My eyebrows shot up. It was a declaration – a big one at that – and the news that Cyrus had found a job here meant that he intended to stay. A swelling tide, my heart fluttered helplessly in my chest. He intended to stay – because of me. I smiled, ducking my head. But Cyrus wasn’t done. “It’s a permanent post, at the University of Westcliff,” he continued. “I’ll be teaching, but I’ll be researching, too. It… it sounds perfect for me, Callie. Which is why I want to make sure nothing will get in the way of the future I’ve begun to envision.” I dug the toe of my boot into the wet earth. My stomach dropped, and my breaths sounded too loud in my ears as I waited for him to say something – anything – else. I could feel my pulse, thrashing wildly against my wrists, my temples, beneath my jaw. I swallowed, and I waited for the sea of blood

My bedroom door closed behind me, and I fell apart. My bruised heart had endured too many hits, and it fractured, bleeding broken love upon my bed sheets as the rain fell outside. The craggy clouds covered a curious moon, slyly peeping through their gaps whenever it found the chance. It watched as I stumbled, drunk with agony, and collapsed face-first onto my duvet. It watched as my hands raked, claw-like, against my pillows, clutching and tearing as my thoughts did at my beaten heart. Sierra’s words had cut me, stripped my skin into ribbons and left me bare, exposed. I’d expected this, prepared for it, even, but there was nothing I could have done to ease the wave of pain as it hit. I was confident, at least, that my Dads would leave me alone. They’d been quiet on the drive back, mulling over Sierra’s revelation. It was as though Veronica had never existed. But every time I t

The day passed with surprising ease after Harper left. Nick and I shot jokes back and forth, and Giles, in the kitchen, joined in whenever he could. Mae watched on fondly, chiding us gently when our insults became too barbed. The diner remained quiet, so we jived to Elvis as we wiped down tables, to Buddy Holly as we did the washing up, and to Ray Charles while we swept the floors. When Sydney arrived, the atmosphere relaxed somewhat. She studied at Bournehurst, and only worked at the diner during the holidays; I’d been in her position up until fairly recently, so we fell into an easy conversation about the campus, the union, and the nights out. A few customers came and went, but unlike after Ben’s attack, the diner was almost entirely empty after the lunch rush, and it didn’t seem as though it would pick up for dinner. It seemed that Sierra’s research rang true. If anything, Veronica’s death was worse than when

I threw the first punch. Dad dodged, his French plait swinging to the side. He grinned at me. “You’ve lost your edge, Cals.” I bounced back, re-adjusting my stance. “Just giving you a chance.” We circled one another, the morning sun glinting off my Dad’s hard-lined face. He dropped his smile, his eyes flicking from my head to my chest to my legs. They hovered for half a second too long on my legs, and I stepped back just as the kick came. I’d awoken early after my accidental sleep the night before, and I’d felt surprisingly fresh considering that I’d slept at an awkward angle on the sofa. Someone – most likely my Paps – had pulled my boots off and covered me with a throw, which I attributed my good mood and well-rested mind to. He fell back, watching me closely. He’d given himself away with his eyes; I wasn&r

I smoothed down the lapels of my blazer before shutting the car door behind me. Gravel crunched underfoot. I dug my heel of my boot down, making a tiny hole in the neat ground. I’d never been to the University of Westcliff before, though it wasn’t any further away from Seafall than Bournehurst was. When I’d been applying to university this had been one of my options, but it wasn’t sat on the coast, so I’d put it low down on my list. I locked the car and hefted my bag up higher on my shoulder. The car park I was in looked fancy, with barren trees secured in iron fencing scattered across its expanse. Cyrus had told me this one was closest to the building his office was in, but I’d driven past a few others on my way here. The campus seemed bigger than Bournehurst’s, but that had been halved, with the humanities clustered together on one side of town and the sciences on the other. Perhaps together they w