Free Broken by Marianne Curley Page B

We sit without speaking for a few minutes.
    ‘That won’t happen to me. I won’t forget anyone.’
    ‘You don’t know that for sure.’
    ‘And neither do you!’
    She has me there. ‘True. I’m just saying, look how quickly time passes for humans. Imagine how inconsequential time is for angels who live in a world where they don’t even count it. You get busy with the things you have to do. Before you know it, a whole lifetime on Earth will have passed.’
    She sniffs. ‘Jordy?’
    ‘Yep?’
    ‘That won’t happen with Nathaneal,’ she says, trying hard to keep her voice steady, ‘will it?’
    ‘You said he loves you, right?’
    ‘Isn’t it obvious? Don’t you see it when we’re together?’
    I shrug. ‘Not really.’
    Her face drops.
    ‘But I’m not looking, you know.’
    She glances in the direction of Amber’s place. From here, with her amazing eyesight, she can probably make out the charred remains of her own house next door. She’s been through a lot. Not just the fire but losing her parents too. I remind myself that I’m doing this for my mother. No other reason than to free Mum. And because I love Ebony, making her fall in love with me will keep her out of Prince Luca’s grasp.
    At least now I can tell Skinner I’m making progress with planting serious doubts in her head. Hopefully he’ll get off my back for a while.
    ‘Jordan, do you think I’m an angel?’
    I try not to react. It’s the most vulnerable I’ve seen her yet. But Thane will be home soon. Who knows, maybe even tonight! I can’t miss any opportunity to forge a gap between them. ‘Everyone makes mistakes, Ebony.’ I start the engine and get us back on the road before we end up late for class.
    ‘So you’re saying Nathaneal made a mistake in thinking I’m an angel?’
    I have to swallow hard not to choke on the lie that sticks in my throat. ‘Well, Jezelle did bring up a valid point about your eyes not being vivid enough to be angel eyes.’
    She stares straight ahead. ‘I remember.’
    ‘No one’s perfect,’ I add, giving her more reason to doubt herself. ‘Not even angels.’

14
    Ebony
    My compulsory twice-a-week counselling session is so unproductive Rebecca Vaughn lets me go early rather than risk me falling asleep in the chair.
    ‘See you on Thursday,’ she says, while running her long manicured fingers across the keyboard as she sums up another dismal session in my file. ‘Same time, OK?’
    I pick my backpack up and head to the door. ‘Sure, if I still have to?’ I glance at her hopefully.
    ‘You still have to.’ She looks up. ‘Ebony, you’re a powder keg waiting to explode.’
    ‘Excuse me?’ She’s never been this direct before. ‘Rebecca, I don’t feel like a powder keg.’
    ‘And there lies the problem.’
    I frown.
    ‘You don’t believe your parents died in the fire that destroyed your house.’
    They didn’t. But I can’t exactly tell her how I know this.
    ‘It’s been months, Ebony, and until you can accept that your parents passed away –’ she pauses as if she’s changing her mind, tucks a stray black curl behind her ear – ‘you will keep seeing me twice a week.’
    I stifle a groan and open the door. Her voice stops me from escaping into the corridor. ‘One more thing.’ I glance over my shoulder. ‘If you need to skip class again, drop in here first and let me know. I won’t stop you, but we can have a quick chat, all right?’
    Does nothing slip past this woman? ‘It was just one class at the end of the day,’ I say. ‘Anyway, how did you find out? Did Mr Zavier report me?’
    She adjusts her reading glasses higher up her nose, giving me a grim smile. ‘It’s my job. See you on Thursday.’
    By the time I visit my locker, I’m late for English and walk into the middle of a lively debate about celebrity laws. Taking a seat in the middle row next to Sophie, I watch with a growing sense of disconnection until the buzzer sounds.
    Third period is Physics.
    Amber