The Raven Four Books 1-3 - Jessica Sorensen Page 0,12

class, refusing to even glance in Hunter or Jax’s direction.

But, for some strange reason, I swear they’re watching me. If they are, I have a feeling that isn’t necessarily a good thing.

Five

Zay

I’m beyond riled up, which is never a good thing. But that goddamn girl has me all wound up in knots. Never have I had someone defy me like she did. Usually people fear me, and it’s the way I like it. It makes people keep their distance, and that’s what I need—what I want. The only exception to this is Hunter and Jax, my only friends.

The wall I put up is there for a good reason. It protects me from ever letting anyone into my life that might hurt me again. It also gives me the control that I need. After spending years of being controlled, I can’t ever go back to that again.

But it feels like this girl with hair like raven feathers is trying to take my control away from me.

“Fuck,” I growl out, gripping the steering wheel, rage pulsating underneath my skin.

After I stormed out of class, I headed out to Jax’s SUV to attempt to get my shit together. But the longer I sit here, the more I think about the way that girl looked at me with such defiance. I can’t get the look in her eyes out of my head. It’s running on repeat in my mind and fueling my anger.

Those eyes…

That fucking defiance…

I can’t get them out of my head, just like I can’t get rid of this strange feeling that I know her from somewhere. But I can’t figure out from where.

I’ve been suffering from random memory loss ever since I was a kid. While I’ve never been officially diagnosed with anything, my therapist believes that my memory loss happens whenever I experience something traumatic, which means I could know Raven if she was around me when something traumatic happened to me. But she didn’t seem like she knew me. Maybe because she can’t remember me?

Or maybe I’m just going crazy like everyone said I would. My dad has always said this to me because crazy runs in my family on my mother’s side. It’s part of the reason my dad hates me so much—because he thinks I’ll go crazy like my mom did. And he’s spent most of my life making sure I understand that he despises me. But he’s just as big of a monster as I can be.

Like I’m about to be. Because in order for me to calm down, I’m going to either have to hurt myself or someone else. And while part of me craves the bite of a cold, metal, razor blade peeling away some of my flesh, the other part of me wants to hurt the girl that’s made me lose my control over things—control over myself.

“Yeah, that girl needs to learn her place here,” I mutter to myself then climb out of the car, already feeling the slightest bit better knowing I’m about to regain that control I crave.

Six

Raven

Zay never returns to class. I hate that I’m aware of this. Just like I hate that I’m aware of how Hunter ignores me, even when we walk out of the classroom at almost the same time.

Apparently, the warning Jax gave him Hunter was enough to make him back off his determination to become my new BFF because he doesn’t say a word to me. It’s probably for the better since, pretty soon, he’ll meet the spawn of Satan since it’s lunch break. And then she’ll inform him of the deaths I have staining my hands.

“You’re new, right?” A girl with long, brown hair and hazel eyes approaches me as I’m heading toward my locker. She’s wearing jeans and a T-shirt, along with a plaid shirt and Converse sneaker. Her casual style makes her look like someone Dixie May wouldn’t associate with, but I’m not going to completely discount the idea.

I nod, putting up my guard. “Yeah, I am.”

She walks beside me, glancing behind us and down the hallway. Then she looks back at me and leans in. “Well, here’s a little warning. That guy’s seat you were sitting in today in class, his name is Zay and, trust me, you don’t want to mess with him or his friends, Hunter and Jax, those other two guys that sat by you. They’re kind of dangerous.”

“Okay …?” I’m totally confused. “Thanks for the warning and everything, but why is it such a big deal that