Page 1 of A University of Betrayal

Chapter 1

Julian

My Kind of Illusion

Jay Varton

“Graham,please,you have to leave this weekend. Gloria found out what happened this morning through the Councils’ private informants. She wants everything that is not under the control of the Circle that could be a thorn in the Ruisangors’ side removed from this part of town.”

I had just gotten up, and those were the first words I heard from downstairs as I entered the corridor bare-chested. So, I turned on my heel and grabbed one of the dark T-shirts scattered on the floor, determined to see which hostile Quatura wanted to drive us out of this area of towntoday.

Our father had warned us about this last night, and I, anidiot,had almost laughed.Of course,I hadn’t laughed, but had just nodded silently out of shock at all the drama about Bayla and watched the wild activity in the Adams’ house from the kitchen window.

Five times,the thunder had been so ear-splitting that I had flinched.Five times,I had thought that Bayla Adams was dead for good – until three hours ago, when Amara Blair had told us that Bay had made it. It had calmed me down, and I had finally gotten two hours of sleep.

When I’d woken up, I’d heard her heartbeat. I had stared at the ceiling for a good five minutes, listening to that strange rhythmic sound as if it were the melody of a song. It was beating slower than usual,but it was beating,which had to mean she was alive.Bayla Adams had survived a fatal Ruisangor bite.

“Gloria can go fuck herself,” I said dryly when I reached the hallway.

Dad looked at me, and I realized immediately that he had slept just as little as I had.

“Julian,please!”he snapped at me. “Please check on Mia,” he continued, and I gave the mayor in the doorway one last suspicious look before disappearing back up the stairs.

I hadn’t trusted anyone since last night. Amara Blair, Alarik, Diana, and this Bastien DeLoughrey had been talking to each other in such a strangely familiar way that doubts had arisen in my mind. I didn’t know what it was, but something wasn’t right.

This Bastien had finally disappeared from the Adams’ house after some time, not without constantly eyeing Diana. Almost as if he urgently wanted to say something, or as if Bayla’s mother was the next victim.

If there was anyone I trusted the least right now, it was the Ruisangors. Next time I saw Adrian, he would pay for this mess.

I stopped in front of Mia’s room.

That was the moment when I remembered that our father had been called out on duty three hours ago. This kind of thing often happened in the middle of the night or early in the morning when some high school kids had messed things up, but this time had been different. Lola, the little old owner of the popular town diner, had called. An animal attack.Ezra Campbell.

It had even distractedmefrom Bayla for a moment, but in retrospect, I didn’t know what was worse: that Bayla and her friend had been attacked by a Ruisangor or that Ezra Campbell was no longer alive.

I’d first met him when I’d moved to this neighborhood, but apart from a few words we’d exchanged, we’d had little to do with each other. He had been one of those hard-working students you saw in the library all day and who nodded to you every other week with a smile while mowing the lawn.

And then there was Mady, the girl I’d known since junior high. TheSunshine Girlwho had lost her parents... and now her brother.

When I had found out about it, my remorse had been immense. She had simply taken Mia to a club, and I had intended to talk to her today about her silly decision, but now was not the time for such a conversation.

To put everything that had happened out of my mind, I knocked gently on my sister’s door.

Numb3rs

Jay Varton

“Hey. Mia Mouse, are you awake?”

“Don’t call me that...” I heard an annoyed hiss from inside and then opened the door. Mia was sitting on her bed, leaning against the bedframe and staring out of the window into the old neighbors’ storm-ravaged garden.

“I want to go over to Mady and tell her that everything is going to be okay…”

The subject had caught up with me again.

Sighing, I walked to her window and stared out into the dense forest as if something was still lurking out there, ready to claim its next victim.

Threegirls had disappeared last night, including Bayla’s crazy human friend.

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