Illicit by Cathy Clamp

Author:Cathy Clamp
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Tom Doherty Associates

CHAPTER 11

Alight snow had fallen overnight, so delicate that even stepping on it made it disappear. Rachel could see her own footprints, like small dinosaur tracks across the white landscape, crossing the smaller prints of a trio of deer and some even smaller mammals … rabbits and squirrels. The clouds overhead threatened more snow and the sun’s light barely filtered through. What she wouldn’t give to fly across the landscape at this time of day, to see all the animals below instead of just smell them.

The air burned when she inhaled deeply, and every sense had come alive in the cold. But she hadn’t worn heavy enough clothes to be comfortable standing still for long, and Dalvin was already an hour late. She’d asked Scott to give Dalvin directions to the start of the racecourse, but maybe she should have knocked on Scott’s door, made sure he was awake. God only knows how long everyone partied after she left the school.

Part of her was sorry she’d bailed on her second song, but she’d been so pissed off at the bear bitch that she was afraid she was going to jump off the stage and get into it with her. That Zara was no better, laughing at the racist comment Larissa had made during the first song.

She’d also been freaked out by Dalvin. When he’d begun to sing, she’d gotten angry—how dare he interrupt! Then she realized he wasn’t trying to steal attention from her. He’d just joined in at the same place he always had back home.

“Home.” It sounded strange out loud. But in a flash she knew—Luna Lake had never really been home. It had always been, in her mind, a way station from somewhere to somewhere else. Nothing more.

“What about home?” Dalvin’s voice, from behind her, made her gasp. The snow cover had made his approach utterly silent.

“I miss it,” she admitted. “I didn’t realize that until you got here. But I miss Detroit.”

He shook his head. “It’s not the same as you remember. Whole place has changed. The bank collapse wasn’t kind.”

She remembered glimpsing stories in the news, but she had deliberately not paid attention, knowing she could never go back. “Is the fountain still there, next to the park?”

He smiled and the expression lit up his whole face. “Yeah, that’s still there. There’s not always water in it, but when there is, it’s the same.” He paused. “Sorry about last night. I didn’t mean to cut in. It was your moment, not mine.”

She shrugged. “It wasn’t really a moment moment. Mo … Asylin asked me to sing, so I did.” She tucked her hands in her pockets, feeling unsure of herself. “Hey, did you tell Scott we were hooked up before I got taken?”

He looked away, smelling of embarrassment and humor. And something … else. “Not in so many words. We were just talking, you know, while I was unpacking. He asked what you used to look like. I told him pigtails and too-big jeans, except that one time.

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.