Between Shadows (Shadows Saga bk2)

Chapter 4- First

Mara woke from the same nightmare again, her hand lifting to the spot of the scar like it did every morning. A reminder that while her whole dream wasn't true, parts of it were. 

She shook the thought from her mind and dug through her drawers until she found her summer uniform, the plum shirt with the school's emblem in silver over her heart, and the skirt. 

She quickly got ready, realizing Trixle was already gone and she was running late. No breakfast this morning. 

Mara brushed out her hair and let it fall over her shoulders, hiding the bite marks left from the vampire. She thought about the last time she wore her hair up, it was at the dance the year before. She wondered if she would ever have the confidence to wear it up with the reminder constantly painted on her skin.

She swept some eyeliner on her bottom lid and quickly painted her lashes with mascara, just enough to make her eyes pop. Then she looked at her schedule and ran up the stairs to her first class, tracking. 

Mara had finally been pushed forward to classes with students her own age, after her tests the previous year and the tutor Torlak had found for her over the summer, the school had seen it fit to move her up. She walked into the room and saw one familiar face, though it didn't bring her joy. 

Sitting in the middle of the room was Avaline, one of the girls in Ladies of the Night, and she had already spotted Mara. 

Mara tried to look away like she hadn't seen the girl, but Avaline was flailing her hands in the air to get Mara to sit by her. 

Finally she relented and went to sit next to the girl.

"It's so nice to see someone you know, isn't it?" She asked almost too excited. 

"Yeah. It sure is." Mara said looking down in her bag for the notebook and textbook for the class, trying to avoid too much conversation.

She didn't know why Avaline was being friendly, or if she was even being friendly. Mara had turned her and her sisters down when they asked her to join their coven last year. Either there were no hard feelings, or she was hiding them in hopes of getting Mara to join this year. 

"How was your summer?" Avaline asked cheerily.

"It was good. I went home with Trixle for most of the summer, I stayed there with her family."

Avaline's eyes widened. "You stayed in the fae kingdom? In the castle?"

Mara just shrugged and nodded. Sure the place had been huge, but she didn't know what the big deal was. It was just a home for Trixle and her entire family. Sure it was different from how most people lived, but she had come to terms with the fact that her friends were beyond normal.

"What was it like?" 

"Well, it was big, and they were really nice. Their family took me in as one of their own, her father even found the best tutor for me so I could finish catching up."

Avaline just nodded, staring at Mara with wide eyes. Finally she found her voice again. "What's it like being on the High Council."

Ah bingo! Mara thought. This was what she wanted from the beginning. 

Just then their teacher walked in and called the class to order to begin class. 

Mara had been so distracted from the look she could see Avaline giving her from the corner of her eye that she had completely missed the man's name.  

He was going over the rules from the classroom, and Avaline was still looking at her intently. Mara turned her head to look at the girl sitting next to her.