The hunter, Will, flashes in my mind just then. I don’t know why. Maybe it was because he let me go. He didn’t even know me, but he let me go…even though he was trained to do the opposite. He fought what doubtlessly came naturally to him. Hunting and destroying my kind. If he could break from his world, then I could break from mine. I could be that strong.
Mom’s voice rolls over me. “I know it’s hard to accept right now. That’s why I chose this town. The desert will take care of things for you. Eventually.”
Eventually. I only have to wait until my draki is dead. Will I be glad then? Will I thank Mom one day like she seems to think?
She squeezes my knee. “Come inside. I want to go over some things with you and your sister before we enroll you in school.”
My chest clenches at this, but I stand, thinking about all Mom has given up for me, all she’s lost. And Tamra. She’s never had anything of her own. Maybe it’s finally time. Time for both of them.
“Jacinda Jones, come up here to the front and introduce yourself.”
My stomach twists at these words. It’s third period, which means it’s the third time I’ve had to do this.
I slide out from my desk, stepping over backpacks as I move to the front of the room to stand beside Mrs. Schulz. Thirty pairs of eyes fasten on me.
Mom enrolled us last Friday. She insisted it was time. That attending high school is the first step to assimilating. The first step to normal. Tamra is thrilled, unafraid, ready for this.
All last night, awake in my bed, sick to my stomach, I thought about today. I thought about the pride and all I was giving up. So what if daylight flight was forbidden? At least I could fly. The rules I chafed against with the pride suddenly pale beside this new reality. I’m not even sure why I resisted Cassian so much anymore. Was it only for Tamra? Or was there something within me other than loyalty to my sister that opposed being with him?
Teenagers surround me.
It’s not that I never expected to live in the outside world. Among humans. I would probably have taken a tour. But no one tours during adolescence. Only as an adult, as a draki strong and fully developed, and never in a desert like this. All for good reason.
I resist the urge to scratch my arm. It’s only spring, but the heat and dryness make my skin itch. Beneath the buzzing fluorescent glare, a sick, wilting sensation coils through me.
Clearing my throat, I speak in rusty tones. “Hi, I’m Jacinda Jones.”
A girl near the front twirls a strand of her hair. “Yeah. We already know that.” She smiles, her lips obscenely glossy.
Mrs. Schulz saves me. “Where are you from?”
Mom drilled these answers into me. “Colorado.”
An encouraging smile. “Lovely, lovely. Do you ski?”
I blink. “No.”
“Where did you go to school?”
Mom covered this, too. “I was homeschooled.” It was the easiest explanation to get us enrolled. We can’t exactly ask the pride to forward my school transcripts.
Several kids laugh outright. The girl twirling her hair rolls her eyes. “Fuh-reak.”
“Enough, Brooklyn.” Mrs. Schulz looks at me again, her expression less welcoming now. More resigned. Like I just confessed to reading at a first-grade level. “I’m sure that has been an interesting experience.”
Nodding, I start for my desk, but her voice stops me, holds me hostage.
“And you have a twin sister, right?”
I pause, wishing the interrogation would end. “Yes.”
A boy with a patchy red face and small ferret eyes mumbles, “Double the pleasure.”
Other kids laugh. Boys mostly.
Mrs. Schulz doesn’t hear, or pretends not to. Just as well. I want this over so I can slink back to my seat and work at being invisible.
“Thank you, Jacinda. I’m sure you’ll fit right in.”
Sure.
I return to my desk. Mrs. Schulz dives into a one-sided discussion on
My gaze swings to the window and the view of the parking lot. Above the gleaming cars’ hoods, far in the distance, mountains break the sky, calling to me.
I’ve decided to try to fly. Mom did it when she lived here. It’s not impossible. Right now it’s hard to sneak away. Mom sticks so close. She’s determined to pick us up and drop us off from school like we’re seven-year-olds. I’m not sure if it’s because she’s afraid the pride will track me down at school or if she’s worried I’ll run. I like to think she trusts me enough to know I wouldn’t do that.
Sneaking away to stretch my wings for a little while isn’t stopping Mom and Tamra from having the life they want so badly.
I shift in my seat, the crinkle of the city map in my pocket my only hope right now. I’ve pored over it several times already, memorizing every park in the area. Just because I live here doesn’t mean I’m willing to wither away. The thought of flying again is the only thing keeping me going. Risky or not, I’ll taste the wind again.
The bell rings, and I’m on my feet with everyone else.
Ferret Eyes turns to me and introduces himself. “Hey.” He nods slowly, giving me a full appraisal. “I’m Ken.”
“Hi,” I manage, wondering if he somehow thought his “double the pleasure” remark won me over.
“Need help finding your next class?”
“No. I’m good. Thanks.” Stepping past him, I hurry to my locker, head down.
Tamra’s waiting for me. “How’s it going?” she asks brightly.
“Fine.”
Her smile slips. “You have to be open to it, Jace. Only you can decide to be happy.”
I work the combination, mess up, and try again. “Enough with the psychology please.”
She shrugs and fingers her iron-flat hair. It took her an hour in the bathroom to accomplish the feat, but she saw it in a magazine and wanted to match the picture. My own red-gold hair trails down my back in a frizzy, crackling mess. Wild with static. Like the rest of me, it misses the mist.
I survey her, so chic in her snug red top, dark jeans, and knee-high boots she bought over the weekend at a thrift store. Several guys walk past and do a double take. She’s at home in this world, not suffering any of my unease, not even pining for Cassian anymore. And I’m happy for her. Really. If only her happiness wasn’t my misery.
“I’ll try,” I promise, meaning it. It’s not like I want to ruin this for her.
“Oh. I almost forgot.” She digs in her satchel. “Look. They’re having tryouts for next year’s cheerleading squad.”
I glance down at the bright orange flyer in her hand and wince at the cartoons of tiny pom-poms and somersaulting, short-skirted girls.
She waggles the paper. “We should try out together.”
I finally get my locker open and swap out textbooks. “Nah. You go ahead.”
“But you’re so”—her amber gaze sweeps over me meaningfully—“athletic.” She might as well have said draki.
I shake my head and open my mouth to stress my unwillingness, then stop. My flesh shivers. The tiny hairs at my nape prickle in alert. A textbook slips from my fingers, but I don’t move to pick it up.
Tamra lowers the flyer. “What? What is it?”
I stare over her shoulder, down the crowded hall. A warning bell peals, and everyone’s movements become frenzied. Lockers slam and the soles of shoes squeal against the tiled floor.
I remain still.
“Jace,
I shake my head, unable to speak as my gaze darts over every face. Then I find him. See him. The one I sought before I even realized it, before I even understood…. The beautiful boy.
