CHAPTER THREE
Sloane
The warm shower I’d taken in the motel room washed away as I made my way to the school. By the time I’d walked five minutes up the road I was soaked. My jeans clung to my skin, yet I was happy I’d chosen to bring a jacket. At least most of my body was dry, though my attempt to calm my chattering teeth was unsuccessful. My mind wandered to the epic mistake I’d made last night in thinking that Jake had anything to do with my appearance in town. I’d been so wrapped up in getting answers I didn’t think at all.
Idiot.
The school came into view and I sighed. My breath billowed in front of me, weaving its way through the rain.
I rolled up my sleeve to check the time. The face of Mom’s watch blurred as the rain pelted the glass surface. I was a half hour early. Hopefully enough time to find the cafeteria. The hairs on my arm bristled. I wasn’t sure if it was because I was freezing or the promise of information. Either way, I added a spring to my step and I jogged the rest of the way.
The main road led to the front of the school. I walked at the edge of the parking lot and rounded the back of the building, keeping behind the cover of the cars in the full parking lot. I briefly wondered how I’d get into the building, and crossed my fingers that it wouldn’t be too hard. I tucked my body against the wall and made my way to a small set of stairs. I kept my hood on, even though the pounding rain had lightened to a steady mist. I didn’t need anyone spotting me. I peered through the glass doors and saw no one in the hallway. This was my best chance.
I grabbed the handle and pulled. The door opened freely but a shrill bell struck me like a bolt of lightning. I hadn’t thought of the alarm. I sprinted into the school and ducked into the closest hiding spot I could find—a cutout in the wall for the water fountain. The fountain dug into my back.
The bell stopped as quickly as it started. I glanced around the empty hallway, expecting to be caught at any second; instead, several doors opened on either end of the hallway and students poured out of classrooms. I plastered myself against the wall, temporarily stunned, though no one blinked in my direction. No teachers or administrators came out looking for me. It had only been the bell to change classes. I let out a shuddering breath and lifted the hood from my head as I melted into the moving crowd of kids. I moved my fingers through my hair and brought the strands forward, keeping my face hidden.
A thrill snaked through me. I was so close and I hadn’t come up against any roadblocks. Meeting this person had to be fate and I could barely contain myself at what was going to happen next. I glanced behind me and no one seemed the wiser. Small towns and their unlocked doors—would they ever learn? No one could get into my school. Whoever sent for me had made it all very easy. After the disaster from the night before, I wasn’t complaining.
I slowed my pace, searching for the cafeteria, when someone gave me a flat tire. A willowy blonde gasped as if I’d assaulted her. She stumbled back, her too high heels clacking. She would have been pretty if it wasn’t for her grimace. Another girl was behind her, her lip curling as if I’d hit her as well.
“Watch it, Freak!” the blonde snapped.
I raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me?” I couldn’t help the white-hot anger burning inside of me.
She pursed her lips and poked a finger into my shoulder. “I. Said. Watch. It.” She accentuated each word with a jab of her finger. Her chin was raised high enough to convey her “status” over her classmates. I’d met a hundred girls like her. Her insecurities were masked by how mean she was to others.
I grabbed her finger and twisted it downward. She cried out.
I pulled her down to my height. “Oh, I heard you,” I said in a low voice.
“Chloe?” the other girl whined.
I’d dealt with plenty of girls like this one in every school and even though I should have kept a low profile, I couldn’t resist the opportunity to set her straight. “You touch me again and you will lose that finger.”
I let her go and she stumbled away, holding her hand against her chest. Her eyes narrowed to slits and her breathing was almost as ragged as mine. “You’re going to regret that.”
We were at a standoff and a few kids gathered around us. I waited for her to make the first move. Instead, the two girls walked away.
A few other kids stared at me and I immediately regretted the unwanted attention. I needed to find this person and get out. I scurried down the hall and approached two girls walking together in front of me. “Where’s the cafeteria?”
Neither looked at me yet one of them spoke. “Left then left.”
“Thanks.”
I followed her directions, keeping my head down, not risking any more attention to myself. I checked my watch again. I had five minutes. I chided myself. I should have let it go when the girl Chloe came at me. I couldn’t let go of the “freak” comment. I’d been called many names about my eyes throughout the years and even though I pretended like it didn’t bother me, the way she said it had struck me the wrong way. Being the bigger person was never my forte.
I found the cafeteria quickly and stood at the end of the long line outside of the room so I’d be in a prime location for whoever was searching for me. The line continued to grow as we moved forward. My eyes darted over all the faces. As I got closer to the doors of the cafeteria my body temperature rose. I checked my watch again and the clock on the cafeteria wall. They both were in sync and read 12:01. My chest deflated. If this person expected me on time, where was he or she? I got out of line and shuffled toward the back. The note said to meet behind the cafeteria. I stumbled over someone’s foot and turned, coming close to taking a backpack to the face before catching myself and moving out of the way.
I sprinted past him. A mumbled “bitch” followed me. I didn’t care. I got out of line again and moved in the opposite direction. I should isolate myself. Maybe I’d be easier to spot? I stopped at a row of lockers outside of the bustling cafeteria. The hallway was less traveled at that point and a few of the bulbs flickered above me, creating an annoying ringing sensation in my ears.
The room tilted around me and my shoulder slammed into the wall. I pressed my hand against the cool surface to steady myself while taking in a few deep breaths. I hadn’t eaten anything since the night before but I’d gone longer without eating before and this never happened. I blinked a few times but the scene before me blurred as a fuzzy darkness outlined my vision. I’d had the same sensation every time I got my blood drawn at the doctor.
Don’t pass out. I repeated the mantra in my head a few times. A volcano rolled around my stomach as I fought to keep consciousness. Heat spread through me like wildfire, making beads of sweat form at my brow.
A blurry sign for the bathroom was up ahead and I lurched toward it. I barely made it through the doors before my legs gave out from under me. Sharp pain ripped through my legs as my knees connected with the tile floor. I grabbed the edge of the sink. I took a breath and the room stopped spinning. I waited a few seconds before lifting myself from the floor. I dropped my bag under the sink and pressed both hands against the cool porcelain.
One of the stall doors opened and I flinched, expecting another confrontation.
Instead, a girl with short black hair emerged from the stall, her mouth stretched
