Whitethorn Academy

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Bewildered, I gave myself a few minutes to calm myself down. Then I headed back down into the Parent's Day fray, hoping there would be enough chaos that I could slip away and head back to my dorm. I'd had enough company for one day.

The entrance hall wasn't buzzing with parents and students anymore, but there was no sign of Naomi or her mother either, which I was thankful for.

There was nothing I wanted more than to curl up in bed with Loki and sleep.

Outside, I embraced the bitter wind. It was oddly soothing against my exposed cheeks.

"Selene! Wait up!"

As much as I normally wouldn't mind Naomi's presence, I was too exhausted today. But I turned, giving a small wave.

"Did you find your mom?"

"She left." That was as much as I wanted to talk about for the moment. My heart hurt too much to delve any further.

Naomi's smile fell into a frown. "She left? So soon?" Brynn stood a bit behind Naomi, but I had no doubt she could hear everything.

"Yes," I said. "She left. And she isn't coming back."

Before Naomi could respond, a loud voice called from the other direction.

"Where did your mommy go, Selene? Did she abandon you already? Or should I say, again?"

I knew I shouldn't turn or acknowledge her existence, but my patience was running thin. Mari walked up the path, her blonde mother and Alek at her side. A wide, sarcastic smile was plastered across her face.

"Go away, Mari," I snapped.

"Aww, what's the matter? Oh wait, I know." Mari let out a fake laugh. "I heard your mommy doesn't love you."

Without thinking, my eyes snapped to Alek. His face gave nothing away, but I wasn't stupid. Of course he'd told her everything. He was nothing more than a passive little lapdog.

"Madelyn, are you not going to control your daughter?" Brynn asked, annoyance crossing her features. Her arms were crossed across her chest and she was frowning at Mari.

Madelyn, Mari's mother, gave a sneer to match her daughter's. Lovely. "I think this is between the girls to work out for themselves."

"At least someone's mommy loves you, even if its not your own," Mari said with a snicker.

"Mind your own stupid business, Mari. Because I'm sick of you being in mine."

I stormed off up the sidewalk, intent on crawling into my bed and being done with this entire day.

Naomi was quick to catch up with me. "Selene, are you okay?"

I gritted my teeth. "I'm fine."

Naomi tucked a stray piece of her red hair behind her ear. "What happened with your mother?"

"Nothing!" I growled, exasperated. I was beyond done talking about all of these things.

Naomi furrowed her brows and chewed on her lower lip. "I'm your friend, you can tell me what happened."

The anger that had been seething all day overloaded. I saw red. I was so tired of being walked over and talked down to and ignored.

"What happened was a group of mean girls decided they wanted to make my life a living hell, as if it wasn't already! Because what Mari said is true. My mother doesn't love me! And I don't know why!"

Around us, the wind began to howl, blowing bitter cold. It was as if in an instant, the temperature dropped several degrees, turning from bitter to frigid in an instant. Naomi's face went pale, and she visibly shivered. "Maybe you should calm down—"

Brynn stood to one side; her eyes wide as she watched our interaction. A little way past her, Mari, her mother, and Alek still stood.

I laughed, but it was harsh. "I don't want to calm down! I just want to be left alone!"

The quad was mysteriously empty, save for the few of us. The wind kept picking up speed, becoming colder and colder. A burst of lightning flashed to my right, followed closely by a roll of thunder. Naomi jumped at the sound, her green eyes wide and scared.

From his position, Alek watched me intently. Mari and her mother had matching confused looks on their faces as they took in the weather raging around them. As I took in Mari, the sight of her made my anger build further, the white-hot rage inside of me burning like a furnace.

"Selene, you need to stop!"

"Stop what?" I snarled at Naomi, though I barely recognized my own voice. It was feral and high-pitched. Unfamiliar.

Another bolt of lightning flashed closer this time. As the thunder crashed in my ears, Alek's eyes snapped to mine. For a second, there was an unplaced emotion in his eyes. Something tugged at me, like a gentle caress in the back of my mind.

Mari reached for Alek, but he did not acknowledge her presence. The caress in the back of my mind snapped away in an instant.

Like a cord snapping, a rage overwhelmed me. My jaw clenched down and my muscles tightened. A bitter, metallic scent filled the air and coated my tongue, like I'd swallowed a mouthful of pennies.

The wind blew harder, tugging at Mari's blonde hair. A sick sort of satisfaction overcame me, knowing that she would be complaining about the tangles later. But then I wondered if there could be more she could complain about. Or if maybe a lucky lightning strike would put an end to her once and for all.

"Selene, please!"

Stop this. This isn't you. The unfamiliar voice echoed around in my head and it was strangely soothing. And it felt oddly familiar, like I should be able to place the source. The storm slowed a little, but still raged around us like a typhoon.

Lightning crashed and shards of ice began to swirl, stinging my skin where they made contact. Mari and her mother were frozen in place, their ice-blue eyes full of fear.

I turned to face Naomi, who was clutching her jacket to herself, her eyes wide with terror. Brynn had made no attempt to move toward her daughter, though concern shone in her eyes.

"Please, calm down. You're going to hurt someone." Naomi was trying to calm me, but her words couldn't touch me.

Listen to her, the voice said. Listen to Naomi. You know she's right.

When the next bolt of lightning flashed, I could feel the electricity as it coursed over my skin. I could scent the ozone in the air. I didn't even hear the crash of the thunder, before a soft hand grasped mine from behind. A strange language twisted over me, nearly lost to the wind that whipped my hair around my face.

As the strange language continued, the surrounding storm died down, until the only thing left was a raging silence. My limbs felt heavy, and my knees buckled under me.

Hands guided me to the ground as I sank. The last thing I saw was Inara's face, looking down at me with concern before the world went dark.