Page 13 of God of War (Legacy of Gods)

Before I pull out of the parking lot, I text Cecily that I’m home, like a world-class liar. But it’s because she won’t be able to sleep if she knows I’m still out.

What Cecy and my parents don’t know is that I refuse the notion of spending any unnecessary time alone.

Jesus. I can’t believe I’m graduating in a couple of weeks. What am I going to do without the buffer uni’s offered me?

Make other cliques of friends outside? Join a thousand and one clubs?

I desperately need to stay out of my parents' orbit before they figure out everything.

With a sigh, I shove all those thoughts back to the back of my mental closet as I refresh my makeup.

My phone vibrates and I freeze when I see it’s a text from Eli.

Tin Man

Are you going home?

Me

New phone. Who’s this?

Your location better be on the way home.

Guess where I am for a hundred quid.

I snap a selfie while doing a kissy face and send it over, then silence my phone, and pull out of the car park. I nearly drive into a wall, but my car’s camera saves me in time.

Oops.

I follow the GPS and voice command the car to play music. Bach’s Cello Suite No. 2 in D minor fills the car and I release an annoyed noise as I punch the radio button and listen to some pop music instead.

Classical music and I are officially divorcing.

That’s what I said after my last failed attempt at winning yet another competition last year. Or more like, participating.

And yet I went back this year. Only to make a bigger fool of myself.

What did you see? Or not see?

Eli’s words from earlier send a shiver down my spine.

He couldn’t have known, right?

No one does?—

I stare at my rearview mirror when I notice a car without headlights following me.

How long has that been there?

I look ahead but the road is clear.

Shit.

Okay.

I shake my head to come back into focus and speed up, just a tiny bit over the speed limit.

The car matches my speed and my heart starts to gallop in a scary rhythm. I voice command my phone to call the police.

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