Of Fae and Hate

CHAPTER SIXTEEN: NERYS

Clemmenbombardedmethe second I entered the dorm, accusing me of being a clone before she’d squinted and her lips snap closed. She’d peered at me closely and I knew she could tell that the real me was back somehow. I don’t know how she’s so attuned to me with the short time we’ve known each other, but I appreciate it.

This would have come in handy if I would have remained dead another day.

I’d given her a wave of my hand, telling her I would explain everything later before sulking off to my room. Zo and Nala, who I really hadn’t seen a lot of, had looked on in confusion but neither had elected to say anything.

I slammed my door and dropped down into my bed, exhaustion taking over.

I’d been trying to remember what all happened when sleep overtook me.

For forty-eight hours.

Apparently being dead is exhausting.

I think I would have slept even longer if Clemmen hadn’t practically beaten my door down on the third morning when I hadn’t gotten upf or class. I finally dragged myself out of bed, feeling sluggish.

Clemmen hadn’t pressed as we’d walked to our beginner’s potions class together. Alik and Brynsyn sat in the back next to each other and I could feel their gazes on me the entire time but I hadn’t looked at them even once.

After class I’d asked Clemmen if she’d seen Soskia while I was asleep, but she said the girl hadn’t been back since the night of the party.

Things have started coming back to me and I can clearly remember the creature slamming into me and the pain that's moved through me, Brynsyn grabbing me before it’d all come to an abrupt stop. I don’t remember anything between then and waking up.

My body has felt different, my sense more aware, and a slight little buzz in the middle of my chest that grows louder anytime I’m by Alik, Brynsyn, or even Fox, who’d practically lit my chest on fire as I’d passed by him in the hall.

I don’t know if they feel it, considering that I do my best to act like I’m not even aware of them. The whole hiding my body thing was some crazy bullshit and I can’t ignore the fact that no one even attempted to apologize.

Just the thought of it has irritation moving through me and I stab my fork into the mac and cheese on my plate.

“Holy fuck, you’ve been moody as hell since you came back,” Clemmen says, peering at me. “Is it the whole evil dick thing? I warned you about that, but you didn’t listen.”

“We didn’t fuck,” I pause, “or at least we didn’t finish.” I clutch my fork tightly. “We’ll talk about it whenever i can think about it without wanting to commit murder.” I don’t even know what I’d tell her considering there’s so much I still don’t know and my gut tells me that I shouldn’t mention anything to anyone.

It’s certainly not because of the urgency in Alik’s voice when he told me to keep this a secret.

My chest throbs and I look up as the cafeteria doors slam open.

Soskia strides in.

She’s done a three-sixty since the last time I saw her. Her hair has been flat ironed bone straight, the peach locks falling past her butt. Her skin tone is still a little pale, but not quite as much. Her steps are confident as she moves into the room, that scared, shaken version of her nowhere to be found.

She’s found her clique of friends again. I can’t help but to wonder if any of them looked for her while she was out for over a week.

Doubtful.

The girls who hang around Soskia are nothing but social climbers, they aren’t real friends. She’s never had a single friend come to the dorm to hang with her when there’s no eyes watching.

Soskia’s gaze moves over the cafeteria, pausing when her eyes land on mine. She holds my stare and that same little spark in my chest seems to pulse in time with the seconds. Finally, she looks away, heading in the opposite direction.

“Oh, interesting development here,” Clemmen remarks. I look over to find her looking between Soskia and I with genuine curiosity in her eyes. “Soskia returns a couple of days after you and now the two of you are exchanging long looks across the room, as if there’s some secret between the two of you.” She raises a brow.

I look down at my plate, sighing as I bite down on my lip. “I can’t talk about it here,” I tell her, rubbing the back of my neck. If I do tell Clemmen anything, it won’t be in a room full of eavesdropping fae.

“Fair enough,” Clemmen says, sitting back.

Zo bounds over to the table, a wide grin on her face.

“What’s got you so excited?” Clemmen asks her, frowning.