“He’s jealous.”

“Of what?”

Reece grinned. “You know what.”

Raven stared at Jackie’s tall figure, wishing it to be true.

“Oh my god. You too?”

“What?”

“Now I wish I was still in middle school.”

“Why?”

“I want to see this thing play out.”

“You’d better go,” she said. “Mr. Danner is looking over here.”

“Is Jackie looking?” he asked.

“Yes.”

He took her in his arms and gave her a very long goodbye kiss on her cheek.

2

Kids in high school thought a lot about sex. And talked a lot about it. And smirked and joked about it. And speculated about who was doing it with whom. Raven didn’t understand all the intrigue. She supposed that was because she was Daughter of Raven. In a raven’s world, acts of procreation were straightforward survival. If an organism failed to pass its genetics to the next generation before it died, its genes would be forever lost to the earth. Reproduction was a serious business out in the fields, forests, and rivers.

As she’d gotten older, she’d sometimes questioned the truth of her parentage. She’d not met one person who practiced Mama’s ancient earth arts—though, of course, she wouldn’t know how to find them when they were also hiding their true nature. But Raven couldn’t doubt her origins for long when she keenly sensed her differences from other people. At school, away from the comfort of Mama’s fields and forests, she felt distant from the teenagers and her teachers. She could actually feel her raven spirit perched apart from them, watching them with wariness and growing cynicism, which must come from a convergence of her raven and human souls.

She suspected many students viewed her with equal suspicion. She had felt their scrutiny since her first week in elementary school. The children had been curious, even envious, of her group of defensive boys, and that in itself made Raven stand out too much. Jackie’s mother had been as protective, probably had told the other teachers about Raven’s background. Raven knew some of the teachers paid extra attention to her because they felt sorry for her: the homeschooled girl who wasn’t allowed to use computers, phones, or TVs at home and who could use the internet for schoolwork only if absolutely necessary. Mama had been adamant about that when she brought Raven to the office to register her for second grade. Raven had felt odd and pitied by the principal and office workers within minutes of entering the school.

Raven ate her lunch and tried to ignore that the hushed chatter at the table was about her. Or more accurately, about Chris. Lately he sat with her and talked to her more. Raven could tell many at the lunch table were watching everything they did.

Being a freshman was a large part of the interest. Chris was a senior. Huck, Reece, and Jackie didn’t think a senior should hit on a freshman. Specifically, they didn’t think Chris should hit on her. They thought she was too naive for high school boys.

She was grateful that they had her back, as kids said, but she resented that they still saw her as an innocent who’d been raised by a crazy mother. That perception bothered her more and more. She wanted the boys to treat her like they treated their other friends.

When Raven finished her sandwich, Chris leaned close and whispered, “Happy birthday.” He put a cupcake he’d been hiding in front of her. “Sorry it got a little squished.”

Raven hid her surprise. She’d forgotten that March twelfth was the day Mama had put on her birth certificate. She and Mama always celebrated her birthday at the time of the spring equinox.

The cupcake caused a stir among the lunch group.

“You better have brought one for everyone,” Reece said to Chris.

“It’s her birthday,” Chris said.

Everyone at the table said, “Happy birthday, Raven!”

Jackie mumbled something about being sorry he’d forgotten. His mother had been the first to acknowledge the date. When Raven was in second grade, Ms. Taft had looked up her birthday in the school records. She’d given her birthday treats to hand out to her class at lunch—an important ritual in elementary school. That was how everyone found out about her fake birthday.

“How could you possibly remember that?” Huck asked Chris.

“Easy. My birthday is on the twelfth, too,” Chris said.

“Today?” someone at the table asked.

“August. I hope you like chocolate cake?” he asked Raven.

“I love it.”

She didn’t want to eat the cupcake with them all watching, but she did for Chris’s sake.

“Want some?” she asked him.

“Maybe a bite.” He bit it next to where she had and handed it back to her.

That caused a lot of raised eyebrows, and Chris cast a challenging look. Raven liked that. Joining his rebellion, she dabbed a smear of chocolate from the side of his mouth with her paper napkin.

Reece fanned his T-shirt. “Does it feel hot in here or is it me?” he said.

Several at the table snickered.

“It’s hot,” Chris said, looking at Raven.

“Let’s go,” Jackie said to Raven. “Bell’s about to ring.”

He always walked her to math class because his was in the same hall.