Evanescent - By Addison Moore Page 0,23

true artist. You’re living proof.” I kiss her hand. “And, about the ceremony, wear whatever you want. They’ll give you a robe when you get there. It’s already been sanctified, so you can enter the chamber. Jen knows the way. I’ll have her bring you. I need to be there early to help set up.”

“But I want to go with you. I can help set up. I promise I won’t get in the way. I’d much rather be with you than Jen.” She interlaces our fingers and gives a squeeze.

I glance past her as the fog rolls onto the field. Some of the cheerleaders have already straggled out and are warming up. In the distance I can see the football players, Flanders looks away just as our eyes meet. Figures. I’m sure he likes to keep an extra eye on Laken at all times. I talked to Hattie—heard he didn’t score. Not that it surprises me.

Laken’s eyes widen as if she’s just remembered something.

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.” She glances onto the field and lowers her gaze. “So, after the ceremony, we’ll be closer than ever. I mean, I’ll be in all the same clubs that you are, right? I want to do everything with you, unless that freaks you out.” A nervous smile twitches on her lips.

“Of course, I want that. You couldn’t freak me out if you tried.” The Tenebrous Woods flash through my mind—those dark, twisted tree limbs that are set to decapitate if you take the wrong turn, the screams—those horrible, deafening screams. I mentioned it once to Edinger. He said they were looking into severing the vocal cords of repeat offenders, but I think the silence would be worse. Just knowing they wanted to cry out and couldn’t, would be far more heartbreaking.

Laken’s eyes tear up, and she gives a hard sniffle.

“You okay?” I wrap my arms around her and brush a tender kiss over her cheek.

“I think I might be catching a cold, either that or allergies.” She shakes her head. “So you never answered the question. Am I all caught up on your extra curricular activities?” She looks crestfallen as if she already knows the answer long before I give it.

“Yes.” I push out a little smile. “Sort of. There might be one more thing, but it’s a surprise.” God, I’d love to bond with Laken that way. Bring her to the woods and teach her how to take blood—to take the powers that are rightfully ours to begin with. Although, I wouldn’t be so anxious to watch her suck off some guys neck, and I doubt she’d be thrilled to watch me guzzle down on Skyla, the Celestra that picked me out of a crowd to personally drain her. She’s pretty, but she’s no Laken. And somehow I don’t think Laken would approve of me touching my lips to some hot Celestra even if it were completely platonic—even if my only thought while doing so was of Laken the entire time. Who knows? She might classify it as cheating.

Laken flushes a bright pink over the apples of her cheeks. “I’d better go.” She tries to pull away, but I reel her in and dot her lips with a kiss.

“I love you—you know that?”

She looks up at me a very long time. Her brows knit as she inspects my features as if searching for clues.

“I love you, too, Wes.” Laken wraps her arms around me and heaves a ragged breath. “Everything I do is because I love you.”

I pull back and dig in a smile.

“The Treasure ceremony is going to be special,” I assure her.

“Okay.” She winks. “It’d better be.” She blows me a kiss and takes off in the direction of the gym, her hair bounces from behind with a rhythm all its own.

Tomorrow night is going to be far more special than she could ever imagine.

Flanders catches my eye in the distance and nods.

A dull laugh rattles from my chest. Flanders wishes he could have Laken the way I do.

And after tomorrow night, Laken just might be mine forever.

After practice, once the team clears the pool, I decide to hang out and swim a few laps, solo. The cavernous room holds the thick scent of chlorine. The windows that line the back expose the deep welt of evening.

Laken runs through my mind, the thought of her accepting the proposal I’m going to offer tomorrow night incites a rush of adrenaline through me. I can picture the two of us together in the