Free Alliance by Lacy Williams as Lacy Yager, Haley Yager Page A

you’re taking me back.”
    “Oh, I’m home-schooled.”
    “You are?”
    Great. Thanks, Chloe, way to make her suspicious. It’s obvious Blondie has more connections with the state and social services than I first thought. I don’t need her asking questions about Chloe.
    “Yep. Shane and—uh, my—uh, mom,” the lie sounds like just what it is coming from Chloe’s mouth but she soldiers on, “teach me. I like math and history best, but geography is really fun too. Last year I learned how to read maps. I got to plan the route when we came from Indiana to Boston and we didn’t get lost once.”
    Chloe, that’s TMI! I try to broadcast the thought to her telepathically except of course there’s no such thing. Thankfully, Blondie doesn’t seem to know what to say to Chloe’s rambling monologue. This gives Chloe a chance to ask another question.
    “Where’s your family at?”
    This time Blondie hand balls into a fist, and when she speaks her voice has an edge. “They’re dead.”
    Did she have something to do with their deaths?
    “Did you have any siblings?” Chloe plows on, completely oblivious to how uncomfortable she’s making Blondie.
    “A twin brother and a younger sister.”
    “How did they die?”
    “Chloe,” I warn.
    Blondie’s knuckles are white now, but the rest of her is motionless. I’m curious about how her family died, but I know she can’t answer that question truthfully.
    “Sorry,” Chloe mumbles.
    “It’s okay. I just don’t like talking about it. It was a long time ago.”
    Blondie visibly relaxes and her arm rubs lightly against mine. I expect her skin to be cool—she’s technically dead after all—so I’m surprised when a jolt of heat passes through me. She tucks her arm tighter against her side and farther away from me.
    “I like your accent, where are you from?” Chloe continues her interrogation.
    Blondie’s shoulders tense up again at the change in subject. “England, originally. I haven’t been back there in forever so the accent tends to come and go.”
    “Why haven’t you been back?”
    “Bad memories I guess. It’s easier to forget things with distance.”
    “So you don’t have any family here?”
    “Well, I have my best friend Hannah, and she’s practically my sister. And I have a twin brother that lives in San Francisco.”
    A twin vampire?
    “Why does he live so far away?”
    She shrugs, bumping her shoulder against mine. Whose brilliant idea was it to put her in the middle? This is dumb, I don’t need to be all touchy-feely with a vampire.
    “Doesn’t he miss you?” Chloe prods.
    Blondie laughs once without humor. “I doubt it. We have different views, so we don’t get along very well.”
    “That’s sad.”
    “What different views?” I chime in. Being a vampire seems pretty standard: sleep all day, prowl at night, and kill humans by sucking them dry of blood. How can she have a different view?
    She considers this for a minute. “About everything—life in general. He’s sort of a snob who thinks he’s better than most people, and I don’t like that kind of mentality. He thinks I’m crazy for considering all people equal.”
    “So there’s no discrimination in your book at all?”
    “Nope. I don’t think that anybody can honestly say they’re better than someone else. There’s always too much background information that gets left out if you judge people before you really know them.”
    A vampire is preaching to me about equality? Seriously? Vamps kill people all the time with no regard to who the person is or where they come from. So why does Blondie act like she’s an exception?
    “How long have you known Hannah?” Chloe asks.
    “Years.”
    Evasive much? I make a mental note to check Hannah out. She’s definitely not a vamp, but she could be something else supernatural. It would make sense why she’s friends with Blondie.
    We finally pull up to the school, and I bail out. I need some distance from the confusion and