Rae of Hope (The Chronicles of Kerrigan) by W.J. May Read Free Book Online Page A

questions in a tête-à-tête setting.
    Yeah, or if it has anything to do with my family, since I’m already a freak at this school. Rae ran her fingers through her hair in frustration as she tried to calm down. The headmaster did seem like he was trying his best to help her. T he thought of hanging out with Devon a few evenings a week didn’t sound too bad either. She took a deep breath and tried to let go of some of her tension.
    Lanford straightened. “We want to help you understand how you can use your gift to its best advantage. How we can help make this world a better place for everyone. That is Guilder’s quiet oath and the dream for all of its students.”
    Rae figured he spoke those words a lot. They sounded well-rehearsed. As she headed back to Aumbry House, she wondered what the big deal was about having both parents inked. Her chest tightened as she began to worry what the rest of her family’s story was.

Chapter 5
    Friends?

     

     
    The next day, the students sat in the dining hall eating breakfast. The tense atmosphere of the previous day seemed like a bad dream. Everyone appeared relaxed and informal, even jovial.
    " Julian has a car?” Molly straightened in her chair, eyes bright.
    Andy swigged the rest of his breakfast tea, then laughed. “Yeah, a few of us seniors do, actually. I’ve a feeling the school won’t be allowing many of the girls to keep a car on campus – at least probably not in the near future.” He tried, unsuccessfully, to wipe the smirk off his face.
    “That’s fine.” Molly raised her eyebrows, a tight smile playing on her lips. “If boys have cars, why would I need one?”
    “I think Andy’s just teasing you, Molls.” Rae laughed. It felt great to talk about normal things and forget about all the crap she was dealing with. Waking up, she had decided to leave all the confusing stuff under her pillow and not let anyone see it. She needed to fit in. Having people know so much about her when she didn’t know them made her feel vulnerable, but there was no way she’d let anyone see it. In a weird way, it felt like her vulnerability was the last private thing she had.
    “How’s our American gal feeling today?” Andy looked at Rae. “You were…uh…you seemed kinda upset at dinner last night.”
    Rae swallowed an oversized bite of scrambled eggs, choking on it. “Yeah, about that…sorry.” She paused, blinking. “I was really jet lagged, and I guess…everyone staring at me…” She let the sentence trail off, hoping someone would take up the conversation from there and not camp out on the one topic she didn’t want to discuss.
    “Don’t worry.” Andy nodded sympathetically. “The curiosity’ll die down soon enough. You’re a pretty girl, and there’s a story behind your name. That’s bound to turn some heads. On top of that, don’t forget this has been an all-male school for a long time. It’s an awesome thing to have girls here now.”
    Rae’s cheeks pinked at the compliment. Thank you Andy! My knight in shining…fur…or something.
    “Are you up to anything this afternoon?” Andy asked.
    Rae blinked, trying to forget her train of thought before she erupted into a fit of laughter. “Madam Cro— Elpis wants us to meet the new girls arriving. Wanna come?” Rae ignored Molly’s giggles at her almost mix-up.
    “Sure, but I’m pretty sure the interesting ones have already arrived.” He quickly stood and turned, taking his tray to the collection area.
    Molly leaned over to her and whispered, “I think somebody digs you.”
    Rae shrugged. “I think he was referring to you. You’d better watch out. He’s hungry like a wolf!”
    Molly stuck her tongue out, but put her poker face on when Andy came back.
    After eating, they headed to Aumbry House. They sat out front on the large concrete steps. Haley and Maria joined them, enjoying the bright sunshine. Andy came and sat between Molly and Rae, his leg touching Rae’s. Rae shifted, moving just out