Page 5 of The Mist of Stars
When I look at him, he’s glaring at Henry.
Henry shifts his weight uncomfortably. “Um …”
“That’s none of your business.” I cringe at how breathless I sound but attempt to convince myself that it has nothing to do with what just happened. Alex was messing with me—I get that. He doesn’t think I’m beautiful. In fact, according to him, my eyes are weird.
With that, I step toward Henry. “Come on; let’s go talk somewhere else.”
He nods, and we start toward the entrance door nestled between a row of columns.
I wish I could say that the farther away I got from Alex, the less he was on my mind. But the lingering buzzing in my veins is a reminder that he affects me more than I want. If only I knew why.
2GEMMA
“Did you find out something then?” I ask Henry as we make our way across the quad and toward the blooming trees that dot the back section of the academy.
The wind is picking up and blowing dirt and flower petals into the air, giving the place a magical vibe. Keepers aren’t magic, though. Well, not in the sense of witch magic. Our magic is derived from our keepers’ mark, which is a fiery flame encompassing a circle. The mark appears on a keeper’s body in various places. Mine is on my shoulder blade, an array of flames that swirl across my pale flesh.
“Just a second,” Henry says, quickening his pace as he makes a beeline for the shelter of a cluster of trees.
I trail after him, wondering why in the world he’s in such a hurry. Sure, we’re late for class, but it’s not the first time that’s happened. Plus, the teachers rarely hand out detention slips.
“Dude, you’re being weird.” I slow to a stop as he does. Sure, I asked him to help me figure out why someone would have a recurring dream, but that doesn’t explain why he’s acting twitchy.
We stand in the shade of a canopy of branches that belong to a willow tree. The white flowers blooming on it are so thick that it’s basically like standing in a curtained room.
“Sorry,” he mumbles, “but I had to steal this from the library because Ms. Wilifred was being a wench again and wouldn’t let me check it out.” He swings his pack around to the front of him, unzips, and digs out a thick, leather-bound book with a star-like sigil engraved into the cover.
The star is odd, as if each point has been melted.
“What is this?” I question. “And why wouldn’t she let you check it out?”
“Because it was in the permanent reading section.” He hands me the book.
I hold my hands up in front of me. “Whoa, back up. I did not tell you to steal a book to get me answers.” Especially ones from the permanent section, which is basically a section of books that contain dark magic and dark history, also referred to as the forbidden section.
“I know, but this is the only one I could find that had any information about reoccurring dreams.” He urges me to take the book. “Just don’t get caught with it and everything will be fine.”
Chewing nervously on my bottom lip, I take the book from him. “What does it say about them?”
“A lot, actually.” He zips up his bag and slings it back over his shoulder. “I’d recommend reading it off campus, just in case.”
I give him a thumbs-up. “Thanks, Henry.”
He smiles. “You’re welcome.” He pauses, shifting his weight. “Actually, can I ask you something?”
Henry and I have been friends since we were kids, but we’re not as close as Aislin and me. We hang out on occasion and sometimes do each other favors, but I don’t know him like I know Aislin and some of my other friends. So, when I say, “Sure,” I don’t think much of it.
But then he mumbles, “I was wondering if you wanted to go out with me tomorrow, to like a movie or something.”
I’m completely blindsided and end up standing there stupidly with my lips parted.
His cheeks flush. “You can say no. No hard feelings.” He lets out a nervous laugh that contradicts his words.
“Um … No, I mean, yeah. Yeah, I’d like that,” I babble, too caught off guard to consider what I’m doing. That my feelings for him are strictly platonic, and I may have just ruined our friendship.
He smiles in relief. “Awesome. I’ll pick you up at seven?” he asks, and I nod.
He has a bounce to his step as he starts to walk off toward the school, but then he pauses and glances over his shoulder at me. “Are you coming to class?”