“Are you kidding me?” Adeline cried as she tapped on her busted phone.

She could see the texts from her adoptive brother, Simon. But her phone was refusing to cooperate and allow her to reply.

Absolutely not. Last time Simon weaseled his way into talking to Will, he had dished about the time Adeline ate so many skittles, she vomited rainbows for a week. There was no way she was going to let her snake of a brother talk to Will without her there to run interference. It would be a disaster.

Not to mention she was missing the Opening Ceremony at her brand new school. The University of Atlantia North sprawled in front of her with shiny new buildings and clean concrete paths.

Simon and Adeline had only just transferred from the local College and she was more than ready to get herself the kind of art supplies $25k a semester would afford her at the University. Not that she was paying that. Her perfect grades and test scores from the last two years had netted her a neat little scholarship sum. She needed the money. It wasn’t like she had wealthy parents to fall back on like Will and his sister Gabrielle.

At least Simon understood that, too. Their parents couldn’t afford to send all five of the Gulf kids, Adeline the only adoptee, to one of the big fancy schools on Glacier Island. Her older sister Sara was helping her parents run their coffee shop turned book store turned last remaining cool spot. Sam was at University of Oceacadia on a music scholarship. The prevalence of Sirens at the liberal arts school still turned Adeline’s stomach. And then there was the youngest Gulf child, Susan. Even at sixteen, she was likely to be the most successful of their little family.

A bike whizzed past and Adeline flinched back. It wasn’t her fault she was late.

Well, mostly not her fault.

She could have grabbed a ride with Simon in his busted up Subaru. She could have borrowed Sara’s bike and trekked across town. She could have done anything other than what she did. How was she supposed to know it took an hour to walk from the bus depot to the giant auditorium? This campus was huge.

She had refused Simon’s offer because she thought starting the day listening to his bizarre mix of indie Soundcloud songs was the last thing she needed. She declined the bike offer because she didn’t want to arrive sweltering under the last of the summer sun. She figured a bus ride made the most sense. Bus passes were included in their tuition and she’d flashed her student pass with pride at the grumpy old driver.

Nerves churned in her stomach. She had worked so hard to get here and now she was missing out on the experience already.

“Excuse me,” she asked a passing woman. “Do you know where the Opening Ceremony is?”

“Freshman?” the woman replied, snapping minty gum and unhooking her earpods. Pop music blared out. “It can be hard when you first arrive.”

“Er, no. A transfer.”

Something about the notion made Adeline feel embarrassed. As though the redhead she’d stopped to ask for help could already sense her weakness. As though Simon’s hand me down band shirt and her holey jeans screamed “scholarship kid.” Compared to the red head’s designer yoga pants, sixty dollar water bottle, and perfectly waved hair tumbling around freckled shoulders, Adeline felt less like one of the brightest young minds and more like the dullest crayon in the thrift store box.

“Ah! Yeah, that too.” The redhead grinned and Adeline felt guilty for judging her. Rich womans could be nice, too, after all. Gabrielle proved that. “Smart, though. To transfer in. Same degree as the rest of us, just half the price.”

“Right!” Adeline tried to sound as bubbly as the redhead but she knew it sounded fake. Her palms were sweating and her blonde hair was trailing in damp strands around her neck.

“Anyway, Opening Ceremony, huh? It should be at the Oscar Auditorium, back by the rose garden. Take a left when you get to the look out. Can’t miss it.”

“Thank you so much!”

“That’s my boyfriend waiting for me over there so I gotta go. But I’m sure I’ll see you around. It’s Paramour, by the way. Nice to meet you.”

Adeline took her outstretched hand.

“Adeline. Nice to meet you too.”

As their hands connected, pain ripped through Adeline’s palm. She jolted back but a look of recognition passed across Paramour’s face.

“Virtue,” Paramour hissed. “Just what this place needed. Another traitor.”

All good will in her voice had vanished. All friendly connection and helpful advice dead.

When a Siren and a Virtue meet, there is no time for pleasantries. Not at the University of Atlantia North. Not anywhere.

Adeline clenched her hands into fists, holding back a flinch at the pain. She couldn’t speak. If Will had been there, maybe it would have been different. If one of her sisters had been there to back her up, soothe her goosebump pricked arms, maybe she would have had the strength to speak.

It wasn’t different. She was late. And she was alone. With a Siren.

Adeline fled.

If things had been different, maybe she wouldn’t have ended up on her back facing the blue sky and white, billowing clouds.

The boyfriend. How could she have forgotten about him?

He stood above her. And he was grinning.