My Life From Hell (The Blooming Goddess #3)

Magic Ink (Part 2)

I took a deep breath and forced myself to speak to Festos calmly. "Kai won't talk to me. When I push him, he disappears. When I follow him, he blocks me out with wards around his place. What am I supposed to do?"

Festos scowled and banged his cane on the ground. "I don't care but do something. Because Prometheus thinks you and Kyrillos have worked things out. And I won't keep being an accomplice in a lie to my boyfriend any longer." With a final glower, he stomped away.

Suitably chastened, I shuffled to my bed and sat down on my heavenly blue comforter. With the exception of a better mattress, I'd furnished Festos' guest room with all of the stuff that I'd had back at my boarding school, Hope Park Progressive.

Festos and Theo had even painted it the same raspberry color that my other best friend Hannah and I had used for our dorm room. I missed being back at Hope Park with her so much. Sometimes I could convince myself that my room here was my room there.

If I squinted really hard.

And it was dark.

And Hannah had come to visit.

Thinking of Hannah and that life I could never go back to just made my heart hurt. Like burning razorblades were systematically and quite thoroughly shredding it apart.

Turn the misery to rage. Use it.

"No," I snapped, "and shut up. We are going to get through this peacefully." Yes, I had become the crazy person talking to the voices in my head.

Okay, one voice. Persephone's.

Ever since I'd gotten her memories back and my life had turned to a massive pile of suck, I'd heard her egging me on. Urging me to wrap my fury around me like a blanket and do unto others with a heap of goddess retribution whoop ass.

I did my best to ignore her. Mostly by obsessing about how hearing her voice meant I was probably going batcrap crazy. Which was why I hadn't told anyone about it either.

Rationally, I understood that it wasn't literally Persephone talking to me. It was me, channelling my insecurities or neuroses or deep dark fears, and projecting them in her voice.

Didn't make it any less weird though.

I flung out a hand and smacked the button on the CD player docking stand on my bedside table. It was black, thin, and oozing with priciness. Festos loved his tech toys.

Soothing water sounds flowed out of the speakers. I crossed my legs, closed my eyes, and breathed in and out to the sound of waves lapping at the shore. Low flute music accompanied the water.

So relaxing.

So ... blech.

I hated this stuff. I massaged my temples, feeling the beginning of another headache. They'd become pretty constant companions of mine, along with hot itchy arms.

Brilliant.

I breathed through my tension, doing my best to relax my body one muscle at a time from my toes to my scalp; a technique I'd used a lot since I'd learned how Persephone betrayed Kai.

I forced myself to unlock my jaw.

The gentle waves began to crackle. Opening my eyes, I turned my head and hit the side of the speaker with my open palm. The crackling only got louder.

I rocked back and forth. Oh no. Not again.

There was a loud whoosh.

I scrambled off the bed. Fumbling for the cord, I yanked it out of the wall, unplugging the CD player. Maybe I could stop the vision before it hit me full on.