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“And her mom’s money.”
    But the thought of food made Elizabeth’s stomach churn and the waft of cooking odors from the stands didn’t help. Perhaps it was because she hadn’t eaten anything all day that the actual smell of food was making her sick. She looked around for her mom again, almost hoping to see her nearby, but if she was, she was very good at hiding.
    Still, she didn’t want to make a fuss in front of her friends. Perhaps if she forced herself to eat something she’d feel better.
    “Oh, I don’t mind.” She waved her hand dismissively. “I like everything, so you guys choose.”
    “Well, I could murder a burrito,” said Jaz.
    Emily shrugged. “Fine by me if Elizabeth is happy with Mexican.”
    Elizabeth forced a smile. “Sure.”
    They ordered, Elizabeth carrying a small tray of nachos and a giant Coke to a table. “You guys mind if we sit over here?” She nodded toward the edge of the food court, where the glass dome ended and the roof of the mall started.
    Emily shared a glance with Jasmine. “Okay, sure.”
    They sat down to eat, but Elizabeth couldn’t bring herself to lift her food to her mouth and ended up just pushing the cheese covered chips around the tray. Watching Jaz take a big bite of her burrito, chili beef and sour cream dripping down the girl’s chin, saliva rushed to the back of her throat and she swallowed hard, turning her face away.
    Emily nudged an elbow into Elizabeth’s ribs. “Okay, don’t freak out, but I’m sure that guy is staring at you.”
    She glanced over to where Emily was looking. A young guy, just a little older than them, sat at a table across the eatery, watching her. His skin was pale, his hair a dark, russet red. He caught her looking and his eyes locked with hers. Her stomach did a flip. His eyes were the palest blue she’d ever seen, almost translucent, blending in with the whites. All at once, the room seemed to close in at the edges, the world surrounding her shrinking until she felt like she was falling into their sky-like depths.
    He made no attempt to smile at her; they were locked in this little pocket of reality as though they were the only two people in the room.
    “Elizabeth!” Jaz hissed across the table.
    Elizabeth tore her eyes away and glanced back down at her food with a frown. She definitely had caught the boy staring at her, but why? Did he know her or something, or perhaps know her parents?
    No, of course he wouldn’t know Sebastian.
    Unless …
    Quickly, she snapped her head back up, but the spot where the guy had been sitting was empty. A shiver ran down her spine. Something about the boy’s cool blue gaze had left her both excited and chilled.
    Momentarily distracted, she’d forgotten about her nausea, but the instant she turned back to the table, she caught an overwhelming whiff of chili beef, which sent bile rushing into her mouth.
    Oh, God , she thought in horror. I’m going to be sick.
    Without pausing to tell her friends where she was going, she leaped up from the table and ran toward the bathrooms. Her friends’ surprised exclamations followed her as she ran, but she couldn’t risk even pausing. With one hand clamped over her mouth, she could only think about making it to the toilet in time and not humiliating herself in the middle of the mall. She’d simply die of embarrassment if she was sick right here in front of everyone.
    She banged through the doors, ignoring the small line of women and girls washing their hands or checking out their reflections in the mirrors. She felt them cast curious stares at her as she flew by, heading to the nearest empty stall.
    Elizabeth fell into the stall, collapsing so her knees hit the cold tiles and her hands found the rim of the bowl. She heaved over the top, dry-retching into the toilet, her throat burning. A strange, metallic tang coated the back of her mouth, making her feel even sicker.
    “Elizabeth?”
    She heard her name called out; Jaz and Emily must have followed her