Masquerade by Cruz Melissa de La

Author:Cruz, Melissa de La [Cruz, Melissa de La]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Young Adult, Fiction, Romance, Urban Fantasy, Vampires, Paranormal, Fantasy
ISBN: 9780786838936
Amazon: 0786838930
Goodreads: 106085
Publisher: Hyperion
Published: 2007-05-01T07:00:00+00:00

* * *

TWENTY-ONE

The boy stood precariously on the railing of the balcony off the third-floor library. When the weather was warm, the balcony was nicknamed “Club Duschene” since students routinely took their lunches there, tanning, rolling up jeans into shorts, girls unbuttoning their blouses as low as they dared, and boys going as far as to take off their shirts. But it was the middle of January, and the windows that led out to the balcony were usually locked. Not today. Today, someone had opened the window, letting an arctic blast inside the library, and that someone was now outside, balancing on a slim, four-inch iron rail. Jack was on his way back from the music building when he came upon a lively crowd gathered in the cortile, the courtyard behind the main school. He saw Schuyler slip through the side entrance, her face lined with concern as she spoke to her friend Oliver, the Red Blood.

He tore his eyes away from her, wishing he were the one she would turn to for comfort, and looked up to where several people were pointing, and noticed the boy. He was a freshman, a Red Blood, and he stood on the railing with a blank, dazed look on his face.

“Jump!” Soos Kemble screeched, collapsing in giggles.

“What does he think he’s doing?” another girl asked, horrified and titillated at the same time.

Jack noticed that the crowd was amused by the situation. Half of them were eagerly, if unconsciously, rooting for the boy to fall. Classes would be canceled for the rest of the day for sure.

“C’mon! Get it over with! I have a Pre-calc quiz I don’t feel like taking this afternoon!” someone called.

In one corner, hidden behind a hedge that surrounded a stone bench, Jack’s supersensitive hearing picked up the sound of Kingsley Martin, the new boy, laughing with Mimi.

“Make him do a pirouette,” Mimi said.

Kingsley waved his hand, and the boy on the ledge executed a ballerina turn. The crowd gasped. But the boy landed on his feet. He looked shocked at what had just happened, almost as if he had no control. . . .

No control . . .

Jack glanced sharply at Kingsley. He knew in an instant what was happening. Kingsley was using the glom to control the boy’s mind, as a puppet master would pull the strings.

At Committee meetings, they had been told there would be strict punishments for using their powers on the Red Bloods without provocation. Jack felt a deep rage rise within him. The stupid, arrogant fool. Kingsley was going to put them all in danger.

“Release him!” Jack commanded, holding up a palm, his eyes shooting daggers at Kingsley.

The crowd turned to see who was causing the scene.

“Aw, we were just having a bit of fun, mate,” Kingsley said, and with another flick of his wrist, the boy stopped turning.

The boy screamed to find himself alone on top of the balcony. He wobbled; his left foot slipped off the edge. . . .

“Martin! Bring him down! NOW!”

“If you insist,” Kingsley said, looking bored already.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.