Chapter 7

　　Damian walked me out of the principal’s office as if he owned the school.

　　The worst part was that everyone acted like he did.

　　Students stepped aside. Teachers lowered their voices. Even the air felt better behaved around him.

　　“What class do you have next?” he asked.

　　I pulled my schedule from my bag. “Physics.”

　　His eyes lit with amusement. “Perfect.”

　　“That sounds threatening.”

　　“You will understand.”

　　We stopped outside a classroom where a familiar male voice carried through the door. I looked at Damian.

　　“No,” I said.

　　“Yes.”

　　I opened the door and found Sebastian Blackwell standing at the board in a blue shirt rolled to his elbows, looking far too attractive to be a responsible adult in a classroom.

　　Of course.

　　My mother had kissed my physics teacher.

　　Life had become a bad joke with excellent wardrobe choices.

　　“Professor Blackwell,” Damian said from behind me. “I am bringing Miss Vale. She has been selected for the student competition.”

　　Every face turned toward us.

　　My skin prickled.

　　Sebastian’s expression flickered, but he recovered quickly. “Thank you, Mr. Ashford. Eleanor, introduce yourself and take a seat.”

　　“My name is Eleanor Vale,” I said. “I am from Cornwall.”

　　I moved toward an empty seat, but Damian caught my arm. His touch sent that same spark through me.

　　I looked up.

　　He leaned close enough that only I could hear him. “Tomorrow, the pickup point is one block from here. Do not be late.”

　　“I am never late.”

　　His gaze dropped to my mouth. “We will see.”

　　He left.

　　The room exhaled.

　　I sat beside a blue-eyed boy who had been watching me since lunch. He looked like the kind of student girls wrote initials about in notebooks.

　　“Hi,” he whispered. “I’m Adrian.”

　　“Eleanor.”

　　“You know Damian Ashford?”

　　“No. He keeps appearing against my will.”

　　Adrian laughed under his breath.

　　Sebastian resumed the lesson, talking about physical constants and prefixes. I tried to listen. I really did. But my eyes kept drifting toward him, then toward the door Damian had used.

　　Why had people been afraid of him?

　　Why had Sebastian lowered his gaze for half a second?

　　And why did Damian seem larger when he was angry, as if something inside him pressed against his skin?

　　“Miss Vale,” Sebastian said.

　　I blinked. “Yes?”

　　“Are you with us?”

　　“Unfortunately.”

　　A few students laughed.

　　“What was I explaining?”

　　“Physical constants and capacitance prefixes. You were about to define their use in measurement conversion.”

　　His brows lifted. “Correct.”

　　I smiled sweetly.

　　The day dragged after that.

　　By the time I returned home, my mother had discovered whiskey, sadness, and old songs. I told her about the competition. She smiled too much, said she was proud, then spent the night singing like a heartbroken widow in a flooded opera.

　　I woke on the living room floor to cold water soaking my sleeve.

　　At first, I thought I was dreaming.

　　Then I sat up.

　　The living room was flooded.

　　Water stretched across the floorboards. Shopping bags clogged the kitchen sink. The tap was still running. My mother slept on the sofa with her mouth open and an empty bottle beside her.

　　I turned off the tap and stared at the damage.

　　Then I leaned close to her ear.

　　“Margaret!”

　　She shot up, groaning. “What?”

　　“What happened?”

　　She rubbed her head. “Lower your voice.”

　　“The house is underwater.”

　　“I will clean it.”

　　“You spent money we do not have, flooded a mansion we do not fully own, and somehow I am the one with a school competition today.”

　　“I am the mother,” she snapped.

　　“And I am the daughter who keeps rescuing you.”

　　The words landed hard.

　　Her face changed.

　　For a second, guilt flashed between us.

　　I did not wait for it to grow. I went upstairs, hit my head on a box, and collapsed on the floor.

　　My last thought before sleep dragged me under was simple.

　　If I missed Damian’s pickup, maybe fate would finally leave me alone.