Page 26 of Speak No Claim

When a loud giggle captured my attention, suddenly, a gorgeous blonde walked toward me.

“You’re asking the wrong people.” Her arms folded over her blazer, amusement skimming across her warm honey-colored eyes.

She couldn’t have been much younger than me.

Maybe nineteen?

It was then that I remembered her. Her blond hair spilled down her back, and unlike everyone else, she’d rolled the sleeves of her uniform to her elbows like rules were merely suggestions to her.

She was one of the girls I’d first seen at the party by the bar.

Once she was standing in front of me, she openly shared, “They’re not ignoring you because they don’t know where the Administration building is.” She smirked. “They’re ignoring you because they’re pretending you don’t exist.”

“Oh.” I blinked. “That’s comforting.”

She actually laughed. It wasn’t polite or forced. It was natural. Instantly, I liked her. I appreciated her honesty. She was the first person who’d actually told me something straight without turning it into a game.

When out of nowhere, she proudly stated, “You’re the girl who embarrassed the Devereauxs at their party the other night. A defeat that’s never been done by the way.”

I licked my lips, my mouth dry. “All I did was climb a tree.”

“No…” she coaxed. “You declared war.”

My eyebrows lifted. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me.”

“Yeah, but I don’t think I understand.”

“What’s not to understand?”

I accentuated the word, “Everything.”

“Let me make it a little clearer for you then.” Extending her hand to me, she greeted, “I’m Deja.”

I shook it. “Hennessy.”

“I know.” She smiled. “Hennessy Belladonna, right?”

“Mm-hmm.”

We stood in silence for a second. She was investigating me with her eyes, and I allowed her to, hoping she’d actually answer some more of my questions. She seemed defiant in the same way I was. We shared that immediate connection.

There was also something really familiar about her, like we’d known each other from another life. My soul recognized hers.

For one quick moment, the rest of Graves Academy disappeared, along with everyone in it. All the noise, the students, the questions no one answered, none of it existed. There was only this strange feeling of certainty that we were supposed to meet. This encounter wasn’t by accident. It wasn’t a coincidence.

It was fate.

It wasn’t until she broke whatever spell had settled between us that she unexpectedly declared…

* * *

“I’m Deja Devereaux.”

Chapter

Eight