Starcrossed (Starcrossed 1)

river she had seen from a distance right before she woke up.

She couldn?t remember it.

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She knew she had felt a sigh-worthy relief, and only one thing

could have made her feel that way in the dry lands. Water. But she

couldn?t remember anything about it. How could she forget a river

in the dry lands? It was unthinkable, so she stopped thinking about

it.

It bothered her that

her brain refused to think about it. She

walked, still naked and dripping wet, to the vanity in her bedroom,

picked up some old viper-green eyeliner Claire had left the last

time she slept over, and wrote THE RIVER I CAN?T REMEMBER

on the mirror, just in case she forgot again. Then she got dressed.

It was getting cold out, and the air was damp with fog. Helen

zipped her jacket up to her throat and regretted not bringing

gloves. As she rode to school she had to keep one hand in her pocket

and one on the handlebars, and then switch off when the hand

she was using to steer got too numb.

When she arrived she saw Lucas waiting in the parking lot, leaning

up against an Audi she?d seen in the Deloses? garage, but never

seen him drive before. It reminded her how stupid she?d been to

think he was going to kiss her that night in his garage. She dropped

her head and hurried toward the school without waving to him. He

took a step after her and opened his mouth to say something, but

stopped himself and let her go.

When Helen got to the door, she heard Claire call out from behind.

She paused and waited for her to catch up.

?Are you two fighting?? she asked, glancing back at Lucas?s

stooped form. When she got a good look at how terrible Helen