جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 360

Lunch was quiet, though Liam and Sashenka both tried several times to pull me out of my funk. I didn't really want to dump all over them over our sandwiches, not to mention if I did open up I'd end up sobbing my stupid face off, so instead I just shrugged off their concern and sat in my own little dark cloud of misery until next class.This one I had with Sashenka, but it was easy enough to not talk while we focused on the work and the soothing sound of Isodore's voice, though the more I listened, the more I thought of Martin and Louisa and the worse my need to cry my heart out became.I was really looking forward to Maryanne's class, for a chance to laugh again, to absorb some of her snarky fun, but it turned out to be canceled, a sign on the closed door saying she was sick. I waited a little while, just in case this was another of Albert Dumont's tricks, but when she didn't show, I instead retreated to the main library while Sashenka and the girls went off in search of a cup of cof

Why are parties all the same? Indoor, outdoor, normals, witches-didn't seem to matter. Put a bunch of kids together without supervision and access to alcohol and kablooie, instant mess.I was beginning to accept the fact I was just a prude and there was nothing I could do about it. Or wanted to for that matter. Especially when I was in the kind of headspace where everything sucked.Oh, I tried to fit in with the upperclassmen, even accepted a glass of cold beer just so they'd stop offering. It quickly warmed, but that was okay because I had no intention of sampling the stuff. A few sniffs told me the bouquet hadn't improved since my first encounter with it, the night Suzanne, the cheer squad leader, had summoned up the spirit of Cesard and turned that particular party into a mass exodus of screaming teenagers.Still, it was better being here at the party, surrounded by a crowd of drunk people, often shoved or bumped into or toes trodden on than being back in my dorm, stewing over th

Charlotte kept her distance as I started walking. Not toward my dorm, not yet. I couldn't sleep yet. Instead, I began a slow circle of the Yard, head down, eyes locked on the path, but mind far away as I struggled with my emotions. Now that Sassafras was on the job with the boys, all of the pain and confusion came rushing back.We had only gone half way around the circle, tall trees drenching the Yard in deep shadows, when Charlotte's soft hiss pulled me to a halt. I looked up and caught sight of Quaid outside what had to have been his dorm.With her. The honey-blonde pressed against his arm, a low laugh reaching me through the dark and quiet. He laughed in return, head bent toward her. An intimate moment, one reminding me of the same connection he and I shared.I wanted to be angry, to be jealous. But as I stood there in the night and forced myself to gulp cool air while I watched the guy I loved with another girl, my heart, already in trouble when it came to Quaid, shrank and crac

I made it all the way across the Yard and to Quaid's dorm only to reach for him and find out he wasn't even home. Which naturally made my mind spin in circles wondering where he'd gone and who he was with.The image of the honey-blonde hanging off him, her oversized chest pressed to his arm, made my skin tight with pent up anxiety. I'd already accepted while it had been my first time, this wasn't Quaid's first romp under the sheets. The juvenile idea he'd had condoms in his room just for the two of us now seemed totally ridiculous, another lie I told myself. Was he with her now? No way was I sleeping, not with worst-case scenarios playing out in my head.I know I should have gone back to my dorm and fetched Charlotte, but I couldn't bring myself to go back, just in case I ran into Sashenka and had to try to explain. And I was in no mood to fight with my bodywere either. Once she found out I'd knocked her out for the second time so I could sneak off, I'd suffer for it, I was sure.Be

What is it about the power of a heartbeat? A whole lifetime can be lived between one pulse and the next. Or, at least, it felt that way to me.When I opened my eyes in Mom's quarters, everything came into sharp focus. Her face hovering over mine, fear clear in her blue eyes, the scent of roasted meat mingling with some kind of scented candle burning nearby. The very touch of my clothing was foreign, abrasive in some areas, soft and flexible in others, while the brush of Mom's fingers over my cheek felt like dual paths of fire sending shivers down my spine."Syd." Mom's voice was so clear it had edges. How odd. "Sweetheart, how are you feeling?"Like I'd had some kind of flu? A fainting spell? Her tension hovered around her, anxiety as clear as the glowing blue, green, amber and white aura surrounding her in a shimmering field. How had I never noticed it before?"I'm fine." And I was. I sat up as I spoke, movements almost effortless, powerful. She pulled back, sitting next to me as