Page 10 of Twilight of Embers
Delaney shook her head. “That has to be a lie.”
Bella picked a piece of invisible lint off Delaney’s comforter. “It’s just what I heard. And Maddox and Cillian get in on it, too.”
“There’s no way,” Maggie argued. “Maddox is a professor here. You know they have strict rules about that. He wouldn’t risk it.” Her mouth turned up at the corners. “Not that I wouldn’t volunteer as tribute.”
Laughter found them again, but I couldn’t stop thinking about what Bella had suggested. Five men and one woman. What a hell of a lucky woman she would be.
5
HAYDEN
I pressed down harder on the wound, but the blood kept pouring from my mother’s chest. “Please, Mom. Don’t leave me.”
I jolted upright in bed. My oversized T-shirt, damp with sweat, clung to my body. “Just a dream,” I whispered to myself.
Only it wasn’t. It was a memory that I was destined to relive over and over. There were times when I wouldn’t have a nightmare for as long as a couple of months. But other times, they came every single night.
It was usually in seasons of change or when there were other stressors. I’d say that starting a new school hundreds of miles away from any home I’d ever known was a stressor.
I rubbed my eyes and swung my legs over the side of the bed, slipping my feet into flip-flops. Delaney snored softly in the bed next to mine. She had the blankets half over herself, but she’d obviously passed out in her clothes from last night—a black spandex miniskirt and sequined top.
She’d stumbled into the room after three in the morning, giggling and bumping into things. If this was going to be a regular occurrence, I was going to have to see about getting an apartment. But that meant I needed a job.
Pushing out of bed, I grabbed my shower caddy and headed for the bathrooms. Knox was right. This dorm was nice. The bathrooms were clearly newer, and the bedrooms had everything you’d need.
I made quick work of showering and brushing my teeth. I even took time to blow-dry my hair before heading back to my room. Delaney was still asleep when I stepped inside.
I tried to be as quiet as possible as I made my bed and went about finding an outfit to wear. I opted for a worn pair of jeans and another favorite T-shirt. This one spelled out NErDy in the periodic elements: nitrogen, erbium, and dysprosium.
A smile tugged at my lips as I pulled it on. I was who I was, and it was better for people to know that going in. I grabbed my now-empty backpack, shoved my wallet into the front pouch, and slipped my phone into my back pocket.
First stop of the day was the bookstore. Thankfully, books were covered under my scholarship, and I even had a small stipend for school supplies. But my scholarship was also contingent on keeping a 3.5 grade point average. That meant I needed to focus.
I pushed open the door and was hit with surprisingly cool air. I guessed that the higher elevation really did make a difference. I thought about heading back up to my room to grab a sweatshirt but didn’t want to waste the time. Instead, I headed out into the sunshine and toward the student center.
“Hayden,” a deep voice called.
I turned to see Knox striding toward me. He wore school warm-ups and a hoodie but somehow was able to make it look like the height of fashion.
“Hey,” I said, my voice unsure.
He just grinned and extended a coffee holder. “I was coming to find you. I wasn’t sure what you drank, so I brought options. Black coffee. Coffee with cream and sugar. One of those caramel coffee drinks that are more like a milkshake. And hot chocolate.”
I stared back at him, my jaw going just the slightest bit slack. “You brought me four different drinks?”
Knox nodded. “Seemed like the best move.”
“Why?”
“I told you. I didn’t know what you liked.”
“No, why bring me anything at all?” My eyes narrowed on him. “Is this some weird hazing thing where there’s ex-lax in my drink?”
Knox’s lips twitched, and the gold in his eyes seemed to sparkle in the morning light. “I thought it would be a nice welcome. A gesture of friendship.”
The word friendship had a pit settling in my stomach, but I forced a smile. “Then thank you, I guess.”
I tugged the hot chocolate free from the container. “I hate coffee. Why on earth would anyone actually want to drink that bitter stuff?”
