A Fractured Light (Beautiful Dark)

into my ear.
    I took a deep breath and walked through the door.
    Cassie was making her way to our usual seats by the window. Ardith sat at the front of the room in a floor-grazing skirt and boots, her armful of bangles jingling softly every time she moved. She caught my eye and winked at me in the most imperceptible way. At the front of the room, Ms. Manning eyed me coolly.
    “Skye,” she said. “Welcome back. We have some recent additions to the class, so you’ll find your usual seat is currently occupied. You can take a seat in the back, where I’ve brought in extra chairs.”
    I cast my eyes toward my usual seat behind Cassie, and my heart lurched. As if in slow motion, a sheet of glossy blond hair swung to one side, and I found myself meeting Raven’s piercing glare. I knew it was just in my head, but I could have sworn I almost saw the shadow of wings beating menacingly behind her. Trying not to shake, I turned toward the back of the room.
    Ms. Manning had indeed brought in extra desks, and the back row was crowded. I spotted an empty seat and made my way toward it, focused only on getting away from Raven. I could feel Asher moving right behind me, shadowing me, focused on another empty seat in the back row. He must have noticed Raven, too, because I heard him take a sharp breath. But after that, I wasn’t concerned about what Asher was doing anymore.
    Because in the seat next to mine, sitting stick straight and watching me intently, was Devin.
    His eyes, as always, were the bluest blue and so hard to read. I had no idea how he felt to see me, but as I sat in the empty seat and tried not to look over, I was overtaken by a rush of emotions. Fear, panic—and something else. Something harder to define. I felt trapped in my own confusion.
    On my right, Asher threw his arm around my shoulders possessively. Devin didn’t even flinch.
    It was starting again.
     
    When the bell rang to signal the end of homeroom, Asher stood up with me. Devin stayed seated, avoiding all eye contact with either of us. At the front of the classroom, Ms. Manning held up her hand for me to stop.
    “Stay and chat for a minute, Skye,” she said. “I’ll give you a late pass for your next class.”
    I hesitated. Asher glanced from Devin, still sitting in the back of the room, to Ms. Manning and back to me. He raised a questioning eyebrow.
    “Go ahead,” I said. “I’ll see you later.” Glancing back at Devin again, he clenched his jaw and left. Ms. Manning cleared her throat.
    “Devin?” she said. “Would you come up here for a minute?” Devin looked up, carefully avoiding my gaze. He slung his backpack over his shoulder and walked to the front of the room. I felt something electric thrum in the air between us, but he stared straight ahead. Every fiber of my being wanted to run, to get as far away from him as possible. Ms. Manning sat on her desk, facing us.
    “Do we need to talk about this?” she asked. My pulse quickened. It’s like she’s reading my mind.
    “What do you mean?” I said slowly.
    “Those are some interesting rumors circulating about you. I heard you had Devin’s baby last week.”
    “What?” That was a new one. So I guessed people had noticed that we used to hang out.
    I glanced at Devin, but he stayed remote and resolute.
    “That is clearly not true,” I said.
    “I didn’t think so,” she said. “But at any rate, you need someone to catch you up on the work you missed last week. You two are friends, right? Devin, I thought you could spend study hall with Skye. Fill her in on what we’ve covered.” My heart raced. No. I couldn’t be alone with Devin.
    “Devin and I don’t exactly . . .” I struggled for the words.
    “We used to be close,” he said suddenly, breaking his silence. It felt like years since I had heard his voice, and its calming effect washed over me immediately. “But we’re not anymore.” He kept his eyes trained straight ahead, never once looking at me. My pulse quickened, but I said nothing.
    “Well,” Ms. Manning said, “in that case, all Skye needs is a tutor. Nothing more.” She scribbled down something and handed each of us a late pass.
    We left the room one after the other. In the empty hallway, Devin finally looked at me.
    Maybe it was the shock of eye contact after all this time. Maybe it was fear. The hallway faded. Oh no, I thought. It’s happening again. I was having a vision.
    In a flash, Devin’s body was pressed against mine, backing me into