Ponytail bobbing behind her, Cass comes running down the hall and throws her arms around me. I expect her to pass right through me, but I’m greeted by her embrace. She’s cold to the touch, but she’s corporeal.
“Oh my God,” I mutter. “You’re…you’re…”
“A real boy?” She laughs, referencingPinocchio, one of her favorite movies.
“Yeah. How?”
“Things are different here. It takes a lot of energy to manifest a physical body, and I can’t do it all the time. But they kept saying you’d be coming here, and I’ve wanted to hug my best friend for so long.” She takes my hands in hers and another shiver works its way through me. “Should I offer my condolences? You’re dead.”
I let out a snort of laughter. “Way to be blunt, Cass. And honestly…” I look at Maxon, who’s watching us curiously. “I don’t know. I don’t feel dead.”
“You don’t look dead either.” She loops her arm through mine. Her body feels like ice but I don’t have the heart to tell her she’s making me cold again when I just fought off a chill. “Where are you off to?”
“Um, the dorms.”
“Ohhh, did they place you in a house yet?” She looks from me to Max and bats her lashes.
“Yeah. I’m a Proeliator, which I guess means I’m good at fighting.”
“I’m not surprised.” Cass beams again. “You always have been badass.”
“Excuse me,” Maxon says, looking annoyed once more. “I’m sorry to interrupt this reunion, but it’s late and Addison needs to rest. Passing through a portal for the first time takes a lot out of you.”
“Right.” Cass offers a big smile. She doesn’t seem at all fazed by the stick up Maxon’s ass. “So let’s go.”
Maxon doesn’t budge. “No offense, but I don’t want a ghost watching me sleep.”
I cock an eyebrow. “Why would she watch you sleep if she’s with me?”
“The extra bed…it’s in my room.”
“Oh.” I blink, a blush heating my cheeks as I look from Maxon to Cass and back again. “So that’s what the headmistress meant.”
“Yeah. It’s only for the night.” Maxon looks almost as uncomfortable as I feel.
“Fine,” Cassandra huffs. “There are other ghosts that haunt the city not far from here. I’ll hang out with them. I’ll see you in the morning, Addy.” She gives me another hug, and the chill from her body makes gooseflesh ripple across my arms.
“Night, Cass.” I try not to shiver as I follow Maxon to the dorms, wondering what exactly lies ahead.
5
“Can I ask you one more thing?” I heft my load of supplies back up on my hip. We just went up two flights of stairs, but for some reason, I’m not winded.
“You’re going to anyway, aren’t you?” Maxon keeps walking, holding my bundle of supplies and clothing as if they weigh nothing.
“If you’re a reaper and saving souls or whatever is your job, why did you get in trouble?”
He hesitates for a second. “Because students aren’t supposed to go to the human realm on their own.”
“Why did you?”
“I thought I could do it,” he admits ruefully. “I thought I could kill the demon and impress everyone. I’d earn our house more points and would be noticed by the Head of the Council as well as the high-ranking officers in the Reaper Army.”
“I’m sure they’ve noticed, all right,” I mumble, and Maxon gives me a glare. “Sorry. Too soon.”
“I think the better question is, why were you trying to save a lost soul?”
Hearing him refer to Cassandra as a lost soul causes a twinge of pain in my heart. She’s far from lost now that she’s here. “She’s my friend.”
