into my neck and I couldn’t ignore them no matter how hard I tried. Practically everyone saw Monica and Colleen’s social media stunt calling me the Screaming Psycho, a label that circulated like gangbusters. Gossip always spread like wildfire, no matter how far away from home I got. The rumors followed me with only a slight variation this time. But they hurt the same. And I couldn’t let them see that.

Bryan’s dark head bobbed above the crowd. “There’s my favorite brown-eyed girl. Can we talk for a sec?” He led me away from the crowd and up the first flight of stairs. We tiptoed into the nearest empty room, the second-floor bio lab. “How are you holding up?”

“Okay, I guess.” Understatement of the year. I rubbed my rubber sole into the linoleum until it squeaked. “The moron who invented the Internet really sucks.”

“I know. Bullies are ruthless, especially when they’re Nexis puppets.” With his finger, he traced circles into my palm. My knees quivered.

“Let’s not talk about them. What are we doing in here, anyway?” The air reeked of bleach and sulfur, a potent combination. I bumped my hip on the black tabletop full of Bunsen burners, rattling the beakers poised above each station. Not the ideal place for a heart-to-heart.

“Just wanted to find somewhere quiet where no one would bother us.” Heat surged from his palm up my arm, straight to my cheeks. Suddenly he dropped my hand, fishing a spiral notebook and pen out of his backpack. “Time to do a little research on you.”

“What do you mean?” His eyes bored into me with microscopic focus. Not this again. My cheeks cooled. “Should I be sitting down?”

“Probably.” He clicked his pen, like he hadn’t heard the blatant sarcasm in my question. The click echoed in the empty room. “It’s time we dig deeper into those visions of yours.”

“Is it safe here?” I clanked down on the metal stool, staring at him. Morning light streamed in from the window, the sun finally deciding to break through the clouds. His tall shadow washed over me, shielding my eyes from the light. “Shouldn’t we go to the chapel or something?”

“We don’t have time for that. Besides, even the chapel could be compromised since it’s open to the public.” This wasn’t Bryan any more. Not the same Bryan who almost started a throwdown with Will and kissed me in the elevator. This guy was completely different, staring at me with his ice-cold eyes. Almost a stranger. “Tell me more about the first vision you had on campus, the Noah vision.”

“Fine, have it your way.” I gulped. “It was right in the middle of class. A man kneeling before a bright light, a booming voice. The words covenant and blameless stuck out to me. Didn’t you already see this one?”

“Yes, but I want to know your side of the story, what you felt.” Somehow, his tone rang hollow, devoid of its usual warmth.

“So now we’re on different sides? I really should be lying down for this, then. Shouldn’t you charge a therapist’s fee?” The words spewed out of my mouth in a breath of venom. I slipped off the stool and clawed at his t-shirt, yanking those aqua eyes down to my level. “What’s wrong with you?”

A blank expression washed over his face. He didn’t waiver for a second. “What do you mean?”

“You’re acting really strange. Like a robot, almost.” I sizzled him with my best evil-eye, but nada, not even a flinch. Suddenly my mind flashed back to the Nexis initiation and the book my dark powers found that said there would be consequences for using those dark powers. Was this all happening as some sort of retribution?

He just stared at me with that unwavering expression. I reached out and pinched his flesh between my nails.

“Ow.” He recoiled, rising to his full height. For a second, his face shifted from the strange calm into a normal emotion, like shock. “What was that for?”

My lips curved. “Just checking to see if you’re for real.”

“This isn’t a joke. I’m certainly for real.” He crossed his biceps over his chest, squinting at me with those icy eyes. “And so is Nexis. They’re hurling everything they’ve got at us.”

“No kidding, like I haven’t already felt their wrath.” I folded my arms across my body, mimicking his condescending expression. “It’s not the first time I’ve been attacked by bullies. These guys should really sit under Becca’s tutelage. They could learn a thing or two.”

He actually rolled his eyes at me, like a five-year-old. “It’s more than a little cyber-bullying. They’re testing the boundaries of the peace treaty with stupid pranks.”

“So all this is about some dumb peace treaty, huh?” Flames of anger licked at my cheeks, as I curled fingers into fists. Electricity crackled in my veins underneath my coat, but I held it at bay. “You think that makes it okay to test me like a lab rat? That’s not gonna help either one of us.”

“Maybe it won’t, but I have to try something. Anything.” He threw up his arms with a force that blasted my hair off my shoulders. “They won’t be satisfied until they get their hands on the prize. If that prize wasn’t you, I’d say go ahead, take it. But they want you. That’s all they want. And I for one won’t let them have you.” He stooped down until his face was inches from mine.

His nostrils flared with each breath, as if he had so much more to say to me.

“Why not?” I met his gaze, eyes locked on him, daring him to move. Let’s see if he could fight his feelings now.

He flinched, but didn’t step back. Instead, he toyed with a tendril of my hair. “You don’t know what they’re capable of. Who knows what they’ll do?” His fingers trickled down my hair to cup my cheek.

Electric shivers shot up my spine. “I’m not asking what they’d do to me. Believe me, I hope I never have to find

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