The Chosen by Celia Thomson Read Free Book Online Page B

bouncing.
    But Chloe couldn’t even work up the energy to hate her; she just shook her head and pushed on. In the open area in the middle of the X where the math-science and English-history wings crossed, students were standing on chairs, hanging up autumn-leaf-colored bunting around a giant—and surprisingly tasteful—poster that read
Something Wicked This Way Comes—Get your tickets to the fall formal at lunch! $60/couple, $35/single
.
    “What do you think?” Alyec asked, swooping in behind her and kissing Chloe on the cheek.
    “I think they’re sticking it to people who can’t get a date again,” Chloe said, hooking her thumbs in her backpack straps.
    “Yeah, well, who can’t get a date?”
    “People who aren’t foreign, sexy, and drop-dead gorgeous,” she said, kissing him back on the cheek. It was strange: normally they would kiss on the lips if there weren’t any of the more monastic teachers or hallmonitors about. But right now it just didn’t seem right.
    Especially after what happened last night
. As soon as she had gotten to school, Chloe had called to find out about Brian, but the doctor said he was in the same state, possibly doing a little better than before. No other, “new” symptoms, even when Chloe questioned her carefully. She had to resist calling back every five minutes for an update to make sure the kiss they’d shared wasn’t killing him.
    “Well, we can’t all be lucky.” He put his arm around Chloe’s shoulders and turned so they could both admire the poster. “I put Hannah Ellington in charge of signage and programs.”
    “
You
put? I thought you were just on the music committee.”
    “They all needed some … help.” It appeared that Alyec was using his powers for good, though: already the event looked like it was going to be better than last year’s, less like a stupid high-school dance and more like a college, well,
formal
.
    “Did you hear what happened last night?” Chloe asked as they turned and began walking to history. Alyec shook his head. She told him, omitting the part about Brian kissing her. “… and if
that
isn’t bad enough, I’m having a real hard time wrapping my head around this whole ‘being the One’ thing. You’re supposed to bow to me, you know,” she added, elbowing him in the stomach.
    “I think the Chosen One’s chosen one gets a break,” he said, shrugging.
    “But you’ll still worship me, right?”
    “Haven’t I always?” He ran his hand back through her hair—like she had done to Brian the night before—and smiled fondly at her. It was a rare moment for him: there was no lust or teasing—just
fondness
.
    They walked together to American civ, passing one of the few windows in the hall, which looked out on the strip of dying grass and fence that separated the school from the rest of the world.
    Something wasn’t quite right. Chloe turned back to look again, but all she saw was what might have been the remains of a footprint in the grass, quickly disappearing as the tough, yellowed stalks sprang back up.
    “Hey—did you just see something?” she asked, pulling at Alyec’s sleeve and pointing outside.
    He frowned. “No—why?”
    “I don’t know, I just …” She shrugged. “I’ve been getting super creeped out recently. I keep thinking I see someone or someone’s following me.”
    “Nerves. You know what’ll fix that?”
    “Sex. Yes, I know,” Chloe said, laughing.
    They sat down at desks next to each other. When they had started dating, he had moved to sit closer to her—a rare thing so late in the term. Chloe was just thinking she might get through the day
normally,
without having to deal with anything really Mai related, when her phone rang. She didn’t recognize the number.
    “Hello?” she answered it.
    “Chloe? It’s Sergei.”
    Chloe’s heart sank, her stomach quickly following. Here was another very loose thread from the night of the fight. Yes, Sergei had taken her in and treated her like a