Page 53 of Savage Hope

My tongue runs over my bottom lip as nerves get the better of me, and I step out into the hall. The bustle of students is overwhelming, more so than usual, since I don’t have Bryony at my side. It also doesn’t help that I have no idea where I'm heading next. I've had the class before, offensive and defensive, but I'm still becoming familiar with my surroundings and I'm not sure where that is from here.

Spinning on the spot, I search for D and H, but they’re already gone. With my lips curled between my teeth, I keep myself pressed to the wall, heading in what I hope is the right direction. Another bell rings and the student body around me fizzles out to almost none. I'm sure I’ve made a wrong turn somewhere, as I don't remember any of the corridors I take, but I fight back the distress tingling at my fingertips.

As I turn to the left, I slam straight into a body and almost fall to the ground, but I'm saved from such a disastrous fall as I lock eyes with my savior.

I don't manage to speak a word before my world goes black.

22

POLARIS

My mind stirs awake, but all I can settle on is the back of my eyelids. Darkness floods my body and it feels like my head weighs one hundred pounds. There’s an ache in my shoulders that lingers as I try to shake the stiffness from my body.

Confusion crawls through my veins as a subtle shake rattles my arm.

“Polaris? Polaris?”

My eyelids flicker at the sound of Bryony’s voice, drawing me back to the present, and I slowly manage to lift my head and turn my attention to her. It takes an extra moment for my eyes to fully pry open, but the moment they do, the confusion and concern I see etched into her face is startling.

“Where have you been?” she asks, dropping down into the seat beside me with a heavy sigh.

Glancing around the room, the sudden onslaught of sound penetrates my ears as I find myself in the dining hall.

I…

What the…

“For real, Polaris. Where have you been?”

I gape at her, my mouth falling slack and slamming shut a few times before I shake my head in disbelief, disorientation getting the better of me. I can’t make sense of…anything. My concern grows as I watch her eyebrows furrow together.

“What do you mean? You don't know?”

I wipe a hand down my face, willing my mind to give me an answer, but I come up empty. Maybe if I can walk through the last things I remember, it will help me understand what I’m missing.

“I left Professor Juniper’s and headed toward where I thought our next class was, but once the next bell rang, I was completely lost. I remember turning left, hoping to find something familiar, and then…then I wound up here.” I can hear the distress in my voice, the panic clawing at me, enhanced by the confusion rippling through my veins as I try to understand what the hell is going on.

I look back to Bryony, searching for answers I know she can't give, when I note her nostrils flaring in anger.

“What?”

“Nothing,” she answers way too quickly for my liking. So I press on, grabbing her arm.

“Bryony,” I plead, and she rubs her lips together, nervously avoiding my gaze as her eyes dart around the room. When she finally finds my stare, I feel like she might be relenting.

“Can I…”

Her eyes crinkle, but she doesn't finish her sentence. Desperate for anything, I push her along.

“Can you what?”

She clears her throat, lacing her fingers together in her lap as she tries again. “Can I look at your neck?”

“My neck?” I breathe, confused, but she seems to take that as a yes because she leans in close, tilting my chin back with the tip of her finger before she runs her gaze over my throat. Aroundthe back and the front before she traces my skin with her fingers, following the same trail, but her brows continue to gather.

“Can I look at your arms?” she asks, and even though worry boils beneath the surface, I slip my arms out of my jacket one at a time so she can see my arms. I have no idea what she's looking for, but it doesn't seem like she’s finding it. Once she's sure, she releases her hold on me and nods for me to put my jacket back on. “Are you hurting anywhere?”

It's impossible to hide the concern that she's building inside of me.

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