Hidden (Hidden Series Book One) Read Free

shocked,” Whitney said. “I
thought you were in love with us. This is no way to show it.”
    I stared at the crucifix until they lost
interest in my reaction. They strutted down the aisle like it was a
runway, and Sienna blew a kiss to her boyfriend. I rolled my eyes.
My witch powers, or the devil himself, made me sure that he was
sleeping with Tiffany – one of Sienna’s loudest birds.
    There was nothing worse than knowing
something that could hurt her and not using it. But I’d kept it to
myself, hoping it would show God that I didn’t want to be evil.
    Maybe it was working. I didn’t vomit when I
took communion, nor did I spontaneously combust.
    “The Mass has ended, go in peace to love and
serve the Lord.”
    “Thanks be to God,” we all said together,
and I raced through the church doors.
    My dorm was the biggest of the four. The
current junior class, my class, made up most of the population at
St. Catalina – the kids orphaned in the darkest year of the war. We
took up the entire building and had since we were infants. The
common room had grown up with us. It used to be the open space
where we were coached to walk and talk. Then it turned into a
playroom. I pulled on the double doors and entered its current
incarnation. Pink and purple lanterns hung from the ceiling over
plush sofas and beanbag chairs, facing different flat screens
around the room.
    Sienna had been in charge of this remodel.
Even if she hadn’t claimed this room as the court where her
subjects come to worship her, I still would’ve banished myself from
it. Sitting around with humans outside of class was the last thing
I wanted to do.
    I planned my weekends according to one goal:
be invisible. I’d incurred a sacrificial tardy in first period so I
could set my laundry to dry while the girls were gone and my
delicates were safe from pranks. I knew I’d get here first after
Mass, it was mingling time, and had left my laundry basket waiting
by the dryer. I passed through the kitchen that permanently smelled
of chocolate chip cookies and grabbed the plastic bag I’d packed
and left in the front of the fridge to make for a quick exit.
    Groceries for the weekend, check . I
dropped the bag in my basket and piled the clothes on top. Laundry, check . A television blared in the common room just as the
staircase door slammed behind me. Leah out of sight until Monday
morning, check .
    I knew my door would be unlocked today.
Sister Phyllis, the guardian of our dorm, had inspected rooms while
we were in class. I still reached for my key; the inspection hadn’t
been announced.
    Even with my bedroom door closed and locked
behind me, my act had to continue. I dropped the laundry basket and
took two steps to my desk to deposit my bag. Then three to the
closet to drop off my shoes. Then six more to my bed. I’d memorized
my careful dance, a performance I suspected hadn’t gone unnoticed
over the years. Even now, it felt like I was being watched. I
shrugged my blazer off and confirmed my suspicion. It usually
happened late at night, but the hairs on my forearm were standing
at attention. They’d been that way for the past few days, almost
constantly, making me completely sure that eyes were on me. It felt
like they wanted to see me be normal, human, and I wanted to show
them just that.
    I reached for the remote slowly so it
wouldn’t fly into my hand. I had a movie all cued up for my
performance. I’d taken it from the movie library this morning. I
figured no one would come knocking on my door for the dusty VHS
copy of The Little Rascals .
    I crashed on my bed, exhausted, and faced
the little TV once used for princess movies with Whitney. I could
have upgraded using money from my student account – money my
parents left behind. But I rarely watched TV, and I had bigger
problems than the size of my screen, like having my head mounted on
Lydia Shaw’s wall.
    I ate my typical meal – a turkey sandwich –
for dinner. I made my orange last the entire