Page 123 of A Dusk Of Stars

“Yes, Anna?”

“You do understand why Alaric is acting the way he is?”

She tilts her head at me. “I do understand that there issomethinggoing on. I just don’t understand what it is.”

“He’s upset because you’re letting Seamus take you to the Ball, not him.”

She blinks at me. “But he didn’t ask me.”

“He didn’t, and that’s not your problem, but heisin love with you, you know that?”

“Oh.”

It almost makes me let out a laugh. “Do you like him, Raven? Romantically, I mean.”

“That doesn’t matter.”

The answer makes me frown. “Why?”

“I’m not normal, Anna,” she says matter-of-factly.

I just look at her for a second, my heart tightening in my chest. “Neither is he,” I finally say. “Neither am I. No one is. Do you understand that, Raven?” I demand as I look deeper into her eyes. I don’t let her answer though. “All the things you feel aren’t ‘normal’ about you, they’re just the things we love you for.”

For a moment, this makes her speechless. “Yes, but I… I just fear it will be like it is with everyone else.”

I nudge her to explain.

“They find me ‘cute’ at first, at least that is how most people put it. But it soon becomes too much.”

“That scares you.”

“Yes. Also, I have read lots of romance books and I am not quite sure I believe in that type of love at all.”

Nowthatmakes me hesitate. Right now, I don’t believe in love either. I can’t seem to make myself believe inanything. I’m walking around, forcing myself not to slip into hating everything and everyone, most of the time failing miserably.

Bitterness flooding my mouth, I force myself to shift my focus onto my friend. “It exists,” I tell her softly, “but it’s not an easy victory, Raven. There is always a vulnerability involved.”

“Haveyouever had that type of love in your life?”

“No, Raven. I do think it exists,” I say, feeling my throat tightening. “I just don’t think it’s for me, at least not inthislifetime.”

“Is that why you are so sad, Anna?”

For a second, I stay silent. Then I let out a laugh. “No, I’m sad because I’m going crazy,” I tell her, trying to sound playful, as I get up to grab my stuff and go back to my room. “All of this is turning my brain into mush and I’m afraid I’ll become one of those people others whisper about.”

She blinks at me. “That was sarcasm.”

My eyebrows shoot up, but it’s at that moment that my eyes get drawn to the entrance into the Junkyard. Lorcan. He’s headed for the only other students in here, but the very sight of him gets me fuming.

I turn my focus back onto Raven. “Good job catching that,” I tell her, trying to contain my feelings. I need to get out of here as quickly as possible.

“Just be careful,” Raven tells me. “When you walk around tracing lines on your palms like you do, you do come across a little cuckoo. Just like me.”

Her words make me freeze in place. “What?” I barely even register Lorcan sending those other students out.

“I said—”

Raven doesn’t get to finish her sentence. “Miss Novak,” Lorcan calls out as he walks up to us.

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