I’d seen it before. Not as chalked lines, but engraved on metal . . . I groaned as it hit me. “Faith, please tell me that’s not one of Krystal’s idiotic angel-summoning things.”
“No.” Faith hung her head, her voice dropping to a bare whisper. “It’s one of mine.”
I remembered the jeers about being crazy that Suzanne had thrown at Faith in History of Art class, and I silently cursed Krystal. It was one thing to try her special-effects scam on me, but pulling it on Faith—sweet, gentle, possibly brain-damaged Faith—just in order to get one friend was reaching new lows of desperation. “You seriously believe Krystal’s crap? Whatever she’s shown you to convince you her angel-summoning stuff works, it isn’t real. If you think some guy with wings is magically going to appear to sort out all your problems, you really are nuts.”
Faith turned away, leaning her elbows on the low iron railing running around the edge of the tower. She rested her forehead on her folded hands as if praying for strength. “I know.”
I wasn’t sure if it was the soft, hopeless misery in Faith’s voice, or the way her pose inadvertently showed off the riveting curve of her backside, but I couldn’t help myself. “Look,” I said, coming forward to lean on the railing next to her. “I’ve seen how bad things are for you here.” Oh, I should so not be getting involved with this walking social disaster, no matter how pretty she was. What was wrong with me when it came to this girl? “But this isn’t going to help. You’re making yourself a target, being friends with a weirdo like Krystal and letting the other girls walk all over you. Ditch this bullshit. Just try acting normal.”
Faith turned her head to look directly at me. “But I can’t, Raffi,” she said with an odd gentleness. “Because I’m not normal. There’s a great evil under this school, and I’m the only one who can stop it. I have to keep trying. I have to keep fighting the darkness, no matter how strange it makes me seem. For the sake of my mother. For the sake of everyone.” She looked down at our hands, side by side on the guardrail, and drew hers back from mine slightly. “But I don’t expect you to believe me.”
Well . . . if she was crazy, it looked a hell of a lot better on her than it did on Krystal.
On impulse, I laid my hand over hers—and caught my breath, everything I’d been intending to say knocked out of my head by the heat of her skin. Faith’s head snapped up, her startled eyes fixing on mine. For an instant that stretched like an eternity, we just stared speechless at each other.
Then a thick, black tentacle burst out of thin air between us, and hurled Faith over the edge of the roof.
Adrenaline turned everything as sharp and clear as glass. On pure instinct, I flung myself after Faith. My entire world shrunk to her terrified face, her golden hair streaming behind her like the tail of a falling star.
I caught her. The impact knocked all the breath out of me, but I gripped her tight to my chest even as I wheezed. Her arms locked around my neck.
For a moment, Faith clung to me, her breath coming in hitched gasps. I could feel her shaking as if plugged into an electric current. She lifted her head to look into my face, her own barely a handsbreadth away. “Rafael,” she whispered. Golden stars shone in the depths of her wondering blue eyes.
“Gck,” I said. Black spots danced in my vision.
Faith blinked, then appeared to notice that she was throttling me. “Oh!” She unwound her arms from around my neck. “I’m sorrAAAIIEEE!”
The word turned into a scream as Faith plummeted yet again. In blind panic, I dove, flipping completely upside down and just managing to grab her flailing hand. My shoulder screamed in protest as Faith seized my wrist with her other hand, dangling from my arm.
Hang on.
What was I dangling from?
I stared past Faith’s feet to the distant ground. It was definitely the ground.
“No.” Faith hung her head, her voice dropping to a bare whisper. “It’s one of mine.”
I remembered the jeers about being crazy that Suzanne had thrown at Faith in History of Art class, and I silently cursed Krystal. It was one thing to try her special-effects scam on me, but pulling it on Faith—sweet, gentle, possibly brain-damaged Faith—just in order to get one friend was reaching new lows of desperation. “You seriously believe Krystal’s crap? Whatever she’s shown you to convince you her angel-summoning stuff works, it isn’t real. If you think some guy with wings is magically going to appear to sort out all your problems, you really are nuts.”
Faith turned away, leaning her elbows on the low iron railing running around the edge of the tower. She rested her forehead on her folded hands as if praying for strength. “I know.”
I wasn’t sure if it was the soft, hopeless misery in Faith’s voice, or the way her pose inadvertently showed off the riveting curve of her backside, but I couldn’t help myself. “Look,” I said, coming forward to lean on the railing next to her. “I’ve seen how bad things are for you here.” Oh, I should so not be getting involved with this walking social disaster, no matter how pretty she was. What was wrong with me when it came to this girl? “But this isn’t going to help. You’re making yourself a target, being friends with a weirdo like Krystal and letting the other girls walk all over you. Ditch this bullshit. Just try acting normal.”
Faith turned her head to look directly at me. “But I can’t, Raffi,” she said with an odd gentleness. “Because I’m not normal. There’s a great evil under this school, and I’m the only one who can stop it. I have to keep trying. I have to keep fighting the darkness, no matter how strange it makes me seem. For the sake of my mother. For the sake of everyone.” She looked down at our hands, side by side on the guardrail, and drew hers back from mine slightly. “But I don’t expect you to believe me.”
Well . . . if she was crazy, it looked a hell of a lot better on her than it did on Krystal.
On impulse, I laid my hand over hers—and caught my breath, everything I’d been intending to say knocked out of my head by the heat of her skin. Faith’s head snapped up, her startled eyes fixing on mine. For an instant that stretched like an eternity, we just stared speechless at each other.
Then a thick, black tentacle burst out of thin air between us, and hurled Faith over the edge of the roof.
Adrenaline turned everything as sharp and clear as glass. On pure instinct, I flung myself after Faith. My entire world shrunk to her terrified face, her golden hair streaming behind her like the tail of a falling star.
I caught her. The impact knocked all the breath out of me, but I gripped her tight to my chest even as I wheezed. Her arms locked around my neck.
For a moment, Faith clung to me, her breath coming in hitched gasps. I could feel her shaking as if plugged into an electric current. She lifted her head to look into my face, her own barely a handsbreadth away. “Rafael,” she whispered. Golden stars shone in the depths of her wondering blue eyes.
“Gck,” I said. Black spots danced in my vision.
Faith blinked, then appeared to notice that she was throttling me. “Oh!” She unwound her arms from around my neck. “I’m sorrAAAIIEEE!”
The word turned into a scream as Faith plummeted yet again. In blind panic, I dove, flipping completely upside down and just managing to grab her flailing hand. My shoulder screamed in protest as Faith seized my wrist with her other hand, dangling from my arm.
Hang on.
What was I dangling from?
I stared past Faith’s feet to the distant ground. It was definitely the ground.
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