are blind and cruel. You know that. You mustnât take revenge, no matter how you feel about the girl. Especially now. There are more worrisome things on the move.â
Iâm dreaming, I decided. That must be it. What was in that drink, anyway? In the dim light, the silhouettes playing across the curtain looked confusing and strange. The nurse, it seemed, was even smaller, barely three feet in height. The other shadow was even more peculiar: normal-size, but with strange protrusions on the side of his head that looked like horns, or ears.
The taller shadow sighed and moved to sit in a chair, crossing his long legs. âIâve heard the same,â he muttered. âDark rumors are stirring. The Courts are restless. Seems like something is out there that has both of them scared.â
âWhich is why you must continue to be both her shield and her guardian.â The nurse turned, putting both hands on her hips, her voice chiding. âIâm surprised you havenât given her the mist wine yet. She is sixteen today. The veil is beginning to lift.â
âI know, I know. Iâm getting to it.â The shadow sighed, putting his head in his hands. âIâll take care of that later this afternoon. How is she?â
âResting,â said the nurse. âPoor thing, she was traumatized. I gave her a mild sleep potion that will knock her out until she goes home.â
A chuckle. âThe last kid who drank one of your âmildâ sleep potions didnât wake up for two weeks. Youâre one to talk about being inconspicuous.â
The nurseâs reply was garbled and broken, but I was almost sure she said, âSheâs her fatherâs daughter. Sheâll be fine.â Or maybe it was just me. The world went fuzzy, like an out-of-focus camera, and I knew nothing for a time.
âMEGHAN!â
Someone was shaking me awake. I cursed and flailed, momentarily confused, and finally lifted my head. My eyes felt like they had ten pounds of sand in them, and sleep gook crusted the corners, making it impossible to focus. Groaning, I wiped my lids and stared blearily into Robbieâs face. For a moment, his brow was furrowed with concern. Then I blinked and he was his normal, grinning self.
âWakey wakey, sleeping beauty,â he teased as I struggled to a sitting position. âLucky you, school is out. Itâs time to go home.â
âHuh?â I muttered intelligently, wiping the last traces of sleep snot from my eyes. Robbie snorted and pulled me to my feet.
âHere,â he said, handing me my backpack, heavy with books. âYouâre lucky Iâm such a great friend. I got notes for all the classes you missed after lunch. Oh, and youâre forgiven, by the way. I wonât even say âI told you so.ââ
He was speaking too fast. My brain was still asleep, my mind foggy and disconnected. âWhat are you talking about?â I mumbled, shrugging into my pack.
And then I remembered.
âI need to call my mom,â I said, dropping back on the cot. Robbie frowned and looked confused. âShe has to come pick me up,â I elaborated. âNo way am I getting on the bus, ever again.â Despair settled on me, and I hid my face in my hands.
âLook, Meghan,â Robbie said, âI heard what happened.
Itâs not a big deal.â
âAre you on crack?â I asked, glaring at him through my fingers. âThe whole school is talking about me. This will probably go in the school paper. Iâll be crucified if I show my face in public. And you say itâs not a big deal?â
I drew my knees to my chest and buried my head in them. Everything was so horribly unfair. âItâs my birthday,â I moaned into my jeans. âThis isnât supposed to happen to people on their birthdays.â
Robbie sighed. Dropping his bag, he sat down and put his arms around me, pulling me to his chest. I sniffled and shed a few tears into his jacket, listening to his heartbeat through his shirt. It thudded rapidly against his chest, like heâd been sprinting several miles.
âCome on.â Robbie stood, pulling me up with him. âYou can do this. And I promise, no one will care what happened today. By tomorrow, everyone will have forgotten about it.â
He smiled, squeezing my arm. âBesides, donât you have a driverâs permit to get?â
That one bright spark in the black misery of my life gave me hope. I nodded, steeling myself for what was to come. We left the nurseâs office together, Robbieâs hand clasped firmly around mine.
âJust stick close,â he muttered as we neared the crowded part of the hallway. Angie and three of her groupies stood in front of the lockers, chattering away and snapping their gum. My stomach tensed and my heart began to pound. Robbie squeezed my hand. âItâs okay. Donât let go of me, and donât say anything to anyone. They wonât even notice weâre here.â
As we neared the cluster of girls, I prepared for them to turn on me with their laughter and their ugly remarks. But we swept by them without so much as a glance, though Angie was in the midst of describing my shameful retreat from the cafeteria.
âAnd then she, like, started bawling,â Angie said, her nasal voice cutting through the hall. âAnd I was like, omygod sheâs such a loser. But what can you expect from an inbred hillbilly?â Her voice dropped to a whisper and she leaned forward. âI heard her mom has an unnatural obsession with pigs, if you know what I mean.â
The girls broke into a chorus of shocked giggles, and I almost snapped. Robbie, however, tightened his grip and pulled me away. I heard him mutter something under his breath, and felt a shudder go through the air, like thunder with no sound.
Behind us, Angie started to scream.
I tried to turn back, but Robbie yanked me onward, weaving through the crowd as the rest of the students jerked their heads toward the shrieking. But, for a split second, I saw Angie covering her nose with her hands, and her screams were sounding more and more like the squeals of a pig.
CHAPTER THREE
The Changeling
The bus ride home was silent, at least between Robbie and me. Partly because I didnât want to draw attention to myself, but mainly because I had a lot on my mind. We sat in the back corner, with me crushed against the window, staring at the trees flashing by. I had my iPod out and my headphones blasting my eardrums, but it was mostly an excuse not to talk to anyone.
Angieâs piglike screams still echoed through my head. It was probably the most horrible sound Iâd ever heard, and though she was a total bitch, I couldnât help but feel a little guilty.
There was no doubt in my mind that Robbie had done something to her, though I couldnât prove it. I was actually afraid to bring it up. Robbie seemed like a different person now, quiet, brooding, watching the kids on the bus with predatorlike intensity. He was acting weirdâweird and creepyâand I wondered
