Paranormalcy (Paranormalcy 1)

She looked like she was going to take me up on it, but David interrupted. “That's enough. We're all on the same side here, Arianna. Lend told me everything that happened and I think Evie's right--if they could track her, they'd already be here. ” He picked up the communicator. “It's been beeping off and on all night. We found it with your clothes in the bathroom. ”

My heart leaped. Raquel! She had to be worried sick about me. If I could call her, let her know I was okay. . . then they'd know exactly where I was and I'd be locked up for the rest of my life. “They're probably trying to figure out whether or not I'm dead,” I said sadly, then paused. How many times had I told them not to work with the faeries, urged them to trust Lend and figure this out together? Of course, my classification was proof enough of how IPCA really saw me. And no matter how I felt about Raquel, she was IPCA. I shook my head. “Let them think I'm dead. ”

The woman werewolf spoke, her voice gentle, fear in her eyes. “Did you really see it?”

It took me a moment to realize she was talking about Fire Girl. Vivian. I closed my eyes and nodded. It was just a stupid dream; I didn't actually know her name. I didn't want to talk about it anymore; I didn't want to think about it anymore.

“How's your leg?” Lend's dad asked.

“Oh, it's fine. Hurts a little, but nothing major. ”

“Good. We're going for a little walk. ”

“Okay. ” Confused, I looked over at Arianna. Vamps stayed away from sunlight. Not because they'd burst into flames or anything, but because in direct light their true selves showed through. Only a little, but they avoided it just the same.

“You'll probably want long pants,” Lend said. “It's kind of cold today. ”

I followed him upstairs. He rifled through his clothes, frowning. “You're skinnier than I am. ”

I laughed. “Umm, yeah, kind of happy about that. ”

He looked up at me and grinned. After a minute he pulled out an old, worn pair of flannel pajama pants. “These are a couple of years old; they probably won't fall off. ” He handed them to me and stood there. I raised my eyebrows and he blushed. “Oh, yeah, I'll let you change. ”

After the door closed I slipped out of his shorts and pulled on the red and blue flannels. They were a couple inches too long, but they'd stay on. Those combined with the oversized green hoodie meant I wasn't exactly looking hot. I sighed. I could have used a shower, too, not to mention some makeup. My eyelashes were as blond as my hair; without mascara I felt like a five-?year-?old.

I opened the door and Lend smiled. “They look better on you. ”

“Wow, they must look just awful on you then. ” I smiled back.

He handed me my boots, which completed my ensemble of ridi

culousness. To make matters worse, he looked downright adorable in a thermal shirt that fit him just right (trust me, I noticed) and a pair of jeans. I looked at his face. I loved his eyes--his real eyes. They were always the easiest of his features to pick out.

“Are you doing okay?” he asked, and his soft, sad look made everything rush in again.

“No, not really, but I'm trying not to lose it in front of everyone. ” I willed myself not to cry. I might bawl like a baby during The Notebook, and, sure, I cried myself to sleep sometimes. . . okay, a lot. . . but that was by myself. I didn't like doing it in front of other people.

“Let me know if you need anything. ”

I smiled, wanting to get a move on so I could stop thinking about things that made me sad. It was weird being on Lend's turf; I was a lot more confident when we were both in the Center. Like right now, I really wanted to hold his hand, but I wasn't brave enough to try with his dad and that stupid vamp downstairs.

Lend and I met David and Arianna outside and I got a better look around. A narrow paved road led away from the house through the trees, but we turned to the right and walked down a barely-?there path into the woods for about twenty minutes. The trees were budding, the air crisp and clear with a hint of warmth. Spring was on its way. I tried to focus on the sun streaming down through the branches.

“Where are we?” I whispered to Lend.

“Virginia. ”

Through the trees ahead, I saw a pond fed by a wide stream to our right. We came through the last of the trees and stood on the banks. The pond was oval, fairly large, and pale blue, reflecting the cloudless sky. The edges were crystallized with frost.

“Oh, good,” Lend said. “She can come out today. ”

I frowned at the horrible idea that maybe they were friends with a hag. But the look on Lend's face--excited and happy--reassured me that I wasn't going to meet a violent end. “Who?” I asked.

He smiled at me. “My mom. ”

Chapter Twenty-Five

RUNS IN THE FAMILY