Fifty Five

Raven

Throughout the morning run, I couldn't concentrate on anything. My heart pondered, wondering what mystery was behind Vlad's strangeness.

His indifference and detachment messed up my head. He neither returned my calls or texts and hadn't bothered asking about the staff of authority up till now.

His father's source of power.

Our sadist trainer's roaring voice pulled me out of my trance. He pushed us to our limits, forcing us to take several laps and yelling like a banshee.

My legs scrambled into motion, running past the sturdy oak trees. My lungs burned and I crashed to a halt.

Something was wrong with Vlad. I could feel it in my heart. His eyes didn't rake boldly over my body like I was the only one that mattered, or like he was photographing me to his memory

The sooner I found out, the better it would be for me. Taylor grew increasingly concerned last night when I didn't touch my dinner.

Despite counting sheep, tossing, and turning like a child with the flu, I didn't catch