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For the first time, I was free.
As much as I hated to admit it, Redmond really came through. He couldn’t deny me and forced me to attend Blackwoods. Mother begged him to do it. Hell, she threatened to poison Erin if he refused.
That was empty, obviously. Mom knew Redmond would cut her throat if she ever got anywhere near his precious wife.
Typical Orchard family drama.
I sighed and tilted my head back. Not that it mattered.
I caught movement from the corner of my eye. Palmira stood a good way off, admiring some bushes and pretending she wasn’t following. I smiled a bit and sighed. She was a good person and I liked her, but it annoyed the hell out of me that Redmond had assigned a babysitter.
Especially a babysitter like Palm.
I stood up. Palm caught me looking and waved.
I waved back and ran.
Ahead, the path forked. I went left, dove through bushes, and sprinted around the corner of a building. I ducked into some trees and crept through the shadows, staying quiet and still when Palm came jogging past. She was grinning the whole time, like this was a big adventure.
I just wanted to be normal. I wanted to be alone for ten freaking minutes. Palm would find me, but for a bit I could pretend like I was just another anonymous kid touring campus before classes began.
I stepped out from my hiding place. I was breathing hard from the run and I picked some leaves from my hair. I was in a small courtyard behind the science building, and when I looked up, I froze.
A boy sat in a bench with a book ten feet away. He was watching me with cold blue eyes.
I stared back, transfixed.
Boy wasn’t the right word. He was a young man—maybe a year or two older than me. He had full lips, intense eyes, a groomed beard, and light brown hair swept aside in a casual mess. He wore a button-down open halfway along his chest, and multicolored tattoos of stars, a moon, some words in script I couldn’t read peeked out. He wore black jeans and black boots, and when I looked back up, his head was tilted, but he still wasn’t smiling.
He stood and I took a step back, even though he wasn’t close.
“Why are you running?” He walked over, book tucked behind his back.
“Uh, no reason.”
“Do you sprint around campus in sandals all the time?”
I looked down at my feet. My toes were painted purple. “Yes, I do. I find that sandals are good for my posture.”
A ghost of a smile. “I’ll have to try it.” He stopped a foot away. I had the sudden urge to turn and run. “Are you a new student?”
“Yeah. I came early. Getting my bearings.” I chewed my lip. “Do you go here?”
“I do,” he said. “Or I used to. I’m not sure if I do anymore.”
“That’s ominous.”
“Not really.” He glanced over my shoulder. “I think you’re caught.”
I followed his gaze. Palmira was coming toward me in the distance, looking annoyed.
I turned back. He was closer, those intense eyes moving down my body, lingering on my mouth. He was handsome, beautiful, like a lion. Gorgeous, but deadly.
He put his hand out. “What’s your name?”
“Uh, Melanie.” I took the handshake. His skin was callused and hard. “What about you?”
“I’m Nervosa.” He grinned and it split his face in half. “Lovely to meet you, Melanie.” He released my hand, but left something behind. I curled my palm into a fist, covering the paper. I didn’t know why I didn’t look, or why I didn’t question him. Strangers didn’t usually slip a note into my hand.
“Mel!” Palm’s shout made me jump. I turned to look and waved.
“I’m fine, hold on a second!”
She didn’t slow down. When I turned to ask Nervosa what his name meant and why it sounded so familiar, he was already walking away. I watched him disappear down the far path.
“Who was that?” Palm asked when she caught up.
“Some guy that goes here.” I stared after him, trying to decide why my skin was crawling.
“That was a good move, but don’t do it again.” Palm stretched her back. “Come on, let’s get out of here. I’m starving.”
She walked off. I quickly unfolded the note. It was scribbled on a page from the book Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.
There was a phone number, an address in Palo Alto, and four words.
Come Find Me. Nervosa.
