Shuffling feet catch me off guard even more. The moment I take my eyes off the death dagger, I see light-brown eyes mere inches from mine.
Oh shit.
“Evelyn!”
I put my hands out just as she tackles me!Holy fucking shit!Her leg wraps around my neck, and I barely manage to slip an armunder it so it doesn’t crush my throat.
Before I know it, I’m flat on my back, staring up at the lush canopy of trees above.
I’m certain I landed on a large rock—something is digging hard into my hip.
Rushing feet accompany my wheeze. I immediately try to pry the death grip her thighs have on me, but I’m still feeling the aftereffects of this cold I haven’t fully recovered from, so my fight is incredibly weak.
“Oh my god!” The blonde is above me, and I think she’s just as shocked as I am.
“Stop…” I cough out. “I come in p-peace!”
“Who are you?”
I sputter out, “Wildhart—” For a moment, I actually think she’s going to kill me, or at a minimum, cause me to pass out. “N-Neighbor.”
I haven’t been able to take a proper breath, and just as my eyes start to roll back, the blonde shoves the crazy girl off me.
“Evelyn, get off and let’stalkwith him.”
She gracefully shifts from kneeling to standing above me. My eyes are bugged out as I grab at my throat, struggling to swallow.
“Are you alright?” The nice one kneels down as I begin to sit up. Her lime-green eyes meet mine before glancing up at the other girl. “You’ve put him into a state of shock.”
“That’s… an understatement.” I blow out a ragged breath. “I’ll be okay, I think.”
After helping me up, the blonde begins to dust me off.
“Why were you sneaking around?” Evelyn asks aggressively.
“I literally showed up two seconds before you attacked me.”
“It was more like forty-five…”
The other girl sighs with a hint of exacerbation. “My name is Calista.” The smile she directs at me eases any worry about her thinking I’m some pervert sneaking up on them.
“Ayden. It’s nice to meet you.” I reach up to rub my neck, wincing at how tender it feels. I hope it doesn’t bruise—I really don’t want to have to explain it to Keo. He’d probably freak out on the girl who’s still eyeing me with indecision.
Or… at least, I hope he would.
“Wildhart, huh?” Calista says with a beaming smile. “I live over in Sanderson Pine.”
My eyes widen. “Really?”
She nods.
I’m not sure why, but I’m relieved it’s her and not the other girl who lives there. She seems genuinely nice, whereas Evelyn… well.
I dare a glance at her. She inches slightly closer to the blonde, her gaze narrowing on me. She’s really pretty—light freckles across her warm brown nose, long lashes that look natural, and a subtle winged liner. None of it takes away from the fact that she looks angry.
“I’ve been meaning to come meet you, actually.” I turn my attention back to Calista. “I moved in over a month ago, but I think I met your friend, Genevieve’s, boyfriend.”
The look of sadness crosses her eyes, before she shakes her head. “Oh yeah? What a small world… How?”
