Starcrossed (Starcrossed 1)

Helen smacked her tongue against the roof of her mouth and

stumbled toward the water bottle that Lucas automatically held out

for her. She finished an entire liter in five gulps.

?Maybe that was a bit much,? she said as she leaned against

Lucas.

?You could have fried about fifty people,? Ariadne murmured distractedly,

looking from Helen to the irregular sheet of glass.

?I don?t want to fry fifty people. Fifty French fries, sure. Who

wouldn?t want fifty French fries? Delicious,? Helen said. She felt

herself give a goofy grin.

?The electricity makes her a little confused,? Lucas explained to

his siblings in an embarrassed tone. ?I hope it isn?t bad for her.?

?It?s not the voltage, Lucas. It?s severe dehydration!? Cassandra

chastised. ?Her body is built to handle electricity. It?s the drain of

the fluids out of her tissues that makes her seem like an airhead.

And that isn?t permanent or damaging, so stop worrying.?

In the kitchen, Helen put her lips under the faucet. Everyone

waited patiently for Helen to drink her fill while they stared at one

another behind her back. She could feel their fear. It was exactly

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why she had suppressed her power to begin with. That power was

so intense, so destructive, it was impossible for anyone to trust it.

Helen shut off the tap and turned to face them. ?Did I just freak

everyone out?? she asked.

?Yeah,? Lucas said, his face a mask. Helen?s throat closed and her

whole body went still. She kept her eyes on Lucas, but she was

waiting for any one of them to condemn her for going too far. Lucas

looked up at Helen and smiled at her. He smiled like he was

proud of her.

?But that?s our problem, not yours,? he said firmly. ?There?s nothing