Heather steps into the alley, a gleeful grin on her face. A few of her friends follow closely behind, but two of them hang back.Smart girls, those two. They're probably afraid of what I might do.And they should be.Whatever this power is that's coursing through me, I can't trust or control it. If anyone wants to save themselves, they should run for the hills."Why did you do that?" I hiss between tight teeth. "You framed Alice."Heather cocks an eyebrow. "Are you sure about that?"I falter. No, I'm not sure. I'm just holding onto one bit of hope, desperately wanting to believe that I'm wrong and Alice hasn't turned on me."What do you want?" I say."Isn't it obvious?" Heather laughs. "I want you to go down. I want you to be the loser of Hawthorn. I want you to be the biggest joke in school."She smirks and takes another step closer. Her friends follow. I stare at them, my fists clenched at my sides."Come on, Winter." Heather lets out a low chuckle. "Are you going to let

“You good?” Alec asks. Butterflies flit through my stomach. This dude just carried me up a tree. Told me he’s a vampire. And now he’s about to do who-knows-what with me. Maybe drop me and kill me. And yet here I am, still crushing on him. I’d thought last night was the nail in the coffin, but apparently my feelings for Alec won’t go down that easily. I shift on his back, heat building through me. “Yeah.”“Good. Hang on.”As if I would ever let go. Suddenly, he leaps into the air. A scream rips from my throat, and I tighten my hold around his shoulders. He’s crazy! We’re falling!…Wait. No, we’re not. Alec lands deftly on the next tree, its branches bending under our weight. He basically skips from one branch to the next, then jumps again, landing on the next tree. My jaw drops, my stomach bouncing with every jump. How is he doing this?He picks up speed, and it’s like riding a horse through the forest–except in a tree. Oh, and that horse is a person.Laughter burst

“No!” I scream. The flames around me are burning my skin, but I don’t care. “No!”There’s nothing I can do. I can’t escape from this. I can’t help Alec. Do nothing, a tiny voice whispers to me. Close your eyes. And so I do.I close my eyes and picture the flames rippling away from my body. I picture the grass springing up where it’s been burnt away. I picture the dirt underneath the grass, and the rocks underneath the trees.I feel the fire recede, its oppressive heat disappearing.I open my eyes, and the fire is completely gone.But how did I do that?There’s no time to wonder. The Hunter who hurt Alec turns to me and raises his sword. His eyes are cold and cruel. I raise my hand, and my dad’s bracelet glows white hot against my wrist.Ripping the bracelet off, I throw it, and, almost as if it were sentient and with a mission, it wraps around the Hunter’s hand. He yanks at it and curses, but it holds.The Hunter stumbles, and then he’s on the ground, his sword lying out of

The dull, throbbing pain in my shoulder makes itself known as I run through campus, dodging trees and ducking around buildings. I tell myself it’s nothing, that I just need to find a safe place to rest. Deep down, though, I suspect something else is going on. My power has limits, and I’ve just extended myself. My breath comes out in pants, and my feet pound the soft earth. The Hunters are somewhere on the little island, but for now I’ve lost them. They have no idea where I am, and they’re moving slowly. The battle was more than enough to wear them out, and with their fresh injuries they’re having trouble moving as quickly and efficiently as they normally would. Slowing down and giving them a run for their money isn’t an option. I’m drained, the bangs and bumps from all the scuffles over the last twelve hours wearing me down. I need to find somewhere safe to hide. I need to find a place to rest.My mind races, trying to find the safest option. But I don’t know Hawthorn that wel