something with Cayne, Oh God Cayne —and she was right. Kind of.
Drew’s eyes were flat. “I saw your Nephilim somewhere…strange.”
“Strange? What? Where? What was he doing?”
Drew shook his head. “Just be careful.”
Julia opened her mouth to scream at him when she heard Dizzy’s voice nearby. “ Watcha guys talking about?” Dizzy asked, and Julia jumped ten feet. The nasty girl stabbed Drew under his arm, then turned for a quick lunge at Julia. Julia jumped out of the way (she had tangled with real Nephilim, after all), and was able to bury her blade in Dizzy’s shoulder.
She barely had a moment to feel sick with herself before her vision cut in half and turned on its side. She saw Dizzy stand, but her legs were up top and sideways, and Julia felt a sharp pain in her left shoulder.
She gasped, and forced herself to see the world the way it was. Dizzy swiped her upper thigh, but she returned the favor, jabbing Dizzy hard in her side. The other girl curled over on herself, and Julia snatched one of her daggers.
She felt another burst of confusion. But she didn’t have to take it, so she didn’t. She felt jittery and nervous, but she was intent on besting Dizzy. She started going for the girl’s remaining dagger, and pretty soon Carlin was helping her. When Julia finally wrenched it from the insane girl, she allowed herself the indulgence of a victor’s pose as Dizzy crumpled. Then everything went crazy.
Literally. First, Julia couldn’t breathe. She fell to the floor, gasping, and saw Carlin do the same. She rolled, looking for help, trying to speak but she couldn’t do that either, and besides, everyone seemed to have vanished.
Then the ground started moving, a rolling wave that made Julia sick. The others had returned, and she could see them bobbing, struggling like she was. Everyone but Dizzy.
Suddenly all Julia could see was green-black—the ugly green-black of Dizzy’s aura. It had expanded, filling the room. Julia was terrified, panicked as she tried to right herself and determine basic things like up and down. She knew this was an illusion, told herself it was, looked for the others.
She saw Drew across the room, or what she thought was Drew. He was a smear of amber, leaning on the floor, clutching his head. Carlin was hovering off the ground, hands over her eyes. Julia saw Meredith to her right, but her friend looked like static, fuzzing in and out, one minute beside her, the next across the room.
Julia’s world went toppsy turvey again, and. Dizzy was over her, a writhing mess of green-black, and Julia felt something. Pain. Again, and again, and sharp and horrible enough that Julia realized she was getting stabbed —REPEATEDLY—and the dagger didn’t feel soft, it didn’t feel charmed, the cuts felt very real.
Julia screamed and thrashed, trying to get the crazy girl off of her. She tried to slam her Sight closed, but everything kept getting bigger, more intense, the pain more real and Julia wondered if she was going to die. Really wondered.
And then she saw it, the pinpoint of bright light, the one that had messed things up for her so much when she was living with the Raysons . But she wanted it this time, and it was like she was moving toward it—no, it was moving toward her, no, it was in her, coming out.
Julia embraced the light; she pushed it out of her, until everything was white, white like the sun, and Dizzy was gone and everything was.
And just as suddenly the light was gone. Julia felt like she was waking up. First she heard voices, frantic. Someone was shaking her—Drew. People were crying.
Julia sat up, and Drew’s rich brown eyes were roving over her. “Are you okay?”
“I think so.”
“Don’t try to get up too fast.”
And then he was gone, to a group that included everyone else who was up: Carlin, Drew, Monte, Charles.
Julia saw Meredith roll into a sitting position. She walked over to her on legs that felt like plastic and, shaking, pulled her up. Holding
Drew’s eyes were flat. “I saw your Nephilim somewhere…strange.”
“Strange? What? Where? What was he doing?”
Drew shook his head. “Just be careful.”
Julia opened her mouth to scream at him when she heard Dizzy’s voice nearby. “ Watcha guys talking about?” Dizzy asked, and Julia jumped ten feet. The nasty girl stabbed Drew under his arm, then turned for a quick lunge at Julia. Julia jumped out of the way (she had tangled with real Nephilim, after all), and was able to bury her blade in Dizzy’s shoulder.
She barely had a moment to feel sick with herself before her vision cut in half and turned on its side. She saw Dizzy stand, but her legs were up top and sideways, and Julia felt a sharp pain in her left shoulder.
She gasped, and forced herself to see the world the way it was. Dizzy swiped her upper thigh, but she returned the favor, jabbing Dizzy hard in her side. The other girl curled over on herself, and Julia snatched one of her daggers.
She felt another burst of confusion. But she didn’t have to take it, so she didn’t. She felt jittery and nervous, but she was intent on besting Dizzy. She started going for the girl’s remaining dagger, and pretty soon Carlin was helping her. When Julia finally wrenched it from the insane girl, she allowed herself the indulgence of a victor’s pose as Dizzy crumpled. Then everything went crazy.
Literally. First, Julia couldn’t breathe. She fell to the floor, gasping, and saw Carlin do the same. She rolled, looking for help, trying to speak but she couldn’t do that either, and besides, everyone seemed to have vanished.
Then the ground started moving, a rolling wave that made Julia sick. The others had returned, and she could see them bobbing, struggling like she was. Everyone but Dizzy.
Suddenly all Julia could see was green-black—the ugly green-black of Dizzy’s aura. It had expanded, filling the room. Julia was terrified, panicked as she tried to right herself and determine basic things like up and down. She knew this was an illusion, told herself it was, looked for the others.
She saw Drew across the room, or what she thought was Drew. He was a smear of amber, leaning on the floor, clutching his head. Carlin was hovering off the ground, hands over her eyes. Julia saw Meredith to her right, but her friend looked like static, fuzzing in and out, one minute beside her, the next across the room.
Julia’s world went toppsy turvey again, and. Dizzy was over her, a writhing mess of green-black, and Julia felt something. Pain. Again, and again, and sharp and horrible enough that Julia realized she was getting stabbed —REPEATEDLY—and the dagger didn’t feel soft, it didn’t feel charmed, the cuts felt very real.
Julia screamed and thrashed, trying to get the crazy girl off of her. She tried to slam her Sight closed, but everything kept getting bigger, more intense, the pain more real and Julia wondered if she was going to die. Really wondered.
And then she saw it, the pinpoint of bright light, the one that had messed things up for her so much when she was living with the Raysons . But she wanted it this time, and it was like she was moving toward it—no, it was moving toward her, no, it was in her, coming out.
Julia embraced the light; she pushed it out of her, until everything was white, white like the sun, and Dizzy was gone and everything was.
And just as suddenly the light was gone. Julia felt like she was waking up. First she heard voices, frantic. Someone was shaking her—Drew. People were crying.
Julia sat up, and Drew’s rich brown eyes were roving over her. “Are you okay?”
“I think so.”
“Don’t try to get up too fast.”
And then he was gone, to a group that included everyone else who was up: Carlin, Drew, Monte, Charles.
Julia saw Meredith roll into a sitting position. She walked over to her on legs that felt like plastic and, shaking, pulled her up. Holding
Similar Books
