Enzo Nina’s eyes widened when I finally told her the truth. “No,” she said, pacing back and forth and rubbing her head. “This isn’t real. Werewolves aren’t real. Talking skeletons are not real!” I sighed and stood, walking over to her. “Look,” I said, pulling aside the torn fabric of my jeans to
Nina I didn’t want to believe Enzo. I couldn’t believe Enzo! Werewolves? Talking skeletons? None of that was real. Surely this was all a daydream or a hallucination. I just needed to get home, sleep, and destress. A good night of sleep and a hot shower would make me feel better and I would realize
Nina Enzo skated over to the edge of the rink, gesturing for me to come. I felt strangely magnetized to him and walked over to meet him at the railing, which he leaned on. As he leaned and gazed at me with his shining brown eyes, I felt my heart skip a beat. “Skate with me,” he said, his voice a l
Nina I slammed my laptop shut. “Fuck!” I yelled, then covered my mouth when I realized that I might have woken up Jessica and Lori. Just as I expected, there was a knock on my door. Lori opened the door a crack and poked her head in, her eyes half-closed and her black hair a mess. “You good?” sh
“Drinks?” I repeated. Lisa scoffed. “Waters,” she replied. “We don’t consume liquid calories. Maybe you should try it sometime. You look like you could stand to lose a few pounds.” “Sure thing,” I replied and walked away to get their waters, trying my best to not let their words get to me. I had n
Nina I didn’t stick around long enough to find out what would happen if I didn’t run, and I didn’t look over my shoulder. I focused on the sidewalk ahead, running as fast as I could as my fear came true: I heard the sound of feet running behind me. They were getting closer, and I knew that the stra
“Don’t… move.” The stranger’s voice came right from behind me. I went to scream, but a gloved hand clapped over my mouth and a thin arm wrapped around my waist. All I could do was squeeze my eyes shut tight and hope that my fate would at least be quick and painless. The growling grew in volume. It
Nina “What happened to you?” Enzo said as soon as I closed the door, rushing over to me and taking my shoulders in his hands and looking me over. I shrugged him off and limped across the room, where I kicked off my muddy shoes and sat down at my desk to rest my injured leg. “You hired a talking sk
Nina The warm summer breeze brushed across my skin as I stood on the patio, clutching my robe tightly around my body. Laughter and splashes echoed up from the pool below, where our friends were already gathered for our big end-of-summer party. I should have been down there too, soaking up the ve
“What... what do you mean?” He braced his hands on the doorframe, leaning in closer with a heavy sigh. “I mean, by the time I caught up to them this morning, I only saw them long enough to get that photo before they were boarding a speedboat and taking off. Hell, I’m still not even totally sure wh
Nina My breath caught in my throat as I pulled open the front door expecting to see excited party guests, only to be immediately met with the sight of Luke’s grim expression. His brow was furrowed in a deep frown, his lips pressed into a tight line—clear signs that something was very wrong. “Luk
Nina I huffed out a breath as I hoisted the oversized cardboard box higher in my arms, carefully navigating my way through the living room. Strings of fairy lights poked out haphazardly from the top, and I could feel the weight of glass jars and other assorted decor inside shifting precariously wi
Then, at the last possible second, the scout seemed to find an extra burst of speed. He surged forward, hurtling between two towering oak trees and vanishing into the cover of the forest beyond. “Dammit!” I slammed my palms against the rough bark of the nearest trunk, powerless to do anything but
Enzo The crunch of leaves and snap of twigs echoed through the trees as Matt and I tore after the Schreiber scout. Our breaths came in ragged gasps, the hot summer air burning our lungs. Overhead, a little red bird chirped and flitted through the green canopy of trees; Daphne. But even she wasn’
Shaking my head, I turned without another word and stormed out of the fitting room. I took the two strides across the hall to Jessica’s fitting room and knocked on the door, folding my arms across my chest. “Jess? You in there?” There was a muffled thump in the fitting room, followed by the soun
Nina “How’s it looking in there?” I called out, rapping lightly on the wooden door of Jessica’s fitting room. “Um… decent, I guess?” her muffled voice floated back a moment later, although I could sense the uncertainty in her tone. “Decent? That’s it? Come on, Jess, this is your wedding gown w
Had I really known him at all, I wondered? Or had I merely been too self-absorbed and naive to see past the facade of unshakable command he projected? After a long silence, I found my voice. “Why didn’t he ever tell me that?” “He didn’t want you to see his weakness, I suppose,” Angelica replied