Fractured Light Read Free Page B

in darkness, and if you keep! looking for it, you’ll lose your soul.”
    Erica, a popular girl, maybe even a cheerleader—I couldn’t remember—laughed “Are you for real?” Her nostrils flared, contorting her pretty face.
    A couple of students snickered.
    “That’s a good question, Erica,” the teacher said.
    I looked up, shocked the teacher had sided with an obviously rude student.
    “Is Llona’s answer real?” the teacher asked. “Do you think it’s possible that if a person goes to, let’s say a party where there are drugs, with no intention of ever using, inevitably their actions will ruin them? They’re not going to partake of the drugs, just go and have fun with friends. Is there anything wrong with that?”
    The room was silent. I could practically here the grinding sounds of a faulty engine as their brains searched for an answer. Finally the silence broke when another kid I didn’t recognize raised his hand.
    “I think her answer is real and happens all too often. Though a person’s intentions seem good in the beginning, if they allow themselves to be a part of an environment that obviously ruins lives, they will first endure it, then pity the people involved, and eventually embrace the lifestyle themselves.”
    “Exactly. Thank you, Matt,” Mrs. Simmons said. “I see you know Alexander Pope’s work. I agree entirely.”
    Matt bowed his head as if a subject to a King in an English court. His long fingers swept sandy blond hair behind his ears. He looked to be a little taller than me and skinny, not gross skinny, but lean and muscular—the body of a runner.
    After the bell rang, I gathered my stuff and moved to stand up. I practically ran into Matt, who was suddenly standing directly in front of me.
    “I like what you said about Shakespeare,” he said. “Not many people understand what he’s all about.”
    “I’m not sure I do either. He’s the master of cryptic.”
    Matt laughed. “Very true.”
    I stepped to the side of him and threw my bag over my shoulder. Matt moved to block me. “Listen, I’m trying to get a group together to study the writings of the great ones, sort of like a book club. You interested?”
    I shuddered, and I think I grimaced. Not because Matt bothered me, but because I’d never done anything like that before: read literature in a small group. It sounded so intimate.
    Matt noticed my reaction. “It’s okay if you can’t. I was just asking.” He turned around and walked away.
    The Light within me leapt, wanting to go after him to apologize. It was not in Light’s nature to be deliberately cruel, and I felt it course through me now, anxious to relieve any sadness I may have caused him. But I kept my feet firmly planted and closed my eyes. Survival first. It was my mother that would’ve gone after him. Of course she wouldn’t have had such a violent reaction to begin with. She loved being with others in any setting and they loved her in return. Then she was murdered.
    I finally moved when the teacher asked me if I needed something. I shook my head and left the room.
    Trig class was next. Earlier that morning, I’d overheard a few girls talking about the new math teacher, a Mr. Steele . By the way they were talking him up, I was anxious to confirm the hype.
    At my locker I replaced my English book with my math book, and then quickly zipped up my backpack. Most students didn’t take their bags to every class, but there was something comforting about having it on my back. Without it I felt naked.
    The bell rang just as I closed my locker. Shoot! I was late. I speed-walked down the almost empty hallway to where I thought room 204 was. After a couple of left turns, I finally found the classroom at the end of the hall. Before I turned the handle, I took a deep breath and mentally prepared to be the center of attention. I pulled open the door, and like I expected, heads turned my direction. I hurried to the nearest vacant desk at the back of the room.
    “Try