Unfamiliar (Unfamiliar Series #1)

Chapter 30

I stand for a long moment in silence. 

Or as much silence is available at a busy festival as Luke disappears around the barn. My lips are unable to form words and I am left standing alone. 

What...?

What was that?

I hope deep down, somehow, someway this was all a dream. That I'll wake up and none of this has happened at all. Everything has gone off the rails since I first stepped into the magic side of this world. People knew I was an Unfamiliar, I was possibly being hunted for it. Poor Finn was murdered and the resurrection was botched andprobably caused him more pain. Luke is angry at me. 

It's all falling apart. 

I don't even realize that I've begun to cry until I swallow back the lump in my throat and taste salt. Tears have streamed down my face and are collecting in the corners of my lips as they pool into my mouth.

I reach up and paw at the tears, my face itching as I rub them away. I wipe my palms across my eyes, pushing hard enough my vision flashes red from the pressure. The Percheron nickers at me and I turn away, unable to look at it as I start walking. Though where I'm going, I'm not sure. My feet take me back around the barn. 

For a second, I almost hope that I'll see Luke standing there, still angry, but maybe open to listen to me.

Luke has never been mad at me for long. 

He's not there and the empty lane greets me. 

I pull my phone out of my pocket, tempted to send him a text. But my fingers hesitate over the letters. 

What would I even say?  I'm sorry? For what? 

I had nothing to be sorry for. 

Did I?

My chest burns uncomfortably, as does my face. 

Instead, I stare at his contact photo, a picture I had taken after the last day of my eighth grade year. A boy that I don't think I know anymore is smiling in the picture, a blissful, happy smile pasted on his face as he grinned at the camera.

Come on, Kara, you can think of something.

We've fought and bickered before, all of us have at one time or another. But this time it felt...different.

A couple of texts wouldn't fix this, no matter how thought out they are. I'd have to find him and talk to him in person and maybe get him to see reason. 

Maybe I am selfish.

The thought digs itself in like a barb and refuses to let go as I continue to walk around the barn to the other side. There is a riding arena that sits empty in the near distance, though screams and music leak over from the festival. I reach up and scrub at the tears that are still streaming from my eyes.

Stupid, stupid, stupid. 

I clench and unclench my hands, faint tremors running through them as I take a few, jagged breaths. 

I look at my phone again, deciding that I'll text Tessa.

Something abruptly hits me on the back of my head.

A shock of pain is sent jolting up and down my spine. It's like someone has shot a pinball into my brain as it bounces down the middle of my back. My vision darkens and then clears as I hunch forward. I drop my phone as my hands go limp, the screen going dark as it falls on its face in the grass.