And then I saw Miles’s eyes. They were glowing. Red.
My heart stopped, and I started to wiggle, to which Adrian held me even tighter.
“Damn it, Miles!”
The blond pulled him back completely.
“You’re right, she does smell a lot stronger than the others...” Miles murmured slightly absently, then backed up even further and squinted his eyes.
Adrian looked back at me and fixated my gaze.
“You’re not going to...” the blond inquired, confused.
“She’s witnessed too much.”
He looked at me more closely and I suddenly felt warm.
My skin started to tingle. Why was I suddenly so hot?
“What are you going to do?” I asked, and the fear seemed to fight its way up again.
His eyes seemed to pierce me. Those deep dark eyes... Until they suddenly turned reddish. Like Miles’, except fine veins were added, stretching around his eyes to his cheeks and temples.
I flinched and stared at him. So, he did. His irises were still partially brown, but the individual fibers were slowly turning reddish.
I had to be hallucinating. Maybe I had gotten too much of the sun... Or I was already fantasizing in my adrenaline rush.
I had never seen anything so beautiful. Fascinating and scary at the same time, like a deep blood-red sea whose black bottom drew me to it.
Suddenly, a door at the end of the corridor burst open and a group of students poured out.
Adrian backed away from me and turned his back as if nothing had ever happened.
His buddies did the same, and eventually they disappeared together around the corner from where I had overheard them earlier.
I remained standing. Still motionless.
What in the world had just happened? What had happened to his eyes? And what had the three of them been talking about that I hadn’t been allowed to overhear? Something those rich snobs had screwed up? Were they perhaps up to something?
The thoughts in my head grew louder and louder until the questions in it threatened to burst my brain.
My curiosity grew. Sooner or later, I would give in to it. I would find out what the rich kids of this town were hiding. And what damn drugs were doing such a sick mess to their eyes.
I turned around, letting my adrenaline-filled legs carry me through one of the side corridors, hoping to put as much distance as possible between me and these maniacs before I could change my mind and follow them. Then suddenly, a strained cursing sounded.
I stopped and scurried behind the nearest column. The corridor I was in was empty, and only the sunlight of another courtyard, with Greek statues, was dancing on the stone floor...as well as on the tousled dark blond hair of the Copeland guy twenty meters away.
Wasn’t that the rowdy guy? Emely’s brother? Nash Copeland?
“Damn it!” it escaped him, and he ruffled his hair. “Damn it, Mady!”
He kicked a pillar so hard that the stone snake’s head began to crumble.
“Why are you still here?!” he snapped, and I had never seen anyone kick a stone pillar so desperately.
The buzz of a cell phone sounded, and a few seconds later, Nash reached into his pocket and read the message he had received. He pressed his lips together, ruffled his hair again, and then disappeared through the courtyard into another hallway.
I stayed behind the column a bit longer, trying to process the first few days at Vanderwood, while I watched a black raven balance around on the arm of the courtyard statue, slip, and fall into the pool.
Could it be that everyone here was nuts?
Chapter 25
Adrian
I didn’t know how David knew about this room, but I didn’t really care either. I was glad that there was a place here at all where one could communicate undisturbed.
The only unusual details were all the pictures on the wall and the bright sunlight coming in through the big windows.
I felt the infernal burning on the back of my hand and watched Miles avoiding the light as well. We both didn’t bring our black moonstones.
There were advantages and disadvantages to using our powers during the day. And like with all of us, it was my skin that was affected. Even if the Legacy Ruisangors had a clear advantage and didn't have to walk around with a moonstone all day, as the Changed had to.
Actually, it should have stopped long ago, but the burning had already occurred regularly for half an hour as soon as UV radiation hit my skin.
I joined Miles in a corner where no light entered, and David followed me.
“Is it still burning?” David finally asked. He knew it wasn’t normal.
