bathroom, almost there, when one of them turned in my direction.
Damn. The spiky hair did belong to Jake Peters. He looked at me, then turned away. I ran the rest of the way to the bathroom,
A toiled flushed, and a girl in a yellow sweater emerged from a stall and headed to the sink. I kept my eyes down, moving toward the other faucet, hoping she’d leave me there alone. But the door from the hallway swooshed open behind me.
“You okay?”
I whirled. Caleb stood there, looking somehow more solid, more real, than anything else in school. The girl in the yellow sweater saw him in the mirror and squealed.
“I could ask you the same thing,” I said. “What are you doing here?”
Yellow sweater girl didn’t wait to dry her hands, but ran past Caleb, glaring at us both. The door thumped closed behind her. We were alone.
“Where have you been?” I asked. “I came outside this morning as soon as I could, but I didn’t see you anywhere nearby.”
“I saw your lights go on and thought I’d better get out of the area in case the police had been called or your parents came out looking for the scalawag who hijacked you.”
The door from the hallway opened, and a girl walked in. She stopped dead at the sight of Caleb, then swiveled on her heel and walked right back out again. He turned back to me, his mouth twisting in a smirk.
“Scalawag indeed,” I said.
But he was staring at me now from under his black eyebrows, like I was a puzzle with some pieces missing. “Where’s the shadow?” he said.
“What?”
He moved up to me and took my right hand in both of his, never taking his eyes from mine. I stared back, confused. He hands were slightly rough, but strong and warm. His touch sent a flutter through me. “Last night the shadow was coming off of you in streams. Now, I can’t see it at all.”
My heart leapt. “Does that mean I’m normal again?”
He shook his head and hummed low in his throat, pressing my hand between his. The vibration moved through me, as if I were the body of the guitar and he were strumming the strings. At first that was all. Then something deep inside me stirred.
I heard myself gasp. My hand curled inside his. The thrumming continued, pushing at me, relentless. The core of me trembled, began to awaken. Something dark in my heart reached out, filled my veins, extended its claws . . .
“There it is,” he said, his voice uneven. He cleared his throat. “I found it, but it’s buried deeper than any shadow I’ve ever known.”
Our faces were inches apart, his breath hot on my skin. The purring inside me took on a different tone as I fell into his night-black eyes. I felt paralyzed, yet so alive, electric. His gaze fell to my lips as he dipped his head toward mine.
“No!” I pulled away and turned to lean my hands on the sink to steady myself. God, he’d almost pressed up against me, against the brace. “That’s enough. I can’t . . .”
He didn’t say anything for a moment. I looked up to see him in the mirror, standing behind me. He looked unnerved and slightly flushed.
“I’m sorry,” he said, pushing his hands into his pockets. “Something about you . . .” He shook his head and turned away so I couldn’t see his face. “I lost track of what was going on there.”
My own reflection looked wrong somehow. I leaned in to look at myself and inhaled sharply. My eyes were even rounder and now startlingly gold instead of the usual green.
“My eyes. They’re . . . tiger eyes.” I brought my hands up to touch my eyelids. The lashes looked longer, thicker, blacker. Caleb’s warm scent lingered on my palms. I turned, breathing in, and a hundred different smells passed into me. Acrid cleaning agents mixed with old makeup, mold, and urine. And then there was Caleb. Even more than before, I caught his scent, like the woods just before a thunderstorm. I could have been placed on the other side of the room, blindfolded, and known for certain that he stood there.
I heard
Damn. The spiky hair did belong to Jake Peters. He looked at me, then turned away. I ran the rest of the way to the bathroom,
A toiled flushed, and a girl in a yellow sweater emerged from a stall and headed to the sink. I kept my eyes down, moving toward the other faucet, hoping she’d leave me there alone. But the door from the hallway swooshed open behind me.
“You okay?”
I whirled. Caleb stood there, looking somehow more solid, more real, than anything else in school. The girl in the yellow sweater saw him in the mirror and squealed.
“I could ask you the same thing,” I said. “What are you doing here?”
Yellow sweater girl didn’t wait to dry her hands, but ran past Caleb, glaring at us both. The door thumped closed behind her. We were alone.
“Where have you been?” I asked. “I came outside this morning as soon as I could, but I didn’t see you anywhere nearby.”
“I saw your lights go on and thought I’d better get out of the area in case the police had been called or your parents came out looking for the scalawag who hijacked you.”
The door from the hallway opened, and a girl walked in. She stopped dead at the sight of Caleb, then swiveled on her heel and walked right back out again. He turned back to me, his mouth twisting in a smirk.
“Scalawag indeed,” I said.
But he was staring at me now from under his black eyebrows, like I was a puzzle with some pieces missing. “Where’s the shadow?” he said.
“What?”
He moved up to me and took my right hand in both of his, never taking his eyes from mine. I stared back, confused. He hands were slightly rough, but strong and warm. His touch sent a flutter through me. “Last night the shadow was coming off of you in streams. Now, I can’t see it at all.”
My heart leapt. “Does that mean I’m normal again?”
He shook his head and hummed low in his throat, pressing my hand between his. The vibration moved through me, as if I were the body of the guitar and he were strumming the strings. At first that was all. Then something deep inside me stirred.
I heard myself gasp. My hand curled inside his. The thrumming continued, pushing at me, relentless. The core of me trembled, began to awaken. Something dark in my heart reached out, filled my veins, extended its claws . . .
“There it is,” he said, his voice uneven. He cleared his throat. “I found it, but it’s buried deeper than any shadow I’ve ever known.”
Our faces were inches apart, his breath hot on my skin. The purring inside me took on a different tone as I fell into his night-black eyes. I felt paralyzed, yet so alive, electric. His gaze fell to my lips as he dipped his head toward mine.
“No!” I pulled away and turned to lean my hands on the sink to steady myself. God, he’d almost pressed up against me, against the brace. “That’s enough. I can’t . . .”
He didn’t say anything for a moment. I looked up to see him in the mirror, standing behind me. He looked unnerved and slightly flushed.
“I’m sorry,” he said, pushing his hands into his pockets. “Something about you . . .” He shook his head and turned away so I couldn’t see his face. “I lost track of what was going on there.”
My own reflection looked wrong somehow. I leaned in to look at myself and inhaled sharply. My eyes were even rounder and now startlingly gold instead of the usual green.
“My eyes. They’re . . . tiger eyes.” I brought my hands up to touch my eyelids. The lashes looked longer, thicker, blacker. Caleb’s warm scent lingered on my palms. I turned, breathing in, and a hundred different smells passed into me. Acrid cleaning agents mixed with old makeup, mold, and urine. And then there was Caleb. Even more than before, I caught his scent, like the woods just before a thunderstorm. I could have been placed on the other side of the room, blindfolded, and known for certain that he stood there.
I heard
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