Extraits

I tangled my fingers through his. They'd always felt so strong and sure before. Now they hung between mine, wavering and complacent.

"There must be something..." I trailed off as a bit of movement caught my attention. A white dress flickered in and out of the trees, always on the edge of my vision. Silver eyes, there one moment and gone the next. It was like trying to focus on heat waves in the dog days of summer.

I'd almost convinced myself the movement was a figment of my imagination, but then Whitaker froze, confirming her presence. His face hardened, growing distant. The edges of his eyes flickered like a predator's at night.

Not the boy I knew and loved.

The creature.

"There's nothing. Not even for the girl who can name every flower. The girl who thinks she can name the stars. The girl who thought she could name me."

I froze, every hair on my arms rising to attention as I recognized that voice. I looked in the mirror, and there he was, standing behind me as though my thoughts had summoned him.

"Whitaker?" It came out as soft as a breath.

"You are so, so beautiful."

I turned.

I'd been such a lovesick fool.

"When will you leave?" I asked, mustering as stoic a mask as I could. Better to end this conversation quickly, stamp out whatever was left of our friendship like a campfire left to smolder too long.

He looked disappointed, as though I'd asked a different question than the one he'd wanted to answer.

"Soon, I imagine. If... if you change your mind..." He left out a sigh. "Please change your mind."

"I won't."

He raked his fingers through his hair, releasing a growl of frustration.

"There are some things I can't share with you."

"Why?"

"Because I like you!" The words exploded from his chest like cannon fire. "Because I find myself falling in love with you, and I can't bear the though that I'd say something to cause you to think less of me."

"You couldn't."

"I could. So easily. And I don't want to." His eyes closed as he grabbed at the bridge of his nose, warding off a headache.