Free Waking by Alyxandra Harvey-Fitzhenry Page A

almost felt as if her hands were birds, skimming and darting of their own accord. The images were rough, but they were a good start. She smiled at them before gathering them up and leaving to get some gossip out of Luna.
    She nearly screamed when she saw the shadow standing in the doorway, watching her. She recalled the woman in black who watched her, watched her in her sleep. Her heart stuttered briefly before the figure spoke.
    â€œBeauty?”
    She nodded and her heart began a whole new dance. She would know that voice anywhere. Poe smiled at her. His hair was pulled back. He was wearing dark jeans, a black T-shirt and holding his guitar case.
    â€œI didn’t mean to scare you,” he said.
    â€œThat’s okay,” Beauty said. “I didn’t hear you, that’s all.” She wondered how long he’d been standing there.
    â€œYou look great,” he added, taking in her clothes and her braids. “Cool hair.”
    She wondered if jumping up and down and whooping for joy might be a bit much. She settled for a wider smile.
    â€œThanks,” she replied with what she hoped was a relatively
    â€œThanks,” she replied with what she steady voice. “Luna’s handiwork.”
    He shrugged. “You were pretty before too.”
    She really really wanted to kiss him. They looked at each other for a long moment, all silence and candlelight. She loved the way the shadows caught his cheekbones and his dark eyes. His earphones were around his neck as usual. She thought of the dream she’d had of his mouth on hers and struggled not to blush.
    â€œSo, what are you doing here?” they both said at the same time and then laughed self-consciously.
    Poe put down his guitar case and stepped farther into the room. He leaned against the wall.
    â€œI’m sleeping over,” Beauty explained. “You?”
    â€œI was practicing a new song. I come and play with Eric sometimes. Ever met him?”
    Beauty shook her head. “How many people live here anyway?”
    Poe rolled his eyes. “Tons. And they keep changing. It’s worse than living with all of my brothers.”
    She felt suddenly shy and glanced at the room. She wondered if he was just being polite. Maybe she should excuse herself before things got really awkward. She would just die if he got bored and left.
    â€œAre you busy right now?” Poe asked. “Was I interrupting?”
    She smiled. He didn’t want to get away from her as quickly as possible after all. “No, I’m done. I was just sketching something for our project tomorrow.”
    â€œCan I see?”
    She nibbled on her lower lip. “Um, I guess so.” She handed the sketches over to him with a nervous laugh. “They’re really rough.”
    He bent his head and looked at them, shuffling through each page. When he looked up he was very serious. “You lied to me,” he said.
    She blinked. “What?” She was half-confused, half-insulted. “When?” she demanded.
    The corner of his mouth curved slightly. “You said you weren’t a very good artist,” he explained. “But you are.”
    Air rushed out of her tense lungs. “That’s an interesting way to pay me a compliment,” she grumbled.
    He laughed. “Sorry. Listen, if you’re not busy or anything, do you want to hang out for a bit?”
    â€œRight now?”
    â€œYeah. Unless you can’t?”
    She could see him struggling not to show disappointment. She wondered whose fairy-tale life she’d fallen into. Whatever the case, she wasn’t giving it back any time soon.
    â€œNo, I’ve got some time.”
    He grinned. “Great.”
    Poe slid down along the wall and sat with his legs crossed. Beauty sat too. The hardwood floors of the studio gleamed with flickering firelight. Part of her wanted to stay here forever and another part wanted to rush upstairs to tell Luna what was