Last Christmas (Private 0.60)

remarks will be brief, but they are important, and I suggest you pay close attention." A loud snore sounded on

the other side of the chapel, and Gage Coolidge slid down in his pew before any of the teachers had the

chance to catch him. A few snickers rose up around him. Either Headmaster Cox didn't hear the boys'

laughter, or he didn't care enough to acknowledge it. Ariana glanced across the aisle and saw Thomas giving

Gage a silent high five. Mature. As always.

Seeing Thomas now in the light of day, messing around with Gage, Ariana was proud to realize that she felt

absolutely nothing at all. No spark, no blush, no warmth. Perhaps it had just been the atmosphere, the few

swallows of champagne she had indulged in. A moment of temporary insanity. Everyone had those, right?

"As you are all aware, Easton Academy's campus will be closed beginning at precisely six o'clock tomorrow

evening," Headmaster Cox continued. Shadowy light from the lanterns played across the dean's partially bald

head, almost as if a bunch of kids were making shadow puppets against it. "Six o'clock sharp. The only

exceptions to this rule are the students who have already received my permission to be on campus. Those

students, and those students alone, will stay in Drake for the duration of break. No other dormitories will be

open to students during this time." Everyone knew that Headmaster Cox was talking about Easton's exchange

students. They always stayed together over breaks and holidays, since it was usually too far for them to travel

home. "The cost of heating each of the dormitories is too great, considering the relatively small number of

students on campus." "So all those thousands they extort from our parents for tuition can't pay the bills, huh?"

Natasha whispered. She only briefly looked up from the New York Times crossword she was doing-in pen.

Last month she'd announced that she was going to do this every day until she completed one all on her own.

"No luck yet?" Ariana whispered.

"Not for lack of working my ass off on it," Natasha joked in response, her dark eyes smiling as she filled in

number twenty-four across. Then Leanne gave Ariana an unwarranted look of death and Ariana faced forward

again. The two were roommates and best friends, but Ariana always thought that Leanne was a little bit too

possessive when it came to Natasha.

Feeling frozen out of any further conversation, Ariana unwillingly let her mind drift back to the talk she'd had

with her mother. Part of her was happy for her mom, happy that she could finally get away from the blank

white walls, the cold nurses, and the restricted visiting hours. Happy that she could finally go home. But part

of her knew that her mom wasn't ready. And Ariana couldn't go through it again. Couldn't come home to an

eerily silent house. Couldn't call for her mother and hear the sound of her own voice echo in the soaring

entrance hall. Couldn't run up the stairs, down the long hallway into the bedroom, and find-