RubyAs I get ready for my lesson with Robert, the image of Atwood looking so weak doesn’t leave my mind. Why is he so weak? Is it something to do with the curse? My wolf doesn’t seem to have any answers either; she only knows that there is some kind of sickness in him, but she doesn’t know what it is exactly or why it’s plaguing him so.Perhaps whatever this sickness is would explain his cruel behavior and sickly appearance. Even though I still plan to escape on my birthday, it makes me curious nonetheless.I change out of my damp clothes from earlier and into something warm and comfortable: a tight-fitting shirt, a black cardigan, and a pair of warm trousers. As I dress, the snow picks up again outside. The sky darkens and the wind howls against the sides of the castle. Under other circumstances I would be thrilled to be warm and cozy inside during this type of weather, having always enjoyed snowstorms, but now I’m just afraid that Bears will show up.Robert is already in the librar

RubyAs if I wasn’t already confused enough before, my date with Atwood only made it worse. For the first time in ages, we actually spent the evening together and it was… really nice. Over the course of the night, he gradually started to look less gaunt and haggard, and actually started to look like himself again.My wolf was practically in a daze throughout the entire date just from being around Atwood. I know that she wants to mark him more than anything, and admittedly I almost let her, but the fear of the curse still sticks in the back of my head constantly. If I mark Atwood and die, I’ll be leaving Tamara behind. I don’t know what Alice and the Queen will do to my sister if I’m not around to stop them, and if Atwood shifts into his wolf form for an extended period of time out of grief like he did with Vivian then he won’t be around to protect her, either.Furthermore, there’s something else that I just can’t shake. The thought of Atwood with another woman before me… It doesn’t si

RubyAtwood drives Nancy and I back to the castle and sends us off to my room so Nancy can get comfortable.Unfortunately, the image of the dead witch on the floor of her hut plagues us, which puts on a damper on what would have otherwise been a fun sleepover right before my birthday.However, making plans for my escape does help us to get those horrors out of our minds. Now that Marisa is dead, the trail that was leading me to get to the bottom of the situation with this curse has run cold. No matter how hard I think, I can’t possibly come up with any solutions other than to get Tamara and I out of here before anything horrible happens.Someone clearly knew that we were going to talk to Marisa. The ivory handle on the dagger that was sticking out of her chest was unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. It looked old and valuable. Whoever wielded that dagger was no Rogue or Bear.I fear that whoever killed Marisa might do the same to me, Tamara, or even Nancy if I don’t escape on my bi

Ruby“What was that about?” Nancy says as she and the seamstress come back in. I hold the book out to her and she takes it while the seamstress starts working on pinning my dress again. I watch in the mirror as Nancy sits on the bed, thumbing through the pages.“This is so cool!” she says. “I didn’t know that you were into history. Is it an early birthday gift?” She gestures to the wrapping paper on the chair.“Yeah,” I answer somewhat solemnly. My heart is still fluttering from my interaction and it almost feels as though I can still feel Atwood’s kiss on the top of my head, but then I remember that I’m going to be leaving him tomorrow and it makes my heart ache.The seamstress finishes her work and takes the dress off of me, leaving the room to finish the alterations on her sewing machine.I spend the rest of the night sitting with Nancy, reading the book together. Pretty soon, we both fall asleep with the book open on our laps.I wake up the next morning to Nancy jumping on me and

RubyI look up from my spot on the floor where I’ve been crying to see Nancy and Tamara standing in the doorway.“We heard Edith freaking out,” Nancy says, rushing over to me and helping me to my feet.“It doesn’t matter,” I say, wiping the tears from my eyes as I stoop to pick up the things that fell on the floor when Edith dumped out my backpack. “We have to leave.”“Why?” Nancy says, looking both confused and upset. “I thought you decided to stay. You promised me and Tamara that you would stay!”“Atwood and Edith are in love,” I respond, zipping up my backpack and retrieving Tamara’s from the closet. I walk over to my sister and bend down to her height as I slip the backpack straps over her shoulders. She stares back at me with her big eyes, which have tears welled up in them.“What do you mean, they’re in love?” Nancy says from behind me. I stand and put on my own backpack, kicking off my heels. I’ll run barefoot until I can change into my plain clothes in the forest.“Ruby?” Nanc