Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 123779 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 619(@200wpm)___ 495(@250wpm)___ 413(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 123779 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 619(@200wpm)___ 495(@250wpm)___ 413(@300wpm)
Letting out a sigh, I pack up and hoist the strap of my bag over my shoulder. I don’t glance around me as I walk to the restroom, and my day takes a turn for the worse when I find Megan and her friends in front of the mirrors where they’re touching up their makeup.
“Well, well, well,” Megan sneers, “if it isn’t Jane Doe.”
I decide it’s better not to say anything and squeeze by the future silicone squad to get to a stall.
“The freak can’t speak,” I hear Megan’s best friend, Kate, laugh while I relieve my bladder.
After flushing, I ignore the group of girls while I wash my hands, but before I can leave, Megan steps in front of me.
“What’s the deal with you and Ryan?”
Rolling my eyes, I push past her and leave the restroom.
“Don’t ignore me,” she snaps as she follows after me.
“Get a life, Megan,” I mutter, heading toward the next class.
I slip into Art Theory, and when I walk toward my table in the corner, Ryan’s already there looking directly at me.
Ugh. Ryan and his friends can all go screw themselves.
I take my seat next to him and slam my bag down on the desk.
“Jane–”
I drag my chair forward, scraping it across the floor to cut off whatever he wants to say.
I can feel his gaze on me as he continues, “Please, could you just–”
Grabbing the textbook from my bag, I place it in front of him, figuring I’ll have to share anyway.
“I just want–” He tries again.
“Do me a favor,” I snap. “If you’re going to insist on sitting next to me in every damn class, will you please not talk to me?”
He stares at me with a frown, and I can see he’s struggling not to say anything else.
I glance away, not wanting to have any more contact with him unless it’s absolutely necessary.
I haven’t had a bad day like this in a while and can’t wait for it to end.
My day doesn’t get any better, and as we move from one class to the next and Ryan keeps sitting next to me, my frustration continues to grow.
Maybe his initiation is an all-day thing? It sucks ass.
By the time school ends, I’m exhausted from all the tension I’ve experienced today.
When I leave the building with all the other students, I’m slapped in the face by an icy wind. I pull my jacket tighter around me and begin the five-mile walk to Fish Creek Falls, where I prefer to spend my afternoons.
I seriously hope tomorrow’s not a repeat of today.
When I’m a few minutes away from the forest, I hear a car coming down the road. I cut into the thick bushes and trees to make myself scarce.
A brown truck passes by, and when I recognize Ryan behind the steering wheel, my heart falters for the zillionth time today.
I thought he’d hang out with Robert. What’s he doing all the way out here?
Shaking my head, I enter the forest, taking an overgrown trail people hardly use until I reach the waterfall.
I sit down and pull my knees up to my chest before wrapping my arms around my shins.
A sigh escapes me as I replay the whole messed-up day over and over in my head.
God, I hope tomorrow is better.
Ryan / Raighne
Today didn’t go as planned, and I’m frustrated as hell.
I don’t know where I went wrong and why Alchera’s upset with me. It’s taking a lot of self-control not to enter her mind so I can find out why she’s angry.
When I walk toward my truck, a group of guys and girls catch up to me.
“Hey, man,” one of the guys calls out, “hold up.”
In a hurry to leave, I give the group an impatient look.
“I’m Robert,” the leader of the group says, “and these are my friends.” He throws his arm around Megan, who introduced herself to me this morning.
Megan stares at me with a seductive smile while she leans into Robert’s side.
I don’t have time for this shit.
“Hey,” I mutter, sticking to the way they like to talk on Earth.
“Aren’t you going to introduce yourself?” Robert asks.
“Ryan Jackson,” I reply, my tone brisk.
Giving them a chin lift, I continue to walk toward my truck.
“Don’t you want to hang with us?” Megan calls out.
“No.” Not sparing them another second of my precious time, I open the driver’s side door and climb in behind the steering wheel.
“Did he just do that?” I hear Megan gasp.
“His loss, baby,” Robert mutters.
When I glance at them, I see Robert’s features tighten with an arrogant look, anger simmering in his eyes as if he thinks he actually stands a chance against me.
I almost let out a chuckle. I haven’t lived over two hundred years to be bothered by a bunch of teenagers. I have much bigger worries.
Like finding a way to get Alchera to feel comfortable with me so I can take her home before her visions of the chosen ones start.