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  “It could be a lot worse. Trust me,” Amelia told her. “I hope we stay here this time.” She sounded a little wistful, and I almost felt sorry for her. Travelling sounded like a great opportunity, but it must have been hard for her not having a permanent home. I was even more determined to make her feel welcome.

  “Well, even if you move on, it’ll be easy enough to stay in touch with us,” I said, meaning it.

  She grinned at me, and I was struck by something wholly familiar about her. I knew it would be easy to be friends with Amelia. After only a day, I felt as though I had known her for years. By the end of lunch, even Tammie was calling Amelia her new little sister. I was relieved to see Tammie liked her. Amelia was extremely nice, but Tammie could be contrary around other girls. I just hoped things would go as smoothly once Joey was around.

  I saw Amelia a couple of times throughout the day. I was sort of keeping an eye on her, even if I wasn’t exactly aware I was doing it. As far as I could tell, she wasn’t getting hassle from anyone. It didn’t hurt that her big brother was pretty popular already. I doubted anyone would bother her with anything other than trying to be her friend, although she didn’t blend in as well as he did.

  Nathan made a point of saying hello to me and Tammie if he passed us by in the hallway, much to the chagrin of Dawn. Even some of the others nodded at us in passing whenever he did it. It was sweet of him to make an effort to be nice to us when he was probably hearing all sorts of bad things about us from Dawn. It wouldn’t have shocked me if he tried to stop his sister from spending time with us based on gossip, so I was pleasantly surprised by how he handled it.

  Before the end of the day, he really surprised me. Scared me, in fact. I was busy rummaging frantically through my locker looking for my gold identity bracelet when he shoved it right in front of my face. I almost jumped out of my skin with fright. I had been so focused on my search that I hadn’t even heard him next to me.

  “Sorry,” he said, trying not to laugh. “I found this in the hall earlier and remembered you had been wearing it on the bus. So, here you go.”

  “Oh.” I took the bracelet from his extended hand, far too aware of the fact his fingers had touched mine. I jumped again at the tiny spark of energy I felt when his skin brushed against mine.

  “Thanks. I was just looking for this.”

  He put his hand in his pocket. I looked at mine in wonder for a second.

  “Glad to help,” he said. It seemed as though he wanted to say something else, but one of his friends called him over. “See you later,” he said before hurrying over to them.

  I put my bracelet back on, wondering how on earth he had spotted it before. I was more than a little pleased he had noticed something about me. I was lucky he had found it. The catch was dodgy, and it occasionally fell off, but it usually ended up caught in my sleeve. That was the good thing about those heavy jumpers.

  After school, I headed outside with Amelia and felt someone touch my wrist. Even before I turned my head, I knew it was Nathan, because I got that same rush of sensation under my skin.

  “You should get that fixed,” he said. I looked at my wrist and saw my bracelet was about to fall off again.

  “Oh, yeah, thanks again,” I said, my face heating up.

  He gave me a wide smile that made my stomach feel as though it housed one hundred butterflies before he hurried ahead to join Aaron. I couldn’t help smiling after him, but a prickly sensation on the back of my neck made me shudder—I felt as though someone was staring at me. Looking around, I saw a man with flame red hair leaning against a wall across the street. His head was turned in my direction, but I couldn’t tell if it was really me he was looking at. I frowned and glanced at Amelia, meaning to ask her if she knew him, but when I looked back, he was gone.

  My thoughts quickly wandered back to Nathan, even as I tried to concentrate on whatever Amelia was talking about. I couldn’t stop mulling—and smiling—over that pleasant little jolt of energy I had felt before. Over-thinking everything Nathan Evans did was beginning to become a habit for me.

  Dad was on late shifts for the rest of the week, so Gran and I ordered a takeaway that evening and watched a black and white film on the television. It was a pleasant distraction but didn’t quite do the job completely. Thoughts of Nathan still managed to pop into my head unasked. As if she sensed my mind was on other things, Gran questioned me about my day numerous times.

  “There are some new kids at school,” I told her at last, hoping she would stop asking me if I gave her something.

  “Were they mean to you?” she demanded.

  “No, Gran,” I said with a smile. “The boy is in my year. He seems nice. The girl is in the year below, but she sits with us at lunch and stuff. I like them.”

  “Ah,” Gran said with a knowing smile. “So, is it the boy who’s been on your mind all evening then?”

  “Gran!” I tried not to laugh. “I’ve just been thinking about homework.” I stuck my tongue out at her as she hmm-hmmed at me sceptically.

  “You should ask them over some evening,” she said.

  “And inflict Dad on them? Yeah, right. Oh, meant to say, they moved into one of those big old houses. You know, near the woods.”

  “Really? The ghost estate?” she said with interest. “I wonder what they’ve done with the place.”

  “Hmm. I doubt they’ll stick around. Amelia told us today that they’ve lived all over the world but never anywhere for long. That’s kind of sad, isn’t it? Never having a real home?”

  “Your home is where your family is, pet. They’re probably all happy as long as they’re together.”

  “Maybe. Doesn’t work that way for all families though.”

  The corners of her mouth turned downward making me regret my words. I had obviously made her think of her daughter. My mother. The woman who didn’t care where her family was. The woman whose home was as far away from her family as possible. I changed the subject quickly, although, I still thought Amelia longed for a real place to stay. A real place to call home.

  That night I had one of those dreams, except this time, it turned into a nightmare. The figure was Nathan again, but that danger in the background that I always sensed came and took him away. He disappeared right in front of me.

  I awoke upset and found it hard to get back to sleep. What bothered me most was how much the dreams affected me. I was completely obsessing over someone I didn’t know. I had seen Tammie obsess over Joey. A lot. It wasn’t pretty. But at least she knew him. This was a stranger I was dreaming about. That had to be weird.

  It took a while to realise why I was feeling so upset. It wasn’t because I was dreaming about Nathan. I liked dreaming about him. I liked thinking about him. I liked liking him. I was upset because something bad had happened to him in the stupid dream. It was as though I couldn’t shake the idea that something about the dream was real. Sleep evaded me that night because I couldn’t help worrying something bad might actually happen to him.

  Chapter Four

  The next morning, it didn’t take Tammie long to realise I was not in a great humour. She didn’t bother asking why, probably assuming my Gran and Dad had been fighting again. On the bus, I was quieter than usual. I still hadn’t shaken the awful feeling my dream had given me. Amelia and Nathan sat with us. Him right across from me again. I barely said hello to them, but I couldn’t help looking up at him to see what made him so different, why he had such a big impact on me.

  The dream had really spooked me, and I couldn’t let it go. Between my dreams and how I felt when he barely touched me, I struggled to find a reasonable explanation for it all. He noticed me staring and looked right back at me, bemused.

  “Perdita, are you okay?” Amelia asked, concern obvious in her voice. I gave her a quick nod.

  “Ah, don’t mind her. She’s a bit grumpy this morning,” Tammie joked.

  I slumped back in my chair, avoiding all of their eyes as I put my earphones on and turned up the sound. I tried
to tune out the bewildered glances they all exchanged. It wasn’t long before Nathan left to sit with the others down the back. I stretched out my legs and waited for the journey to be over. The music was loud enough to block out my thoughts but not the cold shivery feeling I’d had all morning.

  I kept the earphones on even as I walked into my first class. Nathan tried to get my attention, but I kept my eyes directed at the floor as I passed him by. I sat down, but he followed me and took out my earphones. Switching off the music, I stared back at him in confusion as he knelt beside me.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?” he said in a low voice, one arm leaning on the back of my chair. I nodded, unsure of what to say. He was a little too close to me. Not that I was complaining.

  “You can tell me if anything is bothering you, you know.” He moved his hand so it rested lightly on my shoulder. He looked right at me, expecting a reply. I could hardly admit what was really bothering me, but I wanted to share something with him because he seemed so concerned. If I was really rude, he might never bother again.

  I rubbed my eyes. “I’m just tired is all. I had a screwed up dream last night and I…” I hesitated when I saw Dawn and her groupies walk into the room. “I’m fine,” I said firmly.

  “Well, cheer up then. You don’t look as pretty when you’re miserable.”

  My smile was automatic and genuine. He grinned back at me and handed me my earphones before taking his usual seat. The cold, sickening feeling in my stomach transformed into something warm and comforting. I was still smiling when Tammie sat next to me.

  “Bit of a hormone imbalance today, yeah?” she said.

  I pushed against her and looked down at my book, still smirking to myself. Cheered up beyond belief, the icky feelings were all but forgotten. Amelia seemed surprised when I grinned at her in the hallway, but she didn’t comment. She didn’t even remark when she caught Nathan winking at me.

  Joey finally met Amelia for the first time at lunch when she joined us at our table.

  “Joey, this is Amelia. Her brother’s the new kid in our year. Amelia, this is my cousin Joey. He thinks he’s the boss of me, but obviously, I rule.”

  Joey barely heard me, he was too busy checking out Amelia. His eyes lit up when he shook her hand. Tammie’s face clouded over. Major warning sign right there. I made sure Amelia sat on the other side of me so Joey was sandwiched between me and Tammie. She sat as close to him as possible and pretty much demanded all of his attention, so I figured we had avoided a hissy fit.

  “By the way, the stud we found for Dolly is coming to stay with us this week,” Joey told me after a few minutes.

  “Does that mean I get a pup?” I had once been promised one, but my Dad was always changing his mind.

  “First choice,” Joey said. I was thrilled—a pup might be better company than Dad and Gran.

  “What kind of dog?” Amelia asked.

  “She’s a boxer. Tan with white socks and nose.” Joey sounded like a proud parent. “Male is brindle, so you should have some choices, Perdy.”

  “Oh, cool,” Amelia said.

  “Would you be interested in a pup? I’m sure I could work something out for you.” Joey’s tone was far too flirty. I groaned at his lack of awareness, imagining I could feel poison seep from Tammie’s pores.

  Amelia shook her head. “We already have a few dogs.”

  “Ah, I see,” he said, leaning across the table to hold her wrist still long enough to peer at the silver charm bracelet that dangled there. “Is that why you’ve so many dog charms then?”

  She smirked. “They’re not dogs. They’re werewolves.”

  Tammie’s eyebrows rose. “Werewolves?”

  Knowing her as well as I did, I guessed it was time to change the subject or else a smart alec comment would be next.

  “So, what kind of dogs do you have, Amelia?” I said.

  “Wolfhounds.”

  “They must be bigger than you.” Spite dripped from her Tammie’s words.

  “Almost. You all should come to my house and see them.” Amelia seemed oblivious to the danger.

  That had Tammie interested. She was dying to see what the house looked like on the inside, but Joey ruined it by acting altogether too interested himself. There was a fine line in Tammie’s eyes, and he had crossed it. She drummed her long fingernails on the table loudly, a deep scowl marring her features.

  “I doubt your parents would want half the town nosing around your house already,” I said, desperate to distract Tammie.

  Amelia’s smile fell. “Actually, my parents are dead. I live with my grandparents and uncle instead.”

  “You have something in common with Perdy then. She has a granny instead of a mammy too.” The malice in Tammie’s voice was unmistakeable this time.

  “Tammie!” Joey looked as shocked as I felt. “What the hell?”

  Tammie could be mean sometimes, but that was too far. Amelia’s eyes glittered, so I stood and asked her to walk to the shop with me to give her an excuse to leave. She nodded and hurried toward the canteen doors.

  “Jesus, Tammie. Could you be any more of a bitch?” I hissed under my breath before following Amelia, all too aware of Nathan’s head turning in our direction.

  “You okay?” I asked as we walked down the hall. She nodded, but I saw a tear fall. I put an arm around her, hoping to comfort her.

  “Aw, please don’t get upset. I’m sorry about Tammie. She’s just jealous and gets a bit thick sometimes. She doesn’t think about what she says.”

  “I’m fine,” she insisted, wiping a tear from her cheek. “I don’t even know why I’m upset.”

  “Well, it’s understandable to be sad about it.”

  “It happened years ago, it’s not even… I’m not… I don’t know why that got to me,” she said, shaking her head.

  “A lot is going on for you. New home, new school, new people. Some not so nice people. Only natural to feel a little bit more emotional than usual.” I felt so bad for her. She was obviously a sensitive person, and now she kept having to deal with people who didn’t care if they upset her. “It’ll be okay. Things will get easier, and you’ll settle in and feel like you were always here.”

  She nodded, drying her eyes. “You’re right. I’m just feeling a bit overwhelmed or something today.”

  I caught a better look at her bracelet. It was covered in tiny charms that looked like wolves.

  “Don’t you like any animals other than wolves?” I said with a smile, hoping to cheer her up.

  “Werewolves,” she corrected. Her eyes locked onto mine, not a hint of a smile on her face. I couldn’t help shivering—not that I believed her. We were interrupted before I could figure out what to say.

  “Amelia?” Nathan caught up with us.

  She blinked away the last of her tears. “It’s okay, Nathan. I’m fine.”

  “What happened?” He frowned at me when he asked, as if he thought I had done something to upset her.

  “Nothing important. Perdita took care of me. I’m fine now, I promise.” She sounded reassuring, but he still didn’t relax.

  “Are you sure?”

  She nodded again. Nathan’s concern was a little odd, or maybe I just wasn’t used to siblings looking out for each other.

  “Well… okay then.” He seemed reluctant to leave. “Thanks for… being there for her.”

  I nodded. I didn’t trust myself to say actual words that made sense in front of him.

  Amelia sniffled loudly. “I have to go to the bathroom for a sec. Wait for me, please?” she asked me.

  “Yeah, sure,” I said. She ran off and left us standing together. He didn’t look happy.

  “So, what really happened then?” he said, his eyes narrowing coldly.

  Why did he have to ask me questions that required vocal answers?

  “Um, my friend made a stupid remark about me and Amelia having something in common because we don’t have mothers, and Amelia got upset.” For some reason I was afraid to s
ay it.

  “Yours is dead too?”

  “Oh, no, sorry!” I was embarrassed to have made it sound like my story even came close to comparing with theirs. “Mine just didn’t want me.” I closed my eyes for a second, wincing a bit at how pathetic that sounded out loud.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Oh. It’s not a big deal,” I said hurriedly. “I mean, not like you… sorry, what I meant was it isn’t upsetting for me. She was never around, so I don’t miss her or anything. That’s obviously nowhere near as bad as what’s happened to you and Amelia. I’m really sorry about your parents.”

  “It wasn’t recent,” he said, his voice soft as he moved closer. “But Amelia, she’s….”

  “Sensitive?” I offered.

  “Yeah, exactly. I have to look out for her a lot. Our mother was murdered, so….” He stopped talking and looked at me blankly as if he didn’t know quite what to say. It was as though he had the world on his shoulders, so I touched his arm lightly without thinking.

  “It’s okay. I’ll look out for her when you’re not there,” I reassured him. I wasn’t sure why I said it or even why I felt compelled to look out for Amelia. There was something about them both that made me feel as though I knew them well. Hearing that their mother had been murdered just strengthened the connection I felt.

  He smiled at me gratefully. I was starting to feel sort of normal around him. He moved even closer to me, and I realised my hand was still on his arm. My fingers stung with the heat. It was just like before, except this was a slow, lingering burn rather than a quick shock. I held on for too long, but I couldn’t move away. I didn’t want to.

  “Thank you, Perdita. It means a lot that you’re a friend to her.” He spoke so quietly I could barely hear him. Not that I was paying much attention to what he was saying, I was too busy staring at him all dreamy-eyed. Something about the way he said my name put me in a little bit of a trance.

  “Oh, look. How cute. Our resident freak thinks she actually has a chance with Nate.”

  I whipped my hand away and stepped back quickly, not needing to look around. I already knew Dawn was sneering at me. She pulled Abbi in front of me, knocking me backward in the process. She made sure I saw the flirty grin she directed at Nathan. My fingers itched with a compulsion to pull her to the ground by her hair.