Prophecy Girl (Lacuna Valley #1)

Chapter Eleven

 Maybe Sam didn't know how to stop her mother. Maybe her mother was plotting her murder every passing minute. Maybe the seasonals would kill her first—or take her snowboarding. What Sam did know was that none of it seemed all that important when she couldn't get the smile off her face. With a stifled giggle and a skip in her step she just couldn't keep serious thoughts in her head. She tried to force herself to sober up. She needed to think of her mother and how exactly she was going to keep Violet safe, but thinking of her murderous mother while giggling had the perverse feeling of songs with sad lyrics and happy music.

She wasn't alone anymore, and somehow, she just knew that meant it was all going to be okay.

As unexcited as she had been about school and the valley before, she was enthusiastic enough to make up for it now tenfold. Even though Lacuna Valley had brought up so much evil, it was clear to Sam that the evil had always been there, lurking, and was now finally coming to its inevitable climax. She didn't know how it would all work out, but at least it would be over.

Not to say she wasn't worried. She was worried about the seasonals, she was worried about her mother, and she was worried about Violet. Especially Violet. And her mother was always adding to the burden. This was particularly true during the morning ride to school with her mother talking next to her. She was always asking Sam questions. Are you dating anyone? Are your friends? Why aren't you telling me more? Sam could barely stand it. But even with this awful morning fight that had become part of her routine, she knew once it was over she'd be at school—her getaway.

Of course, it wasn't just getting away from her mother that made her excited. It embarrassed her how much of her excitement was about Nick. She was embarrassed to be one of those silly people holding hands, and even more embarrassed at thinking about things like destiny and what it meant to be meant-to-be. Like every other bad feeling she had, she pushed the embarrassment down and focused instead on smiling and searching the hallways for him.

When she finally spotted him he was walking the halls, his eyes searching through people. No sooner had they smiled at each other than the bell rang for classes to start. Nick laughed and waved from the other end of the hall. "Timing, right?" he shouted. She laughed and shrugged and headed to class, where she heard nothing that happened throughout the hour, or the next, or the one after that. She found herself sitting at her lunch table picking her sandwich apart and wondering where Nick ever went to during the lunch break.

"So how are you, Sam?" Leigh asked. Sam looked up suddenly. She shrugged and felt completely stuck. She was used to keeping secrets. From her mother, about her mother—but her list of secrets was so much longer than it used to be. Every thing she could think to talk about led to things she shouldn't say, like I met this girl named Isobel or I stayed the night at Nick's house or even It keeps seeming like it's going to snow but it just isn't happening. Each topic led to minefields she didn't trust herself to skirt around.

"How are things with you and the boy?" Mary giggled and Sam did the same before putting her hand over her mouth to stop herself.

"Fine. Good. Fine."

The table started laughing.

"Oh, to be in love! It almost makes it feel like it's not quite so cold outside, like it should be spring!" Mary smiled.

"Oh, I think there's a thing or two to be said for being in love when it's cold outside," Leigh said with a wink.

"Cuddling, hot chocolate..." Mary added.

"Among other things." Leigh winked again and the table giggled; Mary blushed. The conversation moved to the weather and then to the perils of being talked into playing pep band for sporting events. Sam didn't hear most of it, her mind wasn't attached to her body. It was floating up in a balloon somewhere around her, hovering, but without ever actually being involved in the events of the day. It was this disconnected happiness that had her not really paying any attention when she walked into gym and heard someone say her name. She looked up, startled, and saw someone she didn't know holding a clipboard and repeating her name.