Captured Sun Read Free

the coming of a new day as he did.
    This summer had, thus far, been the most precious season of my life. Each day was filled with the usual summer activities of beach, sun, and fun. I'd grown up in Highland Home and I knew that for the rest of my life I would have to live near the ocean. Each night, though plagued with the horrors of my dreams of the killer, was precious because Mathias stayed with me. As long as I could stay awake, we talked about everything from his past to my future. He told me of the people he had met and asked me about the people we went to school with. When it came to my future, however, I didn't know what to say in answer to most of his questions. My senior year of high school would start in two months. Mathias had laughingly agreed to come with me when I'd asked what he'd be doing for the year.
    "I think I can handle one more senior year," he'd said.
    "How many senior years have you had?"
    "Enough."
    He wouldn't tell me the exact number, but I began to understand that he'd often attended high school when he'd been bored or when Alfred had felt the need to stay in one place long enough to be noticed. He'd also already been to and graduated from college a few times. That idea was far more daunting to me than our senior year in Highland Home.
    I'd applied to colleges all over the country before I'd met Mathias. Cecelia and I had planned to find a college where we could go together so we wouldn't be lonely, but her requirement was that the college be far enough from Highland Home that she wouldn't be expected to visit too often. I'd been on board for that plan until the incident on the football field last spring. After that, I had begun applying to colleges closer to home. Mom was ecstatic that I wanted to stay closer to Highland Home. Cecelia, on the other had was furious.
    "What the hell, Maire?" she'd yelled when she found the acceptance letter from the state university campus in the city. "You've talked about nothing but getting out of Highland Home since you were ten. We've applied to every school on the east coast that wasn't in this state. Tell me you aren't seriously considering staying here because of Mathias!"
    "It has nothing to do with Mathias," I said. "Actually, he wants me to go to Princeton. But after my accident, I guess I feel strange about being away from Mom and Kerry and Tawnya."
    "What does your mom say?"
    "She's gotten kind of clingy, actually. She was thrilled when I got the letter from Princeton, but State means I can be near her. I think she's up in the air about how much to push for one or the other, afraid I'll pick the wrong one just to spite her."
    Cecelia had dropped the argument then, but she hadn't given up. I could tell by the way she watched my mail for more acceptance letters and let me know which schools had accepted her. I think she was hoping one would come that would convince me to leave Highland Home with her.
    I hadn't been lying when I told her the "accident" had made me want to stay closer to my family. The battle on the football field had resulted in several strange outcomes. Braden Lambert moved to number one on the werepanther's watch list while Mathias had moved down significantly. Kerry and I had been added to the protection detail the panthers had set up around Highland Home, and more and more supernatural creatures had begun turning up in the area, drawn by me if I were to believe Elise's assessment of the situation. I couldn't just leave my family to face all of that alone. I had to stay, to help protect them if I could. But I couldn't say any of that to Cecelia. As far as she knew, I'd tripped and fallen over the railing at the stadium and broken four ribs. I hated keeping secrets from her, but I knew the less she knew, the safer she would be.
    Braden had continued to watch me and Mathias through the end of the school year, but he'd apparently taken Xavier's warning to leave us and all other humans alone to heart. The quarterback might have been angry