Page 38 of Shifting Tides

The kitchen was about a third the size of the dining hall, the biggest I’d ever been in. I imagined this was what a five-star restaurant kitchen would look like, with a dozen or so counters, three double-door steel refrigerators, and a massive brick oven at the back, flanked by a tower of smaller ovens on either side.

Jackpot.

Shaking with the hunger that now possessed my senses, I rushed to the nearest fridge, eager to pick out anything that looked appetizing. I piled an armload of goodies on the counter and began to dig in.

A sound from the entrance of the kitchen made me almost choke on the roast chicken I’d just popped into my mouth, seized by the sudden fear of being caught. I didn’t know if students were allowed to be in here after hours, and I really didn’t want to get in trouble on my first day.

Should I hide? Run?

When I looked at the door, however, another student was standing there, looking just as surprised to see me as I was to see him.

The guy was tall with a lean yet muscular frame, making him quite intimidating. But his facial features were just the opposite—handsome, sultry, with a dark look that drew me in. His thick crown of black hair complemented his amber eyes and tanned skin nicely, making everything about him give off a pleasant warmth.

He stood there for a long moment, just staring at me like I was a ghost. His gaze wasn’t the same resentful glare or gossipycuriosity I got from everyone else. Rather, he looked almost frightened, frozen in place as he debated whether to complete the task he came here for or turn tail and run.

Finally, he broke his stare. He cast his eyes away from me and went to one of the tall cabinets to rummage for his own midnight snack.

“You couldn’t sleep either?” I asked, hoping to ease the strange tension in the room.

He paused for a moment, the only acknowledgment he gave me before continuing his search.

Great, another person who’d rather pretend I don’t exist. I took another frustrated bite of my chicken leg, tearing the meat off the bone in a very unladylike fashion.

I heard him open and close the fridge behind me, and I resigned myself to just ignore him the way he was ignoring me and finish my meal in silence.

To my shock, he came up behind me and placed a plate of smoked salmon in front of me.

“As a mermaid, you really should have more fish in your diet,” he said matter-of-factly before sitting down at the other end of the counter to focus on his own plate.

“Oh. Uh, thank you,” I stammered, unsure how to respond to his detached helpfulness.

The salmon really did smell good, better than the chicken. If mermaids really had lived underwater for thousands of years, it would make sense that sea-based foods would be better for me. That would explain why Mom had made fish so often.

I took a good look at my standoffish dining partner. He wore the wing symbol on his chest. An avian. But was he a dragon, a phoenix, or a harpy?

“I’m Arya,” I ventured, hoping to get him to open up.

“I know,” he said without looking up at me. “The whole school knows who you are.”

Okay?“You know whoIam. Who are you?” I asked, unwilling to be brushed off that easily.

He sighed, as if accepting that we were going to have to talk. “Tobias,” he answered curtly.

I took that as a win and smiled to myself. “What type of shifter are you?”

He rolled his eyes before reluctantly aiming them at me. “Why is that important?”

“Look, I’m just making small talk,” I said, barely stifling my irritation. “I’m new here, and I’m just trying to make some friends.”

“And why dowehave to be friends?” he snapped.

The pure disdain in his voice hit me harder than I expected, and all the pain of being so hated since I got here coalesced with the pain of losing my mom and imploded.

“Because I have no friends,” I said, hearing my voice break as the words came out. “Because I have no one and nothing left in this whole world. I’m completely alone.”

Before I could stop myself, I was openly weeping over the salmon he’d given me. I put my head in my hands, letting them catch the burning tears that spilled over.

Tobias gave another long sigh, and when I heard his chair scrape against the floor, I assumed he was getting up to leave me to cry by myself. It was just as well; I didn’t want anyone to see me like this. Not that anyone really cared.

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