When Stars Come Out (When Stars Come Out 1)

Ha, he doesn’t even know he’s being funny.

“Yeah, well, Sean beat that other kid’s face in, so he’s running from his crime.”

Shy frowns. “That doesn’t sound like Sean.”

“Well, I guess you get jealous when your friend is caught with your girlfriend.”

“Sean and Ally are brother and sister.”

“Well, he didn’t like his friend messing around with his sister, then.”

A line appears between Shy’s brows, still unhappy with my version of things. I can’t tell him what I actually saw: something near-invisible spewing from Sean’s body like an alien. I shiver. I never thought I’d see anything like that again. What was it doing in Sean’s body? What had it been doing in my poppa’s body?

“What are you doing out here?” Shy asks. His eyes fall to my jersey and I cross my arms over my chest, feeling self-conscious.

“The same reason you’re here. I heard Ally scream.”

“All the way from the stadium?” He asks, brow raised.

“Well, no.”

“She was looking for me,” Thane joins us in the clearing, and the air thickens, suffocating me as I’m caught between the two. I look toward Shy in time to see him clamp his mouth shut. He steps away, putting distance between us, and passes a hand through his hair, pushing it out of his eyes. That’s when I see it—the blade sheathed at his side. Mostly hidden under his jacket, it gleams eerily. It’s curved like a scythe, but shorter.

I’ve seen it before.

Someone tried to kill me with it.

Shy drops his hand and pulls his jacket together.

“The police are on the way,” Shy says, not taking his eyes off me. “They’ll want a statement from you.”

As he leaves, I watch him traverse around the dead—a skilled captain navigating rough seas.

He can see them.

CHAPTER THIRTEEN – ANORA & THANE TREADWAY

The game is delayed with the arrival of the police and ambulance. Sean is put in the back of the squad car while the other kid—whose name is Gage—is loaded up on a stretcher, unconscious. Ally’s wrapped in a blanket. During the interrogations, I catch most of the story. The three had gone into the woods to smoke when Sean started acting weird—pacing and muttering to himself. I know where this is going before it’s over. The police will say the drugs sparked Sean’s behavior—and maybe that was a part of it...but that creature fueled it.

When we’re allowed to leave, Thane walks me back toward the stadium.

“Eat this,” he says, handing me the bread from a hotdog he purchased while I was being questioned.

“I’m good, thanks.”

“You have another hour here and you’re about to run low on adrenaline, so I suggest you eat something.”

I take the bread. “Fine.”

Thane is right about running low on energy. I was keyed up while talking to the police, but as soon as it was over, I felt exhausted. We stop behind the bleachers while I finish eating the bread. I chew slowly, mostly because my stomach feels like it’s boiling acid.

Thane steps away from me and lights a cigarette, blasting smoke from his nose and mouth.

“You know your uncle is here?”

“Yep.”

“And he lets you do that?”