Page 101 of Fire of the Fox

Groaning, I paused in front of my room’s door and slammed my head onto the wood. I was mentally exhausted. Physically, I felt like never before. There was an undeniable strength and power flowing through me, waiting to be used.

I hated it.

It was a reminder that this was really happening. I wasn’t human.

No more hiding. I had to get answers, and I had a feeling I knew who to get them from.

Taking a deep breath, I opened the door to the dark room, and as I swept the space, I realized something I hadn’t when I’d only reached in for a second to grab the mug earlier. The room was exactly as it had been when I’d been here a week ago to pack my things. The only difference was that the note I’d written Dallas was now in the middle of the floor.

I frowned, trying to process what I was seeing. Dallas’ half of the room was messy with her school assignments, dirty clothes, and unmade bed, which was totally normal. What wasn’t normal was the fact that it was the exact same assignments, clothes, and fold of the bedding as it had been a week before. It was like she hadn’t been staying here. That wasn’t too odd, I guessed, since she and Rance had gotten serious. But still, I was surprised she hadn’t stayed here, in case I showed up.

Turning on the lights, I closed the open curtains to give the room some privacy. I quickly pulled out my phone from my pocket, and I dialed Dallas’ number. She answered on the first ring.

“Bria?!”

I took a deep breath, trying to ignore the mix of relief and panic in my best friend’s voice. “Dallas.”

“Oh my God, Bria. Thank God you’re okay! I’ve been so damn worried. You haven’t answered any of my texts or calls, and I got your note. What in the hell—”

“Where are you?” I cut her off, ready to get down to the task at hand.

She answered without hesitation. “I’m in our dorm room.”

My throat tightened under the weight of her lie. Why? Why would she lie to me about that? Clearing the emotion from my voice, I stared at her empty bed. “We need to talk. I’m waiting in our dorm room right now.”

She was quiet on the other end, and I could picture her closing her eyes in defeat and hanging her head low. She took a deep breath and said, “You’re right. We do need to talk. I’ll be over soon.”

I hung up without saying anything else and quickly shot a text to Rune, letting him know I’d be back late. My mind raced a thousand miles a minute with all the questions I had, all the explanations I needed. I wanted to go take a nice, long shower, but I was suddenly so afraid to go anywhere near water. I had no idea how I was controlling it, and frankly, I was terrified of what my powers meant. Water was the last thing I needed right now, which hurt like a dagger to the heart since it had always been my safety net, my lifeline, and now, the one constant in my life was something I feared.

What is my world coming to?

A small knock came at the door some thirty minutes later. I was sitting back against the headboard of my bed, trying to sort through my thoughts.

Clearing my throat, I called, “Who is it?” I wasn’t taking any chances with my true assailant still out there.

“It’s me,” came Dallas’ reply.

I got up to unlock the door, and my heart tripped over itself as I opened it. Her usually bright face was a sickly shade of gray, and her vibrant green eyes had dulled. She had dark circles under her eyes and clearly hadn’t been sleeping. Even so, as soon as she saw me, her smile went wide, bringing a spark back to her pained expression.

Tears instantly pooled in my eyes. I had done this to her. My avoidance had crushed her harder than I ever thought it would, and knowing the pain I’d caused her had guilt clawing at my insides with razor-sharp precision.

“I’m so sorry,” I croaked, the tears finally slipping down my cheeks.

She dropped the grocery bags she had in her hands before throwing her arms around me. I met her hug with the same ferocity, and we sobbed into each other’s hair for what felt like hours. Her smell—lavender with a hint of honey—wrapped around me, and I wanted to sink to my knees. I’d missed her smell, her hugs, her smile. Ignoring her had gutted me, and while facing her after doing so wasn’t easy, it was also a huge relief. I finally had my best friend back. It wasn’t until we heard another door open down the hall that we finally pulled away, and I stepped back, letting Dallas into the room.

Sniffling, she picked up the grocery bags and headed for my bed. Seeing her sudden enthusiasm was already lifting my spirits. “I got some snacks on the way over. It’s all your favorites. Sour Skittles, Starburst, the lollipops with gum inside, even a box of Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls. I also got Debbie Cakes, some doughnuts, and chips. You name it, I have it.”

Smiling past the pain, I sank down at the head of my bed again. “We always did eat our weight in candy and chips when we had serious talks, huh?”

She laughed, pulling out the rest of the snacks and some DVDs. “Don’t forget about the Disney movies we always binged. It made the tension bearable.”

“Breaking into song while discussing your desire to sleep with our ninth grade teacher definitely made that conversation easier.”

She shook her head as she put on a movie. “He was hot! You know he was.”

“Yes, but an attraction that means nothing is much different than an infatuation you intend to act upon.”

She sighed with a satisfied, far off look. “He was a great kisser.”

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