Panicked, I startle, eyes wide as I hold my breath. It quickly subsides when I find the culprit, but my heart doesn’t quit racing immediately.
Ocean.
Her back is pressed against the wall, her head tipped to the side as she sleeps with her legs spread across the bottom of my bed, her feet dangling off the side.
I blink three times to make sure it is actually her and not a figment of my imagination, but it’s clear, she’s there. Slightlyconfused, I push my hands onto the mattress and attempt to shuffle up the bed without disturbing her, but the second my back hits the headboard, her eyelids snap open and settle on me.
“You’re awake,” she blurts, patting her hands over her blonde hair, but even with her awkward sleeping position, not a single strand is out of place.
“Did I miss something?” I ask, trying to discreetly tame my own mane, but I’m far too aware of the purple waves sprouting in every direction.
She offers me a timid smile as a hint of embarrassment crinkles her eyes. “I couldn’t settle because I was worried something was going to happen to you,” she admits, looking down at her hands, and guilt instantly tightens in my gut.
“I’m sorry,” I breathe, knowing the words aren’t enough, but instead of accepting my apology, she hits me with a questioning stare as her eyebrows rise.
“Why are you apologizing? It’s not your fault you’re a magnet for maniacs,” she insists with a grin, and I find myself smirking back at her with the same wisp of amusement dancing through me.
Any hint of tension threatening to overwhelm me dissolves as she eases the air like always, and I sigh, flopping my hands at my sides as I glance around the room.
It feels good to be back here, in this room with my friend, but The Vale in general doesn’t offer the same level of contentment. That single thought alone plays as a stark reminder that this is only temporary and I need to decide what the rest of my future looks like so I can start charging toward it.
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I pause that line of thought before it consumes me. I need to deal with the present first and foremost.
“Do you know what time it is?” I ask, glancing at my nightstand, where my gaze fixes on my cell phone.
Ocean must understand where my attention goes because she quickly clears her throat. “Professor Grimm dropped it off the other day. He said something about finding it on the pathway to the library,” she explains, and I nod, recalling the moment for myself.
That entire day is a blur, but I remember running from Institute Thirteen, from my father and his truths, and from the three guys who kept hounding me to come back. There’s a slight crack in the cell phone case, but the device itself looks untouched.
“Thank you,” I breathe, daring to lift it from the nightstand. The second I do, the screen comes to life and I’m greeted with the flash of notifications lighting up the display.
My eyes widen in surprise and I hear Ocean snicker. “You might need a week to go through all of those. I had to put it on silent eventually,” she explains, shuffling off the end of my bed as I swipe my thumb across the screen, letting the notifications continue.
There are sixty-seven missed calls, from whom I don’t know, and at this point, it makes no difference to find out, so I disregard them immediately. With those gone, I’m left with an overwhelming number of text messages and a few notifications from the surveillance app I have set up for the camera above my bed.
Clicking on the messages app, my eyes widen when I see how many are waiting for me.
Seven from Ocean.
Five from Thorne.
Twenty-one from Rion.
One from Kael.
I feel my cheeks flush as my nerves creep to the surface. I contemplate what to do as I rake my teeth over my bottom lip before I decide to start off easy with Ocean.
Ocean: Hey girl, where are you?
Ocean: Bestie, where did Kael take you? The game is literally a shambles and we need to head back to the Institute. I’m not leaving without you. Call me back. ASAP.
Ocean: Girl, I’m not playing!
Ocean: Get your ass back here so we can come up with a plan to slaughter Willow. That stupid bitch. I’ll get the shovel ready.
Ocean: I’m going to kill him. Or maybe I’ll hold him down so you can kill him. Kael, I mean. Everyone else too if you like, but don’t worry. I’m going to find you, even if that means I have to work with Rion to do it.
My heart aches as a vision plays before my eyes. Seeing the panic from her while I was caught up in Jude’s web is too much, but it’s surprising to know that she was working with Rion. My gaze drops to my new bracelet for a moment, a soft smile tugging at the corner of my mouth before I quickly refocus on my cell phone.
