“Perfect!” Celeste’s eyes met mine in the mirror. She was standing behind me, working through my hair with a fine-tooth hairbrush. She had straightened my hair and styled it to hang freely down my back. “It’s shiny,” I replied. “How did you do that?” “If you stick around at the party, I’ll share with you my hair secret. It’s a family recipe.” “I’m definitely interested. My hair has never looked this good before. Thank you, I love it.” She grinned at me. “You’re so welcome.” I reached for the tube of lipstick and applied it. It was a tone lighter than the shade of my lips and had a glossy sheen to it. Followed by dabbing my lashes with black mascara, then I was done. I stood up, giving one final look in the mirror to make sure everything was perfect. I was dressed in a pair of dark skinny jeans, a lacy black top, paired with black ballet-style flats—sponsored by Celeste. I’ve never worn nice clothes like this before, and I wasn’t going to lie, I actually felt pretty for once. “I o
Elijah shrugged himself out of Valerie's hold and stepped in beside me. “I wasn’t going to your party,” he replied coldly. “I came over to ask Hailey if she wanted to hang out.” The color drained from Valerie’s face, but her fake, stiff smile didn’t falter. “Oh, really, huh?” When her eyes flicked my way, I couldn't help but gulp nervously, thinking what she plotted next for her revenge. I could almost see my demise unfolding inside her eyes as she glared at me. It took her a long moment to work her mouth, her eyes not moving from me. “Her? But you know I throw the best parties here. Everyone’s going.” “Not everyone,” Elijah replied stiffly. “I’m definitely not going.” “Well, telling from all the poor effort Hailey put into her outfit, she was planning to go.” Valerie’s cold eyes worked their way down my body, then back up. “Looking at her, even if she had money in her reach, she wouldn’t even be able to put a decent outfit together. Poor thing.” “Well, at least she doesn’t look
By the time we wove our way through the tree-cloaked pathway toward the beach, I knew something was really wrong. My heart became loud inside my ears, and my skin was too hot and tight for my body. My throat was dry, and I kept swallowing to keep it moisturized. I was starting to worry that I had breathed in that potion, and I kept checking my arms to see if its effects could be seen on my skin. “Something's wrong with me,” I said to Elijah, who suddenly went ghostly quiet. “Yep.” It was a short reply, his voice so thick it almost sounded like he was choking. I stopped walking, realizing he was the closest to the potion when it crashed to the floor. No doubt, if it had affected me, it must have affected him even more. “Elijah, are you okay?” He stopped walking, remaining dead still as he stared at the beach in the distance. You could see the massive bonfire from here, in the dark, wooded area where we stood. You could hear shouting, laughter, and music, and it almost felt like we
With my third beer halfway downed, I slumped against a large rock and watched my friends dance. Clearly, they were having a blast while my mind kept drifting to Elijah, and the need to go to him only grew. I mean, a shady love potion—at least, I assumed that was what it was—and a few beers, then going to him. What could possibly go wrong? I giggled to myself, taking another long sip of my beer. “You okay over there, Hails?” Celeste called out to me, her hips swaying to the rhythm of the music. “You sure you don’t want to join us over here?” I held up my bottle and grinned. “Just peachy.” “Uh-oh.” Ariah stopped dancing, peering anxiously over at Nate and Celeste, but I honestly couldn’t fathom why. I mean, the night was still young, and I was feeling… Ugh. I wanted to go to Elijah so badly I felt like I was on the verge of insanity. “I need to go.” I pushed up from the sand, and Ariah was at my side in a flash, balancing my weight. “You’re not going anywhere.” Nate snorted. “Oh,
Celeste and I made ourselves comfortable near the bonfire on a log, each with a hotdog in hand and a soda in the other. I insisted on another beer, but she refused to let me have one. The soda—which was supposedly cherry, tasted stale with a sour after taste. I pulled a face, chugging it out onto the sand beside me. The juice splattered onto the sand, sending a spray onto my one leg and onto the leg of a girl sitting nearby, practically eating her boyfriend’s face. She pulled away, scowled at me, then reached for her boyfriend's hand, and then they got up and left. “If I’m not getting anything, no one’s getting anything.” I stuck out my tongue at their backs. Celeste giggled. “You don’t handle alcohol well, do you?” I grunted in response, biting into my hotdog. Unlike the soda, it was surprisingly good, and I devoured it within a few minutes. “You know, even without the potion, he wants you,” Celeste said, not even halfway with her hotdog. “I’ve seen how he looks at you. And the
The moment we stepped inside the room and Elijah closed the door behind us, I grabbed the opportunity and kissed him. He didn’t push me away, not at first, sighing against my lips and allowed me to take whatever I wanted. My hands wormed their way underneath his shirt, sliding up the curves of his firm muscles, and stopped against his chest, my fingers curling as our kiss deepened. Out of nowhere, he dragged me out of his arms and pushed me away at arm's length. “Hailey, no. You need to stop,” he sounded breathless. “It’s the potion messing with you.” “But I want you,” I pouted, trying to reach for him, but he held me at bay. “Yeah. I seem to have the same problem regarding you.” His beautiful butterscotch eyes met mine, and if I wasn’t mistaken, there was defeat in them. “You need to take the antidote for it.” “I don’t want to.” “If I didn’t have an annoying conscience...I wouldn’t have.” He gave me a lopsided smile, trailing his fingers against my cheeks. I closed my eyes for a
I tore from deep sleep to the sound of the alarm going off. “What now?” I groaned, burying my face into Elijah’s shoulder. We’d moved from Ariah’s bed to mine and fell asleep there. Despite a lot of kissing, nothing more happened. But I wasn’t going to lie. I wanted things to head in that direction. Elijah was the one who decided we should take our time. Sigh. Elijah muttered a curse, gently nudging me off from him. “It’s something serious.” “How do you know?” I popped my eyes open. “If the alarm rings three times consecutively, it’s something important but not life-threatening. Six times, it's a serious and potential danger. Like with the convict on the grounds.” “How many times did it ring?” I sat up beside him. “Twelve.” He got off the bed and straightened his shirt. He turned, holding out his hand for me. “What does twelve mean?” I took his hand and let him pull me onto my feet. “They rang it twelve times the day my sister was found dead.” My stomach sank. “Oh no.” “Come
Nate’s words were engraved inside my mind the following few days. It haunted the halls of the castle, stalked me into my classes, and even into my dreams. I hadn’t seen Elijah for five days following that horrible night. No explanation as to where he went and even my friends were left humming with questions with his sudden disappearance. It wasn’t until Thursday, as I sat in my room working on my homework, when a knock sounded against the door. I turned on my bed, peering at the empty bed where Ariah had been an hour before she gave up on homework, deciding she was going for a walk. I released a long sigh, getting up from my bed, and headed to open the door. I blinked, at the empty space in front of me, confused. I leaned through the doorway, peering out into the hallway to see if anyone was there. “Hello?” My voice bounced off the walls of the cavernous hallway, hitting my ears in a monotonous echo. Oookay. I stepped back into my room and closed the door. When I turned, a girl wa
"Someone is following you," Elijah repeated with a stern expression on his face. "At first I thought it was Lucian—""Okay. But he's being weird," Ariah added. "Well, he's generally weird. But he told Hailey that—""Why did you think it was him?" I interrupted Ariah, not wanting her to tell Elijah what Luca had told me. "And why does it sound like you changed your mind?"Elijah's brows furrowed as he peered between me and Ariah. "What did he tell you?"Of course, he wasn't going to let this fly. I sighed. "He thinks you're up to something."Elijah released a snort. "Says him, of all people. He's up to something." I crossed my arms. "Yeah, I figured that much.""You need to be careful, Hails. Something's going on around school.""Like what?""I…" his voice trailed. The stern look morphed into concern. "I can't explain. But someone is watching you.""Who?" "I don't know.""How do you know someone is watching me?" I pressed.He placed a hand on each of my shoulders, moving closer. "I k
"Good night!" Ariah called after Nate and Celeste, turning toward our bedroom door to unlock it.I rubbed my arms, peering down the hall as students dispersed in all directions toward their rooms, then remembering I had promised Tilly, the ghost girl, that I'd leave the door to the courtyard open for her friend. I also wanted to check and ensure there was a cat named Ginger. I didn't want to risk helping someone when they were about to do something devious, like murdering someone.Tilly seemed harmless, but I wasn't taking any chances. By the time I turned back, Ariah was already inside our shared bedroom. I stuck my head through the doorway. "Hey, I forgot to take care of something. I'll be back in a few minutes.""Need me to come with you?" Ariah spun around, a mug in hand. "It's pretty late already.""Nah. It'll be quick, don't worry.""Kay. Want some coffee?" she asked, switching on the coffee machine."Before bed?" I snorted a laugh. "No, but thanks though."She waved me off, and
Hailey’s POV. “Stupid, freaking insufferable, top class, cow!” Nate hissed over his shoulder at Valerie as she offered us a saccharine sweet smile from her table in the center of the cafeteria. “One day, I swear—” “Nate, it’s okay. Just leave it, please.” I pressed four fingers to my temple and sighed. “Karma will get to her…Eventually.” “And when will that be?” he retorted as Celeste grabbed him by the arm, steering him toward the cafeteria exit with Ariah and me on their trail. “When she’s old and shriveled up like a prune?” “Honestly, that would be karma in itself. Her being all vain and that,” Celeste snorted a laugh. “I mean, it’s just juice,” I persisted. That, and my dignity along with it. When Nate paused dead in his tracks to shoot me one of those looks only Nate could pull off that said, ‘Oh yeah?’ with an attitude, I knew he wasn’t going to drop it. “Okay, fine. Then what do you suggest I do about it?” “Hmmm. Let me see.” Nate tore his arm from Celeste’s hold, eyeing
The vent was a tight fit. But, when I finally got to the second open vent and slid out, a great sense of relief took over. Being squished and unable to breathe wasn't on my 'to-do' list. I was scarce on my feet, when I could hear footsteps heading in my direction. I ducked behind piles of boxes, pulling on a scrap of material dangling over me to hide myself. It was thick with dust and I had to fight not to have a coughing fit right then and there, which would give me away. Based on what I could see, I was in some storage room. Though, I didn't spend much time mulling over it, as Ledger himself stepped into the room, carrying a small, wooden box. He placed it on top of a shelf, sending specs of dust dancing into the beam of light provided by the small lightbulb which was close to retirement. I leaned to the side, hoping to get a better look, but Elijah turned his back to me, blocking the view to whatever he kept inside that box. Not a few seconds later a grunt sounded, followed by
Luca's POV. I sat back on a chair in the far corner of the cafeteria, chomping down on a cold, stiff fry; my gaze zeroed in on Elijah, definitely up-to-something Ledger. There were guards stationed at every exit of the cafeteria and one between the boys' and girls' toilets on the other side of the room, but they seemed…distracted. More accurately, two of the three guards were eyeing the ceiling, their eyes following something I couldn't see, and the third one, by the main exit, seemed like he had a serious case of fleas. He'd been more focused on scratching various parts of his body, his attention everywhere but on Elijah. And the man in question? Well, he'd been watching the guards with a questionable smirk on his face like he was in on a joke only he was privy to. I bet all the cold fries on my plate that he had something to do with it. But, I was most interested in why he was so intent to get them off his case? I'd have bet he wouldn't mind a chance for some alone time with his
“Okay, so, I’m going to take a wild guess that you want something from me?”The ghost girl swooped through me, momentarily dazing my body with an unpleasant, cold, and stuffy feeling. I shot her a glare. “I don’t like it when you do that.”She shrugged. “It’s nice for me. The living feels homey and warm.”I ignored that statement, noticing that half the library was staring. I turned my face away so they couldn’t see me when I murmured, “What do you want from me?”“A favor.” She clasped her hands against her lap, swaying sideways, smiling sweetly. “A teeny, tiny favor.”“And what does this favor entail?” I dropped the cloth I used to try and salvage the mess, accepting defeat. There was no way I would be able to rescue the damaged books. My first salary was down the drain. I sighed. “I need you to keep a door open for me tonight.”I blinked. “You can just go through it?”“It’s not for me. It’s for a friend. A living friend.”I crossed my arms, suspicion rising inside me. “If it’s a li
I made my way toward the library with my book bag thrown over my shoulder like a bat straight out of hell—wings on fire. I almost rammed into a few people along the way. I was late, courtesy of the one student in physical who turned wolf and lost control of herself. At first she tried to pull her own fur out, then turned her own frustration on the rest of the class and our teacher. It was chaos. By the time the period was over and we tried to leave, we had to clear up the mess she left behind after getting escorted out by a flurry of guards. After that display, I was growing apprehensive over the idea of transforming into my wolf for the first time. What if that happens to me? My heart was loud in my ears as I made a beeline for the library, almost ramming right into Dibella. “I'm so, so sorry I’m late. There was an incident in physical—” Dibella tutted with a smile and waved me off. “Not to worry, love. I'll reheat the kettle. Why don’t you get settled by my desk and start worki
I had to sit through three more excruciatingly long classes before it was lunch break. Ariah called me over at the end of Numerology class, but I waved her off and rushed out to track down Elijah. It took me another few minutes, before I found him standing by the announcement board with a frown on his face. My eyes lifted onto the board, where a clear picture of both Katie and Lila, asking students to come forth if they had any information that might lead to an arrest. “Hey,” I walked up to him and the guard that had been shadowing him, turned, crossed his arms to his chest and glared at me. Elijah shot the guard a dirty look, then peered at me. “Hi.” He wasn’t smiling, which bothered me a great deal. “Is there something…” My voice trailed and I peered uncomfortably at the guard. Elijah’s jaw ticked. “I’d tell you, but I have a dimwit following me everywhere.” My mouth fell open, thinking the guard would retaliate, but he just stood silently, still eyeing us with intent. “He do
“Good afternoon class. Today we’re talking about ancient tomes and the lore evolving them,” our history teacher, Mr. Barnes, announced, followed by low, dismissal groans from students. “Now, now, why the long faces? Learning about our ancestry is by far the most exciting thing! We get to learn about where our bloodline originated, and all the other events evolving it. It’s all about those tomes!” More groans followed. I sighed, flipping open my notebook and picking up my pen. It was drawing close to exams, so I took every opportunity to take notes on everything so I wouldn’t miss anything. It was a strenuous task and so unlike me, but I had to give my everything if I didn’t want to fail. Things weren’t looking too good already. I was having a hard time keeping up in class. “We’re starting with the tome of life,” Mr. Barnes pressed on, dragging the overhead projector trolley closer to the whiteboard and positioned it to point forward. When he clicked it on, an image splashed across