“Jesus,” she rushed out. “He saw you?”
“Worse,” I told her. “After the lockers shook, his eyes turned white, Neve.” Her blue eyes widened in horror. “His eyes turned white, and he told me everyone thought it was an earthquake and that they were all hiding underneath their desks.”
Her shaky hand came up to cover her shocked mouth. “Wh…what? Like…he sees things?”
“The future, I think,” I clarified. “He said it before any of you could have the time to perform the earthquake drill.”
Neve’s hands raked through her hair, messing up her perfect strands. “He’s like us,” she muttered as realization dawned. “Holy shit.”
I nodded. “I’m pretty sure he is.”
“How did…how did he find you?” she asked. “How did he know to approached you?”
“I don’t know. I asked, but then…”
“What?” she practically screeched.
“He…he kissed me,” I confessed. “He…he grabbed my face and kissed me.”
Her eyes almost popped out of her head with shock. “He kissed you?”
“Yeah, and…Christ…” I closed my eyes and I felt her immediately.
Wrapped up in her arms, she asked, “What is it, Avalon?”
My arms looped around my sister and it was the first time I’ve felt grounded since the buzzing started a few weeks ago. Neve was my twin, and she was the only thing I was certain of in this world. Even as much as I loved my parents, Neve was the other half of me.
Whatever this was and whatever Griffin was, I knew I wasn’t going to have to face this alone. Neve was the type who came out swinging and I knew she had my back.
I pulled out of her arms and looked up at her. “When…when he kissed me, it felt like I’d die if he stopped.”
Neve stepped back and her face looked as worried as I felt. “What?”
I let out another deep breath. “It’s hard to explain,” I said. “It felt like…like the final piece of the puzzle was finally placed where it belonged.” I shook my head. “I don’t know what I’m saying. I just know that my chest doesn’t hurt anymore, Neve.”
She balked at that because she knew exactly what I meant. “What happened after he kissed you?”
I went on to tell her everything and how I ended up running from him only to pull her out of class because I felt like I was going crazy. I did my best to explain all the sensations that had been coursing through my body, my blood, and all over my skin, but it was just too hard to convey into words.
When Griffin had cupped my face, it had felt as if every inch of my skin had come alive. I hadn’t even known that was a thing. And when his hand had traveled over my body, my nerves lit up like live wires ready to set fire to anything they touched. But when he had kissed me, that had been a dangerous awakening that I never imagined possible.
His lips on mine had ignited a firestorm of need that I could only liken to what an alcoholic or drug addict might feel like when indulging in their vice. And when his tongue snaked its way into my mouth, that’s when I had felt like I could possibly die if he stopped or let go.
When he finally did have to let go-thanks to Mrs. Song-I had been left reeling with all the sensations that had assaulted me. Still, the one thing that had gripped me was that my chest no longer hurt. It no longer ached. I no longer felt displaced or unbalanced, and I had invented being on my period and ran because it had scared me.
It still did.
“Holy shit, Avalon,” Neve whispered. “This is…this is big.”
“You think I don’t know that?” I almost snapped. “Why in the hell do you think I dragged you out of class?” I had to take another deep breath. “Christ, the uncertainty even turned me into a raging bitch.”
Neve grimaced. “You weren’t a raging bitch,” she defended. “It’s understandable that you might act out of character at everything that just happened.”
“It doesn’t matter,” I replied. “I’m not sure what this means, but we have to tell Mom and Dad.”
Neve nodded. “I agree. His answers were cryptic as fuck and the fact that he knows what you are is cause for concern.”
My eyes bugged. “Do you think he knows who you are, too?”
Neve shrugged. “It’s possible,” she grumbled. “At any rate, what in the hell did he mean when he said he was yours?”
“How in the hell would I-oh, shit.”
Neve started to look panicked. “Oh shit, what?”
I grabbed her hands and squeezed. “That crap about destiny,” I reminded her. “What…what did it say? Do you remember?”
“Shit, shit, shit,” she chanted. “Uhm…uh, something about the soul being tethered or free. Right?”
I let go of her hands and ran them through my hair again. “Something about the soul being fated to be tethered or free, I think.”
“Do you think that’s what this means?” Neve asked. “Is he the destiny that’s supposed to appear on our birthday?”
“I have no idea,” I told her. “But if he is, you do know what this means, right?”
“No,” she screeched. “I have no idea what any of this means.”
“If Griffin is here because of that damn prophecy, then that means someone is coming for you, too,” I said, dropping that little gem on top of her head like a boulder.
Neve started shaking her head. “No way,” she argued. “No fucking way, Avalon.”
All the pieces to this horrible puzzle started falling into place. “It explains why I’ve never been attracted to a guy before, Neve.” Her face paled. “It explains why I always felt unsettled whenever guy would try to touch me or whatever.”
“No,” she mouthed, the horror of our situation finally sinking in.
“Yeah,” I mumbled. “I think we’re fucked.”
Chapter 13
Griffin~
This time, we were at Easton’s locker, and he was regarding me intently as I just finished telling him what happened between me and Avalon. I hadn’t left anything out, either. I told him everything, including what happened in the restroom.
“What are you going to do?” he finally asked.
“I’m not sure,” I admitted. “I still need to talk with her, but I don’t think it’s safe to do it while we’re at school. Her emotions had been stretched to their limits that she couldn’t control her abilities. I can’t have someone accidentally seeing what she’s capable of.”
“But you were able to control yours?”
I nodded. “I was, but I’m not sure that’s saying much. We’ve been raised to understand what we’re capable of. We’ve been honing our abilities since birth. The girls haven’t.”
“And you’re confident she’s bonded to you?” he asked. “You’re sure that she was feeling the same thing?”
I nodded again. “She wouldn’t have let me kiss her in the bathroom if she hadn’t been feeling the same thing I was.” I let out a deep breath. “She was confused and scared, but she had latched on to me like she couldn’t bear to let me go.”
“Well, you know I’ll back you with however you want to play this,” he said, but there’d been no need. I knew he would. We might have opposing personalities, but Easton was just as loyal to me as I was to him.
“So, what about you-”
“Hey, guys.”
Easton and I had been so engrossed in our conversation that we hadn’t noticed Sheryl Kennedy until she was practically standing on top of us. She was one of the girls who had made sure to introduce herself yesterday. An attractive blonde, she was easy on the eyes, but I’ve spent my entire life appreciating attractive females without feeling attracted to them, and now that I’ve had a taste of Avalon, there was no going back, not that there ever was for me.
“Hey, Sheryl,” I greeted as Easton just grunted his hello.
“So, there’s a back-to-school party this weekend and I thought you guys might like to come,” she invited, a knowing grin on her face. “It’ll be a great way to meet people,
don’t you think?”
I figured I needed to nip this in the bud before rumors started flying around about me and another girl. Avalon wasn’t going to give in gracefully and I didn’t need to give her any ammunition to make this harder than it already was going to be. Seducing her was not going to work if she thought I was seducing any girl who caught my eye.
“Thanks, Sheryl,” I replied. “However, I’m hoping I’ve charmed Avalon Lively enough that she’ll agree to a date this weekend.”
Rejection did not look pretty on this girl.
“Avalon Lively?” she scoffed. “Are you serious?”
I nodded while I did my best to level out the tone of my voice. It would look super suspicious if I got ugly when I’ve only been going to school here for two days. “Love at first sight,” I smirked.
“But she’s…she’s…odd,” Sheryl blurted. “She’s not popular at all.”
I turned to face her fully. “Good thing I don’t care about trivial shit like that,” I replied rather scathingly.
Her head reared back in surprise at my rudeness. “I…I just meant… She trailed off and tried her luck with Easton. “What about you? Surely, you can make it, right?”
Easton shook his head at her. “Pretty sure I’ll be too busy trying to get Neve Lively to go out with me to have time to attend a party,” he said, giving Sheryl her second rejection in a matter of minutes.
Sheryl’s blue eyes flew back and forth between us. “You guys have only been here for two days,” she balked. “And Neve and Avalon weren’t even in school yesterday.”
Shit.
“We saw them before first period yesterday,” Easton told her. “Like Griffin said, love at first sight.”
Sheryl’s dainty chin shot up and it was obvious that the girl hasn’t experienced a lot of rejection in her life. “Well, good luck with those two,” she huffed. “Avalon doesn’t date, and Neve is the complete opposite. I seriously doubt you boys will get far with either of those girls. Avalon doesn’t have time for boys and Neve has got too many to choose from.”
I could feel Easton’s energy shift, so I knew I had to put an end to this. “I think you need to run along, Sheryl.” She bristled and catty girls really were a turn off. “And the next time you want to talk shit about Avalon or Neve, do it with someone else.”
“Fine,” she bit out before storming off the way she came.
When I turned towards my brother, he looked pissed. “You okay?”
It took him a few seconds, but he finally let out a deep curse as he ran his hands through his hair. “I think I fucked up, Griff,” he admitted.
“How so?”
His blue eyes looked so regretful that it was kind of hard to hold his gaze. “When I walked into Biology this morning, Neve had already been sitting at her desk.”
“And?”
“As I made my way the desk I had sat in yesterday, our eyes locked, but there was no reaction.” My stomach dipped with his confession. “She spared me that brief glance, then went back to looking at her phone before the teacher finally called us to pay attention.” He sighed heavily. “A minute or two later, that stupid earthquake drill was enforced, and we had to crawl under our desks.”
“Did you feel anything?”
He shook his head. “The buzzing got stronger, and my chest felt…I don’t know, like…stretched or something, but that was it.”
The significance of what he was saying wasn’t lost on me. While his bond still had a pulse, it was quite possible that Neve no longer felt hers. Sheryl’s comments about Neve dating didn’t help the situation, either. I honestly didn’t know if Easton’s ever slept with another girl, but I knew he’d done his best to push past the limitations of his bondage to someone else. He’s kissed girls and probably a bit more, but I’ve never come right out and have asked him if he’s had sex before. I hadn’t wanted to know the answer because I’ve always suspected that his recklessness would come back to bite him in the ass one day, and it looks like it has.
“Well, Severus did say it was different for everyone,” I reminded him. “Maybe your bond needs to be…more physical or something.”
“I appreciate what you’re trying to do, Griffin, but I’m a big boy,” he replied. “I can own the choices I’ve made.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Kill Dad,” he returned, and I wasn’t sure if he was serious or not.
The first warning bell rang, so I knew we were going to have to cut this conversation short. “Look, there’s no way Neve doesn’t know what happened between me and Avalon by now,” I told him. “Maybe you just need to approach her and see what happens.”
“Maybe,” he conceded, but there was no conviction in his tone. He doubted the possibility just like I did.
“I’m going to give Avalon some space for the rest of the day,” I said, informing him of my plan. “However, I plan on ambushing her again tomorrow.”
“What if she skips again?”
That was easy. “I’ve got her address,” I reminded him.
“What about their parents?”
I reached into what I could do. After a few seconds, I said, “Her dad will be working in town tomorrow and her mother’s classes start tomorrow, so neither of them will be home.”
“All the schools don’t start at the same time?” Easton asked.
“How in the hell would I know?” I replied. “I don’t live here.”
Easton shrugged a shoulder. “I was just wondering. It’s weird.”
“Can we focus, please?” I deadpanned.
“Okay, okay,” he drawled out. “So, if they show up tomorrow, we ambush them. If not, we stalk them to their house. That the plan?”
“You’re a dick, Easton.”
“Never said I wasn’t.”
The second warning bell rang, and after grabbing our shit, we headed to our classes. I didn’t have any other classes with Avalon today, so it would give her the space she needed, but it would also give me the space I needed.
I wonder how I was going to manage it.
Chapter 14
Avalon~
After a million torturous hours, school had finally let out and Neve couldn’t get us home fast enough. Griffin had changed the game and there was no way our parents were going to wait until our birthday to give us those letters or that diary.
As soon as we entered the house, we found Mom in the kitchen. School didn’t start for her until tomorrow because they’d been a couple of in-service teacher days that had to be scheduled around the principal’s personal schedule. It was no secret that his wife was sick, and he had a great support system with his school and his teachers.
“Where’s Dad?” I asked, nixing our usual afternoon greeting.
“He’s still at work,” she answered, concern etched all over her face. “Why? What’s going on?”
“We need you to call him home,” Neve answered her. “It’s really important, Mom.”
She immediately shifted into the worried parent. “What happened?”
“I…” I had to let out a slow, steady breath. “I met a boy today, Mom,” I told her. “And…and he’s like us.”
Her beautiful face paled. “Like who?”
“Like me and Neve,” I clarified. “He’s got…powers, too.”
We watched as Mom got her cellphone out and sent Dad a text. After she pocketed the phone, she grabbed me by the shoulders. “Are you okay? Did he do anything to you?”
I quickly hugged her because I didn’t want her to panic. “I’m okay,” I promised her. “I just…I’d rather wait until Dad’s here, so I don’t have to go over it twice.”
Her hands rubbed up and down my back. “Of course,” she quickly replied. “I’m just…shocked, I think.”
Neve snorted. “No kidding.”
Mom let me go and shot Neve a reprimanding look. “This is serious, Neve.”
I turned to look at my sister and her eyebrows were high on her forehead. “You think I don’t know that?
”
Instead of reprimanding her again, Mom said, “Go on upstairs and put your things away. I’ll make us some tea for when your dad gets home.”
We did as she asked, and when Dad arrived home twenty minutes later, Mom quickly ushered us all into the living room where I told them what happened today. I also didn’t leave anything out because I was scared and confused. However, I did omit Griffin’s comment about making me wet because that was beyond crossing the line for personal information to share with my parents.
When I was done telling them everything, I said, “You have to let us read those letters.”
“You said the diary was a sort of history book. Did it say anything about there being more people like me and Avalon around?”
Dad shook his head. “No,” he replied. “There’s no mention in it of other people like you still around, but…but I guess it would make sense. You’re only seventeen, so people like you have to exist elsewhere. Or they did eighteen years ago when your birth mother fell pregnant with you.”
“We need those letters, Dad,” I insisted. “I’m scared.
“How about we let you read the diary,” Mom offered instead. “Maybe there’s something in there that you girls will see that we missed.”
“Avalon, did he hurt you? Is that why you’re scared?” Dad asked.
I shook my head. “No, it’s not…like that,” I told him truthfully. “I’m not scared of him. I’m scared that I don’t know what’s happening.” I looked back and forth between my parents. “I think that saying you told us about is like some premonition or something.”
“’At eighteen, destiny will appear to see if it’s a tethering that’s meant to be or if freedom is where the soul is fated to be’,” Mom recited. “That one?”
I nodded. “I feel like destiny has chosen the tethering for me,” I admitted. “I felt…connected to him and…and my chest doesn’t hurt anymore. I feel…” My shoulders sagged. “I don’t know. I don’t know what I’m feeling.”
Dad looked over at Neve. “And what about you? Are you feeling any of this?”
Neve shook her head. “No,” she told him. “I feel stranger than normal, though. Like…like my chest is being stretched beyond what it should be.” Neve shrugged. “It’s hard to explain. The low humming is still there, but there’s something more.”
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