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I know lots of teenagers don’t get along with their parents—and hed together and loved each other and really, alreed

I wondered if it would hurt less if we had fought more

The vast ocean of grief—its waters as deep and black and cold as space—threatened to overwhelm me I felt like I would drown in it sometimes

Sometimes I even wanted to

The loss of my parents filled me for a moment and my heart ached almost as much as my scars, which covered my arms and the entire left side of my body Sometimes I tried to remember what I had looked like without theht side—was pretty and pleasing to look at Now the left side looked ht brown skin had been replaced by pinkish-white scar tissue, knotted and luly

I avoided mirrors these days and, except for when I was alone with my Coven-mates at Nocturne Academy, I kept to myself as much as possible

I wished I was there noished I could reach out to Ean, the newest member of our little clan—for sohts and the awful memories

But it was the weekend and I was home Well, at Mr and Mrs Breedlove’s home, anyway

I had been babysitting their little girl, Allegra, almost from the time she was born After The Fire and the weeks I spent in the hospital, I had no hoo back to so Alastair and Anastasia Breedlove had taken ht next to Allegra’s They had even sponsoredthe extremely expensive tuition out of their own pocket

I was grateful for their kindness though, being Nocturnes, neither one of therasweet and bubbly and incredibly lovable I knehat my friend Avery said—that I was basically the Breedloves’ nanny, at least on the weekends—but I didn’t care Allegra was a ray of sunshine in h she was my own

As though ht patter of footsteps in the hall outside my room and then the door creaked open In the darkness of the hallway, I saw the soft glow of her pale blue eyes

“Katy?” she whispered, approaching htmare Can I sleep with you?”