Kiss of Fire (Imdalind, #1)(24)

“A dragon?”

“Yeah, here’s his tail and his head.” She traced a shape through the darker portions of the brand, her fingertip tickling the skin that never got touched.

I jumped up from under her arm and ran to the mirror that hung above her dresser. My hair naturally fell over the mark, so I pulled it back to get a better look. I had never really looked at it, but Wyn was right—the dark lines that moved through the raised skin did look like a dragon.

“How’d you get it?” Wyn asked, coming up behind me and leaning on the dresser. “Accidental maiming, fell off a stage, helicopter rescue gone wrong?”

I hesitated. I didn’t know how much I trusted her. I just continued to stare at it in the mirror, part of me wanting to touch it; the other part continuing to scream at me to run.

“Nothing as cool as that,” I managed, making it clear I wasn’t going to elaborate.

“Have you shown it to Ryland? Boys love scars; I bet he would love this one.” Her voice had taken on a strange quality that made me a bit uncomfortable.

I spun away from the mirror to face her. Her eyes were wide and eager.

“No! I would never show Ryland! You’re the first person to see it, besides my mom.” And my dad, but I wasn’t going to get into that.

“Really? Wow, now I feel special.” She slugged me playfully in the shoulder. “But you should totally not hide that away, that thing is awesome!” She bounced back over to the bed, landing in the center, springs creaking.

“Not to me,” I mumbled.

Wyn continued to look at me, as if she expected something. I wasn’t going to give her the benefit of an answer, not today anyway. Besides, what could I say that was believable? My life could be considered normal until it came to that mark and then it was full of mysterious illnesses and disappearing fathers.

The way this evening had turned out had become very confusing and complicated. Why did the past few days have to be so… weird? I just wanted to hide and forget that Wyn had ever caught a glimpse of the ugly thing, forget that odd men were watching me, forget that I could throw girls into ceilings, forget that Ry kept trying to kiss me.

“I gotta go.” I was sure the disappointment in my voice was not missed. I grabbed my bag and started heading toward the door.

“Hey, Jos.” Wyn caught up with me, catching me before I disappeared through the door. Her inadvertent use of Ryland’s nickname for me sent a shiver up my spine. “I’m sorry I brought it up. I didn’t know it was a taboo thing. I’ll pretend I never saw it.” She smiled at me, her voice sincere.

“Thanks, Wyn, It’s just—” I hesitated; I had to tell her something. “It’s just that, that… thing… has kind of ruined my life.”

“Don’t let it anymore, ’kay?”

I nodded and her face brightened.

“So, don’t go. I won’t mention it again, and we still have a stupid movie to watch.”

“Thanks, Wyn, but I do have to go. I actually do have homework to do.” I tried to sound indifferent, but I wasn’t sure it worked.

“Oh, okay. I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

I just nodded in agreement, shutting the door to her apartment behind me.

---

I stood outside Wyn’s apartment complex for about ten minutes, trying to decide where to go. I needed to talk to my mom. I didn’t know what I would say to her that wouldn’t end in a fight, but I felt so naked and exposed after Wyn’s innocent discovery of my mark.

I made sure my hair covered the right side of my face before I turned my long board in the direction of the bus that would take me into the wealthy district of town. There were still about forty-five minutes until dinner would be served in the LaRue’s dining hall, meaning my mom still had about two hours or more of work. Rather than wait at home, alone, for her to get there, I opted to face the hustle of the big kitchen at dinner time. Spending forty minutes alone on the bus was still better than waiting alone for two or more hours before she would get off.

The bus stopped and I quickly boarded. The neon lights were already on, illuminating the plastic seats and metal floor with a strange, blue glow. I made my way to the middle and sat with my hood up, backpack sitting on my lap and my head leaning against the glass. As the blue sky deepened around me, it felt like everything inside loosened up, calming down and becoming brighter.

Wyn had said I had let the mark ruin my life. At first I wasn’t exactly sure what that meant. To me, my life seemed to be pretty okay. I had a great best friend, a mother who really cared, and I did well in school. On the other hand, I also hated school because it meant that I had to be around other kids—that I had to hide.

I didn’t “have to” do anything, though. I didn’t “have to” cover myself up. I didn’t “have to” pretend to be invisible. Maybe Cynthia only saw something off in me because I made her see me that way.

I had been hiding myself because of the mark, not letting anyone get too close. I wouldn’t let myself make any friends. The only reason I let Ryland in is because he had been persistent. He had held my hand as I got over my insecurities and had promised, from a young age, to always be there. So, without Ry, I was friendless and alone.

My mother worked upwards of sixty hours a week, my best friend wasn’t really allowed to be my friend, and I was picked on at school.