Semua Bab Mortal: Bab 1 - Bab 10

The bridge groans as the horse steps onto it, and just like on the tiny propeller plane, I tense up. “Did your parents tell you why they sent you here?” Brynn asks. “Uh… No. My dad said in his will that I should come here.”Over Brynn’s shoulder, something moves in the woods. The oncoming night combined with the fog makes it hard to see, but there’s a glow and… Are those eyes? Glowing eyes?Suddenly, crossing this questionable bridge seems like a great idea considering the alternative. No sleeping in the woods and being mauled by wild animals for me, thank you very much. “He died?” Brynn’s face crumples. “I’m sorry.”“Thanks.”“I don’t know why I’m here.” She wraps her arms around herself. “This place is so not safe.”“Why do you say that?” The carriage is rocking as we cross the bridge, and one glance down at the frothing water below makes me wish I hadn’t looked. “It’s what everyone says.” She squeezes her sides tighter. “Anytime I hear anything about Hawthorn it’s abo

The noise in the cafeteria softens as I enter the room, more eyes than I can count turning to drink me in. A boy nudges his friend, and the girl looks me up and down before whispering something behind her hand. Embarrassment floods me, but I tighten my grip on my backpack straps, stand up straight, and walk with what hopefully looks like confidence. The cafeteria is paneled in dark wood, small circular tables placed sporadically around the room, and a serving line at the far end. A quick sweep of the faces reveals Brynn isn’t anywhere to be found. My stomach plummets. Did she leave the school? Get kicked out before The Selection even started?I shake the thought away. Most likely she has a different lunch hour. Trying to ignore the gazes on me, I walk across the room, scouting a potential seat. Gregory isn’t anywhere to be found either, which means I’m out of luck when it comes to company. The serving line is full of the kind of good food not usually seen at a school cafeter

Even though the school is huge, it would be impossible to get lost on the way to The Selection: everyone seems to be headed there. I fall in with the throng of students, the two girls having basically run away from me before I could ask them any more questions. The air crackles with the kind of energy you only get from shoving several hundred teenagers into a space together. I press onto my tiptoes and search for Brynn, but it’s impossible to tell if she’s around. The crowd surges through two giant open doors across from the cafeteria. It’s some kind of gym, with banners hanging from the rafters and bleachers lining the walls. At the far end, a raised dais sits in front of a closed door. In the corner, trophies gleam in a glass cabinet. The whole place is steeped in ceremony. I head for the bleachers, but a touch on my elbow stops me. “Right this way, Winter,” Professor Towles says. I follow her to the other end of the hall, right in front of the dais, where Brynn and four othe

"Where are we going?" I try again, as Alice walks briskly across the brown, frosted lawn."The bonfire," she says.The bonfire. It must be the same one Gregory invited me to.My stomach drops at the thought. Earlier, going to a bonfire seemed the perfect idea. I needed to get friendly with the in-crowd at Hawthorn if I stood any chance at surviving here.Now I wonder if that whole goal is pointless. I wasn't selected for a tier. Doesn't that make me some kind of outcast? A pariah?I study Alice as we walk. Despite also not being selected, she doesn't seem worried about walking into the lion's den."Are there other students who weren't selected?" I ask."Not that I know of. No one who's here now."Wonderful. So that makes us even weirder.We walk around the side of the main building, the bitter cold striking my cheeks. The fog has thinned some, and students walk across the grass, all headed in the same direction.The woods."Is this allowed?" I croak. "For us to leave school

I kick and thrash, but it's no use. My back hits the ground, my head smacking painfully against the wood. Hands are all over me, holding my arms and legs tight. A girl laughs, and in the sliver of moonlight coming through the window I see Heather.She's not alone. There are half a dozen other girls with her, easy."Let me go!" I shout.They laugh again, and Heather leans over me. "We caught you," she says."What are you doing?" I gasp. I jerk again, but it does nothing."Don't even bother fighting. You won't get away from us." Heather giggles.One of the girls dances around in glee, the moonlight glinting off her star-shaped necklace. “Like it?” she asks, touching the necklace.My heart slams against my rib cage. "What are you going to do?" I ask.The girls don't answer. Instead, they lift me off the floor and yank me toward the door.With a grunt, I kick, but it's no use. They're stronger than I am."Let me go," I scream, trying to twist my arms free. "Help!"The girls on