We sat in our usual seats when we got to Italian. I was glad I got to stay with her for this class. Once Andrew released us, we went to the library as usual. Shaylee took notes as we went through the vocabulary, but she didn’t seem to really be present. It was obvious that her mind was focused something else. It wasn’t until we had finished the assignment that I finally decided to get her attention.
“Shaylee, are you alright?” I asked.
“Yeah,” she responded right away, but it was obvious to me that she had barely heard what I’d said.
“Shaylee?”
“Yeah. I’m okay.” She looked at me and smiled. It was the first time since she’d sat down at breakfast that I felt she was really aware of her surroundings.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
I saw the guilty look in her eyes and realized that my concern was more evident than I wanted it to be.
“This morning I felt safe,” she explained. “Jaden and I had fun just like old times. Then at breakfast it hit me just how different things are.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault,” she said. “You didn’t give me these crazy dreams that make it impossible for me to sleep through the night. I know everyone’s worried about me.”
“Yes, we are,” I confirmed.
“I…” she broke off. She turned and looked towards the door. “Did you hear that?” she asked.
I listened for a moment, but heard nothing.
“No,” I told her.
“You don’t hear it?” she asked, standing, her eyes still locked on the other end of the room.
I also stood and followed her gaze. The room looked normal. I couldn’t sense any presence. I strained my ears, but heard nothing. I was beginning to wonder if the lack of sleep was getting to Shaylee, when she shut her eyes and put her hands over her ears.
“Make it stop!” she shouted.
“Shaylee, it’s okay,” I said, attempting to pry her hands away from her ears. “There’s nothing there.”
It was like she couldn’t hear me over whatever it was she was hearing. Suddenly, she opened her eyes and put her hands down. I held on to her shoulders and felt that she was shaking.
“Are you okay?” I asked.
“No,” she replied. Her voice broke and tears began falling down her cheeks. Without thinking, I wrapped my arms around her and let her cry into my shoulder. “Why do these things keep happening to me?” she sobbed.
I stood there holding her, unable to answer. I had no idea what had just happened or how to keep it from happening again. Although I was concerned about the effect it had on her, I was more concerned by who or what had caused it.
The bell rang throughout the school. I loosened my embrace and took half a step back so I could look at her. She wiped her eyes and attempted to smile. It didn’t reach her eyes and I could easily see her fear.
For the first time I was glad everything would be over in a little over a day. Ever since I had found her, I’d been dreading the day I would have to answer all of her questions. My fear had stemmed from not knowing who she really was and not knowing how she would react when she finally learned the truth.
Now, I was only concerned about keeping her alive long enough to ask those questions. It didn’t matter if she was angry and hated me or if the truth brought us closer together. Her safety was the only thing I cared about. I silently prayed that we would make it through her Transition in one piece.
***
I followed her around for the rest of the day. I was grateful no one questioned my unusual presence outside of her classes. At lunch she’d been so quiet that concern had been permanently etched on Jaden’s face. I’d debated telling her about the library, but I didn’t want to risk upsetting Shaylee.
When the bell rang after her last class, she said she really wanted to change out of her uniform before dinner. I walked her up to her room and waited outside. I paced three strides each direction as I waited for her to return. I looked up to see Jaden walking toward me a few minutes after Shaylee had disappeared into their room.
“What happened?” she asked.” At lunch you seemed almost helpless.”
“Something happened when we were in the library,” I admitted. I told her everything that had happened since breakfast. The concern in her eyes grew with every word. I could tell that she was upset by our inability to protect Shaylee from this new invisible threat. Finishing the story I added, “She wouldn’t tell me what she’d heard.”
“You think it’s the Mage that’s tracking her,” Jaden said, guessing my theory.
“Yes, but what I don’t understand is what he wishes to accomplish. I would have thought there would be an open attempt on her life, not this. I don’t even know what to say to her.”
“I’ll talk to her,” Jaden replied and went into the room.
Her abrupt departure caught me off guard. I guessed it was because her lack of sleep was catching up to her. When this was over, we all needed a vacation just to catch up on sleep. I waited patiently, not sure if Jaden or Shaylee would be the one to emerge from the room.
A few minutes later, Shaylee emerged from their room and we walked to dinner. She was quiet, but she looked more in tune with her surroundings than she had all day.
At dinner, I picked at my food. I watched Shaylee as she ate. My tension gave me a headache as I waited for any indication that she was under attack.
“Jaden said she isn’t hungry,” she said, looking up from her food. “She stayed to take
