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"All right," Mrs Casnoff said with a clap of her hands "Everyone off to bed now We can discuss this further in the "

CHAPTER 17

When I returned toon the dresser next to theHer forehead was resting on her knees

"Jenna?"

She didn't look at ain," she said in a thick voice

"Just like Holly"

She took a deep shuddery breath and said, "When I saw the Chaston outit was exactly the same The holes in her neck, the slashes on her wrists The only difference is that Chaston hite Holly as nearlynearly gray when they p-pulled her out" Her voice broke

I sat on my bed and laid a hand on her knee "Hey," I said softly, "that wasn't your fault"

She looked up, her eyes red with anger "Yeah, but that's not what everyone else thinks, is it? They all think I' freak'?"

She hopped off the dresser "Like I asked for this," sheclothes out of her closet and tossing them on her bed

"Like I wanted to come to this damn school anyway"

"Jen," I started to say, but she whirled around onstupidass classes like A History of Nineteenth Century Witches God, I j-just wanna take algebra or so stupid like that I wanna eat lunch-- real lunch--in a cafeteria, and have an after-school job, and go to the proer in her had evaporated "I don't want to be a va her face in the black T-shirt she was holding

I looked around the room, and for the first time, all the pink didn't see to hold on to whatever life she'd had before There are ti is definitely the best course of action, and I felt like this was one of those ti her hair liketo Hecate

And after a while, Jenna leaned back against her pillows and started talking

"She was so nice to me," she said softly "Amanda"

I didn't have to ask who A me the story of how she'd coest part Not that she was cute, or ss too, but it was the nice that got me No one had ever paid so much attention to me before When she told me what she was, that she wanted me to be with her forever, I didn't really believe it I didn't believe it until I felt her teeth in my neck"

She paused, and there was no sound in the roo of the breeze in the oaks outside

"When the Change happened, it wasaer and just better, you know? Like the rest of hts with her were the best nights of my whole life And then they killed her"

"They?"

Her eyes met mine My tiny reflection in her eyes looked very pale

"The Eye," she replied, and an involuntary shiver ran through me

"There were two of the, and they staked her while she was sleeping But she woke up and she startedshe started screaot up ran out the door and I just kept running For three days I hid in so So I stole some food from a convenience store

"As soon as I put the first Twinkie into die I chewed it maybe twice before I had to spit it out The--" She closed her eyes and took a deep breath "The er of the store ca lot He saw the wrapper and started yelling about calling the cops, and I--"

She broke off and wouldn'tto console her or let her know I didn't care that she'd drunk someone's blood, but I couldn't look at her face

"Afterafter that, I felt better I got a bus back into the city and found Amanda's parents They were vaed all of theot sent here"

She looked at ain "It wasn't supposed to be like this," she said plaintively "I don't want to be like this without Aether forever She pro in her eyes

"Wow," I said "Who knew girls sucked just as bad as boys?"

She sighed and tilted her head back against the headboard, eyes closed "They're going to kick me out"

"Why?"

She looked incredulous "U to pin Chaston on irls in a six-o down for that, and you can bet it's gonna be me"

"Why?" I repeated Jenna was the only person at Hecate I considered a friend Well, maybe Archer and I were friends now, but there was still that whole possiblybeing-in-love-with-hi, and that pushed him out of the friend zone If Jenna left, I'd be at the mercy of Elodie and Anna

No way

"You don't know that they're gonna kick you out Chaston may remember what happened to her Just wait and talk to Mrs Casnoff, okay?

Maybe by tomorrow everyone will have calmed down some"