Page 34 of Autumn Secrets

Luca. Impeccable timing as always. I glared at him, starting to feel really annoyed about his constant appearances. He gave me a sly grin.

“Lexi, I’m sorry, but we have to leave. I have soccer practice.” His eyes were still on me when he spoke, like he was gauging my reaction.

“He’s driving me home,” Lexi explained.

In that second, I had made up my mind; I didnotlike Luca. There was something unsettling about the way he looked at Lexi and me, and it was almost creepy the way he kept showing up everywhere. Like he was deliberately trying to keep us apart so we couldn’t talk to each other. But why? Unless he had something to do with what happened to me at Julian’s party. Was that crazy?

My eyes shot up as the thought entered my mind, and I found Luca once again staring at me. Refusing to back down I held his gaze, and that’s when something weird happened. For the slightest second it looked like his eyes changed colour. I blinked a couple of times, then looked again. No, it must have been the sun playing tricks; his eyes looked normal. What was I trying to prove here anyway? That Luca was some kind of alien or supernatural weirdo?

“Are you all right, Aurora?” he asked, faking concern for my wellbeing, but I could see in his eyes that he was laughing at me.

Ignoring him I turned my gaze to Lexi. “Don’t worry, I can drive you home. We just need to walk to Mum’s office first and get the car.”

“Sorry, but I wanted to show Lexi something before soccer practice.”

That was it. There was now officially a silent war brewing between Luca and me, which Lexi was completely oblivious too. Probably for her own good. I would do anything to look out for her. Even if it meant separating the two of them. I would stop at nothing to keep her heart safe. I wasn’t sure exactly how I was going to do that, but he was not good for her. I didn’t trust him, and I didn’t want to see her get hurt.

“I’ll call you later, okay? Do you want us to drive you?” Lexi asked and gave me a quick hug.

“No, I might head down to the library for a while. You two go.”

“Are you sure?”

“Positive. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

“Okay.”

She jumped in the car with Luca and there was nothing I could do but watch them drive away. It’s not like I could tell hernotto jump in the car with her new boyfriend. What proof did I have that he couldn’t be trusted? Nada, nothing. It was just a hunch, but I knew I was right; I could feel it.

Frustrated and confused, I made my way to the library. I needed to go somewhere I could distract myself, and I also wanted to look for the book that was now missing from my room. If Luca trained in the same soccer team as Elijah, their soccer training would start about seven thirty, and that’s when I was going to pay Lexi a visit. There was only so much he could do to keep me away from her. I texted Mum and asked her about taking the car as I opened the main door to the library.

I gratefully found my escape in one of the little study nooks on the second floor. I threw my jacket over the chair and went back to the aisle where I met Adrian for the first time, and where I had first found the mysterious book. I skimmed my fingers over the book covers on the shelf. Just the smell of this place made me feel better. I scanned every book in the aisle, butFallen Angels and Demonswas nowhere to be found. After the third round of scanning, I decided to go downstairs and ask the librarian.

After looking at her computer, she told me they didn’t have a book with that title. Why wasn’t I surprised? Of course, the book wasn’t here. This was just another mystery to add to a growing list of unexplainable events in this little town. “But I’ve seen the book,” I tried. “It was here recently. Can you please check again?”

She nodded and turned back to her screen, but somehow, I knew the answer before she gave it to me. “No, I’m sorry. Maybe you got the title wrong?”

I sighed. “Yeah, maybe I did. Thanks anyway.”

I went back upstairs and checked my phone before digging into my homework. Mum had finally texted me, telling me she could drop off the car here when I was ready. Perfect! I put my phone aside and concentrated on my schoolwork. There had been way too many distractions lately, and I needed to put my head down and make an effort if I wanted to do well.

After a few hours of studying, I met Mum outside the library.

“Should I pick you up before I go home?” I asked as I dropped her back at the office. She still had work to do and couldn’t go home quite yet.

“Mr and Mrs Peters are coming in at eight, so I’ll go home with them.”

“Okay. I’ll see you at home then. I’m going to see Lexi for a while.”

I threw a quick look at my phone to check the time before continuing to Lexi’s house, just to be sure that Luca would still be at soccer practice. I could still make it.

The Dawson house was all lit up and I could see Lexi’s car in the driveway as I pulled up. At least Luca wasn’t here then. I parked and hurried up the front steps. It only took a few rings on the doorbell before Lexi appeared in the doorway.

“Aurora! Hi, come in.” I followed her through the house. “I’m making myself something to eat. Are you hungry?”

“Yeah, sure…”

“It’s just some pasta; my cooking skills aren’t too great.”