Forgotten Read Online Free PDF Page B

stand once more.
    I’d scarcely gotten the words out when
the floor shifted under me. I stumbled again. Jace grabbed my arm,
stabilizing me. A heat wave radiated off of him and crawled over my
skin. Blazing white light scorched my sight, but I couldn’t look
away. What was worse, was that I couldn’t figure out what to do.
Look away? Stare him down in what little defiance I had? Pull out
my t-rex moves and stand completely still. I wanted to pass out,
but I refused to have any rumors start that I fainted in Jace’s
arms, or worse – find out a classmate had recorded it on their cell
and uploaded it to YouTube.
    Mrs. Briggs said, “I think it’s best
if you have –”
    “ I can walk –” I said, a
little louder than intended. The edges of my sight darkened. I lost
my footing, slipping deeper into Jace’s embrace. His blazing hot
skin warmed mine. His flexed arms were hard as he held me tight
against his hardened body. I’d never felt safer in my life. “–by
myself,” I finished stubbornly, after realizing that his muscular
body had distracted me.
    “ Winnie swooning into the
new guy’s arms,” Ryker snickered. “Bree will be furious she missed
it!”
    Pushing away from Jace, I thought
briefly that perhaps the best place to throw up would be on Ryker.
It took every molecule in my being to stand upright. The moment I
let go of Jace, I froze. The color quickly drained from my face. I
swayed, but kept my balance.
    Jace commented under his breath about
me being more stubborn than he remembered. The moment his breath
hit my skin, my blood boiled. A whimper escaped my throat, but I
knew Jace heard it because the intensity of his silhouette
brightened. I clenched my teeth together to prevent any other signs
of defeat from slipping out of my mouth in the form of a whimper or
gasp.
    “ Kicking or screaming, I
won’t let her out of my sight,” Jace promised Mrs. Briggs, ignoring
my protests.
    I objected, but he silenced me in his
own special way. He grabbed my arm, holding me with a grip I
couldn’t shake. Heat radiated off him. My chest clamped so tight I
couldn’t breathe. My back stiffened. His white silhouette flared,
and the pounding in my head felt like all its hairs were being
ripped out in chunks. Tears felt like acid on my eyes. I thought I
saw red in my sight. Liquid seeped from my ears as the dull ring
progressed into a fierce shriek.
    My world darkened as my legs gave out
under me.
    ***
    I awoke on a hard mattress. A young
man was threading together a mess of sounds into a sentence. The
longer I listened the louder it became and the more relaxed I’d
gotten. The thread of words formed a melody strangely memorable yet
ghostly unfamiliar.
    Disinfectant dominated my sense of
smell, except for a scent I couldn’t place. It was faint, but
ethereal nevertheless. I patted my upper body down. My school
uniform was still intact – damp and sweaty but intact. My hands
were cold and clammy. A chill encased me. Didn’t the nurse keep
spare blankets somewhere close? Tissue paper shifted under me as I
sat up. I swung my legs over the side. My feet didn’t come close to
touching the floor. I rubbed my hands together and listened for any
sound that would indicate the nurse was nearby, nothing. There
wasn’t a sound, except for the background music. Wishing I had a
glass of water, I licked my dry lips.
    “ You do have lustrous
lips,” Jace said and the organized thread of jumbled words seized
to resonance. His song stopped.
    A trickle of heat crawled up my spine
as he sat down next to me. The tissue paper didn’t make a sound as
it shifted under his weight. It unnerved me to no end. How could
anyone be so soundless?
    “ Is the nurse here?” I
asked.
    “ She’ll be back soon,” Jace
said. His mood was light, but I could feel his eyes taking me in,
analyzing my actions, my appearance, and whatever he deemed
important. “I seek many things from you, but for you to fear me is
not one of them.”
    “ I’m