Free Spectral by Shannon Duffy Page A

he would just give me more things to worry about or ask me to leave with him again. I knew I couldn’t leave. I wouldn’t leave. I would never leave Jayden. My parents were doing a fine job protecting me up until then, and I had no reason to doubt that would change.
    I dashed over the curb and toward the entranceway, noting the dark clouds scuttling across the sky. My sneakers squeaked against the floor of the mostly vacant hallway, my backpack slung over one shoulder. I made sure to pack the Ancient Witchcraft book that morning, for fear someone in my family would find it. I ran my hand over my dark hair that now sprung out wildly from its ponytail and fumbled with my wrinkly shirt. I groaned. Just when I was getting on track with a little style, I turned into night of the living dead.
    Classes were about to begin and I ran, not wanting to be late and any more of a spectacle than I already was, when suddenly I tripped on something and went flying through the air. I landed on my knees with a thud and fell forward until my face hit the floor. Hard. My backpack flew through the air and landed with a bang, several feet away.
    I looked up and saw Olivia. Her best friend, Amy, was in her usual place by her side. They were walking away, then stopped, Olivia turned her head over her shoulder smirking at me.
    “Klutz,” she snickered and Amy laughed.
    I knew she tripped me. I rubbed my jaw, thinking how I would end up with an enormous bruise, and crawled to my backpack when I saw that the Ancient Witchcraft book had flung out of it when Cruella tripped me.
    I squinted up at Olivia. “Just leave me alone.”
    She twisted around and placed her hands on her hips. “And what are you gonna do about I—” her words broke off and her face turned pale. She wasn’t smirking anymore. Her eyes fixed on the floor in front of me.
    I looked to see what was freaking her out so much, and saw the culprit was my book. The snake on the cover had come to life. The serpent coiled and twirled around the dagger. I blinked, hardly believing what I was seeing. Its eyes glowed as its tongue slid from between its fangs. The snake hissed.
    Olivia and Amy backed away, jaws gaping.
    My hands trembled but I grabbed the book by the edge and tossed it into my backpack. The moment I touched the book, the snake returned to its original emblem.
    “What the—” Amy gawked.
    “What are you, some kind of freak ?” Olivia spun around, grabbed Amy’s arm, and took off.
    “Apparently,” I murmured under my breath.
    The bell rang. Sighing, I stood and picked up my bag and headed to class. I snuck in and took a seat in front of Taylor, thankful the teacher didn’t notice.
    Taylor leaned forward and whispered in my ear. “What happened to you?”
    “No sleep. And Olivia.”
    “She’s just jealous.”
    I faked a smile. I knew Taylor was just trying to be nice. Saying Olivia was jealous was like something people say when they’re trying to make you feel better. I couldn’t imagine anyone being jealous of me. Let alone Little Miss Perfect.
    And then I saw Roman. He watched me, a look of concern spreading across his face. Yeah I’m late. Some guardian you are. I rubbed my jaw that had begun to swell and buried my head into my book.
    After class, I eyed my reflection in the mirror inside of my locker. My raven colored hair looked frazzled, the dark circles under my eyes appeared corpse-like, and sure enough, a bruise was forming on my jaw. I pulled my hair out of my ponytail with a groan, rummaged through my bag for a brush, and gave my hair a quick fix. Not great, but better.
    “Hey, Maple Leaf.” I heard Chase’s voice come up behind me. I turned to look at him and then twisted away when I saw the shocked look on his face.
    He touched my shoulder. “Hey, what happened to your jaw?”
    I shrugged. “Just clumsy, I guess.”
    “You’re hardly clumsy. I’ve seen you play basketball, remember?”
    Busted.
    “Let’s go and get you some ice.” He