Starcrossed (Starcrossed 1)

her. A wiry arm wrapped around her neck, simultaneously pulling

back and pressing down until Helen fell to her knees. Her breath

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was cut off, and she was bent forward in such a way that she could

see nothing of the person behind her. She wondered who had won

that whole ?she?s mine? argument, Lucas or Hector? White and

blue blobs bloomed across her field of vision from lack of oxygen.

Then she pictured her dad coming home to find her dead body in

the driveway, and she knew that no matter how outnumbered she

might be, she had to fight back. She couldn?t let him lose another

person he loved. He?d never get over it.

Helen crooked her arm and rammed her elbow into her attacker?s

solar plexus with every bit of juice she had in her tank. She heard

the person suck wind and then she felt herself get dropped. The

heels of her hands scraped against the ground as she stopped her

forward momentum. She took two deep breaths before she looked

up, surprised that one of the others hadn?t jumped in to secure her.

Lucas stared down at her, his right arm thrown out and gripping

Hector by the shirt. Strangely, Hector was looking over his

shoulder?away from Helen. She barely had time to register that

fact before Lucas spoke. As he did the Furies began wailing behind

him. Helen wondered why it had taken this long for them to show

up, but she didn?t have a chance to dwell on it.

?Jason! Ariadne! Bring her back alive,? he commanded, stressing

the word alive as he looked pointedly at Hector. The twins took off

in the same direction Hector had been looking. Helen took that

moment to jump up and run for her life.

She had never tried to run at full speed before. She?d always

known that if she did she would discover every nightmare she had

ever had about herself was true. Monster, freak, animal, witch: all