Page 24 of Dare To Break

I fidget with the zipper of my hoodie, I shrug. “Study, mostly.”

Jace smiles from where he’s leaning against one of the metal posts of the bleachers. “Hey, Arabella.”

I blurt out the first thing that enters my head. “Are there any good places to go for a run?”

The boy named Miles points to our right. “There’s the running track or the woods, but security will be out here once it gets dark to chase us back to our rooms.”

Evan huffs. “It’s so fucking lame.”

“They’re only keeping us safe from old Churchill Bradley.” Brad’s gaze roams around the group.

Shaking my head when Evan offers me a cigarette, I frown. “Who?”

“Lord Churchill Bradley. The guy who had this place built.” Lacy’s boyfriend explains. “They say he went mad and killed himself out there in the woods. His restless spirit roams the grounds at night, looking for the living to suck out their souls. On the nights when the moon is full, you can hear him howling in the cemetery.”

No one can hear you scream.

Every horror movie Amanda made me sit through fills my head with disturbing clarity. We’re just a bunch of unwitting teenagers waiting to get slaughtered.

Gloved hands grip my throat. Eyes closed, I squirm against the body pinning mine, the edge of his mask caressing my cheek.

I shake off the disquieting fragments of imagery from my dreams.

Evan grins. “You scared, new girl?”

I shake my head. “Not of ghosts. Lacy, I’m going to head back to our room. I think I’ve heard enough stories for today.”

She smiles at me from Brad’s embrace. “I’ll catch you later.”

Jace pushes off the metal post. “I’ll walk with you.”

“I know the way.” I turn to retrace my steps.

“I just want to make sure you get there safely.” He jogs over the grass to catch up to me.

Sighing, I wait for him to catch up. “It’s broad daylight. Ghosts only come out at night.”

“Some monsters aren’t afraid of the light.”

I give him a side-eyed glance. “I’m guessing that’s a reference to Eli Travers. I have no intention of going anywhere near him.”

Jace drags me to a stop beside him. “Arabella, he aimed straight for you when he knocked into you in the cafeteria. You’re on that freak’s radar already, and it never ends well for anyone who is.”

I shake off his hold. “Thanks for the heads up.”

“It’s safer if you hang out with us.”

“By us, you mean you?”

The corners of his mouth curve in a smile. “Am I really that obvious?”

“I’m not looking for a boyfriend.”

“Why not?”

“I’ve barely been here five minutes. I need to find my feet before I think about things like relationships.”

Capturing my wrist, he tightens his fingers around it. “How about just friends for now?”

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