Maybe Fate: A Novel (New Adult Paranormal Romance) (18 page)

So
far, anyway.

Scrubbing
my soaked hair with the towel, I cleaned up and got changed, feeling
much better about everything now that I'd made some progress.

It
wasn't as overtly useful, but I had a feeling it might be.
Generally, I was just proud to have figured something out about the
people watching me behind the curtains.

Even
if those people are apparently emotion-sucking god-beings who want
to destroy everything. Thanks, unbiased literature.

Thinking
about that, how the twaelin could possibly be so dangerous, drew my
mind back to my friend Becky.

She
hadn't returned still, and though I knew she was keen to spend time
outside the dorms, it was too easy to think up worst case scenarios.
Far
too easy, actually. Please please be okay, Becky. Maybe I should go
and find Nethiun, try to convince him to help me look for you...

When
she finally rolled in after seven at night, looking a little frayed
and exhausted, I felt massive relief.

“
Becky!”
I gasped, closing her laptop, ending the episode of another nameless
reality show about nothing. “You're back! Are you alright?”
She
looks like she's in one piece! Thank goodness!

Giggling,
she draped herself across her mattress and gave me a wicked grin.
“Oh, way better than alright. Gale, I think I
might
be in love.”

That
stopped me stone cold. “Excuse me?”

Kicking
off her shoes, peeling off the dress she was still wearing from the
club, she unapologetically stripped to her underwear. I politely
shielded my eyes. “Gale, this guy. I just... wow. He took us
to the hotel he's staying at, guess his apartment is being renovated
or something. I didn't mind, it was so romantic! He's a god damn
dream boat. Didn't you
see
him last night?”

Chewing
on the inside of my cheek, I nodded without looking at her. I didn't
have trouble remembering Ethlyn or his intense yellow eyes. They'd
been aimed at me more than enough. “Uh, sure, but to call it
love when you've only just met him?”

Pushing
her lips together, she blew a wavering bit of air out. “Strong
words from someone who's never been out on an actual date. No
offense Gale, but you might not be so quick to give me love advice.”

“
Hey!”
I blurted, twisting back around. Finding her sitting there still in
just her bra and not much else, I whipped my eyes back to the far
wall. “Dammit, put on some clothes.”

Becky
laughed, not unkindly. “You saw much more of me yesterday.”

That
was not something I wanted to recall.

“
Anyway,”
she said, making enough noise as she dug around in the closet to
assure me she was looking for something to change into, “Maybe
you should be more open minded here.”

More
open minded... but what she's talking about, with WHO she's talking
about...

Tugging
at the ends of my hair, I spoke quietly. “It just feels fast,
to me. You're right, I don't know much about dating or guys or love
or whatever. Even saying that, who falls in love overnight?”

Becky
was silent, I didn't turn her way until I heard her mattress creak.
She was sitting there in sweats and an old band shirt, her forehead
crinkled. “What about you?”

“
I—what
about me?”

The
corners of her mouth curled up playfully. “Well, maybe I'm
just crazy here, but I seem to recall a certain girl who told me
just a few nights ago that some random guy was following her around.
A guy who was worth revoking a police report over. A guy who I'm
pretty sure had his hands all over said girl last night.”

Dammit.

“
Becky,
it's not the same. I don't
love
Nethiun, I hardly know him!”

“
You
like him, I could see it on your face last night.”

Biting
back a mean comment about how she couldn't see anything while her
lips were stuck to Ethlyn's, I just stared at the floor.
She's
not entirely wrong, and I know that. But dammit, when she lays it
out so bluntly, it reminds me it's been so little time since I met
him.

“
It
still isn't the same,” I muttered lamely.

Becky's
bed squeaked again as she leaned forward, across the gap between us.
“Gale, why do you fight so hard against this?”

Lifting
my eyes suspiciously, I saw her concerned expression. “What do
you mean?”

“
You've
been struggling against the idea of meeting someone, hell, the idea
of
other
people getting together, ever since I met you. It's probably not my
business,” she added, lifting her hands in solidarity, “but...
what happened to you to make you feel this way?”

This
was getting too personal, far beyond the scope of what my roommate
should be getting involved in. “That isn't—that has
nothing to do with...”
Could
it? Could what happened to mom...

Am
I so oblivious, that I never considered the connection?

“
Hey,”
she said, watching me with those wide, empathetic eyes of hers, “you
can talk to me. It might even help. I'm here for you, Gale. Okay?”

Smiling
sadly, I looked her in the face as calmly as I could. “You've
known me for a total of two months, Becky. As roommates, and nothing
more. How can you—”

“
As
friends.”

Blinking,
I tightened my hands in my lap. “What?”

Her
smile was brazen. “I've known you as
friends
for two months. That gives me much more pull, didn't you know?”

I
was close to laughing, on the verge of welling up with tears.
“You're ridiculous.”

“
No
more than you,” she retaliated. “Look, if you're going
to wedge your way into my life with advice on my relationships, I
just think you should give me some credit and explain where this is
coming from.”

I
knew she wouldn't understand my cynical chuckle.
This
has everything to do with things I can't tell you, things like how
your feelings are being aimed at a literal monster. It has nothing
to do with...

With
my dad.

Smoothing
her hair absently, she watched me curiously. “Someone hurt you
before, didn't they?”

Instantly
I sat up, as if someone had jammed my lower back with a hot poker.
“What?”

“
That's
the only thing I can think of,” she mused, shrugging casually.
“I know you said you'd never dated anyone before, but
was
there someone at some—”

“
No,”
I said quickly. “No. Not like that. There wasn't ever someone
like that. I—Becky, stop taking guesses.”

“
I
think you're giving me more information by omission than you
realize,” she teased.

This
must be how Nethiun feels.

Hunching
my shoulders, I pulled my knees to my chest. “What happened to
me doesn't have anything to do with you and Ethl—Ethan,”
I corrected myself nervously, catching her confused look, “Ethan.
Sorry. I'm just worried about you, that's all.”

“
Gale,
I know you are. I'll quit prying, but maybe you might want to talk
to someone about whatever you're so set on burying down. Even if it
isn't me,” she said, sighing dramatically, “I'll live if
you turn to someone else. Just... talk to someone eventually.
Keeping things hidden is never good.”

My
eyes wandered over to my stack of notebook paper.
Hidden,
like her boy-toy's actual identity. How would she handle knowing
that?

As
far as the rest goes...

I
have more things to worry about than anything to do with my father,
I wish it was easier to just tell her that.

Gale
Everette

Monday
morning dawned red. It was a day I spent bundled up in my jacket,
stumbling from one class to the next in a mental haze.

Focusing
on my studies was impossible with everything else haunting me. I
felt like a zombie, moving around sluggishly, searching for
something so intently that nothing else around me mattered.

How
could anything be more important than my worry for my own safety,
and my friend's?

When
the late afternoon rolled around, I wandered into my English class,
amazed it was already time for it.

My
foot had barely crossed the threshold when the prickling, static
sensation rippled from my belly to my spine.

Jerking
my eyes up, I found a familiar figure sitting at the back of the
class. With his feet up on his desk, arms folded behind his head,
Ethlyn looked as if he belonged perfectly among a bunch of bored
college kids.

Any
hope I had of not drawing his attention melted away. Those crisp
yellow eyes flew my way, a muted grin chasing after it.

What
the hell is he doing in here?

Frozen
in the doorway, I stood there with clear fear plastered on my face.
In my ears, the pounding of my blood muffled every other sound.

What
do I do, dammit, what am I supposed to do?

Before
I could fret longer, someone came up behind me. Clearing his throat,
Mr. Birch leaned over me into the room. “Excuse me, Miss
Everette? You're blocking the way, and I do have a class to teach.”

Startled,
I jumped forward. My teacher stared down at me, spotting my nervous
expression, or at the very least, the sweat I could feel sliding
down my forehead. “Are you alright?” he murmured.

Glancing
over at Ethlyn, who still hadn't moved an inch, I searched for my
voice. “I'm—fine.”
Dammit,
really, should I just act like nothing is wrong? Ethlyn is here
because of me, that's obvious, but what does he want?

I
still knew too little. If the twaelin was going to cause trouble,
hurt anyone, would he have done it by now? Did they think like
humans, did they
want
to stay secret?