richellemead-vampireacademy01-vampireacademy-110824015328-phpapp02

Standing with me, Lissa watched him walk out of the room. Thinking of how easily Dimitri had
thrown him around—and of his apparent cowardice—I couldn't help but remark, "You know,
Jesse's suddenly not as hot as I used to think.”
She only laughed. "You'd better go. I've got desks to wash.”
I left her, heading back for my dorm. As I did, I passed a number of students gathered in small
clusters outside the building. I regarded them wistfully, wishing I had the free time to socialize.
"No, it's true," I heard a confident voice say. Camille Conta. Beautiful and popular, from one of
the most prestigious families in the Conta clan. She and Lissa had sort of been friends before
we left, in the uneasy way two powerful forces keep an eye on each other. "They, like, clean
toilets or something."
"Oh my God," her friend said. "I'd die if I was Mia.”
I smiled. Apparently Jesse had spread some of the stories I'd told him last night. Unfortunately,
the next overheard conversation shattered my victory.
"—heard it was still alive. Like, twitching on her bed."
"That is so gross. Why would they just leave it there?"
"I don't know. Why kill it in the first place?"
"You think Ralf was right? That she and Rose did it to get kicked—”
They saw me and shut up.
Scowling, I skulked off across the quadrangle. Still alive, still alive.
I'd refused to let Lissa talk about the similarities between the fox and what had happened two
years ago. I didn't want to believe they were connected, and I certainly didn't want her to either.
But I hadn't been able to stop thinking about that incident, not only because it was chilling, but
because it really did remind me of what had just happened in her room.