The challenge began like all the rest, although the dead corpse-look was different. Ana wished she could ignore it, pretend it didn’t exist, but that never worked. She could feel them.
The Three rounded the corner of the math wing, one boy glancing up, eyes black as night and hair light as the sun. Afternoon sunlight snuck through open doorways intermittently spraying his chalky complexion and erasing his zombie veneer. A halo of gold washed over him.
Ana blinked, eyelids dipping, lashes barely touching. She glanced at the archaic-looking (and very manly) tattoo branding his lower forearm. A silent gasp rushed up her throat and slammed into the back of her teeth. Why were the weird ones so yummy? She rubbed the amulet dangling from her neckline and felt his exhale from across the hall.
Be cool.
She leaned on the closest locker, cold metal riding the side of her arm, suede satchel swaying by her hip. His energy came in a wave. She sighed, hating these challenges and that she was the only one taking them; Mem had taught her to focus. Keep quiet. Be inconspicuous. Her jaw clenched when the first touch had its way with her, creeping over her skin, teasing the teeny hairs on her arm.
She scanned the boy next to him. His oversized hoodie shadowed his face from forehead to chest. He had that grungy model-look going on. A petite girl leaned against him, her cropped haircut tinted in bold brunette and one stripe of fuchsia.
