1 Chapter 1

It wasn't easy, but somehow, Kris Wentworth was managing to stay awake in history class. It wasn't that she hated history—not at all, actually. But she'd stayed up until nearly four in the morning writing a paper for her technical writing class.

She should have just gone to bed when she'd finished it at nine, but something about it hadn't set right with her, so she'd spent the next few hours rewriting nearly half of it and then revising it before she was content with it.

Was it worth it? I sure hope so.

But now, fighting to keep her eyes from slamming shut, she wasn't so sure. She glanced down at her notes. The first few lines were legible and fluent, and then they quickly turned to gibberish. There were words she'd written that she knew weren't real words, and finally, even those trailed off into a squiggly line and then… nothing.

How long was I asleep? She closed her eyes, trying to clear her mind, and the next thing she knew, she was jerking awake. She glanced around, hoping that no one had noticed. Luckily, her classmates were looking at the professor in the front of the class, who obviously didn't have a care in the world as to whether Kris was paying attention.

She felt her eyes drift shut again, and then her pocket vibrated. She jerked in her chair, half sure she'd fallen asleep again, but it was only her cell phone. She ignored it until it buzzed again. Glancing at the clock, Kris knew whoever was texting her could wait. It was probably her mom wondering how this semester's classes were going.

But it buzzed a third time, and Kris sighed and pulled it from her pocket, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. She clicked the screen on and saw three text messages from her friend, Maria.

What does she want? What's so important?

Kris slid her thumb across the screen. Even as she did so, a fourth message from Maria buzzed through. Kris glanced to her side, saw the girl next to her was glaring, and gave the girl her best apologetic smile.

"Sorry," she muttered under her breath and then looked down at the phone.

The first simply read: HEY.

The second said: ARE WE STILL ON FOR TONIGHT? Kris sighed and rolled her eyes. She'd never even agreed to going out with Maria tonight. Maria had asked, Kris had said something along the lines of I don't know, and Maria had just assumed—like she always did—that Kris would go out.

I'LL BE AT YOUR ROOM AT 8. Once again, Kris sighed, grimacing.

BE READY.

Kris certainly didn't want to go out. All she wanted to do was sleep and maybe watch a movie on TV—if she was done with her papers, homework, and studying. She never went out; it just wasn't like her. It wasn't that she hated it, of course. But her parents had sent her halfway across the globe to study abroad, and she meant to do exactly that. I could have stayed back in the States if I wanted to party.

But Maria was her friend…

Her annoyance at Maria managed to see her through the rest of history class. Kris had tried to take a few notes, but her mind kept wandering, and she soon put down her pen and resigned herself to appearing as if she was listening to the lecture when she was doing anything but.

Eventually, the bell rang, the professor warned them that their final paper—worth half of their grade—was due in a few short weeks, and then class was over. Kris didn't think she'd ever been happier to get out of class before. She stepped into the aisle, joining the throng of students moving out of the classroom, and eventually found herself outside of the building.

The day was cloudy, threatening rain, but Kris didn't mind. The air was warm, the breeze was cool, and she found herself smiling as she started to walk back to her dorm. She took her time. She was done with classes for the day, and it was barely after two. Thinking, she reasoned that she could get the weekend's homework done by probably four, maybe five at the latest. That would give her time for a quick nap before she had to get ready to go with Maria…

What am I thinking? Have I already agreed to go with her? What's gotten into me? I should stay home and catch up on sleep. Study. Get started on that final paper—more than just an outline, anyway. I didn't come here to party or make friends. I came here to get an education.

But when Kris reached her room, dropped her book bag onto the floor, and looked at her bed, weariness overtook her.

Just a quick nap, then I'll get to work. Sleeping for five minutes will help me out, actually. That's how it works, right? Just a powernap, then I'll get working on my homework.

Kris lay down on her bed, still fully clothed from the day before, and sleep instantly overtook her. She hadn't even managed to take off her shoes.

It wasn't even good sleep, though it should have been. Dreams flittered through her mind, weird and ominous. Thunder rumbled through her dreams, flashes of lightning lit up the sky, and then there was a loud slamming sound.

Kris kept sleeping, thinking they were part of her dream, at first, but they kept coming—loud, crashing noises, like if a thunder cloud was inches from her head.

She suddenly jerked awake, breath pounding in her throat, and immediately sat up. Rain was crashing against the windows of her room. Thunder was booming, and lightning was flashing every couple of seconds, but that wasn't what woke her.

There was a loud booming noise coming from her door. She climbed out of bed, stumbled to the door, and opened it.

"You look like hell," Maria said, instantly pushing past her into the room and dropping into the computer chair. Kris stood still, letting the door close, exhaustion creeping over her.

"I don't think I'm up to going out," Kris told her. She'd slept, tried to get ready for the night out—that she didn't even want to go to—but it hadn't been enough. Plus, she'd slept the day away and hadn't done any of her homework. "And look at the weather!"

Maria was digging through Kris's dresser, pulling out shirts, occasionally a skirt, and then tossing them back in.

"You're making a mess," Kris said, trying to push past Maria and grab her clothes. "You're not even folding them right."

"We can worry about that tomorrow," Maria said, grabbing a blouse, and holding it up to Kris's chest. Maria inspected it for a few moments, then said, "That's it," and then pushed it into Kris's hands. Kris tried to push it back, but she gave in. Then, Maria was looking for a pair of jeans. Kris just held out her arms as Maria loaded her up with those, as well.

"Do you want to pick out my underwear, too?"

Maria paused, then with a smile on her face said, "If you want me to."

"I can handle that, but Maria, I'm really not wanting to go out tonight. I am swamped in homework, I didn't even start earlier, and…"

But Maria was pushing her to the door, saying, "Go. Shower. We're going to be running late as it is."

"What's the big rush?"

"I have someone I want you to meet."

Kris rolled her eyes and said, "How many times do I have to tell you that I'm not interested in meeting any of your friends?" But Maria wasn't answering, and Kris found herself pushed to the bathroom. Maria opened the door, Kris reluctantly walked in, and then Maria slammed the door behind her.

"Hurry up!" she called. Kris grimaced and decided she had no choice. Did I ever? She wondered. If I thought I had a chance, I probably wouldn't have slept the day away trying to get ready for this.

But she could take as long as possible in the shower and lessen the time she would have to spend out at the bars. She took her time getting the shower ready and then stripping off.

"Hurry up!" Maria was calling again, banging on the door just like she had before. Kris wanted to run out and tell her to leave without her, but she knew Maria never would. Maria wanted her there, though she wasn't exactly sure why.

Kris hopped under the spray of hot water and quickly began to wash herself. I might as well get this over with, she reasoned.

Kris rinsed off, stepped out of the shower, dried, and finally put on the clothes that Maria had selected for her. Looking at herself in the mirror, Kris realized she didn't look half bad. She'd always known that, but she didn't dwell on it. She got a lot of looks from men, but she knew how important her education was—not only to herself but to her parents. What would they say if they found out I was going out instead of doing my homework?

"Dang, girl," Maria said as Kris came back into the room. "Zach isn't going to know what to say when he sees you."

"Zach? I told you, Maria, I'm not interested in him," Kris said, grabbing her coat from the rack. She sighed then said, "Let's get this over with, then."

"But he's so interested in you," Maria said, drawing out the so. "You're all he ever talks about."

"He's not really interested in me. He just wants to be able to say he was with an American woman," Kris said, clenching her jaw. She'd met Zach once before, and she hadn't been impressed. She didn't know what Maria saw in him and why Maria was always so insistent on them hitting it off.

"So what?" Maria said, laughing. Her laugh was infectious, and Kris started laughing too.

They walked outside of Kris's dorm. The pavement was wet, but the storm had passed, much to Kris's disappointment. The bars were a short distance from campus, and the night wasn't too cold, so they started walking. Kris looked over at Maria. She was almost the complete opposite of Kris. She was here to party, to have fun, and her education was secondary. How Kris had ended up being friends with her, she truly didn't know, but Maria was a good person. And she can really get going in those heels.

Together, Kris and Maria made their way toward the strip of bars that Maria so often frequented. Kris had been there a few times, mostly to grab a quick bite to eat with Maria, and she had to admit: she didn't hate it. But it definitely wasn't her favorite place.

"Who would have thought getting an education overseas would be so fun? Look at this place," Maria said, spinning around in a circle. She laughed, a carefree sound that Kris couldn't help but ignore.

"But the school is great," Kris said. "That's the main reason we're…"

"Oh, will you stop with the school stuff?" Maria said. She took a few quick steps, something Kris could never do in those heels, and got in front of Kris. Grabbing her by her arms, Maria held her still. "Tonight, we're here to have fun. Let's forget about homework, and school, and tests—and our parents and what they expect of us. Tonight is a night for us. Let's have fun."

Kris was silent for a few moments, then she smiled. "Okay. Just tonight, though. I'm not going out with you tomorrow night. That's a promise."

"We'll see about that. Once you get a taste of Club Borealis, you'll be down here every night."

"Club Borealis? What's that?"

"You're in for a treat. Zach can get us in," Maria said, taking her hand. Already, college kids—and even the occasional older person—were growing thick around her. This was the place to be on a Friday night, it seemed.

"Ladies," a voice said from in front of them. Zach had fought his way through the crowd and appeared before them. "You look beautiful tonight, Kris."

Next to her, Maria giggled, and Kris couldn't help but blush.

This is going to be an interesting night, to say the least, Kris thought, as Maria pulled Kris along behind her and Zach.