2. Gemma

2 GEMMA

“Did you find out something then?” I ask Henry as we make our way across the quad and toward the blooming trees that dot the back section of the academy.

The wind is picking up and blowing dirt and flower petals into the air, giving the place a magical vibe. Keepers aren’t magic, though. Well, not in the sense of witch magic. Our magic is derived from our keepers’ mark, which is a fiery flame encompassing a circle. The mark appears on a keeper’s body in various places. Mine is on my shoulder blade, an array of flames that swirl across my pale flesh.

“Just a second,” Henry says, quickening his pace as he makes a beeline for the shelter of a cluster of trees.

I trail after him, wondering why in the world he’s in such a hurry. Sure, we’re late for class, but it’s not the first time that’s happened. Plus, the teachers rarely hand out detention slips.

“Dude, you’re being weird.” I slow to a stop as he does. Sure, I asked him to help me figure out why someone would have a recurring dream, but that doesn’t explain why he’s acting twitchy.

We stand in the shade of a canopy of branches that belong to a willow tree. The white flowers blooming on it are so thick that it’s basically like standing in a curtained room.

“Sorry,” he mumbles, “but I had to steal this from the library because Ms. Wilifred was being a wench again and wouldn’t let me check it out.” He swings his pack around to the front of him, unzips, and digs out a thick, leather-bound book with a star-like sigil engraved into the cover.

The star is odd, as if each point has been melted.

“What is this?” I question. “And why wouldn’t she let you check it out?”

“Because it was in the permanent reading section.” He hands me the book.

I hold my hands up in front of me. “Whoa, back up. I did not tell you to steal a book to get me answers.” Especially ones from the permanent section, which is basically a section of books that contain dark magic and dark history, also referred to as the forbidden section.

“I know, but this is the only one I could find that had any information about reoccurring dreams.” He urges me to take the book. “Just don’t get caught with it and everything will be fine.”

Chewing nervously on my bottom lip, I take the book from him. “What does it say about them?”

“A lot, actually.” He zips up his bag and slings it back over his shoulder. “I’d recommend reading it off campus, just in case.”

I give him a thumbs-up. “Thanks, Henry.”

He smiles. “You’re welcome.” He pauses, shifting his weight. “Actually, can I ask you something?”

Henry and I have been friends since we were kids, but we’re not as close as Aislin and me. We hang out on occasion and sometimes do each other favors, but I don’t know him like I know Aislin and some of my other friends. So, when I say, “Sure,” I don’t think much of it.

But then he mumbles, “I was wondering if you wanted to go out with me tomorrow, to like a movie or something.”

I’m completely blindsided and end up standing there stupidly with my lips parted.

His cheeks flush. “You can say no. No hard feelings.” He lets out a nervous laugh that contradicts his words.

“Um … No, I mean, yeah. Yeah, I’d like that,” I babble, too caught off guard to consider what I’m doing. That my feelings for him are strictly platonic, and I may have just ruined our friendship.

He smiles in relief. “Awesome. I’ll pick you up at seven?” he asks, and I nod.

He has a bounce to his step as he starts to walk off toward the school, but then he pauses and glances over his shoulder at me. “Are you coming to class?”

“Actually, I might skip first period”—I lift the book and pat the cover—“and find a place to read this.”

“Oh, okay.” He deflates a bit. “I’ll see you at lunch then.”

“Sure.” Then again, I may have to convince Aislin to take us off campus so I can avoid him and talk this problem out with my best friend.

He strides off, ducking under the branches and disappearing from my vision.

I blow out a breath then bang the book against my head. “What the heck did I just do?”

“I’m not sure, but it was pretty awkward to watch.” A tall, blond-haired, blue-eyed guy ducks under the veil of tree branches.

I dramatically roll my eyes but smile. Laylen is Alex’s friend, but he’s also mine and Aislin’s. I’m unsure how he’s friends with Alex because he’s so nice.

“I didn’t even realize he liked me.” I plop down on the grass, set the book on my lap, and open it, not bothering to hide the fact that I have a stolen book—Laylen would never tell on me.

While Henry suggested I read it off campus, I’m not that concerned since no one really comes out here when class is going on.

“I’m guessing you don’t like him.” He sits down in front of me and picks at a loose thread on his black jeans.

“Not like that.”

“You probably should’ve said no to the date, then.”

“He caught me off guard,” I protest, glancing up at him. “I didn’t want to be mean.”

He rests back on his hands. “You might want to work on the you-letting-him-down-gently speech then, because the sooner you have it, the better.”

“Yeah, probably.” I glance down at the introduction page. “Why were you eavesdropping on our conversation, anyway? And shouldn’t you be in class?”

“I wasn’t eavesdropping,” he scoffs, stretching out his legs. “I was coming out of the woods and overheard you guys talking. It was unavoidable.”

I peer up at him. “Why were you walking in the woods?”

He shrugs, the movement stiff. “I just needed to take a walk.”

“You’re being super cagey right now.” I cross my arms and rest them on top of the book. “What’s up, for reals?”

He shakes his head, wisps of his blond hair falling into his eyes. “Nothing, I swear.”

“Liar.” I notice a drop of something red on his neck. “You have something right there.” I tap my finger against my own neck.

He shifts his weight and quickly wipes it away. “Crap, I have to go.” He jumps to his feet and strides away, toward the academy.

“Okay then,” I mutter, returning to the book.

I flip a few more pages until I find the table of contents. I run my finger down the page, skimming the chapter titles until I find the section titled “ Dream Repetition .” There are also sections titled “ Everlasting Dream ” and “ Dream Interpretation .” All of those chapters are in a row, so I start with the repetition one. I skim that for a while then move on to the next. None of the information is that compelling until I reach a specific page that captures my entire attention.

Dreams, particularly ones that rarely change, usually have a deeper meaning. In some cases, the meaning is in the items or persons that are present in the dream. Some foreseers, who are often experts on dream theories, believe that repetitious dreams can be connected to a past life or forgotten memories. Even more specifically, research has been done that proves that most people who have reoccurring dreams often have stars present in them. It is believed that under the right circumstances, the dreamer can follow these stars, like a map, back to the original point of where the dream is stemming from. This requires a lot of training and isn’t recommended without an expert foreseer’s guided help.

I get snagged on the mention of the stars, which are the main part of my recurring dream. It also mentions foreseers, and my dad is one. Not that I’ve ever told him about my dreams—I haven’t told anyone about them. I’m not even positive why, other than it seems pointless, as if I am overreacting. Now I’m questioning if perhaps I should’ve confided in someone about them a long time ago.

“I don’t know why it keeps happening.” The sound of a familiar voice has my back stiffening.

Alex. And he’s close.

I quickly close the book, scramble to my feet, and rush out of the canopy. Then I basically head-dive into the bushes across from it and end up banging my knee. I have to bite down on my tongue to stop myself from moaning in pain.

“I don’t know.” He sounds even closer now.

I turn around, rubbing my knee, and peer out of the foliage. He’s standing only a few feet away with his phone pressed to his ear.

“I know, but they’re getting weirder. And it’s happening every night.” He gives a short pause. “No … Well, there are these stars in it, and this girl is also there.” He picks at a leaf on the tree branch. “Yeah, I know her really well … I don’t know … Okay, yeah, fine, let’s meet up at lunch, and we can talk about it more.” He hangs up and blows out an exhale. “Things would be a lot easier if she would just talk to me again,” he mutters to himself.

I’m not sure who she is, but his mention of stars has me weirded out, considering what I was just doing. Maybe it’s a freakish coincidence, but in a world where vampires come out at night and werewolves howl at the moon, coincidences are about as rare as meeting a genuinely nice faerie—trust me; faeries are about as sneaky and malicious as they come.

I need to look into this more, but I’m unsure how far I want to take it.

Should I let it go for now?

Or spy on Alex at lunch?