LOGIN96LucianThe bell rang and I was out of my seat before the teacher finished talking.I did not care about the homework assignment or the reading schedule or any of the other things Mr. Hendricks was droning on about. I had practice in thirty minutes and I wanted to get there early. I wanted to be alone with my thoughts. I wanted to think about Bonnie in peace as weird as it sounds.The hallway was crowded as students pushed past me. Someone bumped my shoulder but I did not care. I was already thinking about her. The way she looked at me in the locker room. The way her mouth felt on mine. The way she said my name like it meant something.I walked toward the hockey wing. The hallway was quieter here. Fewer students...more space. I could hear the distant sound of skates on ice. Someone was already practicing."Lucian!"I turned around and saw that Jensen was jogging toward me. His face was red and he was out of breath."Did you hear?" he asked."Hear what?""About Bonnie's sister. The n
95BonnieThe morning sun was too bright and it made my stomach into a knot of dread.I stood in the hallway with my backpack slung over one shoulder and my heart pounding against my ribs. Today was the day everything would change. Today Colette and Jude would walk through those doors and become part of this school. Today people would start connecting dots and asking questions I did not know how to answer.Colette was beside me literally bouncing on her heels. Her energy was contagious but right now it just made me more anxious. She was wearing a bright yellow sweater and jeans with rips in the knees. Her hair was wild and curly and she had applied glitter to her cheeks. She looked like she was about to walk onto a stage instead of into a high school."I am so nervous," she said. "What if no one likes me? What if everyone thinks I am weird?""Everyone will like you. You are impossible not to like.""That is not true. Some people do not just like me. They find me exhausting.""Those pe
KNOX'S POV Sable laid on my bed and I watched her sleep peacefully. I couldn't take my eyes off her, even after hours of staring. My hands went on and off from her forehead, making sure her temperature was neutral. She'd insisted on no doctors and I feared there was something else to it. She probably didn't want to get anyone else involved and it hurts a bit to realize I was part of the people she'd decided to keep things a secret from. Or maybe I was only over reacting. I wouldn't know, but in all I knew I couldn't leave her this way, not after what I'd seen earlier today. I laid down next to her, monitoring her breath and falling in love with her over again. There was something about how peaceful she looked even while she slept. How her lips twitched and an occasional smile tugged on her lips like she was in paradise right in her dream. I was relieved seeing those things, at least she wasn't sweating and jerking off in fear. I slowly dozed off to sleep, I guess intoxicated by her
BonnieThe door to my room burst open without a knock.Colette stood in the doorway with her arms spread wide and a grin on her face that could have powered the entire neighborhood. She was wearing pajama pants covered in tiny pizza slices and a t shirt that said I'm not arguing I'm just explaining why I'm right. Her hair was a wild mess of dark curls and she looked like she had just run up the stairs at full speed."I am bored," she announced."You have been here for less than forty eight hours.""Four hours is a lifetime. I need entertainment. I need stimulation. I need you."I looked up from my book. "Me?""You. I need you to talk to me. To tell me things. To be my friend."I set the book down. "I am your friend.""Then prove it. Tell me something about yourself that no one else knows."I thought about it. There were so many things no one else knew. The real things. The dark things. The things I could never tell her."I used to be afraid of the dark," I said."That is not a secret.
MarcellusThe sweet smell of bacon woke me.I opened my eyes and blinked at the ceiling. Sunlight was streaming through the curtains. I had not slept this well in months...maybe years. The house was warm and the sheets were soft and for a moment I forgot about everything. The wedding...the secrets... Bonnie.Then I heard Colette's voice from downstairs."Mum! Can I crack the eggs? Please please please please please."Clarissa laughed. "Yes. You can crack the eggs. But be careful. No shells in the bowl.""I am an expert egg cracker. I have been cracking eggs since I was five. I am basically an egg cracking professional."I smiled. The sound of her voice was like sunlight and It filled the house and It made everything feel lighter.I got out of bed and pulled on a shirt and jeans before walking downstairs. The kitchen was chaos. Flour was on the counter, a bowl of eggs was on the table. Colette was standing at the stove with a spatula in her hand. She was wearing an apron that said K
BonnieEveryone had gone to bed hours ago. My mother was asleep in the master bedroom, Colette and Jude in their various rooms. Actually they really did love their new rooms and Jude smirked and I knew we had clearly outdone yourself since someone that gard to crack could give up so much emotion.I should have been asleep too. But I could not close my eyes. Every time I tried I saw Marcellus. The way he had looked at me in the living room. The way he had said thank you for being you. The way his eyes had lingered on my face like he was memorizing every detail.I heard a soft knock on my door and my heart stopped.I did not move neither did I breathe. The knock came again. Softer this time and almost hesitant."Bonnie."His voice was barely a whisper. I could hear him through the wood. The same voice that had said welcome home hours ago. The same voice that had made my mother cry and Colette smile and Jude almost soften.I should have ignored it. I should have stayed in my bed and pret
BonnieThe grocery list was short.Eggs...Milk...Bread. The kind of errand you ran without thinking, the kind that took ten minutes and required zero emotional investment. My mother had pressed the list into my hand with a distracted smile, already on her way to a phone call."Be quick, Bon bon. Di
Lucian"So are you guys like, official now?"Jensen asked the question like it was nothing at all. Like he was asking about the weather or the score of last night's game. He was tying his skates on the bench beside me, his fingers working the laces with the kind of muscle memory that came from year
BonnieThe bell couldn't have come fast enough.I grabbed my bag, shoved my notebook inside, and practically dragged Lucian out of the lab before Mrs. Albright could change her mind about letting us leave. I needed to not be in a room that smelled like formaldehyde."Bonnie, slow down." Lucian was
LucianI barely slept well and that wasn't new. I've been sleeping badly for years...ever since I was old enough to understand what had happened to my mother. The details were fuzzy around the edges, the way old wounds get fuzzy when you've picked at them too long, but the shape of







