Serenah opened her eyes and snuggled deeper into her blankets. She was not used to such wintry weather. She was reluctant to leave the warmth of her bed. Her alarm rang shrilly, and she grimaced.
"Ugh. Guess I should get up." She stretched, carefully sliding her legs out first before standing. She yawned and made her way to her closet.
She pulled the door open, taking a moment to study the contents. She smiled when she saw the winter clothes near the front. Lael to the rescue, as always. She would be lost without her maid and friend. She needed to make sure to get something for Lael's upcoming birthday. She would see if she could get Penelope and Liz to take her back to the mall.
"Enough stalling," she chided herself. Quickly, she selected a long-sleeved purple wool sweater that came all the way to mid-thigh. She added a pair of black wool pants and fuzzy black boots to round out the ensemble.
She felt warmer and smiled. She couldn't wait to see Romeo's reaction to her clothes. She grabbed her phone and backpack. Serenah hurried to the garage, slowing down only when she spotted Alastar waiting by the car.
"Alastar! Sorry, I'm late."
"You're not late, Princess."
Serenah halted and stared at him. Why was he being so formal? Did she make a mistake? Was she in trouble? But from what? She hadn't caused any trouble. She'd been too busy recuperating.
"Alastar," she started to speak, but clamped her lips shut when he glared at her. "Sorry," she mumbled, dropping her gaze.
He didn't speak; instead, he opened her door and waited for her to get in. Serenah slid inside and got buckled. Alastar went to the driver's side, got in, and started the car. The silence was oppressive. Serenah didn't know how to break it. She nervously fidgeted with her backpack's straps.
They arrived at school, and she got out. She shot a covert glance at Alastar. His blank expression made her chest tighten. Yep, he was upset about something. Quietly, she followed him into the school. She would try again later to find out what was wrong.
"Sera!"
She turned her head and waved at Liz, who ran up to her and grabbed her in a tight hug. Serenah squeaked in surprise at Liz's strength.
"Liz!" she gasped and hugged her friend.
Penelope walked up and poked Liz in the ribs. "Hey, easy, Liz. Sera can't breathe."
"Oh! Sorry!" replied Liz as she loosened her grip, giving Serenah a sheepish grin.
"No problem," laughed Serenah. She was thrilled to see her two friends. "How was your break?"
Liz and Penelope exchanged glances, and Serenah frowned. "What?" she asked when they both turned to stare at her.
"Maybe we should be asking you that," Liz stated, crossing her arms with a frown.
"I don't understand," Serenah responded, confused by the switch in mood from her friends.
"Liz, not here," hissed Penelope.
Serenah glanced around and saw that students were staring in their direction. She blushed, embarrassed by the sudden attention.
"You're right, Pen, not here. Let's go," Liz said before taking the lead.
Serenah, Penelope, and Alastar followed Liz to the cafeteria. They sat at their usual table. Serenah could feel the tension from her friends, but couldn't figure out the cause. Was today going to be one of those days where everyone was mad at her? The thought that Romeo might be angry, too, made her heart thump painfully in her chest.
"Sera, we tried to call you during the break. You never answered," said Penelope.
"You called? I didn't know," stammered Serenah. She didn't recall seeing their numbers on her phone after she regained consciousness.
"We also called Al," interjected Liz with a glare in Alastar's direction. "He gave us some bull shit lie that you were off on a happy vacation with Amy in another country."
Alastar coldly stared at Liz, and Serenah felt a headache starting. She hadn't known about any of this. Was this the reason for Alastar's strange behavior this morning? Neither he nor Lael had told her that anyone other than Romeo had called. She also didn't know that they had lied to her other friends and said she was on vacation with her sister. If she didn't play along, the humans would get nosy, and trouble would follow.
She didn't have the power or standing to protect her friends. The best thing to do would be to play along with the lie Alastar had set in play. She hated to do it, but it was for the safety of her friends that she agreed to it. She opened her mouth to speak, but froze when her fated mark heated up. She whipped her head to the side and saw Romeo, along with the rest of the guys, headed their way.
"Yo, Romeo!" hollered Liz, waving her hand at the group.
Romeo grinned and made his way to them with the rest of the guys coming behind him.
"Hey," he whispered and kissed Serenah's forehead.
She shivered as his emotions flowed through the mark. He was excited to see her. She felt his happiness, relief, and irritation…that emotion puzzled her. What was he irritated with? Why was everyone behaving so strangely today?
"Hi," she said to him once he sat next to her.
The rest of the group claimed their usual spots, and conversations started as everyone talked about their winter break. Serenah listened to their stories and was glad that the guys' arrival had distracted Liz and Penelope from grilling her about her winter break.
Now, if she could make it through the rest of the day without anything else popping up, she'd be grateful. It was a new year; surely Autem would not allow too much to ruin her life. At least, she could hope for that small miracle.