EMMA
I SWITCHED my textbooks and spun around, nearly hurtling into Luc that had been standing there silently. He hadn't given the slightest warning or indication of his presence, and knowing him, he'd been watching for a minute.
"Oh, Jesus Christ on a cracker," I whispered, inhaling deeply. My heart pumped fast. "Don't sneak up on me like that."
I used to not think much about his ninja arrivals, but I hated them now. I hated anything startling, nowadays.
"We need to talk," he said straight up, his face impenetrable. "Now."
"Why?" I stepped back. It wasn't that I didn't trust him, but if he wanted to talk to me about what I thought he wanted to, then I didn't want to hear it. "What is it that you can't tell me here?" I gestured at the packed hallway.
Luc's expression went blank. "Don't act dumb." He paused, looked around, then approached me. "It's really important, Em. I won't keep you long, if that makes you feel better."
I took another step back with a heave of scorn. I didn't need people to worry about what made me feel better or not like with a child. But this was Luc. Lauren's brother. I couldn't pretend like I didn't care at all or like we'd never known each other. I couldn't ever do that.
I sighed. "Fine. Let's talk."
I followed him through the corridor, passing through the mass of students on their way to class. We stopped by the entrance door where no one was around and we weren't within earshot with all the ambient noise.
"Look, I heard about you being friends with that guy, Miles," he began, and I readied to walk away.
"Did Riley tell you that?" I asked tentatively, hating my voice's telltale pitch.
Luc shook his head. "It's not exactly a state secret around here. I also know that you're aware of why it's not okay to me."
"To you, yes."
"I know it's hard right now and he seems nice, but this is a bad idea," he said, eyeing me with that infamous disapproval he mastered so well. "He could—"
"What, Luc? He could what?" I interrupted him, shoulders square. I wasn't that attached to Miles but seeing everybody around me consider him as a horseman of the apocalypse was getting to me. "He's not a threat to you guys. He told me the whole ordeal with the Wanderers is what drew them here, and he was glad that they're gone. He's a decent guy, as hard as it is for you to conceive."
Luc and his people had major trust issues—and with good reason most of the time—but it got the best of them. They were popular at school for their exclusiveness, their looks and their charisma. Everyone wanted to be them yet loathed them.
But outside of each other, they didn't allow communication with the rest of the town. To Lauren, it had been untenable, and it sometimes made her miserable.
"I was going to say he could use you," he finished to my surprise. "Miles might be a pain in our ass because he's your friend now, but since he's not the only one around, then he's just a bleep on the radar. We still have to be careful regardless. It makes a difference to me personally if he harms you in any way."
I forced a smile. As much of a jerk he could be overall, he had good intentions. I used to pity Lauren for dealing with such a moody sibling. He was so protective—sometimes too much. He thought everything was his responsibility, including watching over me in case I spiraled out of control.
"I'll be fine, I promise. We hardly ever talk about that kind of stuff, actually."
He said nothing for a while, just scanning me with that stare of his—identical to his sister's. I always saw a frightening amount of her in him, especially the eyes. The similarities vanished the moment he opened his mouth.
"How are you doing?" He leaned against one of the doors. "Are you dealing with everything?"
I wasn't sure if he asked out of interest or out of genuine concern. With him, it was impossible to tell.
I couldn't sleep without getting nightmares or look at the trees at night without having the flashbacks stream back. I felt so disconnected from people. The pitied looks from my friends reminded me that suddenly I was nothing more than the survivor, a phantom sorrow on two feet.
I tried to move on and be more, but those looks just made me want to give up. It was hard to act normal. I couldn't explain why or get a grip.
And also, the stares. The freaking stares in the halls.
"As well as I can," I answered, gazing at the thinning crowd.
"Wouldn't it help to spend more time with your friends?" Luc inquired. He was trying to subtly convince me to ditch Miles, and he was doing a terrible job at it. "I don't really see you with those two girls you usually hang out with anymore."
I shrugged and peered down. When I thought of that, the void became almost unbearable. "I don't know. It's just not the same anymore."
Luc considered me a while, seeming to think he ought to let me be. Finally, he pushed off the door and palmed the top of my head while walking past me. "Well, I promised I wouldn't keep you long. Be careful."
I hated when he did that. I smoothed the flyaways and watched him leave. "You too, Luc."
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