me awake.A strange energy seems to linger in the room, shifting with every slight creak of the building. I shake my head, telling myself it’s just paranoia. But then a faint noise pulls me from my thoughts—a soft scuttling, like a mouse, maybe, or even the wind… but there’s no breeze in here.Suddenly, a sharp clatter erupts from the far side of the room. I jolt up, my heart pounding as I see an entire shelf of medicine bottles come crashing down, scattering vials and capsules across the floor. The glass clinks and bounces, some shattering on impact, the faint smell of herbs and bitter potions filling the air.The nurse rushes in, her face ridden with panic as she
Nate’s voice slices through a constant, monotonous beeping, ripping me from a deep, dark, oblivion. My eyes drags open, heavy, but his words are just a garbled mess, slipping past my ears as I try—and fail—to make sense of them.The fire raging in my lungs keeps me from focusing on anything else. Each breath is a struggle, raw and searing, the ache spreading through my chest with every shallow inhale. I try to sit up, to ease the pressure, but a steady hand presses me gently back down.“That is not a good idea,” a voice comes into focus. I turn my head to the right side of me to find a pale face staring down at me—russet-painted lips turned down to match the frown on her face. Ariah sighs. “You scared the crap out of us. Give our stress levels a chance to go down a notch, before you aim at spiking it again, aye?”“Like it’s going to go down at this rate,” Celeste murmurs at my left, her attention steady on Nate’s back as he resumes to go off on someone outside the door. Whoever it is,
“That’s my girl!” Nate cheers, already stripping off his shirt and sprinting toward the waves. Celeste follows with a laugh, and Luca gives me a sideways grin before tossing his drink cup aside and wading in after them. He tears off the leather jacket he seems to be always wearing, followed by his shirt.I involuntary freeze for a moment, surprised he’s—well, ripped.Of course, Nate notices too, and voices it with a whistle, “Is that what you’ve been hiding from us?”Luca snorts, muttering something I can’t hear from over here.Nate follows up with, “So, you should totally consider swinging gay.”“Nate!” Celeste huffs incredulously.“What?” Nate asks, feigning innocence.I stand there for a second, letting the chill of the night settle on my skin. The beach has always been a comforting place for me, but tonight, under the vast black sky, it feels different. Like the darkness is watching. Waiting.Shaking off the uneasy feeling, I slip off my sandals and follow the others into the wate
Of course, Celeste is still blissfully unaware of last-night’s events. I haven’t gotten a chance to catch up with her between classes, and her being busy with her own things.Elijah’s expression is stuck between the middle of a frown and a stiff smile. “Yes. It was okay.”Celeste’s face falls. She opens her mouth, looking like she wants to add something, but closes it again and looks at me.I shake my head.“Can we talk for a moment?” his gaze settles on me. “Alone, please.”“Not now,” my lips draw tight. “I’m hanging out with my friends.”“Please?”There it is. The pull. The. Freaking. Pull. And the soothing calmness settling over my skin like a soft blanket. I open my mouth to agree, then I snap it shut again. Pushing against those conflicting emotions.The realization in that moment that Luca might be right about Elijah manipulating my emotions, leaves a horrible, disappointing burning feeling inside my chest. “I said later.”Elijah frowns, his eyes bouncing between me and Celeste,
Nate bursts into laughter, nearly spilling his drink. “Oh my Goodness, girl, you seriously don’t know?”“Clearly not!” I snap, scanning the area as more people cheerfully wave at me. “Enlighten me, please.”“Luca.” He says the name like it’s an answer to everything.I frown. “And?”“He told everyone it’s your party,” Nate explains, grinning ear to ear. “When he took over the planning, he made it sound like you were behind the whole thing.”My jaw drops. “Are you serious?”Nate just shrugs, totally unbothered. “And judging by how this place looks, everyone’s loving it.”I glance around at the crowd, taking in the lavish decorations, the high-end food spread, and the general atmosphere of fun. It’s definitely not the usual Valerie brand of tacky and over-the-top. This feels… classier.I’m about to respond when a loud, furious shriek cuts through the air.“Where is it?! Where’s all my food? My decorations?”Oh boy. Here we go.Valerie storms onto the scene like a hurricane, her face red
I step back from the mirror, doing a slow turn as I take in the outfit Luca gave me. The boho floral print two-piece set clings in all the right places, the off-shoulder twist crop top revealing just enough without being scandalous, and the high-slit flowing skirt giving a playful flair. The material is so soft, it almost feels like a second skin—stretchy, and expensive.I brush my fingers over the fabric, still in awe that Luca somehow nailed my size perfectly. I wonder if he bought all our friends outfits, too. I mean—I assume it’s part of whatever plan he’s got going.Swapping my sneakers for strappy lace-up sandals is a no-brainer. And while I don’t usually fuss over makeup, I can’t leave the room in an outfit like this without a little extra. I dab on some blush, swipe a layer of mascara over my lashes, and finish with a bit of lip gloss. Stepping back, I give myself one last look in the mirror.Yeah, I feel pretty. Which, in itself, is a weird sensation. I don’t normally fuss th