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FOURTEEN | SONGBIRD
“Falmer?” I asked, very quietly.
He was stood against the house, leaning back against the bricks. With his dark hair and all-black outfit, he blurred into the velvet cloak of the night. As I stepped closer, however, his sharp, crow-like features were clearly recognisable.
“Ellis,” he said coolly, by way of greeting. His eyes were narrowed, no more than two dark slits dug into his face. Then his gaze dropped, and his eyes widened. “Are you okay?” He asked, his voice softening.
“Fine,” I said, though my thigh throbbed and the scratches down my arm ached. “I was thirsty,” I added, by way of an explanation. “I – there’s no more human blood. The donors left.” I knew I was rambling, as I often did when I needed to cover up something that wasn’t the entire truth. The more detail I could give, the more convincing I thought I was being.
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She Runs with Wolves FIFTEEN | STRAWBERRY
I showered quickly, not wanting anybody else to see my bandaged arm and leg. The hot water and the lather of the strawberry scented shampoo wound upwards together, misting the room in a thick, heady steam. I let my eyes drift shut, massaging my scalp – luxuriating in a human sensation – and reluctantly rinsed myself off far sooner than I would have liked. I let my long, wavy hair dry naturally, falling about my shoulders as I peeled off the cling film and towelled off my body. I stepped into a pair of faded black denim dungarees, and added a sage green jumper underneath before I clipped it together over my shoulders. The jumper was partly for aesthetics, partly to keep up appearances, but mostly to hide my bandaged arm.I didn’t even have time for so much as a power nap. Though my lack of sleep didn’t show up on me as obviously as it would on a human, there was a still a hint of purple beneath my eyes, and my lips looked pale pink, rather than their usual cherry red. Enjoying the scen
She Runs with Wolves SIXTEEN | ORANGE
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She Runs with Wolves SEVENTEEN | DAYDREAMS
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She Runs with Wolves EIGHTEEN | SCARLET
I waited anxiously throughout the whole period, but Skye never showed. And it was the same the next day, and the day after that. I waited, but Skye had disappeared. I felt as though it was my fault, but there were other, deeper feelings that scared me now. I worried that he was injured, that he was hurt. Then I’d loop back around to worrying that I had been the one to hurt him, emotionally, at least, and I spent the next few days in a searing panic, dancing from one ledge to the next, my toes scraping at their edges and sending shards of rock tumbling down the myriad of cliff faces.I let myself slip backwards instead, closing up the walls around me as I fell. I was hard, indestructible; I was surrounded by steel and by stone, and my barricades held firm. I let them down, just a little, when Kathrena, Falmer, or Rowan tried to talk to me. It wasn’t their fault that I’d hurt Skye, and in doing so I didn’t want to continue the pattern by hurting each of them in turn, too.I let time was
She Runs with Wolves NINETEEN | FRACTURED
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She Runs with Wolves TWENTY | ON THE TRAIL
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She Runs with Wolves TWENTY-ONE | WATERCOLOURS
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She Runs with Wolves TWENTY-TWO | GHOSTS
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