Ariella's biggest desire in life has always been such a simple one. She wants to be 'normal.' Unfortunately, that one simple wish has never been within her grasp. Coming from a long line of witches is bad enough, but she's even more different than t...
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I was lying on the couch, trying to convince my body to get up and move to my bed, when my phone chimed with a text. I groaned and lifted the bottom half of my body from the couch to wiggle my phone from my back pocket. I groaned again when I saw Lawrence's name on the screen. The day before, I would have been overjoyed for Everett to approach me and for Lawrence to reach out, but now I just didn't feel like dealing with the drama of it all. I had even considered the possibility of asking Lucien to take me on a trip for a few days to escape away from everything.
After a bit of hesitation, I tapped the screen to open the text. "Pier?" It simply read.
I almost ignored him just like he'd been doing me, but curiosity got the best of me. After days of acting like I didn't exist, what could he possibly want? I realized that curiosity was what usually got me into so much emotional trouble. I made a mental note to work on that later and climbed out the window onto the roof below.
At this point, I refused to walk through the house unless it was absolutely necessary for fear of who I might run into. I wasn't just worried about Sara, though. I was more than a little concerned about what could happen if River smarted off when I was already so close to the edge. I was holding onto my emotions and control by a thread, and I felt that the thread could snap at any moment. It was best for everyone if I kept my distance.
When I reached the pier, no one was there. I walked out to the end and leaned against the railing to wait. I looked up at the thousands of stars twinkling in the night's sky, breathing deeply and enjoying the cold fresh air and the beautiful view that stretched before me.
"I saw you talking to my brother this morning." Lawrence's voice sounded behind me, startling me. I hadn't heard him approach.
I turned towards the voice, ready to reply, only to have the words die in my throat. Snapping my mouth shut, I scanned the faces in front of me. Lawrence, Cal, Annie, Lizzie, and a guy I didn't recognize stood at the end of the pier, blocking my escape.
"What the hell is this? Some kind of ambush?" I asked with a hint of surprise in my tone.
"Something like that," Lizzie replied with a smirk.
I gave the girl a little nod, trying to hide the strange mixture of anger, betrayal, and amusement rising within me.
I glanced at the guy I'd never seen before. He was a skinny teenage boy with shaggy blonde hair that concealed his eyes. "Who are you?" I asked curiously.
"A friend of mine that's in town for a visit. He's the reason I stopped by your house the other day. I was hoping to introduce you," Lawrence responded, not giving the boy a chance to answer for himself.
I nodded and waved a hand through the air in front of me. "I'm not real sure what you're hoping to accomplish here, but let's get it over with."
"This is a warning... to stay away from our family," Lizzie said with a sneer.
