While he walked me to Addi's, I couldn't help but think Chance was keeping his distance. Ever since he'd said the thing about being able to kill me if he wasn't careful, he wouldn't get within an arm's length.

"Clara!" Addi called as she flung open her front door. "Your message was so vague! What happened?"

Already, Chance was nowhere in sight.

"I just got a little sidetracked. Sorry if I worried you."

As soon as I knew for sure he was gone, the night felt suddenly hollow. Even Addi's smiling face didn't lift the weight.

She lived in a small, older cottage, tucked neatly between the bad and good parts of town. Her mom was working late so it was going to be just us for the evening.

"So what was it like?" She asked as she put a frozen pizza in the oven, "Going out with Mercurius?"

Oh. I didn't remember telling her about that, but I suppose I shouldn't have been too surprised the rumor got out. After all, it was pretty much the biggest news in school.

She smiled when I only shrugged, like she'd been expecting a response like that.

"Knew it. I told them you aren't interested. You better watch out, though, you know. It's only so long before somebody gets jealous."

"Wait. Them? Watch out?" It felt like she knew something I didn't. "Is this going to be like one of those foreign dramas where the popular dude has a fan club that attacks the girl he's dating?"

Addi shrugged, "Probably not. But I'd still duct tape the inside of your locker slats, if I were you."

That actually wasn't a half bad idea. I'd seen kids at my old school get mean things shoved into their lockers--usually just notes and stupid drawings, but if it was at all like Addi thought here... Well, better safe than sorry.

For the rest of the night, Addi and I ate our only-sorta-cardboard-tasting pizza and munched on chips and talked about boys, even though I couldn't get her to tell me who she liked.

As for me... I was dying to tell her, to tell someone about Chance and the kiss and the strange magic and demons and the fight and the lyoken. All through the evening and into the night, I waited for the right opportunity to confess what had happened. It felt like if I had to hold that secret inside me any longer, I might explode.

But just at the moment I finally thought I'd get my chance to bring up what was happening in my life, there was a pounding on the front door.

Addi turned and stared, wide-eyed at me. She didn't know who it could be, either.

And that scared me more than anything. 


- - - 


Read ahead on Wattpad.