When Stars Die (The Stars Trilogy) by Amber Skye Forbes

eyes. Girls and boys sent to the convent at a young age are already ruthless because their parents bred them that way. Nathaniel was never prepared, and I should have known this. But I was just as naïve then as I am now.
    “Sometimes we have to do things we don’t want to do, Nat. These things ultimately work out for us in the long run, even if we hate it every step of the way. This world doesn’t give us much when we’re born. It doesn’t assign us a higher calling. I wanted to give that to you, Nat, and I know you hate it now, but I hope one day you’ll thank me for it. I know it’s hard. It’s hard for me too, but it’s something we have to pull through.”
    Nathaniel sighs and hugs his knees to his chest, retreating more inside himself. “I want to go home. You’re just being mean to me now and keeping things from me. I’m not a baby.”
    His comment stings me. I release my hold on his hands, growing small against him. “They would have hurt us eventually.”
    Nathaniel stands, fists balled at his sides. A flare of anger erupts in his eyes, anger I have never seen in him. “How would they have hurt us? You keep telling me that because of who I am they would have hurt me eventually. I bet they’ve spent all this time looking for us!”
    I never knew such wrath could come from such a small boy. “Nat, please…”
    He shakes his head and stomps his foot in a childish tantrum. “I’m going to my room now. I don’t want to talk to you anymore.”
    I reach out a hand as Nathaniel whips away from me. “Nat, please…just listen to me.”
    He doesn’t even look at me. He slips with ease through the space of the pine trees and dashes away across the cloister yard. I sit there, wetness from melted snow creeping through my overcoat, too stunned to move. Nathaniel has never once been angry with me. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to tell the truth, and even now that I think about it, the truth sounds ridiculous. Mother and Father never once displayed any sign that they were going to come undone, and I was with them ten years longer than Nathaniel.
    Maybe it’s I who is coming undone.
    Just as I’m about to make my way through the trees, the crunching of multiple pairs of boots freezes me in place. Through the space of trees, I make out black cloaks: the shadows. They block my path, and if I were to try and escape, I’d touch one of them, and that Sash boy’s curiosity of me would be satiated and I’d wind up dead. I scramble to the back of the trees, hide myself in the shadows, and wait.
    “We need more,” one of them says, one that is neither Sash nor Asch.
    Another one speaks up, this time female. “We’ve already gotten one. Isn’t there another one here, Asch?” More snow crunches, and what sounds like an affectionate kiss meets my ears. “Isn’t there?”
    Asch answers with, “There is, Gisbelle.”
    “Then where is she?” I hear several shadows bristle at her tone. Several mumble to each other. “We need more!”
    Asch sighs. “Patience. I’m not certain, but we’ll find her. We were able to find one. This is our place of mission, after all. Purgatory wouldn’t want us to give up without finding every one in this area. Sash is currently taking care of one thing right now.”
    “Sasha is a reckless child.”
    “But Sash is a strategic boy.”
    They stop speaking and start walking toward the trail. No doubt they are talking about me, but who is the other one? As I stand and wipe snow off me, a horrible revelation occurs that the other one must be Colette because she was with me when they were around. Then again, if they are looking for witches, Colette can’t be who they’re talking about. She is not a witch. She can’t be one.
    In any case, I harmed Colette beyond repair, so they would have no use for her. She also can’t see them.
    I’m not going to get anywhere with this confusion, so I leave through the trees and head for the infirmary, determined to get answers out of