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I yelped, but more because he scared the crap out of h it did kind of hurt too He staggered backward, a full step away froht He held it in his fist like he was declaring victory or so

"Oh, shit!" he cursed when he looked down and noticed the blood that spurted from the wound on my arm It was only a little bit, but his moment of triumph was over, and he attacked the red smear with the cotton ball "Sorry about that Not sure what happened" He secured the cotton ball with a strip of tape "It should stop bleeding in about fifteen ht have a little bruise for a few days Nothing to be alarmed about, pretty routine stuff"

He had me confirm that my name was correct on ear, and the doors whooshed closed behind hinal that they were out of "time-out" and could come back inside e orders And just likeconclusive about ue They included scheduling a follow-up appointment with ht co an appointment with the dentist to have my chipped tooth looked at, a list of phone nuroups--in case I wanted to discuss things, which right now sounded like the worst idea ever since I didn’t even knohat "things" I would discuss--and getting plenty of rest That last recoet behind

I had a o and I was changing back into my filthy uniform--the same one I’d vanished in--and I suddenly realized I had no place to go That I belonged nowhere

I didn’t have a home anymore, not really, because the place I remerown up in My hoone now My parents were no longer together--they’din that house: er to that life

The sensation of being unwelcome overwhelmed me even as my dad’s hand closed over mine, and the decision was ht, with you" And before she could argue or say anything to the contrary, he faced her with his bloodshot eyes "I’ll sleep in the guest roo a ht "Kyra’ll be in the guest roo on with their lives" thing, like getting rid of"I’ll sleep on the couch I already told you; I’ain" He looked down at s evaporated "I’lad you’re back, Supernova," he told me on his boozy breath

CHAPTER THREE

IT WAS OFFICIAL I WAS A GUEST IN MY OWN BEDROOM

It was still my bed and my chest of drawers and probably even s that hadn’t changed in the five years I’d been gone The bedding was new and still had that stiff, fresh-fro feel as if it’d never really been used and hadn’t yet gone through a single wash cycle

It had been just as weird as I thought it would be, crossing the threshold of the house for the second ti really had changed That this was no longer the home I’d remembered