Page 31 of Rockwell Academy: The Twist

“Fuck.”

Her low whisper causes me to smile, and she shifts in her seat and attempts to regain her cool.

“What do you have in mind?”

Her voice is husky, telling me I have her interest at last and I grind out the cigarette and say huskily, “I could walk you home.”

“Why?”

“Because you’ve found your phone and are expected to catch the others up.”

“Were you stalking me?”

Her eyes widen as I fill her in on her earlier conversation.

“You hear a lot of useful information from the shadows, Summer.”

“I prefer the light.”

Her eyes flash as she attempts to refuse me, and I shake my head slowly. “No, you don’t. You are intrigued by the darkness because it’s all you know. You are comfortable there; it’s home to you. If you were presented with normality, you would consider you had failed at life because we are better than normal, Summer. We live on the edge of hell and you know it.”

“Okay.” She faces me with defiance.

“Walk me home and I’ll leave it to you to deal with my brother if he finds out.”

“He will thank me for protecting his sister.”

I stand and offer her my hand.

She hesitates before taking it and as I pull her up to join me, I tug a little too hard until we are eye to eye, chest to chest and I whisper, “Freedom doesn’t come easily in our world. You step from one prison to another, and it’s how you make the transition that counts.”

Her breath hitches as my breath flutters against her lips and as I pull away, her eyes cloud with disappointment.

I release her hand and nod to the open space leading toward Willow Tree House.

“After you.”

She says nothing and starts walking and as I fall into step beside her, we make the journey in silence.

After a while, she says softly, “Tell me about yourself, Luca. Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

“No.”

I close the conversation down because my family is my business and has no bearing on what this is.

“That figures.” She laughs softly. “I mean, you don’t say much and are a little intense, if I may point that character trait out. You should loosen up a little.”

“Why?”

“Because it makes you weird.”

“Weird?” I chuckle softly. “In your opinion.”

“In everyone’s opinion.”

“So, you know what everyone is thinking now. That’s some skill you have.”

She laughs softly and then stops as I add, “What am I thinking now?”

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