Starcrossed (Starcrossed 1)

since Noel had banned her from Lucas?s presence, and Helen was

still waiting to feel something?but all she felt was numb. She

heard Ariadne stir and then scoot over to the edge of the bed to

look down at her where she lay on the air mattress.

?Morning,? Ariadne said with a wan smile. ?How?d you sleep??

Helen answered by throwing the covers off to reveal the untouched

jingle bells still wrapped around her ankles. They were exactly

as they?d been when the two girls went to bed, but under the

bells, Helen?s feet were dirty, swollen, and red from what looked

like weeks of walking.

?Again?? Ariadne asked, dismayed. ?You have to be floating out

of the window, because I swear I didn?t hear a thing, and I barely

shut my eyes last night!?

?It?s not your fault,? Helen said, shaking her head and unstrapping

the useless bells. For a moment, Helen considered telling Ariadne

about her vivid nightmares. They all knew she had them, but

Helen hadn?t shared what her dreams were about with anyone

since she?d told them to Kate. Helen took a breath, intending to

confide in Ariadne, and then stopped herself. Would Ari think she

was going crazy like Cassandra? Helen decided she should keep

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her mouth shut. ?You know, I really don?t see the point in you

spending every night here if I?m wafting out the window as soon as

you nod off.?

?Don?t even start with that, because it isn?t going to happen,? Ariadne

said peevishly. She threw her covers off and stood. ?Lucas is

probably gonna kill me dead enough as it is,? she mumbled nonsensically

as she headed to the bathroom.

?Oh, hey! Sorry!? Jerry said with surprise as he ran into a scantily

clad Ariadne in the hallway.