Under A Blood Moon (Elemental Enchanters) by Carrigan Richards Page A

just worried about you.”
    “Peter, I appreciate your concern, but really, it’s not necessary.”
    “Okay.” He pulled into a driveway in front of a massive two-story house with a brick front and eight windows that faced the road. Peter and his dad lived in an old wealthy subdivision.
    They walked up the short winding sidewalk to the front step. He opened the door to a quiet house, and she followed him through the narrow hall and into the living room.
    Forbidden.
    Soft yellow light poured from a lamp on an end table. Peter switched on the TV and flipped to a sports channel, while she took a seat in the deep brown plush couch.
    “Are you hungry? Thirsty?” he asked.
    “No, thanks.”
    He sat next to her, and her heart sprang to life.
    After a few moments of silence and staring at the TV, he turned to her. “I didn’t know you had pneumonia. How bad was it?”
    She met his soft brown eyes. “ I almost died.”
    His jaw dropped open. “Wow.”
    Ava fought the urge to hold his hand. This was bad. They would return to Savina and Colden’s tomorrow night, but would she and Peter still have nights like this after the Initiation?
    “What are you thinking about?” he asked.
    “Just how everything is going to change.”
    “You mean after graduation?”
    “Yeah,” she lied.
    “You can’t worry about things that are out of your control.”
    “ I know. It just sucks.”
    “ Don’t get down about it. This is our last year, so we need to make the best of it. Things will change, and friends will drift apart, but you’ll gain some new ones. And those who really care will still be there. They won’t abandon you.”
    His tone was bitter.
    “Have you talked to Seth at all?” she asked.
    He shook his head. “ He still ignores me. He changed his number, and he’s never at home. His parents don’t even seem bothered by how different he is. I don’t get it.”
    “I don’t understand how someone can up and change like that, without warning.”
    “I’ve been wondering that myself for seven years.”
    Ava looked at Peter, unsure of what he meant.
    “My mom left when I was ten,” he said.
    She gasped. “Peter, I’m so sorry.” First, his mom had abandoned him, now his friend.
    “ Thanks. She just couldn’t handle us I guess.” He shrugged. “It happened one day after school. I came home, and she told us she was leaving. She said she wasn’t cut out for this kind of life and left.”
    “ That’s awful. Has she ever tried contacting you?”
    “No.”
    “Do you ever think about her? I mean, do you ever want to see her again?”
    “I try not to think about her, honestly. And no, I don’t want to see her.” He spoke with resentment.
    She reveled in the simple fact that they had something in common, something big, something no one she had ever known shared. They each had no mother.
    “How come you never told me?” The words slipped out, but she knew the answer.
    Another shrug . “It’s just something I don’t talk about.”
    “Yeah, I can understand.” And she could.
    “It’s okay, though. I don’t mind telling you about it. I’m very comfortable with you.”
    “Me too.”
    His hand brushed against hers, and slowly he intertwined his fingers with hers. It felt so natural. The simple touch made her heart hammer against her ribcage.
    Forbidden.
    She dropped her gaze, and removed her hand .
    The room was quiet, except for the people talking on TV. The wind outside forced the nearby branches to scratch the window. Her attention turned to the brewing storm. White veins descended from the dark clouds and illuminated the room. She flinched and looked away. No matter how many years had passed, she still hated lightning.
    “You were there,” he whispered. “ Weren’t you?”
    She met his eyes. “Where?”
    “With your mom?”
    Her stomach tightened, as if someone had wrapped their hands around it and squeezed. It always felt like that when she thought of that day. “Yes.”
    “H-how did she?”