The climb up was faster – I used the steps above me as a hold while I scrambled as fast as I could. My throat burned. My eyes stung with bitter tears. But I didn’t turn around, didn’t look back. I reached the top of the staircase and stumbled onto solid ground. Wild with fear, I spun in all directions. Where to go, what to do? At any moment Ayaz would reach the top of the staircase and—
I took a step toward the tunnel, but changed my mind. They’d expect me to go that way. And it would just take me back to the school, where some other horror awaited me. No, I needed to hide out here. If I could wait it out until morning then I could walk down to the village, call the police, tell them that some boys at Derleth Academy tried to kill me.Let’s see their parents cover up the scandal I’m about to unleash.
I took off in the other direction, sliding over the damp rocks on the edge of the grotto until I dropped down on the narrow path that led down into the trees, down toward the cemetery.
My feet slid out from under me as I scrambled for cover.Please don’t let them see me. Please let them go to the cave so I can get away.
“Hazel, where are you?”
They were close, too close, walking around by the grotto. I poured on speed, my chest heaving as I entered the trees, my boots crunching in the dead leaves.
“I see her!”
Damn, I was hoping the trees would hide the lantern. I should have thrown it away but… but I couldn’t be out here, alone, in the dark. I needed the light. I needed the fire.
They all shouted my name as they scrambled over the grotto. I heard leaves skidding over the ground. Trey cursed. I gulped back my fear and sprinted ahead. In front of me loomed the metal gate of the cemetery. I grabbed the latch and yanked. It lifted surprisingly easily, and I staggered backwards.
“No, Hazel, don’t go in there.”
I don’t have to listen to you, Trey Bloomberg.You may be King of Derleth Academy, but I’m nobody’s servant.
I grabbed the gate and pulled, throwing myself through it into the cemetery beyond. Small, crumbling stones rose from piles of dead leaves. There was no path, just lines of graves all facing the ocean, bending around the slope as they followed the contours of the hill.
I skittered across the top, thinking that if I could somehow circle back without the guys noticing me, I would make my way down the road until I got to the town. That was miles and miles of walking in the dark, but I’d rather that then get in that deathboat or face whatever was waiting for me at the school.
“Hazel.”
The gates hinges creaked. Shit, they were faster than I thought. The lantern was giving my position away, but if I let go of it, I’d be running blind along these cliffs and that was bound to kill me faster than they would.
Move downhill, through the trees. Get below the cliff and they won’t see the lantern. Wait until they leave.
Sucking in a deep breath, I pumped my arms and skidded down the slope, passing through the rows of graves as I plunged toward the treeline. If I could reach it, I could clamber down the rocks and hide under one of the overhangs until the guys got tired of looking for me.
My chest burned as I poured on speed.Almost there. Almost—
My foot caught on a low headstone. I fell hard, my knee slamming into the stone. Pain arced up my leg. The lantern fell from my hand and bounced across the ground. The fire inside flickered but didn’t go out.
No, no, no…
“Shit. She’s down!”
“Hazel, are you okay?” Voices called from the top of the slope. Feet shuffled toward me through the leaves.
I moaned, rolling over and clutching my knee.Fuck, fuck.I could hear the guys calling my name. I tried to put weight on my leg, but my knee collapsed.
I crawled through the dead leaves and grabbed the lantern, holding it up so I could see them coming, three shadows looming down on me. “Get away from me!” I screamed, swinging the lantern back.I’ll throw it as soon as they got close.
Heat rushed down my arm toward the lantern, and the flames flared higher, wrapping around my arm without touching my skin, without burning me.
Whoa, what is that? How did I do that?
The flames seemed to tug at me, pulling my arm around, swinging the beam of the lantern across the graveyard. I squeezed my muscles to stop my arm moving, but it kept going. I wasn’t in control any more.
My arm jerked to a stop. The lantern light fell on the gravestone in front of me, dancing over the words carved there.
AYAZ DEMIR.
Huh?
