weird,” I said. “They must getting bold because of the drought. Maybe they’re hungry.”
He snorted. “They are at that.”
A few more crows descended, strutting around us in the grass.
“I’m not sure I like the look of those birds,” he said. There was a teasing smile hovering at the corner of his mouth, but his eyes were serious. He slipped his arm around my waist, walking me backward as if we were moving to music only we could hear. He didn’t stop until my back rested against a tree and there was nowhere left to go. He pressed against me as if he really did mean to protect me, as if I were something precious.
And when he kissed me, I felt as substantial as sugar. Everything went sweet, went fiery, went sharp as lightning. He wasn’t just kissing me, he was tasting me. And I wasn’t just kissing him back, I was breathing him into my lungs, into my pores. It was a short kiss, more of a branding than anything else. It shouldn’t have affected me like that, shouldn’t have made me fist my hands in his shirt or made his breath rough when he pulled away, as if he’d been underwater.
There were crows all around us, perched in the trees and standing in the grass.
He kissed me again, roughly, before casting a dark and hateful glance at the birds.
“I have to go,” he said harshly. He looked angry, wild. My lips were still tingling, and I felt as if even my bones were on fire, but he stalked away, without looking back.
• • •
I floated all the way home, stopping only long enough to call Eloise, but she wasn’t answering. I sat in my room and grinned at the dark computer screen.
He’d kissed me.
Seriously
kissed me.
I was surprised the entire park hadn’t caught fire around us. I replayed it in my head, still smiling.
Then I yelped and fell right off my chair.
Because it’s not every day your best friend’s face flashes onto your monitor.
When it’s not even turned on.
“El? Crikey!”
“Crikey? Isn’t that Australian, not British?” Cole, my annoying younger brother, paused in my doorway. “And are you talking to yourself, lamebrain?”
“Get lost, git.” I reached out and kicked the door shut in his smirking face.
“Jo?”
I froze, looked around my bedroom slowly, wondering where Eloise was hiding. There were posters of castles and
Robin Hood
and
Pride and Prejudice
movies, heaps of clothes on my unmade bed, incense burning from a ceramic dragon, but no Eloise. Even though I swore I’d heard her, as well as seen her. I checked under the bed and then checked my mobile phone, but it was off, the battery drained when it had accidentally turned itself on in my knapsack. I checked my pulse too. Maybe the kiss had shot my temperature into a fever. It was hot enough, however brief.
Focus.
“Eloise?” I felt like an idiot, talking to my blank screen.
And then I felt positively barmy when her face stared back at me, the screen no longer blank. I knew her freckles and styled hair almost as well as I knew my own face. I’d never seen her that pale before, though.
“How are you
doing
that?” I asked. I was probably looking a little wild and pale myself, come to think of it. “My computer’s not even
on
.”
“You can hear me?” She looked as if she was going to cry, except that she was smiling too.
“Duh. I can see you too. Is this some kind of trick?” I looked for a projector of some kind.
“You can see me too? It must be the pendant. I was holding it when I said your name.” She wiped tears off her face. “How come I can’t see you?”
“Okay, if Cole snuck some kind of weird drug in my tea, I’m so going to kill him. A lot.”
“Jo, listen, you have to help me.” Eloise’s voice dropped to a frantic whisper. “I may not have much time.”
“You don’t even have a curfew. Which leaves us plenty of time for me to get lots of therapy,” I added drily.
She shook her head. “I don’t even know where I am, except it’s somewhere under a hill in west
He snorted. “They are at that.”
A few more crows descended, strutting around us in the grass.
“I’m not sure I like the look of those birds,” he said. There was a teasing smile hovering at the corner of his mouth, but his eyes were serious. He slipped his arm around my waist, walking me backward as if we were moving to music only we could hear. He didn’t stop until my back rested against a tree and there was nowhere left to go. He pressed against me as if he really did mean to protect me, as if I were something precious.
And when he kissed me, I felt as substantial as sugar. Everything went sweet, went fiery, went sharp as lightning. He wasn’t just kissing me, he was tasting me. And I wasn’t just kissing him back, I was breathing him into my lungs, into my pores. It was a short kiss, more of a branding than anything else. It shouldn’t have affected me like that, shouldn’t have made me fist my hands in his shirt or made his breath rough when he pulled away, as if he’d been underwater.
There were crows all around us, perched in the trees and standing in the grass.
He kissed me again, roughly, before casting a dark and hateful glance at the birds.
“I have to go,” he said harshly. He looked angry, wild. My lips were still tingling, and I felt as if even my bones were on fire, but he stalked away, without looking back.
• • •
I floated all the way home, stopping only long enough to call Eloise, but she wasn’t answering. I sat in my room and grinned at the dark computer screen.
He’d kissed me.
Seriously
kissed me.
I was surprised the entire park hadn’t caught fire around us. I replayed it in my head, still smiling.
Then I yelped and fell right off my chair.
Because it’s not every day your best friend’s face flashes onto your monitor.
When it’s not even turned on.
“El? Crikey!”
“Crikey? Isn’t that Australian, not British?” Cole, my annoying younger brother, paused in my doorway. “And are you talking to yourself, lamebrain?”
“Get lost, git.” I reached out and kicked the door shut in his smirking face.
“Jo?”
I froze, looked around my bedroom slowly, wondering where Eloise was hiding. There were posters of castles and
Robin Hood
and
Pride and Prejudice
movies, heaps of clothes on my unmade bed, incense burning from a ceramic dragon, but no Eloise. Even though I swore I’d heard her, as well as seen her. I checked under the bed and then checked my mobile phone, but it was off, the battery drained when it had accidentally turned itself on in my knapsack. I checked my pulse too. Maybe the kiss had shot my temperature into a fever. It was hot enough, however brief.
Focus.
“Eloise?” I felt like an idiot, talking to my blank screen.
And then I felt positively barmy when her face stared back at me, the screen no longer blank. I knew her freckles and styled hair almost as well as I knew my own face. I’d never seen her that pale before, though.
“How are you
doing
that?” I asked. I was probably looking a little wild and pale myself, come to think of it. “My computer’s not even
on
.”
“You can hear me?” She looked as if she was going to cry, except that she was smiling too.
“Duh. I can see you too. Is this some kind of trick?” I looked for a projector of some kind.
“You can see me too? It must be the pendant. I was holding it when I said your name.” She wiped tears off her face. “How come I can’t see you?”
“Okay, if Cole snuck some kind of weird drug in my tea, I’m so going to kill him. A lot.”
“Jo, listen, you have to help me.” Eloise’s voice dropped to a frantic whisper. “I may not have much time.”
“You don’t even have a curfew. Which leaves us plenty of time for me to get lots of therapy,” I added drily.
She shook her head. “I don’t even know where I am, except it’s somewhere under a hill in west
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