loud enough for her to hear.
The grass moved slightly as she shifted her
weight.
I sighed again and put my head in my hands.
After a moment, I faked an Oscar-worthy sob.
“ Jaze, are you okay?” she
asked, unable to stay silent any longer.
I shook my head. “It’s just horrible. I
can’t believe it.”
Her voice filled with concern and I heard
her move closer to the fence. “What? Can I help?”
I turned with a smile she couldn’t see in
the dark. “I don’t know. Can you help me make up with this girl who
I totally shot down and was rude to, and who didn’t deserve it at
all?”
She threw a handful of grass through the
slot in the fence. “Oh, Jaze. Grow up,” she said with a laugh.
“ I really do feel
horrible,” I told her honestly. “You reached out to me and I acted
like an idiot.”
“ I shouldn’t have told you
those things,” she said, her voice quieter.
I shook my head. “You needed to talk to
someone, and why not me. It’s not like I’ve got anywhere to
go.”
She stuck her hand through the slot in the
fence and tried to slap me. I laughed and grabbed it, then on
impulse turned her hand over and kissed it softly on the back. “I
really am sorry,” I whispered; my lips brushed her soft skin. My
heart raced at her touch and I grew still, forcing myself to stay
focused.
She stopped fighting to pull her hand back
and I listened to her breathe softly on the other side of the
fence. The moment lengthened with unspoken questions, dangerous
questions. I finally let go of her hand and sat back on my
heels.
“ So, werewolf Hunters,
huh?” I asked as nonchalantly as I could.
She pulled her hand back and I could hear
the smile in her voice. “Yeah, you must think I’m crazy.”
I shook my head, thinking quickly. “No, not
really. I mean, when I came to this city I could tell something was
strange.”
“ Really?” The fence creaked
as she turned around and sat with her back to it. “How
so?”
“ Well, the school for one.”
I forced a laugh. “I’ve never seen so many metal detectors. And
security guards? Isn’t that a little overboard?”
She laughed, soft and sweet. “Yeah, I guess
people know something’s wrong.”
I nodded but kept silent. After a minute I
turned so that our backs were to each other on opposite sides of
the fence.
I swallowed past the dread that filled my
chest since she told me her parents killed werewolves; I had to
know if they were the Hunters who killed my dad. “So. . . have your
parents killed many werewolves?”
Her shoulders slid against the wood in a
shrug. “I don’t know. I guess so. We go wherever they hear
rumors.”
“ Where have you
been?”
“ New York and New Jersey,
mostly, then Florida and the Dakotas. We spent some time along the
Oregon coast, but they didn’t find anything.” She sighed. “It’s all
they talk about now. I’ve finally stopped listening.”
I sighed inwardly, muscles easing that I
didn’t realize had been tense. “You’re not into hunting?”
She shook her head and the perfume of her
hair wafted over to me. I closed my eyes. “No, not really. I
couldn’t kill anything, even if it was a blood-thirsty
werewolf.”
I closed my eyes tighter and rubbed them.
“You don’t feel the need to avenge your brother?”
She let out her breath slowly and I heard
her lean her head back against the fence with an almost inaudible
sigh. “That’s the question, isn’t it? Some demon creature kills
your brother, your parents are all gung-ho about wiping them from
the face of the earth, and you’re left wondering what happened to
living life.” She reached up a hand and I wondered if she wiped
away tears. “The thing is,” she said with a sniff, “I think Randy
would be sad about the way they’ve handled all of this.”
I sat up slowly and turned around to face
the fence. “What do you mean?”
Strands of her black hair had drifted between the planks and stood
out in contrast to the lighter wood. She
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