It had only been a little over a week since she last saw Olivia, but it felt like a lifetime. It was about an hour after sunset, and Shay had already gorged herself on blood—cold, from a bag, and entirely revolting. But it worked. She was calm and not hungry. Yet here she was lurking in the darkness while Olivia and Kaz sat cheerfully inside. They looked so . . . young, Kaz stealing a sip of Olivia’s smoothie and Olivia giving him a smack on the arm. Shay had never really felt like she was the same age they were. In some ways, her school friends had seemed so much older—having love lives, taking road trips to see colleges, even drinking. All things Shay couldn’t do because she was so weak. But in most ways, she’d felt light-years more mature than people like Kaz and Olivia. They simply didn’t have to think about serious things the way she did. Plus, it had always felt as if hospital time counted like dog years, and Shay had put in a lot of hospital time. But now, watching them, she felt even older than before, even more separate from her friends.
