It was 3:36 in the morning, Ellie had been out for three days. In a rush of breath, she sat up in bed, gasping in air as she woke suddenly from her deep sleep. If you could call it a deep sleep. Meeting the Fates wasn't exactly a restful experience. Her hair was wild, she had a very distinct and very pungent odor that made her nose cringe and she felt like she had been underwater for a very long time as she gasped for breath. The sound of her pulling air in and pushing it out with the force of someone that had just escaped death was enough to wake Jake from his sleep. He had stayed by her side for days. He refused to leave her. Even when he was supposed to go visit his mother, he canceled the trip to stay with Ellie. He may only have a few weeks left with her and he planned to stay as close to her as possible for however long he had. No one would take this time from him. "ELLIE!" Jake's voice rang through the infirmary. Between the sound of Jake's cry of surprise and Ellie's gasp
Marcus looked at the building Ellie was pointing toward, his eyes widening a fraction as he glanced back at Ellie. "You stay here, understand me? Don't move. I need to go help," Marcus replied, distracted, his hand gripping Ellie's arm in a tight, death hold. Ellie nodded, her eyes wide with fright. She couldn't bear the thought that Jake had been in the building when the blast occurred. A building that was now a pile of rubble. If he had been inside, he was very likely dead. No one could survive that. She felt tears coursing down her cheeks as she watched Marcus run across the quad toward the stones, glancing back at her every few feet to make sure she was still alright where he had left her. She watched him go, her eyes not daring to look at the ground around the building. In her peripheral vision, she could see hands and feet and she couldn't bear to look where she might find a body. Those were her friends. She had very likely lost friends in the blast and until she knew which
Ellie's head was spinning. She was concentrating hard and it was giving her a headache. Determined to keep the brick wall sturdy in her mind, keeping her thoughts private, for once, she crept down the dark corridor of the teacher's hall and glanced to her left, searching for a staircase leading downstairs. She was on the ground floor, looking for something that would point her in the right direction of the basement. Dungeons are always in the basement, she thought wryly as she tried to determine which way to go to find Stefano. She crept forward slowly, trying to keep her step light, knowing the hall was filled with werewolves with super-hearing and super-senses. She didn't live under the illusion she would make it all the way down to the dungeons and back without getting caught but she was hopeful she would be able to sneak in and see Stefano before the werewolves clued into her presence. So far, the werewolves on campus had been doing a pretty good job trying to keep her away from
Ellie could feel herself clam up, her nerve flying right out the window in retreat of the icy green stares that pierced her resolve. There were six emerald-green eyes staring her down. One set was icy, one was angry, and one was almost disappointed, a sadness seeping in. "Els," Jake started, shaking his head as he paused. He looked disappointed and Ellie knew she was the cause. She was surprised to realize that she cared how he felt about her actions, but she supposed that happened when you grew closer to a mate. You suddenly want to please them. That was a weird feeling. She shook her head at her wayward thoughts, realizing she had been caught visiting a prisoner that she wasn't supposed to see. It was just Stefano, though. He was innocent. This was her Stefano. Her friend, not some dangerous criminal. "He didn't do it," she started, her voice soft and shaky. The glare of Eloise was enough to send her stomach into twists of nerves. She was certain she was going to be sick if she ha
Ellie paced in her room, Amanda was sitting on the couch watching as she walked back and forth. "Maybe we should figure out how to-" Amanda's voice was cut off by a knock on the door as Sam and Meredith swung the door open and walked in without preamble. Hannah came behind, walking slower, her face pensive as she pondered some private conundrum. Ellie could guess that her mind was preoccupied with her mate. "It's time to get dressed!" Sam said with her normal exuberance. "We are going to have the best time tonight! I can't wait to see you in your dress, you will seriously make the BEST demon." "Because that's what I want to be doing right now," Ellie muttered. Sam was still talking and didn't hear her mumbling as Ellie walked to her window, looking at the destruction in the courtyard beyond. Remnants of buildings were piled to the side of the walkways and Ellie's heart clenched at the memory of the students that had died in the blast. There had been a few in her class, the student
As soon as Halloween was over, it felt like life was on fast-forward. The days flew by and suddenly it was two days until Ellie and Jake's shared birthday. The campus had turned to fall, decorations and trees alike reflecting the orange and red hues typical of this time of year."We're going out for dinner tomorrow night," Amanda said, nudging Ellie with her arm as they headed in toward class. "I don't know," Ellie said, shaking her head as she gestured toward four books in her hand. "I need to get these read by the end of the weekend.""It's your birthday, Els, you can take a break for dinner with your best friend," Amanda teased.Ellie looked at Amanda with surprise then scrunched up her face in confusion and looked up at the sky, silently counting."Tomorrow is the 12th," Amanda replied with a snort. "Your birthday.""Shoot, I forgot it was tomorrow," Ellie said with a small laugh. "Dinner sounds good."Amanda laughed as they sat in their seats, waiting for the lecture to begin."
7 years ago... "Mom, please, can we go into Marie's?" Ellie's voice begged, as she pulled on her mom's hand, leading her in the direction of the jewelry and accessory store in the mall. "Ok, but only 3 things, that's it," her mom, Cindy, replied, the mock stern tone giving away her tendency to give in to the little girl pulling at her hand. "Yay!" Ellie exclaimed, running into the store filled with racks of hair ties, earrings, fuzzy backpacks, necklaces, and every shiny thing a preteen girl could possibly drool over. Ellie pulled a basket from the pile at the entrance and started perusing the racks and shelves. A shiny tiara caught her eye and she pulled it off the shelf, looking intently at the fake diamonds adorning the peaks. Suddenly a sharp pain shot through Ellie's head, and she saw a burst of flames in her vision, engulfing the store next door. Ellie turned around sharply with a surprised gasp, searching for the fire, lo
"Do you have your uniforms packed?" Cindy asked Elizabeth for the seventh time. "Yes, mom, they're in my suitcase." "And do you have enough snacks for the ride?" "Yes, mom," Elizabeth replied in exasperation. "What about money, do you have cash and your debit card? I transferred money into your account for food and incidentals this semester. You'll let me know if you need more?" Worry creased Cindy's eyes as she searched her daughter's face. "Yes, mom, it will be fine," Elizabeth spoke in disinterested monotones. Ever since she found out she had to go to The Academy she had been detached, not interested in anything having to do with her mom and dad. They were public enemy number one. The duo had condemned her to a life at The Academy, a boarding school where she would finish her final two years of high school. She would graduate then she could finally join public life, away from werewolves, away from the pack, away from anything magical. The c