and the council were gone, out to dinner. Agathy made me a sandwich for dinner and then left to go home while I ate in my room and continued reading before taking a nap. And now I was staring down at my books, wondering if it was even worth sneaking out. Probably not.
I sighed and slipped out of bed. Throwing on jeans, a white tank top, and a black sweater, I put my black boots back on and wrapped a scarf around my neck. Making my way into my bathroom, I brushed my teeth, applied makeup to my face, and fixed my hair. By the time I was finished, my clock showed I only had three minutes to get to the back alley. Slipping my bag around my shoulder and my jacket on, I turned off the lamp and the room plunged into darkness. It took a few seconds for my eyes to focus in the dark, before I was able to tiptoe over to the door and open it as quietly as I could, sliding out, and shutting it just as quietly. Treading softly down the stairs and out the back door, I kept it unlocked so I could sneak back in. Snow was no longer falling, but there was still enough covering the ground.
As I opened the gate and walked out, I pulled my hood up to cover my ears from the biting wind. I planted my hands in my pockets and looked around. No one was here. Were they even coming? I let out a breath, watching the white cloud form in front of me. My nose started to run from the cold, so I kept sniffing so it wouldn’t leak. It was so cold out that I had to bounce up and down to keep myself warm.
It felt like I’d been standing there for hours, but it had really only been ten minutes when I figured they weren’t coming. They were probably playing a trick on me, and I had been stupid enough to fall for it. Just as I turned to open the gate, I heard voices floating down from the end of the alley; squinting over, I could see four bodies walking this way. Mandy and Sarah's laughing floated closer to where I stood frozen outside of my house. As they got closer, I could see Mandy draped around Tyler and Sarah leaning close to George.
“Mia!” Tyler yelled as they came within ten feet of me. Wincing, I peeked up at my house, but no lights came on, thank God.
“Hey,” I said, trying to pull of being nonchalant. It didn't work with Mandy giving me a nasty smile as indication.
Tyler pulled himself free of Mandy and put an arm around me, walking us down the alley. “I’m glad you decided to come with us.”
“I wasn’t sure you guys were coming,” I said. It felt awkward walking with his arm around my shoulders. I’d always thought I would love it, but I didn’t. Maybe it’s because of the nerves?
“Mandy and Sarah took forever getting ready,” he said, “but we’re here now. Are you ready to explore the outside?” He said the “outside” like it was some mystical place.
“Tyler, I want a drink!” Mandy whined behind us.
Tyler laughed. “Don’t worry. I’ll get you one as soon as we get there.”
“Where are we going?” I asked. I didn’t want to be too loud, even though they were being loud enough to wake up the dead.
“To this little bar that I’ve heard all about.”
“From who?” I was almost a hundred percent positive these four would never make friends with anyone from the other side.
“Don’t you worry about that,” he finished with a wink.
As we moved farther and farther away from my house, dread began to bloom in my stomach. My gut kept telling me to go back home and get back into bed, but I didn’t want to look like a little kid to them. Especially not to Tyler. We walked for about fifteen minutes—the four of them talking so loudly that I was sure we would get caught before we even made it out—before we made it to the brick wall. Tyler stopped in front of it, and I looked up. The brick wall was twenty feet high to prevent anyone from climbing it.
Tyler pulled his arm from my shoulders and dragged his hands across the wall, following it all the way to the right. Mandy and Sarah followed him
I sighed and slipped out of bed. Throwing on jeans, a white tank top, and a black sweater, I put my black boots back on and wrapped a scarf around my neck. Making my way into my bathroom, I brushed my teeth, applied makeup to my face, and fixed my hair. By the time I was finished, my clock showed I only had three minutes to get to the back alley. Slipping my bag around my shoulder and my jacket on, I turned off the lamp and the room plunged into darkness. It took a few seconds for my eyes to focus in the dark, before I was able to tiptoe over to the door and open it as quietly as I could, sliding out, and shutting it just as quietly. Treading softly down the stairs and out the back door, I kept it unlocked so I could sneak back in. Snow was no longer falling, but there was still enough covering the ground.
As I opened the gate and walked out, I pulled my hood up to cover my ears from the biting wind. I planted my hands in my pockets and looked around. No one was here. Were they even coming? I let out a breath, watching the white cloud form in front of me. My nose started to run from the cold, so I kept sniffing so it wouldn’t leak. It was so cold out that I had to bounce up and down to keep myself warm.
It felt like I’d been standing there for hours, but it had really only been ten minutes when I figured they weren’t coming. They were probably playing a trick on me, and I had been stupid enough to fall for it. Just as I turned to open the gate, I heard voices floating down from the end of the alley; squinting over, I could see four bodies walking this way. Mandy and Sarah's laughing floated closer to where I stood frozen outside of my house. As they got closer, I could see Mandy draped around Tyler and Sarah leaning close to George.
“Mia!” Tyler yelled as they came within ten feet of me. Wincing, I peeked up at my house, but no lights came on, thank God.
“Hey,” I said, trying to pull of being nonchalant. It didn't work with Mandy giving me a nasty smile as indication.
Tyler pulled himself free of Mandy and put an arm around me, walking us down the alley. “I’m glad you decided to come with us.”
“I wasn’t sure you guys were coming,” I said. It felt awkward walking with his arm around my shoulders. I’d always thought I would love it, but I didn’t. Maybe it’s because of the nerves?
“Mandy and Sarah took forever getting ready,” he said, “but we’re here now. Are you ready to explore the outside?” He said the “outside” like it was some mystical place.
“Tyler, I want a drink!” Mandy whined behind us.
Tyler laughed. “Don’t worry. I’ll get you one as soon as we get there.”
“Where are we going?” I asked. I didn’t want to be too loud, even though they were being loud enough to wake up the dead.
“To this little bar that I’ve heard all about.”
“From who?” I was almost a hundred percent positive these four would never make friends with anyone from the other side.
“Don’t you worry about that,” he finished with a wink.
As we moved farther and farther away from my house, dread began to bloom in my stomach. My gut kept telling me to go back home and get back into bed, but I didn’t want to look like a little kid to them. Especially not to Tyler. We walked for about fifteen minutes—the four of them talking so loudly that I was sure we would get caught before we even made it out—before we made it to the brick wall. Tyler stopped in front of it, and I looked up. The brick wall was twenty feet high to prevent anyone from climbing it.
Tyler pulled his arm from my shoulders and dragged his hands across the wall, following it all the way to the right. Mandy and Sarah followed him
Similar Books
