"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
"Come on. This way." Alec extends his hand, but I hesitate."I'm afraid." I press my fingers to my chest, torn between following him deeper into the woods and turning around.His smile is gentle, his hazel eyes brighter than the sky. "What are you afraid of?""Everything," I whisper."It's okay to be afraid," he says. "And it's okay to be a little nervous."I swallow against the lump in my throat. The wind dances through the trees and tickles my skin. With the sun filtering through the leaves, the woods are starting to look tempting, the sort of place I can disappear into.And wouldn't that be nice? To slip away and forget all of my worries?Alec steps closer, and my breath hitches in my chest. "Let me kiss you.""I..." I can't speak. Can hardly breathe.He cups my face, his thumb tracing little circles over my cheek. "It's just a kiss.""It's not just a kiss." I frown and look down at our feet.The warmth of his hand sizzles against my skin. "It's a kiss I've wanted to give
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
A jubilant trill pierces the air, and my eyes fly open. With a gasp, I instinctively clench my fists, my whole body tense as I search around for the source of the noise."Stay back!" I shout.My voice echoes in the trees. There's no one there. It's just bright morning sun and frost.A small robin perches on a nearby branch, its feathers glinting in the morning sunlight.Exhaling in relief, I press my back against the tree. How long have I been asleep for? And how come my clothes aren't wet?Pinching my sweater's hem between my fingers, I study it. Shouldn't I have frozen into a popsicle out here with my soaking clothes?And yet, somehow, they've dried.The events at the bridge come back in flashes. Falling into the water. Tossing the girls off of me. Towering over Heather, my fist raised, a thirst for revenge burning my tongue. And then me, running... running...Running until I collapsed against this tree, tears streaming down my face. Me curling up into a ball, shivering in my
I follow Percy through the hallways, past the kids that gawk and whisper. It feels like the whole world is watching me, and it makes me want to crawl out of my skin.Percy walks at a fast clip, his back straight, and his head raised high. He's the only person who doesn't stare at me like I’m a freak, though that's not saying much.Has the whole school heard about what happened last night?My stomach rumbles, and I have to fight to not vomit into an expensive-looking urn."Where is the headmaster's office?" I ask Percy as we descend the stairs onto the ground floor."It's right this way."Obviously, he doesn't want to talk to me. Not that I can blame him. Who wants to be associated with the school weirdo?"Winter!" At the foot of the stairs, Alice comes running up to me, her dark red hair flying around her shoulders. "Are you okay? I heard about..." She drops her voice and eyes Percy. "I heard something weird happened last night."I stop on the last step and bite my lip, not sur
First period.It should be innocent enough. Just a classroom. A teacher. Twenty other kids my age.In reality, though, walking into Psychology feels like walking to the guillotine. I know something bad is going to happen today. I just don't know yet what it will be.The moment I step through the door, several minutes before class starts, half the people in the room turn to stare. Heather sits at the front, a bruise on her cheek. Her eyes narrow at me, and I can feel the venom from across the room.Ducking my head, I quickly find a seat as far away from her as possible."Hey." Gregory slides into the desk next to me."Hi." I pull out my Psych book and a notebook."How are you?""...Fine." Over his shoulder, a couple girls watch us. Has he heard about what happened on the bridge?Probably. It seems like every student has. Rumors spread like wildfire when teenagers are involved.Gregory fiddles with a pencil. "Hey, I'm sorry for last night.""What happened last night?""At the
Somehow, the rest of the day's classes manage to pass without event. People still stare, but it gets less and less as the hours go by. By the time the last bell rings, it almost seems that everyone has forgotten about me and moved on.I run up the stairs and into my dorm, which (thank goodness) is empty. Opening up my suitcase, I pull out one of the two swimsuits I brought.I'd stuffed them into my luggage at the last minute, more as a gesture of hope than anything else. I hadn't known for sure that there would be a pool at Hawthorn, but now I'm glad I took the chance.With the suit on under my clothes and goggles and a cap in hand, I jog back down the stairs and out the main building's back door. Signs point me along a cobblestone path to a building that says "Vandemark" on its front door. It has high, wide windows spanning its whole perimeter and the second I open the door, the familiar smell of chlorine hits my nose.Bleachers line the walls, between them a vibrant, sparkling po
When I show back up at the pool house a couple hours later, the lights are turned down. I almost turn back around, thinking the pool is closed, when I see the people gathered around its edge.Soft lights flicker in the pool, and what looks like vines and seaweed drift below and above the surface. It's almost magical, and I find myself drawn to the edge, where I crouch down and touch the water."Cool, huh?" Emma crouches next to me."Yeah." I draw my hand back. "Why is it like this?""See any flags in there?"I look hard. "No.""They're hidden well tonight." She adjusts her swim cap. "Riverheist is basically capture the flag underwater.""That's really neat." A grin pulls at my lips. "I can't believe I've never heard of it.""It's not that popular, I guess. We only play one team around here. They're brutal, though."I stand up. "They're that good?""It's more than that. The students there are pure evil. They've come over here a few times before and tried to trash Hawthorn. Plu