Chapter Ten
Amelia
“Wanna sit with us today?”
I looked around in surprise. Perdita hadn’t come back to school since her dad’s accident, and Nathan was off, making things up with her. I should have been happy for them to be back together, but I was left alone again. I deserved that, for relying on them so much. But I was lonely, so I nodded at Ger and said yes without thinking.
“Cool. Follow us over then.”
Ger turned on her heel and strolled across the room as though she hadn’t a care in the world. She joined a couple of kids that I vaguely remembered seeing in a couple of my classes. Again, I couldn’t remember all of their names, but they nodded politely at me as I took an empty seat next to Ger. I felt as though I was reliving my first day all over again.
I was sick of thinking about my dreams and how everyone else in my life could stand up for what they believed in, while I cowered in the corner. Even Kali, during a time when she had precious little say in her life, had defended herself against evil and searched for happiness. Nathan had gone against the entire pack, and the alpha power, to make his way back to Perdita.
“Don’t you hang around with some fifth years?” a boy with shockingly curly, black hair asked me. His eyes were wide with innocence, but my anger rose, nonetheless, and I wasn’t sure why. A trickle of sweat rolled down my back as they all stared at me, waiting for an answer. It was only then that I realised people were as interested in me as they were in Nathan. In such a small location, new people were the hot topic. We would likely be the new kids the entire time we attended the school.
Suppressing a sigh, I nodded. “My brother and his girlfriend. Mostly.”
“I heard Aaron Hannigan asked you out,” said a petite girl with short, brown hair.
“Nah,” I made a face. “He tries to irritate my brother is all.”
“We saw your brother box the living daylights out of Aaron,” she said with a grin. “Best. Day. Ever.”
I looked away, embarrassed. Nathan’s wild behaviour that day had horrified me because my own temper kept trying to reveal itself for little reason. That morning, I had snapped at some boy for tipping off my arm. He had backed away in alarm, and something inside me felt pride at his action. It felt right to assert myself over him and to win.
“Where are you from again?” Ger asked and smiled reassuringly at me, and I tried to feel comfortable. Questions didn’t bother me as much as my fear of blurting out something important but very private.
“All over,” I said, shrugging. “Spent most of the last few years in England, so I suppose I consider myself English really. Doesn’t really matter to me.”
“That’s so cool,” the brown-haired girl said breathily. I exchanged a bemused glance with Ger and had to bite my lip to stop myself from laughing.
“Sorry about your grandmother,” a quiet boy in the corner said. Everyone at the table seemed surprised that he spoke at all, and I stared at him with interest. He had short, light-brown hair and the palest grey eyes I had ever seen. Something about him reminded me of my dreams, and my stomach flipped over a little. Maybe it was because he was quiet when the others were excitable, a trait that called Andriy to my mind. Not that I liked Andriy. Kali did. But still.
The boy held my gaze for a couple of seconds before leaving the table with the rest of the boys. I watched him go.
“That’s Connor. He’s kind of weird, so ignore him. I’m Julie by the way. We have English together. And French. And, um, Geography,” the brunette said.
“I take Geography?”
The others laughed, and I found myself relaxing a little. Connor had interested me, and Ger seemed nice enough the few times I’d spoken with her. Maybe I really had depended on Nathan and Perdita too much. They didn’t have time for me anymore, and sticking with normal kids might keep my mind off all the drama.
When Ger invited me to the cinema that evening, my “yes” was given without hesitation.