Classified

Chapter 19 - "How can he be so clueless?"

"That was cold," he said.

Donovan couldn't ignore the flicker of guilt in his gut.

"She was just being nice," Link said with exaggerated pity. "You didn't have to be so mean. You shut her down so harshly."

Donovan smacked the back of Link's head making him laugh even as he rubbed the spot.

"Hey, what are we laughing at?"

Maddy's bright voice brought Link up short and the playful person of a second before seemed to vanish in an instant under her smile.

"Uh... what?" He motioned between him and Donovan. "We weren't... it wasn't. Nothing."

Maddy laughed and settled next to him. "Okay, keep your secrets."

Link paled and Donovan nudged his shoulder to snap him out of his panic. Link swallowed but didn't seem to know how to form words anymore.

"Are you coming to the library with us?" Donovan asked, diverting Maddy's attention and giving Link a second to get a hold of himself.

"Yes," she said, turning her smile on Link again, along with hopeful eyes. "I need some help with the calculus homework, I was hoping you'd help me."

"Yes!" Link coughed and cringed at the excitement in his voice. He cleared his throat. "Yes, I can help with that, definitely."

As Donovan pushed the door to the library, Maddy laughed at Link's eagerness. With a quick survey of the library, Donovan found Carter at a table towards the back. Her position caused him to pause for a fraction. Instead of sitting like everyone else, she had her ankles crossed on top of the table and her chair angled back on two legs, her eyes closed.

"Oh, we can sit with Carter," Link said, spotting her as well.

As they approached Carter, she didn't react at all, seemingly oblivious to their presence but Donovan wasn't convinced, she was too tense to be unaware. Part of him wondered if she sat the way she did to draw attention to herself. But the other part of him said he could easily imagine her positioning herself like this alone at her house.

When Donovan prodded her shoulder with his finger, he wasn't surprised with how quickly she snatched his wrist.

"Good to know you are still aware of your surroundings," Donovan said gently taking her wrist and pulling her fingers away from his. Though a defensive action, Donovan didn't want to get familiar with her touch. Couldn't want it.

She smiled but didn't look at him.

"Carter," Maddy said, "are you actually asleep?"

Donovan understood Maddy's question, to an outsider Carter looked so comfortable in the position it was believable she could sleep there.

"Nope," Carter said, slipping her legs off the table and dropping her chair to all fours. "Not asleep."

"Good," Maddy said, teasingly as they all took a seat. "I was going to say that's probably not the best way to sleep, you could fall."

"Very true."

If asleep, then yes Donovan could see Carter falling but figured only a heavy sleep would make that possible. Donovan quickly cut off his thoughts on the subject, realizing he'd wasted pointless brain space thinking about Carter and her ability. She did not need to take up space in his mind.

Donovan took out his unfinished homework, determined to put his mind to something that needed his actual attention, the girl beside him didn't fall into that category. Homework, Link that's what deserved his attention, not Carter reaching up to tighten her ponytail next to him.