Page 32 of Seren

“I hate these people,” I said, wishing I was anywhere but there.

“Me, too.” Sawyer dug his hands into his pockets. He didn’t know what to say. My world was continuing to unravel and there was nothing he or I could do to stop it. “I don’t want to leave you, Grace, but I was in the middle of a test and pretended I needed to puke. I really need to get back, but I wanted to be the one to tell you. I didn’t want you to find out from someone else.”

“Thanks,” I said, but I didn’t know why I was thanking him for bringing me shitty news.

Once Sawyer headed back to class, I returned to the cafeteria to grab my stuff. The attention had grown. Had they all seen the video? I glanced over at Christa and Kiki. They smiled in my direction.

Bitches.

Beside them, Seren stared at me. He wasn’t smiling like the girls were. His eyes were narrowed on me like he couldn’t fathom why I wasn’t falling to pieces.

It’s gonna take more than that, asshole.

* * *

In no rush to get back to the manor, I took a detour, pulling off the road at one of the mountain overlooks meant for tourists who needed to stretch their legs amidst God’s greatness. Though I lived in New Hampshire all my life, I wasn’t immune to the grandeur of the mountains. The lofty peaks held snow even in the spring. The green treetops covered the mountains like a perfect grove. The clouds sat midway up the mountains, giving the impression of heaven on Earth.

I climbed out of my car and sat down on a cobblestone rock wall, just needing time to think. Time to decompress. Time to hate everyone. How could the people in Windham be so different from the people in Coopersville? Sure, they had money. But money didn’t automatically create assholes. Sawyer was rich and a sweetheart. Had he just not been tainted yet? Was it just a matter of time before he became cold like his older brothers?

I inhaled a breath of fresh air and tried to clear my mind. The view surrounding me was breathtaking and just what I needed to come down from such a shitty start to my time in Windham. Hell, my entire senior year had sucked. Even back home, once my father became ill and we knew there were no other treatments to save him, life had taken a turn for the worse.

I spun the ring on my finger. It made me feel closer to my dad. And if ever there was a time I needed him, it was now. I pulled out my phone and tapped on my photos. I had to scroll back a bit, but I found what I was looking for—what I wasfinallyready to watch. I tapped on the video and it began to play.

“Shut that camera off, Gracie,” my dad said on the screen, looking so young and healthy.

Tears pricked my eyes like I knew they would.

“Not until you tell me I’m your favorite daughter,” I said in the video, my voice a little squeakier given I was five years younger.

Laughter tumbled out of my dad and the sound hit me deep, making it difficult to see the screen with the tears glazing my eyes. “Of course you’re my favorite daughter. You’re my only daughter.”

“Hey! Is that the only reason?” I asked.

“Come on now. You know better than that.”

“Do I?” I asked, totally fishing for compliments.

“You’re beautiful,” he began.

“Go on.”

“You’re smart,” he continued, causing tears to fall from my eyes as I continued to watch.

“Keep going,” I laughed.

“You’re talented.”

“And?”

He chuckled. “And, you’re going to make an amazing marine biologist someday.”

“Oh yeah? Why’s that?” I asked.

“Because I’ve seen firsthand how animals are drawn to you. Hell, everyone’s drawn to you,” he assured me. “Because they can sense they can trust you.”

“I love you, Dad.”

“I love you more, Gracie,” he said, smiling into the camera.

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