Vanish by Sophie Jordan Read Free Book Online Page A

I wouldn’t. And unlike Cassian, he’s not trying to help me behind the scenes.
    I tell myself to be glad he told me his plans. Now I can work to make certain that they don’t happen. Tamra and I aren’t going to be bullied into bonding with anyone. Unless we want to, of course. I wince, thinking that Tamra would most definitely want to bond with Cassian.
    Corbin’s voice follows me through the mist. “Tell Tamra I’ll stop by later.”
    And this makes me shiver.
    I suppose I should want him to pair up with Tamra. To spare me from the awful prospect of him. But I wouldn’t wish him on my worst enemy, much less my own sister.
    I stride toward Nidia’s with determined steps, working to convince myself that the pride isn’t some fascist regime where its inhabitants suffer total subjugation. It isn’t. It’s the only place my draki can live in freedom. I slow as I approach the cottage, noticing a lone figure standing guard just inside the arched entry to the township. As I approach, I recognize Gil, a friend of Cassian’s.
    I wave at him in greeting.
    “Going to see your sister?” he calls.
    I nod, then frown at the goofy grin splitting his face. “Tell her I said hi.”
    “Hi,” I echo.
    Gil had never paid any attention to my sister before. As far as I know, he’s never even spoken to her before. He’s one of the many who looked through her rather than at her. Now he wants me to pass along a hello?
    Disgust washes through me. Just like it was with me, no one really cares about Tamra. They don’t care about the girl, just the talent.
    At my knock, Nidia answers the door. With a wave, she motions me inside her cottage that always smells of herbs and baking bread. My refuge so many times. Especially after Dad died. Now it’s Tamra’s refuge.
    I step into the welcoming warmth. And stop cold.
    I’m not the only one visiting this morning.
    My sister lounges on the couch. A blanket is tucked around her and she holds a steaming mug in her hands. She no longer looks like my twin. Icy hair, red no more, flows past her shoulders. She still manages to coif it perfectly, better than I could ever fix my hair, and I wonder whether Nidia owns a flat iron. It’s amazing how her new hair color changes everything about her. Even her face looks different, bears little resemblance to mine. Especially with those frosty gray eyes.
    My gaze skips to her visitor, sitting so close, relaxed on a foot stool beside the couch. Cassian smiles at my sister in an easy, unguarded way. It’s a smile he wore often when we were carefree children.
    A small chill chases up my spine, sliding through my hair and rippling over my scalp. I hug myself like I’m seeking warmth, but it’s something else, something more I need.
    I stare at my sister beaming at Cassian and heaviness sinks to the pit of my stomach. In that second, I feel more alone than I’ve ever felt. I couldn’t have missed Will more.
    Will understood about loneliness. About being apart, separate from the world that you inhabit. A stranger among your own kind. Will understood that. He understood me.

Chapter 6
    N idia’s voice announces my arrival. “So nice of you to visit, Jacinda. Would you like some hot chocolate?”
    I nod and soon find myself settled into a chair with a mug in my hands. Tamra still wears a smile, but it looks brittle as she turns to me, waiting for me to speak. In those strange eyes lurks the same wariness I feel. We don’t know what to say to each other or how to behave. We don’t know each other anymore. I’ve only been guessing at how she feels over suddenly manifesting. I don’t really know.
    “Good to see you up,” I finally say, and then lie, “You look well.”
    “I’m feeling better,” Tamra offers in a voice that sounds friendly, but distant. I want to close that distance. Sit down next to her and remind her of what we are to each other. “Nidia is taking excellent care of me.”
    “We knew she would,” Cassian volunteers, and I