Tiny flecks of silver sparked in Jack’s eyes in time with the electricity heating my veins. My chest heaved as we stared at each other. How did that happen? I was torn between kissing him again and freaking out. I did neither. I was rooted to the spot. All I could do was stand and gawk at him.
Jack’s phone vibrated, breaking the trance between us.
He took it out and glanced at the screen. “It’s Rick. I need to go.”
I nodded slowly, still trying to gather myself. Moments passed, and he didn’t move. Neither of us spoke.
Finally, Jack repeated, “I have to—”
“Go, yeah,” I managed.
He said he’d be in touch and disappeared into the night. For once it wasn’t difficult to tell what he was thinking. I was surprised he didn’t leave a cloud of dust behind; he couldn’t get out of there fast enough.
Still dazed, I walked back through the courtyard and stopped by the fountain. Perched on the marble ledge, I sat and looked up at the sky. Fireworks still blazed, the booms echoing through the night. A few stars winked back at me from behind the clouds of gunpowder smoke.
Since the moment I had seen Jack at Starlight, I had wanted that kiss so badly. It had finally happened, and I was left confused—giddy but confused. I put myself in his place. A stranger turns up and tells you they’ve had this whole relationship with you. It wasn’t even like he knew it happened but didn’t remember. It hadn’t happened at all for him—none of it. Who could blame him if he ran for the hills? But where did that leave me?
I couldn’t deny the flashes had rattled me. Every emotion I’d ever felt for Jack had hit me in the space of a minute. No wonder I was reeling.
A group of girls passed by, huddled together, giggling over a couple of boys who stood at the other side of the courtyard. A couple walked along the path, arms entwined. Everyone was going about their lives, enjoying student life and having fun. Here I was in love with a half alien who hadn’t experienced our entire relationship. And now I had somehow beamed the whole show into his head like a movie, and he freaked out and ran. It certainly wasn’t how I’d hoped seeing Jack again would go.
At least he’s here, unlike Daisy, a voice in my head reminded me. Nausea rolled through me. I missed her so much. What I wouldn’t give to see her, but I could never risk exposing her identity as Thesulia Prime and risk her safety.
Laughter floated by as I watched people enjoying the fireworks. A stab of yearning hit me. I would love to be like that instead of worrying about all this weird stuff. It wasn’t like before, when I had Jack and Rick and Scarlett and everyone else. In this universe, I was alone. Having one foot in each world like this was so hard. Then, I was a part of everything. Now, I didn’t fit into either. I just got in the way. I picked up a pebble and dropped it into the fountain with a plop. Maybe getting my memory wiped wasn’t such a bad idea. At least then I could move forward with my life, be normal, and stop clinging onto a past that didn’t exist. A fresh start.
I stayed by the fountain until I began to shiver and my bum fell asleep, forcing me home. Hopefully Roxy had watched the fireworks with Sadie and Caroline—or, better yet, had returned and was already asleep. Maybe I could talk to her again in the morning. A heavy weight filled my gut at the thought that I had pushed her closer to Barnaby.
I unlocked the door to our dorm and pushed it open, bracing myself. When I stepped inside, I gasped. Roxy wasn’t there, and neither was any of her stuff. I flicked on the light, and my jaw dropped. Her side of the room had been completely cleaned out. Her clothes, books, pictures, everything. All that was left was her bed, her mattress stripped of linen, and the school-issued desk and chair. Had I even been gone long enough for her to move everything out?
At first I thought Barnaby had done this. It had to be him. Roxy had told Barnaby and he’d gotten rid of her. Then I saw the note. A piece of paper had been ripped from the notebook on my desk and left on my pillow:
Things have gone too far. I need space and time to think.
There it was in black and white. In the same messy chicken scratch handwriting as the notes Roxy had written for me in our English lit seminar. I stared down at the note until my vision blurred. Shit. I’d driven her out. Freaked her out so badly she’d run away. Where had she gone? To Barnaby? Home to her parents? Had she left Riverdell University completely?
I took out my phone and scrolled through my contacts. Who could I call? What could I say? I couldn’t tell the truth. Tossing my phone on the desk, I lay down on my bed and closed my eyes. Everything was such a mess, and I had no idea what to do. Turning to face the wall, I curled up in a ball and cried myself to sleep.