The Gathering Darkness Read Free

in the storm was that Aunt Rachel could drive us to school in the mornings. It would be after school that I would have to take the big, yellow school bus home.

    Deadwich High was impressive compared to the small country school I expected. Now I was even more nervous. I had spent all my school years so far with the same group of people. This was a first for me, a stranger in a new school. Everyone would stare.
    “Hey, Sammy, wait up.”
    We both stopped in the parking lot and turned in the direction of the voices. Two girls ran toward us.
    “Hey you guys, this is my cousin I was telling you about, Brooke Day.”
    Great, I was expected.
    “Brooke, this is Robyn and Megan.”
    “Hey.” I forced a smile and kept it simple.
    “Hi, Brooke.” Robyn seemed friendlier than Megan, who greeted me with a “hey” as I had greeted her.
    A crowd began to gather. Everyone wanted to see the new girl. I had to suck down the humiliation and try to fit in right away, or it would be a long year, and I was determined not to be on the outside of the clique—if there was one. At least it was the first day of school for everyone.
    As I stood with Sammy and her friends, the squealing of tires caught everyone’s attention—a welcome distraction from me. I turned with everyone else to see a red Honda Civic fish-tail into the school parking lot.
    Two guys emerged. Sammy leaned in close to me. “Those are the smoking hot Knight twins. The blond one is Evan. The tall dark-haired one is Marcus.”
    They certainly were cute, but didn’t look anything alike. Evan walked with a swagger. Marcus walked straight, hands in the front pockets of his jeans. Evan shouted something inaudible from across the parking lot. His happy-go-lucky smile reminded me of Luke’s—my heart constricted. But it was Marcus, the somber one, who I wasn’t able to peel my eyes from, until he looked up from the pavement and caught me looking at him. Suddenly shy, I turned back toward the girls. Their conversation was the same one I should’ve been having at my old school with my old friends at that very moment, back together after summer.
    As the brothers neared, all females stared. And they stared right back—at me. Cute and animated Evan, his eyes blue and laughing, swept his gaze over me. But it was Marcus, with his dark, and penetrating glare, that I couldn’t stop staring at. It was then I noticed all the females gawking at me now. But there was a different look on their faces, that who-does-she-think-she-is look—jealousy. I’d never felt more awkward and self-conscious.
    Evan stopped in front of me. “Hi, City Girl.” His eyes twinkled as he spoke. There were murmurs behind me.
    “How does he know her?” someone asked, accompanied by sounds of disgust.
    “Oh,” Sammy whispered out of the corner of her mouth, “I might have told them about you.”
    I looked at her sideways. “
Might
have?”
    Evan flicked his head, probably a habit he’d acquired since his disheveled hair fell continually into his eyes.
    I masked my awkwardness with triumph and flashed him a brilliant smile. The sudden thought of making the other girls jealous gave me some sick form of satisfaction. I checked over Evan’s shoulder. Marcus hovered on the outside of the group, talking to some other guys. The student body began babbling again.
    “Welcome to our school,” Evan said. “I didn’t catch what year you were in.”
    I gave an airy laugh. “That’s because I didn’t say.”
    “Right, so what year are you in?”
    I couldn’t resist his charm. “Junior. You?”
    “Senior.”
    So that would mean Marcus was also in his senior year. I was relieved. I was self-conscious enough without having to share a class with either of them.
    Evan seemed easy enough to be around; at least I felt comfortable around him. The clouds parted briefly, directing a ray of sun over my shoulder and into Evan’s face. His eyes came alive. The blues became separate colors, dark and light, mixed