Page 89 of A University of Betrayal

Mady was home alone.Of course,she was.She had no one else left.

My nose caught a sweet smell, the same as my mother’s. And I got hungry.

Nervous and confused at the same time, I released myself from the hug and looked my normally cheerful neighbor in the eye. She looked down at the floor. Her gaze seemed empty, even absent.

“My condolences.”

I put a hand on her arm and watched as her chest heaved. She was fighting back tears.

“I don’t understand,” she sobbed, her last word almost dying out. “I don’t understand...”

And then she fell into my arms again, as if I could help lift the weight that was on her shoulders.

I tried not to breathe, holding my breath until I needed it again. Something was wrong with me, because the urge to open my mouth and dig my teeth into Mady’s neck was getting stronger.

This time I pulled away from her, startled.

What if Senseque craved humans? I had never asked Julian.

An uneasy feeling ran through my stomach.

“You should get out of there, do something with us,” I begged Mady, trying to distract us both. Hanging around her family home all the time couldn’t possibly be good for her.

“They hate me,” she whispered, lowering her eyes. “Everyone.”

I wanted to tell her that wasn’t true, but she was quicker.

“Grace, Julie, Vivienna and her friends, Julian, the Copelands...Everyone.”

I would have liked to tell Mady that there were reasons that had nothing to do with her. I immediately thought of Larissa again, whom I hadn’t told anything to protect her from all this. But how much of the truth would Mady be able to take in her current state?

Mady’s voice became even quieter, and she stared out into the street.

“There’s no one who doesn’t hate me.”

I stepped forward and put my hand on her shoulder again. “Larissa and I...”

Mady laughed softly, and it sounded sad. “I must have tried to reach her ten times.Ten times.”She searched my gaze. “Don’t you think that pretty much says it all?”

I stared intently at her hallway again. She was wrong, but I couldn’t tell her anything. Not a word. And it weighed on me.

“Larissa’s had a lot on her mind the last few days.”

Mady crossed her arms and ran her hands over her arms as if she was freezing. “Do you think that’s a reason to ghost me?”

I hated having to lie. And even more, I hated not being able to say anything. So, I decided to change the subject, hoping Mady would jump on it.

“You should come back to campus when you feel ready. I’ll be there.”

I didn’t want to promise anything, because since living in Blairville, I’d already been unconscious three times. And that had been for several days. Another thing I couldn’t explain to Mady, because I myself didn’t even know what was wrong with me.

“I’ll never feel ready,” Mady whispered. “My brother is dead. And with him, something died inside me that I need to keep going.”

“Mady,” I sighed. Her words set all my alarm bells ringing.

“It’s okay, Bay. Thanks for coming by. You’re the first.” She forced herself to smile and stepped back into the dark hallway of her house. “Even Mia didn’t check in.”

Oh, no...How could anyone be as undeserving of bad luck as she was? Mia was at the Copelands. If Mady found out, after all the drama regarding Nash...

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