Phantom by Laura DeLuca Page A

he moved on to other conquests.
     
    She kept telling herself it was for the best, but she was having trouble actually convincing herself. She found that she missed his unique way of flirting. She was even thinking about seeking him out to apologize as she packed her books up after school. Miss King had canceled play practice so they could get ready for the dance, but she was sure he was still around somewhere. As it turned out, Rebecca didn’t need to seek Justyn out. He found her.
     
      “Hello, Becca.”
     
      At first, when she heard his soft voice speaking so close to her ear, she was startled. She actually felt the hairs on her neck rise as his breath teased her skin. She was so flustered that she dropped the book she was just about to put into her backpack. Nevertheless, she was secretly a little pleased that he hadn’t given up on her after all.
     
    He gave her a crooked, sarcastic smile as he handed her the book she had dropped. “You know, you don’t have to worry. I wouldn’t attack you in front of all these witnesses.” He gestured to the still crowded hallway. School had just let out, and the students were shuffling around as they prepared for the weekend.
     
    “Do you really believe that’s what I was thinking?”
     
    He shrugged. “Only you know what you’re thinking.”
     
    Rebecca blushed. “Well, I’m not worried about you attacking me. Even if we didn’t have an audience.”
     
    “Really?” he asked. “Does that mean you’ve taken me off the Mainland Regional Most Wanted List?”
     
    Rebecca had to laugh. He was taking her accusations fairly well. If he was willing to forgive her after the way she had treated him, the least she could do was apologize for it.
     
    “I overreacted the other day. It wasn’t fair of me to blame you.”
     
    “It’s okay. I’m used to being the scapegoat.”
     
    “It still wasn’t fair.”
     
    “No, but I forgive you. I even brought you a present.”
     
     Justyn extracted a round stone, about the size of an egg, from one of his large baggy pockets, and made a grand gesture of presenting it to her. He smiled at her as he held it out, a real smile, with no sarcasm behind it. It transformed his face. Black clothes, black makeup and all, he still managed to look innocent and sweet. Like a little boy giving someone a special gift he had made in art class. Rebecca couldn’t help but smile back, even though she was a little confused by his present.
     
     “A rock?” She teased. “Really, Lord Justyn, you shouldn’t have.”
     
    The innocent look faded and turned playfully conspirative. “Sometimes, Becca, things are more than what they appear. Something can seem a little rough around the edges.” He flipped over his little stone, revealing an inner cavern that sparkled with a layer of blue and white crystals. “But when you take the time to look a little closer, you might find something there that you never expected.”
     
    “It’s . . . it’s beautiful.”
     
     She accepted the gift hesitantly. She was almost afraid to touch it, worried that her clumsy hands would shatter its delicate perfection. It was surprisingly sturdy despite its fragile appearance. She ran her fingers along the shining crystals, and swore that the stone hummed with energy all its own.
     
    “It’s a geode,” Justyn explained. “The crystals promote healing and creativity, and offer protection.”
     
    “Is this your subtle way of telling me my acting needs work?”
     
    He rolled his eyes. “Well, it can’t hurt. But I was more concerned with keeping you safe, especially after what happened to Wendy.”
     
    It was only with great effort that Rebecca managed to keep the conversation light after the reference to Wendy’s accident. But she didn’t want the conversation to end badly when things were going so well, so she just played off her nervousness.
     
    “Make me a better actor and keep me from falling off the stage. That’s a tall order. You