the Stirring || Book 1 of the Amatori Chronicles

Chapter 6

The minute my I laid eyes upon Kacey who was leaning up against the wall with a bored look on her face, I knew that I should have avoided her.

I kept my head down and turned sharply down a different hall but I could hear her shout my name from behind me.

"Cora!"

Keep walking. Just keep walking, blend in with the crowd.

It wasn't long before I felt her hand on my shoulder, and she whipped me around so that we were eye to eye. Instantly I could tell that she saw that I had changed, for her eyes flickered all over my face, and seemed to probe deep inside my eyes. Without saying a word, she grabbed my arm in a vice-like grip and yanked me down the hall, out the doors, and to the auditorium.

"Kacey, what-" I was silenced by her glare. She turned back around to the auditorium doors, pulled them over and practically tripped me as she hurried inside and closed them behind her. Everything went black as Kacey groped around in the darkness and flicked the lights on. I blinked rapidly for a second as my eyes got used to the brightness. "Are we even supposed to be here?"

"No, but theatrical classes don't start till later in the day, so this place should be empty." My friend let go of my arm and walked to the center of the stage, standing there for a moment before looking over at me. "Cora, take off your beanie."

I faked confusion. "My beanie? Why?"

"Just take it off...please."

Not being able to argue with her, I slowly and reluctantly reached up and slid the black wool beanie off my head, and allowed my new, red, wavy hair to fall down my back like a waterfall of fresh blood. I avoided her gaze as I heard her gasp in shock.

"Cora your-your hair! It's red!" She exclaimed. And when I did look up, at last, I saw her covering her mouth and her big hazel eyes were wide. "How did this happen?"

"I-I don't know," I choked out. "It just started happening overnight."

"Something like this can't just start happening," Kacey said in a voice just barely over a whisper. "Ever since you had that seizure, you've been acting strangely."

"Kace, can I please just go to class?" I asked her, my voice quaked.

"No," My friend said firmly. "There's something you're not telling me, and I'm not going to let you go until you tell me the truth."

"I am telling you the truth," I cried in exasperation. "I don't know what's happening to me. But we can figure it out together."

"You're lying," Kacey said. "You are keeping something from me. I know it."

"Why would I keep something like this from you, Kace?" I stared at her with frustration. "We're best friends."

"Why haven't you been answering my text messages, and calls? Hmm? All last night I texted and called you, and you just didn't answer. Why is that, Cora?" Her voice was laced with poison and ever word she spat at me sounded like a poison dart being shot into my skin. I bit the side of my mouth. I had seen the text messages last night, but I didn't reply to them because I didn't know what to say. I had been too stressed out because of my appearance and now that I thought about it, it had been quite vain. "Is it because you've developed a relationship with that new boy?" When my eyes widened, she sneered at me. "Yeah, I saw you two yesterday. It looked like you're pretty close."

I shook my head in disbelief. "What? Kacey, Cayden and I hardly know each other. Why are you so mad at me all of a sudden? I thought you were concerned about this." I jabbed a finger at my hair. "But it looks like this wasn't about caring for your friend, it was just centered around you and your jealousy." When she didn't reply to my outburst, I turned on my heel and headed for the door, but Kacey, like lightning, quickly got in front of me.