Page 65 of Sweet Nightmare

MANTI-CORE

I’m assaulted by sound as it screeches, “Run…run…run.” Wild hair, bulging eyes, agony twisted on its sunken face, I’m pretty sure it’s the same ghost from earlier in Aunt Claudia’s office. But this time it disappears practically as soon as I walk through it, dissolving into what feels like a thousand needles jabbing into every part of me.

I bite my lip as the torment slams through me, and somehow, I manage to hold back the scream of pain welling up inside me. But I can’t do anything about my legs—abused, exhausted, and already shaky as hell—as they go out from under me.

I hit the ground, hard, and I’m left quivering on the sidewalk like a little kid who can’t keep her shit together, even though it seems to have gone as quickly as it appeared.

I start to push back to my feet, but Jude, Eva, and Luis are all crowded around me, worried looks on their faces. Remy, Simon, and Mozart are a few feet back and look just as concerned—but are still too close, in my opinion.

Only Ember and Izzy are giving me a wide berth. I don’t know if that’s because they don’t care or if they’re just afraid of catching whatever is going on with me right now.

Whatever it is that’s making them keep their distance, I’m grateful. I just wish the others would take a page from their books. I’m getting damn sick of Jude seeing me as some kind of damsel in distress when that’s not who I am. And it sure as shit isn’t who I want to be.

It’s that thought more than any other that has me climbing to my feet. Showing weakness of any kind is dangerous here, even to friends like Luis and Eva. Showing it to everyone else who’s standing around—including the guy who has hurt me over and over again through the years?

I need to nip that shit in the bud.

“Sorry, I lost my balance,” I tell them once I’m standing under my own power again.

Eva’s eyes narrow. “That didn’t look like you lost your balance. That looked like—”

She breaks off when I, very deliberately, step on her foot.

“I’m fine,” I say again. “Let’s just finish up so we can get out of here.”

Jude must figure out that that’s the only concession I’m willing to give right now, because he doesn’t argue with me, just nods before turning and heading back toward the admin building’s entrance.

But he’s only halfway there when a huge bolt of lightning tears across the dark-gray sky. It illuminates the whole area before slamming into one of the huge purple crape myrtle trees that line the quad. Sparks fly and a strange sizzling sound fills the air for several seconds before a giant branch falls off the tree and slams into the surrounding fence on its way to the ground.

“What kind of storm are we dealing with here?” Mozart demands, eyes wide as she turns to look at us. But the moment the words leave her mouth, a giant flame shoots out right after them.

“Look out!” I yell to Jude, who’s directly in the line of fire.

But he’s already moving, jumping backward just in time to avoid being flame-roasted by one of his best friends.

“What the fuck?” Simon shouts, looking horrified. “Are you all right, Jude?”

But before Jude can answer, Simon’s eyes start glowing a deep, bright gold that has every cell in my body being called to him. His skin is next, the deep brown taking on a glittery, gold glow that emanates in all directions. It takes up more and more space as the rest of him begins to shift.

Eva cries out in alarm, but I’m too busy trying to figure out what’s going on inside of me to check what’s up with her. Because all of a sudden my entire body feels like it’s burning up. Not like Ember, earlier, when she literally caught fire, but like I have a really high fever. One that’s melting—and reshaping—my body from the inside out.

“It’s okay, Kumquat.” Jude’s voice is steady as he reaches for me. “You’re okay.”

I don’t feel okay. I feel sick. Really, really sick.

My stomach churns, my breath comes in fast pants that I have no control over, and my skin aches like it’s about to split open.

Jude reaches over and calmly rubs my back, but even that small, soothing contact makes the fire inside me worse. I pull back from him just in time to see Simon’s legs go out from under him.

No, not his legs. His tail.

What the ever-loving hell is going on here?

Seconds later, Simon starts flopping around on the ground, gasping for air. I have one second to register the fact that he can’t breathe because he has gills and wonder how to help him while an inferno is swallowing me whole before Remy steps up.

“I’ve got this,” he announces, sounding completely unfazed by what’s going on. He picks Simon up and seconds later deposits him in the old, broken-down fountain in the middle of the quad. Normally it’s empty, but the rain’s been so heavy today that it’s filled almost to the top with water. Simon sinks under the surface as soon as Remy puts him in it.

Another flash of lightning splits the sky, followed by a loud rumble of thunder that shakes the ground we’re standing on. My legs, already aching and rubbery, turn even more unsteady.

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