Seconds Before Sunrise (The Timely Death Trilogy) (22 page)

The lights switched on, and Eric’s gaze
met mine. I froze, and for a second, he did, too. When he smirked, the startled expression he had before seemed like an illusion. “Did you like it?” he asked, and I bit my lip as I nodded. “Me, too.”

I wanted to talk to him about it, but
he looked behind me, and his eyes slit into a glare. I didn’t have to turn around to know what he was looking at.

“Leave me alone, Robb
,” I said, gathering my things.

“But I wanted to talk to you—”

“That’s not a mutual feeling.” I stepped around Eric to walk behind the table. I stayed as far away from Robb as I could, and Eric was helping. He sprang up and walked by my side, staying between Robb and I. Crystal was hovering in the doorway with a pale face, and I wondered if he told her.

“You know, I didn’t mean it, Jess,” Robb said, walking next to Eric. “I was drunk—”

“Most drunks don’t choke people,” I said.

Eric grabbed my hand, stopping me in the doorway. I could sense students staring, but I didn’t want to look. I was too focused on Eric.

“If she doesn’t want to talk to you, why don’t you leave her alone?” he suggested.

Robb crossed his arms. “How about you do your u
sual thing and stay out of it?”

Eric’s
lips curled into a snarl. “Kind of hard when you’re talking through me, don’t you think?”

“Then
, leave.” Robb sounded like he was giving orders, but Eric wasn’t about to obey him.

“She doesn’t want to talk to you.”

“Oh.” Robb raised his thick eyebrows. “Now, you’re talking for her, too.”

“I don’t want to talk to you,” I said, grabbing Eric’s arm to pull him into the hallway, but Robb stepped in front of the door.

“You have to talk to me eventually.”

“No, I don’t,” I argued, stepping under his arm. Crystal latched onto me, and I spun around to see Robb pushing his finger against Eric’s chest.

“We have a problem, Welborn,” he said.

This time, I was pulling Robb back.
“Leave Eric alone,” I said.

Robb whipped around, his face reddened.
“Eric?” he repeated. “I didn’t realize you were so close to him all of a sudden.”

“Robb.” M
y voice was a rigid tone I hadn’t heard from myself before. My heart was pounding, but my hands weren’t shaking. I was steady, because I was preparing for the worst.

Robb threw his hands in the air. “Why are you protecting him?” he shouted so loudly the teacher ran into the hallway.

“Because he’s protecting me,” I said.

Robb snarled. “Yeah, I’d protect my slut, too.”

My racing heart dropped before I comprehended what had happened.

In movements too fast to see, Eric had grabbed Robb’s arm, twisted it behind his back, and shoved him against the wall. Robb’s face was against the white bricks, and Eric’s
face was reddened with anger.

“Take that back,” Eric demanded, pulling Robb’s arm up.

“I don’t have to,” Robb managed.

T
he teacher stomped her feet on the marble floor. “Mr. Welborn. Mr. McLain,” she screamed, waving her arms through the air. “Office − now!”

Eric ignored her, holding Robb against the wall for seconds that seemed like minutes. Even when he shoved Rob
b and let him go, the veins on Eric’s neck were sticking out. When he turned to Ms. Hinkel, no one breathed. “My favorite place,” Eric said, grabbing his bag off the floor. I hadn’t even noticed him dropping it.

He put on his headphones and strode away without covering his back. The confidence sent shudders down my spine. Eric didn’t care if Robb attacked him again. In fact, he was teasing Robb with the opportunity. He wanted it.

“Office, Mr. McLain.” Ms. Hinkel pointed a shaky finger down the hallway.

Robb dropped his face and grumbled as he followed Eric to their punishment. I half-expected
him to talk to me, but he didn’t. Ms. Hinkel did instead. “Get to class, Ms. Taylor.” It sounded like an apology.

I stared at the usually strict woman. “Shouldn’t I go
, too?” I asked, hoping she would send me.

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” she dismissed, walking after the boys. I want
ed to shout that I had, that I caused the fight with my recklessness over the weekend. Even though she thought I hadn’t done anything wrong, I knew I was the problem.

“Jess.” Crystal’s usually loud voice was quiet. When she touched me, I jumped, and she sprung back.

“I’m sorry,” I sighed.

“It’s okay,” she said. “Robb wrote me a note in class. Explained the whole thi
ng.” She cringed, and her eyes drifted over my scarf. I was paranoid she could see my bruises through the thick fabric. “I’m not talking to him either.”

“You don’t have to do that.
”

“Yes, I do.” She took my bag
, steadying her small body between both of our backpacks. “I’m your friend, after all.”

Eric

Getting suspended ruined any chance I had to go to the gravesite after school. George Stone had to pick me up, and he drove me straight to the training room. As punishment, Urte was throwing everything he had in my direction.

My sword was weightless in my hands, and my body tingled like the cooling air outside. I was swift, and my concentration was impeccable. I wouldn’t use my anger
to fight like I had before, even though I had a lot of it from the day. I had learned to control it. When the battle would happen, I didn’t know, but I knew one thing: I felt ready.

But I wasn’t battling Darthon
today. Instead, I was fighting Urte’s bickering as he stomped around the room. “Do you know how hard it is to keep you in school?” he lectured. “You’ve gotten in enough trouble as it is, Eric − with all of your backtalk, you should’ve been expelled.”

“You should’ve let me get kick
ed out,” I retorted, slicing a beam of light in half. “I’d have more time to train.”

“And you’d stick out more.”

“I think I stick out more when they make exceptions for me,” I argued, but Urte wasn’t going to continue the argument. He knew as well as I that I wouldn’t give up. I was too stubborn.

“That isn’t the point,” Urte resigned.

I finished the last of his tests and felt my sword return to my veins, zipping against the very blood that cursed me with the power. “Then, what is?” I asked, picking up the nearest water bottle I could find.

“You got into a fight at school.”

“At least I stayed in my human form.” I nearly crushed the water bottle in my hand. “I would’ve killed Robb if I were Shoman.”

Urte grabbed his bristled chin. “Don’t even joke about something like that.”

“I wasn’t joking.”

“We don’t need you
to be fighting,” Urte said.

The irony of his words made me laugh. “I can handle myself, Urte.”

“You already have fractured ribs—”

“Had,” I co
rrected him. “I had broken ribs. They’re fine now.”

“That doesn’t mean you need to find an excuse to break something else,” he retorted. “I saw Robb’s face. He could’ve done the same to you.”

“That human?” I spat the words. Using his name aloud would be too difficult. “Only cowards hit women.”

Urte’s demeanor changed. He rushed over, and his
wild eyes searched my face. “What are you talking about?”

“What do you think?” I watched
the realization spread over his expression. “I told you I had to help Jessica for a reason.”

“Eric.” Urte’s tone was quieter. “When you said that Jess was drunk with another guy, you never said he was beating her.”

“He choked her,” I corrected as the bones in my hands tightened. “And kissed her.”

“I think one is more important.”

“I’d say both of them upset me.”

Urte put
his hands out like he was ready to shake me. “I would’ve understood the situation better if you told me this,” he said. “You have to stop keeping secrets.”

“I’m practicing to b
ecome an elder,” I remarked.

Urte smacked his forehead.
“I swear you prepare for these conversations,” he grumbled. It was an aggravation I was used to.

“I don’t k
now why I didn’t tell you, Urte.” I leaned my back against the wall. Now that I could transform, it was strange to be taller than the man. “I thought Camille would’ve figured it out.”

Urte raised his brow. “Why’s that?”

“She changed her.” I hoped he already knew that detail. “I was sure she saw the marks.”

Urte was silent for a moment. “If Camille did, she didn’t say anything to me.”

I would have to ask my guard when I saw her next, but I wasn’t sure when it would be. She was training on her own. Unlike the other guards, she would fight, and my side wouldn’t be easy to fight next to.

“Does my father know about this?” I asked,
referring to my brawl at school.

Urte nodded.
“I think he expected this sort of behavior eventually.” My father was the only person I knew who was ahead of me. “He’d be angry if you’d gotten hurt.”

“I would’ve healed.”

“Bob wouldn’t have.”

“Robb,” I corrected hastily.
“His name is Robb, not Bob.”

Urte smirked. “Now, that is something that doesn’t matter.”

I groaned. The joke couldn’t even lighten my attitude, and I was too tired from training to respond. It would only turn into an argument anyway.

Urte laid a hand on my shoulder, and I stared at the hair on his fingers. “You should go home early,” he said.

It was the first piece of good news I’d received all day. “Thanks,” I said, knowing I couldn’t accept the offer. “But I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“We haven’t talked enough?”

I ran my hand through my hair. It stood up from the sweat. “Is it possible for Jessica’s confidence to disappear with her memory?”

Urte was awestruck. “Why would that happen?”

I shrugged, thinking over the series of events that had brought me to the conclusion. “When I first met her, she was a confident person, shade or human.”

“That’s exactly why your theory doesn’t make sense,” he pointed out. “She was confiden
t before she knew what she was.”

“Was she?” I asked. “We don’t know that much about her life before she moved back to Hayworth. I’ve never heard her mention previous friends, boyfriends, nothing really.”

Urte was grinning. “You can’t complain about the boyfriend part.”

I glared at the man’s humor. “Urte.”

He chuckled. “I apologize, Shoman, but seriously—” His words lingered between us, “where’d you get such an idea?”

“A few months ago, she would’ve never acted this way,” I said, knowing I’d gotten close enough to Jessica to understand her behavior. “This girl isn’t her. Not completely anyway.”

“Well, she isn’t complete,” Urte said, shifting his weight from foot to foot. “I suppose it’s possible for her personality to shift, but I’d have to ask Luthicer.”

“I don’t think that’s necessary,” I said, deciding I didn’t need confirmation
. Jessica had lost a part of herself − her Dark self − and that was where she pulled her confidence from. It explained how she was remarkably capable in the first place, able to manage her identities and learn without hesitation. As a human, she was still herself, but she didn’t like herself. I could see that now.

“It must be weird to be a constant state of confusion,” I
said.

“Be careful or you might put me in one.” Urte’s cocky grin disappeared when he met my stare. I didn’t even have to say a word. “Who knew you’d be the one to t
ell me to take things seriously.” His face lit up like the proud second father he was. “You’ve really grown up, kid,” he continued. “I only want you to continue to do so.”

“I’ll defeat Darthon.”

“Forget that for two seconds.” It was the last thing I expected to hear from my trainer’s mouth. “Remember how far you’ve come, and you won’t have to rely on a destiny for your future. It will come on its own.”

Jessica

I hugged Crystal’s pillow to my chest as she painted her nails, only to repaint them again and again. We had gone to her house the minute school ended, but it didn’t make the day easier. The rumors were circulating, and I heard from Jonathon that Eric and Robb were suspended. I wanted to call Eric, but I had forgotten my phone, not to mention I didn’t have his number. The best I could do was show up at his house, but I wasn’t sure how his father would feel about my presence.

Crystal’s phone buzzed. “He’s calling again.” I didn’t have to ask to know it was Robb. “Zac called, too.”

“Why didn’t you answer?” I asked, thinking Crystal’s crush might tempt her.