Devin drives me home, filling the silence with easy conversation, but it does nothing to appease my nerves. Still, I'm grateful for the distraction. I hold a list of recommendations in my hand on how to treat my stitches, left by Bethany on the kitchen counter. I start to regret the way I snapped at her. My mother eyes me eerily when I get home, her glance lingering on my sweater. I thought about returning it to Devin, but the fabric is way too comfortable and warm to commit such a crime. When she charges at me with a whole set of questions, I dodge her moves, promising that I'll clarify everything to both of them tonight. I pass my day in a state of pure anxiety, distracted by my thoughts, so much so that Mrs. Hill sends me a sharp look every time I space out. I count the hours until they get back, getting more impatient by the minute. I attempt to make myself look presentable and fail miserably. My hands shake as the doom gets closer, impossible to ignore. I grab the necklace,

Since my episode, my parents have taken special care of me and let go of the hurt that my decision to join the Elite caused them. The bittersweet sensation of it isn't lost on me. I'd hoped for this change, starved for it as I needed air, but the caution of their actions stings. Every movement on their part is calculated, and carefully thought to prevent my discomfort. I wonder not for the first time if they feel how close I am to shattering; if they know how the pieces of my soul drift further apart by the day and how I'm running out of ways to keep them together. Still, I make an effort to pretend. I plaster on a smile and attend Devin's trials the next day, going as far as talking to a few members of the pack. If I can convince myself that I'm fine, maybe someday I will be. The next time I see Mrs. Hill, she smiles proudly at me when she declares that I'm ready to learn fifth-grade math and science, though my English is clearly far behind. She tells me that this is good news and

The screech of tires echoes in the now vacant underground parking lot. The scenery is creepy at best. Only pillars stand holding the place up. There's nothing and no one in sight. But it's only a matter of time until my victim shows up.I lean against a dusty wall, my palms sweaty as I revisit the details of my fragile strategy. The Elite's mission was clear: find a hybrid and make him join the ranks. They made it sound almost simple.Ryan had the courtesy of showing me the best candidate, the rest was up to me. I don't want to do this, I don't want to touch one of them, I don't want him near me, and all that I wish doesn't even count.My demotivation and disbelief are strong enough that Ryan is restless beside me. I don't blame him. I'm a time bomb waiting to implode."What's the plan?" Ryan whispers as we huddle close, waiting for the hybrid to spring up."To not kill him," I reply in a clipped tone. The hybrid is the enemy; he represents a threat; to let him live is going against e

I take advantage of Eric's state of unconsciousness to move him from the floor to our car, parked just a few steps away. Ryan helps me without as much as a complaint, and I can see that there's something he's dying to tell me, but his pride refrains him from it. We deposit the limp body on the back seat, and Eric doesn't jolt awake, too drained from the shift. I say nothing as Ryan starts the car and drives us to the nearest safe house. And I don't have to. Ryan clears his throat. "That was... brutal," he comments lowly, almost testing my reaction to his words. I stare out of my window as sadness fills me to the brim. "You were right. About mates," I reply in the same tone. Ryan's eyes snap in my direction, but I refuse to look back. Instead, I focus on my intertwined fingers, and for a split second, I imagine another hand holding mine."I would never torture anybody. Not now, not back then. I would never put somebody through the hell I lived. And for you to even accuse me of it..

Devin tenses, reluctant for once, but he doesn't deny me the truth. "It started four days ago. Your parents asked me to not say anything. They wanted to talk to you first, to deliver the news."I stare ahead once again, pondering over this new piece of information."Don't be too harsh on them, Audrey. They want to protect you. They just don't know how."I bow my head to hide the disappointment and the fear. The overwhelming and all-consuming fear that threatens to untether me from this earth. Against my will, my hands start to shake uncontrollably, and I can feel myself slipping away to another reality, to another time. Slowly, I begin to fall into another flashback. Devin's hand suddenly covers my own, and I flinch out of instinct at the unexpected connection. Still, he shows no indication of moving them soon. This, too, is a change, the ease with which he touches me. "Hey," he says softly. "We won't let them hurt you. You have my word," Devin vows passionately, squeezing my hands