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

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

"Winter?" Alec crouches down and inspects me. "Are you okay?"I look away so he won't see my tears and ignore my aching arm, which I landed on. "I'm fine."He offers me a hand. I hesitate, but having him so close proves irresistible. The moment I touch his hand, heavenly warmth shoots through me."Who are you running from?" He pulls me to my feet."No one." I wipe my face with my sleeve. "I was just going somewhere ...else.""You have no shoes on." He frowns, staring at my feet, and I follow his gaze.Turns out, I ran all the way across the frozen ground without even noticing my lack of footwear. I left my shoes back in the locker room."I took them off." I cross my arms and try to look tough."You took your shoes off in the grass and walked across campus barefoot?"I shrug. "I guess.""Are you trying to get sick?""No." I look away so he won't see the tears in my eyes. "I was just going to my dorm."My dorm that I share with Heather.Okay, so maybe that's a bad idea.Is

I tap my pencil against my textbook and stare at the words on the paper. I've read the same paragraph over at least ten times and it still doesn't make any sense.Nothing makes any sense right now."Nice jacket." Alice takes a seat next to me at the long library table and pops a piece of gum into her mouth."Huh?"She nods at the jacket I'm wearing, and heat floods my cheeks. I completely forgot I'm wearing Alec's jacket. The only reason I have it on is because I figured I should return it to him whenever I see him today and this seemed the best way to keep track of it.It's definitely not because it smells like him.Nope. Not at all."It's not mine," I mumble, taking it off and stuffing it into my bag."Whose is it?" She leans closer, her eyes going wide. "Oh my gosh... Is that a guy's jacket?"Her voice pitches at the end, and I look around self-consciously, hoping no one else heard. Our classmates aren't paying attention, though. They're either using study hall to hang out

"Have you been into town yet?" Gregory asks as we walk along the road with small cottages and impressive mini-mansions."No. So we're allowed to leave campus on the weekends?" I shove my hands deeper into my coat pockets."So long as we're back by seven."Seven. During the winter, it's dark then."What about the woods?" I hate the way my voice shakes."Don't worry about the woods." He bumps his shoulder against mine. "I'll protect you from anything out there."As hard as this day has been, I smile. It's genuine, too.I don't really believe Gregory, but at least he seems to mean it. At least he cares.But what about the warnings about the woods?"Would anything..." I clear my throat. "You know, come out of the woods and attack us after dark?"He shakes his head. "No way. The things in there stay in there. This road is just as safe as school."I nod, feeling a little better. Lighter, too. The air is cool and crisp. Leaves crunch underfoot and huff out the occasional smell of d