Page 200 of Caelum

Whatever Eve did to them when she drew out their beasts, it messed with them for a good while. Dre still wasn’t back to his usual cutting self almost ten days on.

After dinner, we headed for the common room and stuck to our prospective sofas. It had already been noticed by the faculty and a lot of thestudent body that we’d all taken to sitting together, but if we’d shoved the sofas together too, that would have caused more than raised brows.

I didn’t want there to be even that much distance between Eve and us, but fuck, what could I say without coming across as a pansy?

It was barely eight in the evening when I felt the weight of the day hit me, and by that point, I was too exhausted to realize that everyone else was just as weary. Well, except for Eren. That fucker seemed to run on something other than sleep. Didn’t know how he did it, and to be honest, I didn’t want to know.

Bed was my favorite place in the world.

And if Eve was in it?

Jesus, I might never leave my pit.

TWENTY-FIVE

EREN

It wasn’t unusual to find myself alone in the common room, but so early? Yeah. That was a new one. Still, it gave me jurisdiction of the remote control, and to be honest, I liked the quiet.

Whatever else Eve had done, aside from bringing some vitality to my days, she’d certainly shaken things up, so I enjoyed the relative peace of Caelum as everyone readied for bed.

I had time to think, time to wallow, and time to ponder what the fuck was happening with my Pack, but tonight, I didn’t want any of that. I just wanted to be mindless. Just wanted to float a little in the ether of trash TV.

Why?

Because what Frazer said had terrified me.

Did Eve know how close she’d come to death when she taunted his Sin Eater?

I didn’t think so.

And what was going on with her? She’d gone from being timid to a sexpot overnight.

I was confused, but more than anything, I was concerned.

Other people were going to notice she was acting strangely. She hadn’t been here a long time, but her back story was so perplexing, so unusual that people had taken note of her. They knew her as the cult girl, as the oldest student to ever start studying with us… that she’d gone fromTheHandmaid’s Talechic to pornstar charming was going to make eyebrows soar.

Of course, this was the exact opposite of me shutting my thoughtsdown. And a few hours later, when I heard a rumble in the sky, I regretted switching off immediately.

I hadn’t heard it at first because I had the TV on loud and I was watchingCaptain Americafor like, the tenth time. The sounds of the airplane engines on the screen were overloud thanks to the kickass speaker system in here, but they couldn’t replicate the deep and throaty rumble that came from a helicopter approaching.

Except, this didn’t feel likeonehelicopter.

I wasn’t on the faculty, and my brothers, though high-ranking in our class, weren’t on the need-to-know list. We weren’t going to be kept in the loop as to any important visitors, but no one came at this hour.Ever.

As I clambered to my feet, I released a deep yawn. I was tired, had been for hours, but I’d pushed it aside as I often did. Being exhausted was preferable to the nightmares that hit me and to the terror that swaddled me in its grasp for those few moments I closed my eyes and allowed my body to rest.

This time, though, I stumbled with fatigue, and that shocked the hell out of me. I’d slept last night for a little while so I shouldn’t have beenthisweak. I was only noticing it now as I was standing and walking toward the windows.

Dizziness hit me, but I pushed it aside and looked out into the distance.

I squinted, unsure what I was seeing, but when I saw the number of lights headed our way, my stomach clenched.

Dashing over to the corner where a big red button for emergencies only lay, I pressed it. Instantly, the silent alarm rang. One that worked on a level only creatures could hear. It fuckinghurt, but not enough to totally shut down my hearing. When I discerned nothing, not the chaotic panic of a five-hundred strong population waking up at the sound of the panic button, I froze.

What the hell?

Staggering, I began the short walk to Eve’s quarters. Well, it should have been short. Instead, it was long. Took me ages. No matter how hard I forced myself, it was like my feet were coated in concrete and I was wading in mud.

---