Chapter 38

Julian

The rain pelted against my window pane as if it wanted me to stop playing, and when a fat raven finally flew against the window, slid down, and left a disgusting grease stain on the glass, I flipped the lid of the piano key closed in annoyance.

I had made too many mistakes today anyway, and I didn't just mean the wrong key combinations while playing.

I looked through the dirty window.

She was still sitting there, curled up like a baby animal in need of help. Her cheeks glowed red, surely from all the tears she had shed until a few minutes ago. Her shoulder-length hair was all messed up as she kept tussling it with her hands.

Bay stared into nothingness, though I was pretty sure she knew of my presence. But recent events had to be getting to her. Her mother, the environment, this whole damn town...

In any case, I wouldn't have felt any differently if I had been taken to a completely strange environment, to a place teeming with dark creatures whose existence I had only heard about in fairy tales up to that point.

I thoughtfully pushed myself off the piano to stand up.

We were all so fucked up in this stupid system, and I could very much understand Ms. Adam's decision to keep Bay in the dark about her origins. I would have done the same, but I wouldn't even let it get that far. Children did not belong in such a world. And even less of my kind .

I looked over at Bay again.

I felt sorry for her, sitting there, completely confused. And at that moment I realized who was really to blame for her unpleasant circumstances.

Damn it , I should have kept my mouth shut, and Grace and Julie could have just let her forget.

I remembered the fear I had felt yesterday – fear that something was going to happen to her. But it had all been so unnatural. Then there had been the headache and the brief collapse at Alarik's and finally, the second time at the witches' room. Something was wrong with me, and it had nothing to do with my control this time.

Two hours ago, I had drunk another portion of burning wolfsbane, because it was not long until the full moon. My body was going crazy. The transformation was threatening to set in, as it always did, and as soon as I looked in the mirror, my eyes lit up, and veins popped out everywhere. The reason why Senseque stayed home these days each month and kept away from humans.

I sucked in a sharp breath and wanted to go downstairs to the kitchen to Dad and Mia, but something unexplainable stopped me.

I turned to the window.

After that move of mine, I couldn't just leave her sitting there.

An idea came to me, and I went to my desk.

A minute later I was back at the window, paper in my hand.

I waved my other one and Bay immediately looked up, her expression surprised, as if I had snapped her out of her daydreams.

She was wearing a blue hoodie that was a little too big for her, making her look even more crumpled.

I held up the paper I had written Hey on with a black marker, hoping I didn't completely put my foot in my mouth and embarrass myself.

She looked at me blankly for a while, then looked up at the ceiling, leaning her head against her bookshelf.

Crap. I really wasn't good at cheering other people up. However, I couldn't give up now either.

Determined, I pulled out the marker, and drew a smiley face on the back and pressed it to the window.

Bayla looked at me, annoyed, and pulled the curtain closed.

That had really backfired.

I took another sheet and wrote Please respond if you're not uncool , and held it up to the window. I was sure she could see me.

The curtain didn't move.

Just as I was about to give up, a note appeared on her window.

I had to stifle a grin as I read Leave me alone, Julian .

That was progress, if only a little.

Her handwriting was even more scrawly than mine, but I could read it.

How are you? I wrote quickly.

I'm not in the mood for small talk. Came the next sign, Bay still not to be seen.

Me neither ??

She ripped the curtain away and rolled her eyes.

Jackpot.

I couldn't suppress the grin anymore, but tried to keep it in check, because I didn't want her to close the curtain again.

She slapped the next note roughly against the window so I could hear it.

Don't you have any other neighbors to annoy?

The corners of my mouth continued to move upward.

I do, but they're on vacation ??

She rolled her eyes, but continued writing.

What do you want?

I hesitated for a moment, then wrote: Find out how you are.

She looked at me unsympathetic and put the notepad down on her legs.

Well, crap . I had to keep writing.

Honestly.

She seemed to think very briefly, then angled her legs again so she could write on the pad.

Shitty.

What else did I expect? Certainly not that she was about to hug a tree out of pure joy.

Because of Ems? I briefly wondered if I really wanted to remind her, but sooner or later it would happen anyway.

Bay drew a question mark.

Emely, I wrote.

She looked tense, then eyed me. I was curious what was going through her head.

You're one of them, too, aren't you? She wrote on the note, still clearly tense.

The thought hurt me a little, because the last thing I wanted to be was one of them.

I hesitated too long, because another note pressed against the window.

A werewolf...

She really did make me laugh.

You'll never see me as such a beast, I promise.

She looked at me suspiciously. Was there something else in her gaze? Fear?

I wrote, I'm sorry if I frighten you. That is not my intention.

I remembered what curse I had inside me and all the things I could do to her, that I was more than dangerous.

Right now, I don't know what I should really be afraid of.

Bay looked at me with sadness, her eyes shining slightly, as if she were close to tears again.

She seemed to want to write something else.

There was a woman here earlier.

I knew immediately who she was referring to.

She said I was a... Bay paused and looked down at the note.

I forgot the word, she finally wrote on a new sheet. Next to her were the other written sheets in a messy pile.

I quickly wrote Quatura?

She stared at me for some seconds, as if it had occurred to her again that she couldn't actually trust anyone here, then she wrote again. Yes...

My condolences I meant it as I wrote it.

Where did I end up here?

Welcome to Blairville ??

She rolled her eyes.

My life has been a mess since I got here .

She looked at me in despair as the sunlight that seemed to be coming from behind our house broke in her eyes. I looked at the two colors which, along with the many freckles around her nose, made her look special.

I blinked and wrote Then that makes two of us ??

Stop with the stupid smileys

I grinned again.

What do you have against smileys?

She wrote, with a slight smile on her lips.

They are just inappropriate.

Whatever you say ??

I enjoyed annoying this girl.

She wrote again without me having to ask her for it, which made me not regret something in my life for once .

Tonight, 11pm, I'm supposed to go somewhere where they want to do something with me.

Concern rose in my chest. She had just been let in on all this crap, and now she was already supposed to join them. Probably because there was a full moon today.

I'm planning to run away. She continued to write.

I laughed, earning her raised eyebrows, then wrote again.

If it were that easy, I would have left here long ago.

She looked at me questioningly.

You can't just leave. I continued to write.

Are you trying to stop me?

I had to grin again.

I'd like to help you, to be honest.

You? Helping me?

Her expression was full of disbelief. And that although I had already helped her a few times.

Yes, then I have one problem less ??

She raised both brows again.

Funny , it came back.

??

I'm serious, I'm going to go.

And leave your mother behind?

Despite all that had happened, I didn't believe she could do it. Ms. Adams was kind and didn't seem like a bad mother to me.

I don't want to talk about her.

I nodded. Bay just needed a little more time.

I just want to get out of here.

Believe me, they'll find you.

"Are you seriously communicating with notes?"

I sped around to where Mia was leaning in the doorway.

How had I not heard her? That little beast.

"That's fucking cute." She grinned at me and I threw my pen at her, but narrowly missed.

"Maybe you'd hit it better if you weren't so dreamily hanging around the window, bothering our new neighbor."

I looked at her warningly. "Shut up, Mia. What do you want?"

"Dinner's ready." She winked at me, but then quickly disappeared through the door again.

I looked back over at Bayla. She had disappeared.

Great.

The note thing might have been a good distraction, but something was going to happen to her tonight that would probably absolutely upset her.

I would have liked to follow her, but that wasn't an option. The last thing I would do was interfere in the Quatura's business.