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“I’m Maggie.”
    He stares at my hand as if it’s contaminated; his opposite hand twitches at his side.
    “Shane!” calls out a voice from where his sister just disappeared. He gives me one last scathing look and disappears into the room.
    His rejection of my overture stings. I remind myself that humans are uncomfortable around me, and this boy is no exception to that. Of course he wants nothing to do with me, I’m a bloodsucking leech. Even if he doesn’t know I’m a vampire, he senses something’s not right.
    Not for the first time, I wish things were different. Why couldn’t I just be the cute girl that he found as attractive as I found him?
    “Maggie–” Hannah calls from across the room.
    She’s walking down the hall toward me, and she looks like a train wreck. She’s paler than when she left with Rachel, if that’s possible, and her eyes now have blue shadows under them. I’ve got to get her back to E.W. House pronto.
    But I take a moment to consider the door where the two siblings just went, finally realizing what’s been bugging me about Chloe. I smelled it before I knew where her injury was, it just didn’t register at the time.
    She’s supernatural.

 
     
    5 - Maggie
    Hannah and I make it back to E.W. House just after ten a.m., which is a good thing because the other kids should be in fourth period and won’t notice our entrance. It’s been awhile since we’ve pulled an all-nighter, and if our floor mom was paying attention last night, we’re in trouble. I don’t need a month’s worth of KP duty.
    Hannah is barely conscious, leaning heavily against me in the backseat of the cab. I’m not positive she can walk into the building, and in my human form there’s no way I can carry her—she’s seven inches taller than me. Turning isn’t an option while the sun’s out, so I say a silent prayer that she can at least make it inside.
    I pay the cabdriver and bail out, pulling Hannah along with me. She can’t even stand up straight and I’m getting really worried about her depleted energy.
    “Hannah, what the–”
    She throws her arm over my shoulder and I get a mental zing and a “not here” . There’s no time to waste, so I start stumbling across the plush lawn, Hannah’s weight on me.
    How did this happen? Was the druggie that hard to handle? He was obviously psychotic, but I had no idea that Hannah used up so much power to keep him immobile. Had I waited too long to jump him? I thought I’d moved quickly but I’d been worried about hurting the little girl in my rush to stop the guy.
    She usually “talks” to me several times a day, but that’s about the extent of her power usage. It’s been a long time since we’ve needed her powers. Is she weakening, and I haven’t even noticed it?
    She stumbles on the side steps, and I bite back a curse as I stub my toe on the cement walk.
    “You know, this would be a lot easier if you were shorter,” I grumble.
    “It’s not my fault… you’re a midget.” She’s breathing so hard it’s difficult for her to get words out. “Besides, don’t you have super vampire strength?”
    I glare at her sideways. “You know, us walking down the hall like this is going to exacerbate those rumors about us being more-than-friends. And you look like you’re high. We’re supposed to be the good examples for the kids here.”
    “Maybe you should’ve thought of a better way of getting us inside.”
    “You’re the planner, Hannah, not me.”
    “Excuses.”
    The door opens unexpectedly, almost banging me in the face. I hold my breath.
    “Ladies, the back stairs are clear for the moment,” Director Phillips says politely as he holds the door for us.
    Relief. We’re home free.
    “I got a text message from Mr. Wellington this morning warning me that you two would need an escort,” he explains.
    Hannah shoots a questioning look at me, but I just shrug. She may be the brains, but I have been known to have a good idea once in awhile. And I