In All of Infinity by H. R. Holt Read Free Book Online Page A

surrounded by books, and feel perfectly
happy. Danielle was a different story. She could talk for hours on
end and hated silence.
     
    “So, glad to see that you have met Reverie
without us having to introduce you,” Danielle said and smiled.
     
    He looked at Reverie, his dark eyes staring
into her blue, and raised an eyebrow. “Reverie?” he teased. “What
kind of name is that?”
     
    She shrugged and looked at her food, then
looked at him and shrugged again, “A name and nothing more.”
     
    “While a rose is but a flower, and a
heartbeat is but a sign of life,” he said and blinked at his own
choice of words.
     
    Reverie stood, took her food that had hardly
been touched, and shouldered her bag. “I’ll see you later, ladies.
I have to get ready for my next class.”
     
    Isaac watched her go, knowing it would be a
bad idea to follow her. He couldn’t understand what was taking
place in his own heart, nor could he explain it to anyone else. As
he began wondering if she felt the same, she looked over her
shoulder at him and smiled with her eyes. He thought about her
name, and realized all that she had in common with Penelope was
that both of their first names contained the same amount of vowels.
Penelope was a nightmare; Reverie was a dream come true.
     
    ***
     
    Reverie Reagan sat in the back for most of
her classes, quiet and attentive. She had plenty on her mind, but
she couldn’t seem to get to them past the fog that was Isaac
Partridge, the only boy who seemed the slightest bit interested in
her. She had never been interested in anyone with light brown hair,
even when she was crushing on Hollywood men. She liked them with
dark hair and blue eyes and a considerable amount of maturity, but
Isaac possessed none of these qualities. He had a boyish charm, as
if he were going to pull a frog from his pocket any second, but
that was far from what she wanted. She desired someone who was like
her father.
     
    The last class that she had for the day,
science, ended at 3:30 with her wishing she had eaten more of her
food. She was starving. As she walked across the campus lawn, the
cool wind of August drifting all about her, she found herself
thinking of her mom. She had never met her, but knew that she had
died this month…the month of her birth. The first day hadn’t been
as bad as she’d thought it would be, especially with the clothes
that she had to wear. She couldn’t wait to go home and change her
clothes.
     
    Reverie heard laughter and looked up
briefly, spotting Isaac and his team standing beside a burgundy
Mercedes Benz roadster. He was at the passenger’s side, his hands
in his pockets, and his legs crossed casually at the ankle. The
wind was tossing his hair slightly and he laughed when a bang
tumbled into his eye. She realized she should turn before he looked
in her direction, but it was too late. He looked at her, smiled
brightly, and all she could manage was a raised eyebrow. There were
more pressing things to do today than smile at strangers.
     
    She had told the Brevard twins that he was a
stranger, she remembered, but they had merely giggled. There was no
doubt in her mind that they both idolized him, and there were
hardly any students who didn’t. Reverie heard good news about him
no matter where she was, no matter who she spoke to. Isaac was
perfect, often raised to a height she couldn’t believe anyone could
be at, and that was why she detested him. If there was any form of
magic being used, it was brought on by his smile and demeanor. He
could get along with everyone because of it. She wasn’t about to
fall into his trap.
     
    When at last she was safely on the sidewalk,
she pulled out the book she’d been trying to read at lunch from the
bottom of the stack she was holding. It was a rather large pile,
with five books, two notebooks, and her assignments. She had been
the only one in her class to take notes, but that was due partly in
fact to the fact they didn’t care.
     
    As she