“What the heck is that?” she cuts me off, her eyes wide.
I shake my head. “What is what?” I follow her gaze down to my wrist, and my mouth goes dry. The stone in the bracelet Tristan gave me, the charm supposedly designed to detect fae, is pulsing with light.
Allison staggers back, but her eyes stay locked on the bracelet. As if waking from a trance, her wide hazel eyes find mine. “Aurora, where did you get that?”
This can’t be happening. Not after all the shit I went through. This is not happening. Maybe it’s a trick of the light.
“Where did you get that bracelet?” she asks again.
I shake my head. “Um . . .” I shift my arm behind my back as I debate lying. Honestly, I wish I could climb my ass out the window, but I don’t think I’ll fit. That, and we’re not on the ground floor.
Allison’s face is a mask. “Where did you get it?”
I swallow the lump in my throat. “He’s looking for you.”
Allison pushes past me like I’m a piece of furniture, letting loose a string of expletives. As if remembering the source of her fear, she grabs my arm and rips the bracelet off. It hits the floor with little sound. Gritting her teeth, Allison lifts her foot and brings it down. Over and over. Until the charm is no longer illuminated.
“How the hell did you meet him?” she demands in between shallow breaths.
“Some guy at the party thought I was you, so he knocked me out and brought me to him,” I answer in a quiet voice. “Oh god . . . It’s true?” I shove my hand into my pocket and pull out the folded photo Tristan gave me. I open it, and the familiar face staring back at me knocks the breath out of my lungs.
Allison stands in front of me, brows furrowed as if she’s trying to come up with an answer. Abruptly, she rushes around, grabbing clothing, books, and anything else she can get her hands on. “I have to get out of here.” She throws things into a suitcase, not looking my way once.
I watch her, unable to find words. This is Allison, I tell myself. My roommate. My best friend. The person who busts my ass during exams and lifts me up at the same time. I have no idea how to feel. “You—the fae—they’re real?”
She nods, her lips pressed into a tight line.
My jaw clenches. “Why is Tristan looking for you?”
Allison grabs my hands and holds them, ignoring my question. “Leave with me.” Her plea is desperate.
“What? I can’t!” I pull my hands away from hers. “I need to finish school and get my degree. I have a life, a normal freaking life despite everything I’ve seen and learned in the last twelve hours!” I shake my head to clear it and take a step back. Allison stands there with an unsure look on her face. She turns away without a word and wrestles a dress from its hanger. Her knuckles are white; her grip is sure.
Allison’s voice is rough with unshed tears. “I never wanted you to find out what I am. You didn’t need to know. It isn’t safe.”
“Safe? Tristan told me my ancestors were fae. Now I find out you are too, and you’re on the run from him. All of a sudden you’re worried about safe?”
She freezes. “Wait, you’re part of a fae bloodline?” Something like recognition passes over her face. “That’s why—I’ve always sensed something on you, but I never knew what, and I couldn’t bring myself to say anything. It was clear you didn’t know or you would’ve known about me, so I ignored it.”
My eyes widen, and my forehead creases. “I have no idea what’s going on right now! I just found out about the fae!”
Her gaze softens. “I know. Let’s get out of here. We’ll figure it out, I promise, but we need to leave.”
My eyes burn as the tightness in my chest threatens to suffocate me. “I’m not going anywhere,” I force out in a hoarse voice.
Allison throws the dress into her suitcase. The only sound in the room is the loud zip of her luggage. She looks at me for a long moment, but I can’t read her expression. “I’m so sorry. I have to leave,” Allison whispers. She takes off, leaving the door wide open.
Her quick footsteps retreat down the hall, but I don’t follow. Tears spill free and wet my cheeks. I want to go after her. Shake her and demand answers. I have a million questions, but my feet are glued to the floor.
I stand there as the minutes tick by and stare at the almost empty side of our room. Allison’s bed is unmade like usual, but all of her dresser drawers are askew, the clothes she left behind falling out of some of them.
The fae are real.
I might not have believed the crazy guy who kidnapped me, but Allison—my best friend—I believe. I’ve lived with her for years. How did I not know something wasn’t human about her? There must’ve been clues. I sink down onto my hard mattress and push my palms against my eyes.
I stand and pace my room until I’m dizzy, trying to come up with some brilliant plan to figure this whole thing out, to keep Tristan from finding Allison, to keep the fae off my back. None of my plans are feasible. Leaving would only take the issue elsewhere, not get rid of it. Facing it head-on looks like my only option right now.
Huffing out a heavy sigh, I fall onto my bed and curse. I bash my fists against the mattress, but none of it takes away the ache left behind by Allison’s absence or what she hid from me. I thrust my fingers through my hair and groan.
I spend the rest of the afternoon trying to get in contact with her, checking with her friends to see whether they’ve heard from her—none of them have—and scouting out every place on campus she might go to. I’ve run out of all options except one. Maybe there’s a chance Oliver knows something. I head to his room and bang on the door until he opens it. I was hoping to keep him out of this, but that isn’t going to be possible. I don’t know what else to do at this point.
He pokes his head out the door and frowns. “Aurora, what’s up?”
“Have you heard from Allison today?”
He shakes his head and opens the door to let me in. “She did mention going to visit her parents, so maybe she went home.”
“I’m worried, Oliver.” I don’t tell him she packed her bags and took off. I don’t mention that there’s a dangerous, potentially psychotic fae looking for her. If I didn’t know about Allison, I can’t see that Oliver would.
He laughs. “It’s Allison. I’m sure she’s fine.”
I blow out a breath, but it does nothing to alleviate the weight on my chest. “I have a bad feeling. Please help me find her.”
“Okay.” He sighs. “Hold on. We both have the Track Your Friend app.”
“Like a GPS sort of thing?”
“Yeah,” he answers.
“Okay, can you try to find her?” I chew my bottom lip as he taps away on this phone.
His eyes brighten when it chimes. “I got her,” he says. “She’s still in the city but nowhere near campus.” He frowns. “It looks like she’s across town somewhere.”
“Why would she go there?” I ask.