Reef pulls a stupid face and I snort. The glare of the flashlight points in our direction and Reef clamps a hand over my mouth. His green eyes dance and my body trembles as I try to restrain my laughter at this absurd situation. How did I end up trapped in Reef Fenner’s arms at the top of a lighthouse in the middle of the night?
After a few minutes, the flashlight and footsteps recede. Reef exhales and then laughs aloud for the first time. He releases his grip on me. I wish he hadn’t.
I step back and he smiles. His eyes are so intense in the moonlight that my legs feel like jelly. With every moment I spend with him, I fall a little deeper.
It’s dangerous territory.
“Are you okay?” He grins. “I couldn't handle it when you started laughing.”
“You have better self-control than I do.” I close my eyes and sigh. “I can’t believe I snorted, I thought they were gonna catch us for sure. Who does the night patrols anyway?”
“It's usually Seaver. I think we could’ve talked ourselves out of it with him. But we would’ve been in so much trouble if Nerida was on patrol tonight. She’s much worse.”
“Professor Nerida? I love her.” I can’t imagine our intelligent, milky-eyed Astronomy professor being that bad. She is the only reason I’ve been able to stay at Deep Cove.
He looks surprised. “I can't stand her.”
Then, his eyes spot a piece of paper that falls from the pocket of my shorts. It flutters to the ground and my drawing is exposed. Before I can do anything, he bends and picks it up. He stares at it for a second and then drops it like it's burned him. His eyes meet mine again, and the mischievous sparkle is gone. In its place, raging waves crash in his emerald eyes.
“How?” The vitriol in his tone stuns me.
I open my mouth to answer but he doesn't wait for an explanation.
“There’s no way.” He looks at the drawing on the ground, then back at me. He steps back, and horror, confusion and suspicion run over his face in the matter of a second. Finally, his features form an undeniable expression of grief. “I have to go. Now. I...”
Reef bolts across the platform. His sneakers thunder down the staircase and he doesn’t seem to give a moment’s thought to whoever was patrolling.
My heart sinks and I slump to a sitting position against the wall. My head spins. Why would he react like that? I pick up the piece of paper and stare at it. Could the necklace really mean something to him?
I trace the outline of my drawing with my finger, but no matter what way I look at it, the symbol is as unfamiliar as ever. The nightmare that produced this drawing is also the first place that I ever saw Reef and his eyes. Back then, he was a stranger. Now, he’s a stranger that I have somehow fallen head over heels for.
I’m frustrated by the turn of events this evening, all caused by my nightmares. One moment his arms were around me, the next he was running away as fast as he could.
I shiver, suddenly freezing cold. Reef’s hoodie is still tied around my shoulders and, maybe against my better judgement, I put it on. It smells like him.
I tiptoe down the long spiral staircase and work my way back to the dorm. I strain my eyes for a sight of him, but he’s nowhere to be seen.
I make it to my dorm and dive into bed, pulling the covers up to my chin. Despite the adrenaline, the emotional rollercoaster of the night is too much for me. I instantly slide into the welcome arms of a dreamless sleep.
28
“Wake up, Maya.” Casey gives me a shake. “Your alarm’s been going off for ages.”
I blink blearily and the world comes into focus. I sit in bed and rub my eyes. “What time is it?”
“Almost 7. We’ve gotta get breakfast.” Casey smiles. “We have Transformation in an hour, and you know how much that sucks on an empty stomach.”
I squeeze my eyes shut at the thought of blundering hopelessly through a Transformation class in the freezing water.
Then, Casey hisses. “Isn’t that Reef Fenner’s hoodie?”
Crap. I’m still wearing Reef’s hoodie. Reef’s one-of-a-kind, burnt orange, oversized hoodie. It’s undeniably his. My cheeks heat up and my mouth drops open. I can’t think of a single thing to say.
Casey puts her hands on her hips, eyebrows raised. Her devilish smile says she’s waiting for an explanation.
“I… uh...” I scramble, racking my brain.
But what is there to say? Reef and I spent the entire night talking about our lives on the lighthouse platform. And then he ran away, basically screaming. My heart sinks at the memories — Reef’s laugh, Reef’s strong arms around me, Reef running from me.
What went wrong?
Several pairs of eyes around the dorm shift in interest to our conversation. I hug my blanket over my chest, but it’s too late. They’ve all seen the hoodie. From the bed across from mine, however, I’m getting more of a violet-eyed death glare than curiosity. I’m going to pay for it later, but I’ll admit I get a small thrill from Kendra’s moment of jealousy and annoyance.
Hey, I’m only human. Mostly.
“I look forward to hearing more on this subject later, when you can form a sentence.” Casey smirks and roots through my drawers. She chucks a yellow bathing suit at me. “Hurry and get dressed so we can eat.”
My stomach growls in response and I quickly get changed, my cheeks flaming under the reproachful glares of Kendra, Rayne and Brooke. I ball up Reef’s hoodie and stuff it unceremoniously in my backpack. I’ll give it to him later.
If he’ll speak to me, that is.
After breakfast, I slide into my desk in Transformation class. My shoulders are tense and I’m aware of every movement by the door. I’m waiting for him.
But he doesn’t show.
He’s not in the double period of Underwater Remedies that follows Transformation either. The class lasts an eternity, and I spend most of it staring absentmindedly at his empty seat next to Marlowe. I replay what happened last night in my head. No matter what angle I take, I still can’t understand his reaction.
The lunch bell rings and I gather my books in a hurry, but not fast enough. Kendra flits over to my desk and leans on it with one hand, her legs stretched in front of her. The gesture may look effortless and friendly, but I know better —she’s blocking my ability to leave.
This can’t be good.
“Tired, Maya?” Kendra asks in a silky voice.
“Uh, not really.” I roll my eyes at Casey. No choice but to wait for whatever it is Kendra’s about to pull.
“Hey Marlowe,” she rounds on him next, “where’s Reef today? Is he sick?”
Her mouth is puckered in a ridiculous simpering pout.
Marlowe smiles easily. “Maybe, I haven’t seen him all day —he was gone when I got up this morning.”
His eyes meet mine, and I wonder if he knows something.
“There, Kendra, he’s fine.” Casey interjects. “Nice of you to be so concerned.”
I’m filled with gratitude, appreciating Casey’s efforts to cut this conversation short. But, a worried feeling nags at me. Where did Reef go? Did he get caught out of bed last night? The thought turns my stomach.
“Poor Reef,” Kendra continues, her voice sickly sweet. “The rest of you haven’t seen him either?”
TJ shrugs. “Knowing Reef, he probably got up early to go surfing and forgot the time.”
“Sounds like Reef,” Beau confirms.
I wouldn’t know. I don’t really know Reef at all, do I?
“Either way, I’m sure Reef would like to have his hoodie back, right Maya?” Kendra angles back on me, her tone innocent. Her dagger eyes tell another story. “Especially if he’s sick, he might want to wear it.”
Gotcha, I can almost hear her say.
The guys look at me, confused. I have no choice but to pull the hoodie from my backpack. I hand it to Marlowe, who raises his eyebrows but kindly says nothing.
TJ is not so subtle. A grin creeps across his face, his eyes dancing. “Damn girl, you w
ere with Fenner last night?”
My face turns a new shade of beetroot red.
“Hope he feels better soon,” I mumble. “Excuse me.”
I sidestep around Kendra, almost tripping on her outstretched legs. I shuffle through Brooke and Rayne, hovering behind her as usual, and make my way to the door, my cheeks flaming and my head bowed.
Casey falls into step with me and we exit the classroom.
I cringe when I hear Kendra’s voice addressing the boys. “I don’t know where she found it, but she slept in it last night. She was wearing it this morning when we got up. That girl is like, obsessed. Did you see her staring at his empty desk?”
Her laughter tinkles in my head and I speed up.
Then, TJ’s response. “Maybe she put it on after they—?”
The door slams shut.
Oh. My. Gosh. I’m not sure if TJ’s serious or trying to wind Kendra up, but now I’m trapped. People are either going to think that I was hooking up with Reef in the middle of the night, or that I’m stalking him and wearing his clothes to bed because I’m obsessed with him.
Kind of a lose-lose situation.
“Agh!” I want to kick something. Preferably Kendra. “I can’t stand Kendra and her stupid minions. I should’ve known better than to enjoy her moment of jealousy this morning.”
“Don't mind the Powerpuff Girls.” Casey loops her arm through mine. “Kendra’s not exactly subtle about wanting Reef, and he never pays any attention to her.”
I stare at the ground, mortified. “She’s going to tell the whole school about this hoodie thing though.”
“She’s Kendra.” Casey rolls her eyes. “It doesn’t matter what she says. Besides, your friends know you are. Even TJ, as dumb as he can act sometimes, knows who you are.”
I cheer up a little and offer her a tentative smile.
She uses my moment of cheer as an opportunity to dive in. “And, on the subject of Reef and the hoodie, I’ve been waiting for you to tell me what happened last night. Are you hooking up with Fenner? Spill!”
I chuckle. “No!”
I proceed to tell her about meeting him at the lighthouse. I leave out the necklace and my nightmares, though. As much as I love having Casey as a best friend, I can’t put that on her.
By the time I tell her about Reef running away from me, she’s staring at me with her mouth open.
“That is NOT what I expected. Why do you think he ran off?” she asks.
I shake my head and sigh. “No idea. And I have no clue where he is today either. Is it weird that none of the guys know?”
“Don’t sweat, Maya, I’m sure he’s fine,” Casey responds softly.
I nod, but worry eats at me. Where has Reef gone?
29
Casey and I enter the Dining Hall and the smell of freshly-baked bread and fried seafood reminds me that I’m starving. I wasn’t able to eat any breakfast this morning — my usual anxiety surrounding Transformation class, coupled with thoughts of Reef, killed my appetite.
I load my plate with dynamite rolls —the sushi never disappoints at Deep Cove. I throw a poppyseed bagel and a couple of fish tacos on another plate for good measure, and add a huge slice of carrot cake for dessert.
Casey laughs at my mammoth lunch. “Hungry much?”
“Let me eat my feelings in peace.” I laugh, and we head towards our usual table. Flo, Dennis, James, and a few others are already seated and digging into their lunches.
Then, I feel the magnetic pull and I look around. Reef is sitting in the far corner, alone. Across the room, his usual table is crowded with his surfer friends — I guess they haven’t seen him.
Reef looks at me intently, like he’s been waiting for me to return his gaze. When I finally dare meet his eyes, he beckons me to come over. His eyes are pleading, the same pleading look as in the nightmare, and his face is ashen.
“Case, I’m gonna go sit with Reef,” I say quietly, hoping she won’t cause a scene.
Predictably, she does exactly that. She whirls around to look at Reef in the corner, and then rubbernecks her head back to look at me with an ear-splitting smile. “Of course you are!”
When I get to the table, I sit opposite him, not brave enough to slide into the booth beside him. I take a minute to process his crumpled appearance. He looks terrible — pale and grayed-out, like he didn’t sleep.
“You look well-rested.” He gives me a small smile, as if he didn’t run away from me less than twelve hours ago.
“I wouldn’t say that.” I chuckle. There’s a moment of uncomfortable silence, and I want to do something to break the tension. I start with, “I’m sorry—”
“Don’t be,” he interrupts, “I’m the one who should be saying sorry. I’m a jerk for running off last night. Especially after assuring you that I do not, in fact, hate you. You should hate me for real, now, for leaving you there.”
I’m taken aback. I was not expecting this.
Reef’s emerald eyes are cloudy. “Did you get back to your dorm okay?”
“Yeah.” I reassure him with a hesitant smile. “I was fine. Did you? Make it home, I mean?”
“I didn’t go to the dorms.” He fiddles with a piece of napkin. “I went somewhere else, I needed to be alone for a while. ”
“Is that where you were all morning? Somewhere else?” I ask tentatively.
His expression is neutral, feigning ignorance.
“Come on Reef.” I roll my eyes. “People noticed you weren’t in class. The guys said you were sick. Or surfing.”
His mouth does that adorable twitching thing, like he’s trying not to smile. “You asked my friends about me?”
I blush for the millionth time in the last twenty-four hours. “Yeah, you left your hoodie at the lighthouse last night. I, uh, didn't want anyone to find it and know that you were up there, so I took it back with me. I gave it to Marlowe this morning.”
Reef looks genuinely grateful. “Thanks, Maya, seriously. Can you imagine if Seaver found it up there?”
“Well, it was my fault you took your hoodie off in the first place.” I remind him and he finally laughs.
“True.” His tone is almost teasing and his eyes twinkle.
My heart accelerates. The boy from our midnight encounter is back. I can almost physically feel the daggers Kendra shoots me from across the Dining Hall, but I don’t care.
“So,” I bridge carefully. “Are you going to tell me why you ran away from me last night or leave me guessing?”
“I guess I should explain.” He sighs and runs a hand through his hair as he finds his words. “That symbol on the paper, you drew that?”
I nod slowly.
“Why? Where’s it from?” He tries, and fails miserably, to keep his voice calm and controlled. He fidgets and nervous energy radiates from him.
“I don't know what it is or what it means,” I confess, staring at the table.
He puts a hand on top of mine and electricity jolts through me. “Why did you draw it, Maya?”
“It’s hard to explain.”
“Please, it’s important.” His voice is urgent, pleading. “Where did you see it?”
“It’s from a dream,” I mutter.
He inhales sharply. “You saw it in a dream?”
“Yes. I’ve had the same one for months.” I refuse to meet his eyes. “Every night, I’m deep in the ocean, drowning. A shipwreck crashes into me and I can’t get away.”
His fingers tighten on my hand. “A shipwreck?”
“Yeah,” I say quietly, almost hoping he won’t hear. “And you’re there.”
“What?” He asks incredulously.
Now I’ve done it. I’ve told Reef that I’ve been dreaming about him for months. I try not to think about him laughing with his friends later, talking about how obsessed I am with him — or worse, telling Kendra.
I push these thoughts from my mind and continue, terrified but strangely glad to get the weight of the dreams off my chest. “I started having the ni
ghtmares before I got here. Every time, I see the same thing — a shipwreck crashing towards me. Right before I drown, I see a pair of green eyes looking at me like they’re begging for help. When I first saw you, I realized it was your eyes in the dream.”
Reef stares at me, his expression unreadable. Finally, he says, “Maya, can you do me a favor?”
I nod, unsure what Reef could possibly want after I’ve shared this information. But, he isn’t staring at me like I’ve gone insane, so I take that as a good sign.
“We can’t talk here, someone might hear.” Reef leans in and I smell the ocean on his skin. It takes my breath away. “I want — need — to ask you more questions. Can you meet me after school to talk?”
“Of course, but I don’t think I can help. I’m not sure what’s going on.”
“Trust me. I have to tell you something.” He looks around and then leans closer. “After last class, go to the beach and walk to where the sand dunes begin. Follow the path along the top of the dunes and I’ll meet you at the end of the path. Make sure nobody sees you. You don’t want to get caught leaving campus, especially that way.”
I nod again, feeling like one of those inane nodding dogs. Shivers run up and down my spine. I remember what Professor Nerida said about there being danger at Deep Cove. Does Reef know something I don’t?
I’m about to ask when he pushes his chair back.
“See you then.” His features rearrange into a friendly, neutral expression. The walls are back up.
“Sure,” I say softly, but he’s already left the table.
He walks across the room to join his friends and gives Marlowe a fist bump. He slots himself in the middle of the crowded bench, and laughs at something TJ says. I dread to think what TJ could be saying after his comment earlier.
Casey pops up and slides into the booth across from me. She’s clearly been watching the scene unfold from across the room.
“Dude’s intense.” She sticks her fork into my untouched carrot cake.
I look over at Reef and he’s telling a story, his face sparkling with laugher. He looks like a completely different person. “That’s for sure.”
The Destiny: A YA Paranormal Academy Romance (Deep Cove Academy Book 1) Page 10
