Shadow Lake Vampire Society - Wendi Wilson Page 0,29

still had some juice, I waited impatiently for the home screen to load. There was a charging cord in my bag, but I needed to wait until after curfew if I was going to take the risk of plugging it in. Less chance of getting caught with the contraband.

I breathed a sigh of relief as the home screen popped up, and there was just enough power to check my messages. I waited for the notifications to appear, but nothing happened. I opened the texting app and tapped on the icon next to Coco’s name.

Nothing. No new texts since the day I arrived.

Me: Hey u. Srry haven’t texted. No phones allowed here. Lame.

I waited for a full minute with no response before sending another message.

Me: I’m breaking like the cardinal rule here. Least u can do is hit me back.

This time, I waited two minutes. Still nothing. I gritted my teeth and inhaled deeply through my nose. She was probably busy doing summertime things with summertime friends. I couldn’t expect Coco to drop everything for me the second I needed her.

Except, I did expect it, because she always had. That’s part of why she was such an amazing friend—she was always there for me, no matter what.

So where was she now?

Me: Srry I missed u. Don’t know when I’ll get a chance to text again. Love you, Bubbly Piper.

I waited a few minutes more before I grudgingly powered the phone down and shoved it back into my bag. I made a mental note to charge it up tonight after I was sure everyone was in bed. Kicking the duffel back under the bunk, I settled onto the mattress and waited for True to get back from lunch.

“Tomorrow, the campers will arrive.”

Dean Purty’s voice echoed around the mess hall, startling me into dropping my spoon into my cereal bowl and splashing milk all over the table. True gasped and sucked some oatmeal down her windpipe, which led to an explosion of hacking coughs.

I clapped her on the back in an attempt to help clear her airway as my gaze travelled to the other occupied table. Sarah and Analise were laughing, their eyes glued to True as she practically coughed up a lung. Lars, Ian, Miranda, and Naveen just looked bored. Micah, of course, watched me with daggers in her eyes.

What the hell is her problem? Hasn’t she realized by now I’m most definitely not her competition for Levi’s affections?

He hadn’t shown up for breakfast, so I’d assumed he was eating with the dean again. Only, Dean Purty was here, so where was Levi?

A white-hot bolt of panic seared through me. What if he left? He’d told the dean he couldn’t be here anymore, and now he was missing. Was I really to blame? I still didn’t know what I did to make him want to leave.

I clenched my back teeth and closed my eyes, taking a few deep, calming breaths. I pictured a tall waterfall in my mind. The deafening roar of the water cascading down. The cool mist it created dampening my skin.

It was a technique Dr. Whitley had taught me when I first started seeing her. The visualization helped calm my anxiety, curbing off a panic attack before it gained any traction. I hadn’t been using it lately, thus the passing-out, and I was determined not to lose consciousness now. My heart rate slowed, and I unclenched my jaw before opening my eyes.

After Dad died, I had daily panic attacks. Fear of darkness. Fear of loud noises. Fear of small spaces. Fear of abandonment.

Dr. Whitley helped me through each of them, but I still suffered from claustrophobia and abandonment issues. I doubted I’d ever feel comfortable in tight, dark spaces again—not that I ever did, but the phobia was so much worse, now.

When I lost my dad, and subsequently, most of my friends, I started having anxiety attacks at the thought of losing Mom or Coco. Or even Dr. Whitley, despite my grumbling complaints about having to go to therapy.

With Coco not answering my texts last night and Levi missing today, that fear of everyone leaving me kicked up to levels I hadn’t felt in months. It made me feel foolish. Coco would never leave me, and Levi? Well, you can’t actually lose something you never had, right?

“Today, you’ll be split into groups,” Dean Purty said, pulling me from my thoughts. “Each group will rotate through seven stations—boating safety by the lake, animal care by the barn, helmet, harness, and