"Rae, you know him?" Ro asked and eyed me head to toe. A slow smile spread across his face, and the green beads he'd tied into the end of his cornrow plaits clicked together as he laughed. "You be keeping secrets, eh?"
"Yes," I said, took a step backwards. "I mean I don't know" In truth I was not surprised Breandan was there. I just wondered how long he intended to follow me and if his ultimate goal was to have me strung up Outside by the Clerics.
Breandan waved at me, impatient this time.
"He seems to know you." Ro ran his tongue over his top teeth. "If you don't want him, I'll take him."
Breandan stood on the grass with his hands loose by his sides and somehow, through the rain, I saw the storm in his eyes threatening to drown me. He didn't beckon to me again, but I knew he wanted me to go to him. Afraid of the hot, fluttery feeling spreading through my limbs, I shook my head hoping he got the message. This was not okay. He could not come here and expect me to run off with him into the forest like a lunatic.
His head drooped then snapped up, his gaze directed over my shoulder.
"Rae, you right?" Alex asked from beside me. "What's going on?" Then she spotted Breandan scowling at me. "That's him? The boy from this morning?"
A few other Disciples got up out their desks and came over to look out the window at whatever it was we were looking at. I took a few steps back until I bumped into someone standing behind me. Devlin stood in my way and looked furious. What was his problem? He was the one on my back, not the other way round. Then his shoulders started to shake and I realized he was laughing. He looked straight at me and smiled. No. Not a smile, but a snigger filled with wicked delight. The intensity of his stare boldly probed mine, and the chill that slithered down my spine had me wound to near breaking.
When I looked back round Breandan's entire body tensed, and just like that, with one last glance at me he turned and darted away. A sense of relief was replaced by a fiercer surge of regret. The moment he winked out of sight the longing to see and feel him, pressed upon my consciousness. The emotion was like a splinter burrowed beneath the skin, determined to settle in for the long haul.
I thought then about telling a Cleric, Breandan, a demon from beyond the Wall, could get onto the Temple grounds. Why was I was covering for some boy I barely knew? Yes, he'd told me I was a demon, but what if that had been a lie. I looked pretty damn human to my eyes. Yes, I'd done some demon stuff, but I could be a witch. The thought made me very nervous. All witches were bad, forces of evil. Did I really want to wish to be one? My mind wandered back to Breandan, the boy who made me warm and tingly when I thought about him. And that is why I resolved to keep my mouth firmly shut. That and the fact I was hiding one of the scariest of demonkind in my wardrobe.
Ro stared out the window, confused. Unlike me, he was not used to the fairy disappearing act, and I could see him trying to figure out how Breandan had left so quickly. The other Disciples had lost interest and had wandered into small groups again.
It was all getting a bit much for me, and I couldn't keep up. My head felt light, spongy, and my limbs weak. I was hiding so many things from so many people my brain felt like it was being pried apart. Alex seemed to sense my stress since she dragged me out the door by my sleeve the moment the bell rang.
"C'mon," she said. "We got Alchemy and I don't want to be late."
Stumbling out the door, I waved goodbye to Ro. "But, I thought you were ditching," I said, trying to keep up mentally.
"I need to keep my eye on you."
Skipping out the room, I watched the back of her bobbing head. Breathing in I focused on her drama instead of mine. "You like Ro, a lot," I said.
Pushing out the side door to take a shortcut through the courtyard in the middle of the building, we carefully trudged down the slippery pathway and she shot me evil eye. Pulling up our blazer collars, we raced across and the rain pelted hard against my skin. My feet splashed in every puddle along the way and the wind tugged on my body. Storms never bothered me. The power and beauty of the sky churning, clouds darkened with rain and flashes of lighting made my skin goosy. We made it through the heavy doors, and I rung out my hair and clothes as best I could, wiping my dripping face on my wet sleeve.
"I don't do steadies," Alex said. She strutted off and I trailed behind, smiling into my shoulder.
