In the Shadows by Erica Cope

apparently my crappy day was just going to get worse.
                  “This is my fault. I’m sorry, Lark. I shouldn’t have asked you to come.”
                  “I didn’t have to say yes…”
                  I wonder if he hadn’t texted me in the middle of the night when I was half-asleep and disoriented if I would’ve made better choices. Too late now I suppose and I don’t want to be mad at Jacoby on top of everything else.
                  “I just need to get the theater as soon as possible. Maybe the day doesn’t have to be a total bust.”
                  When I walk into the theater full of reasonably believable excuses, and the seven staples in my head to prove it, for being over three hours late and with every intention of begging my manager’s forgiveness, I’m immediately summoned into David’s office and fired on the spot. Apparently, a trip to the Emergency Room isn’t a valid enough excuse for being a ‘no-call, no show’, especially when there are stacks of applications from people willing to work through the pain and blood for any opportunity of working at this fine establishment .
                  I never thought that turning in my popcorn-smelling ugly maroon vest would be so depressing.
                  I’m honestly surprised I didn’t cry.
                  “I don’t really want to go home yet,” I tell Jacoby. “Let’s just go to the castle.”
                  “Okay,” he agrees. I think he still feels guilty for everything that happened today and I’m not really doing or saying anything to make him feel better. I’m too lost in my own thoughts to really bother with anything else. I just want to curl up and go to sleep and hope that tomorrow is a better day.
                  I send a text to my mom telling her I was staying at Hannah’s. She doesn’t know that Hannah isn’t speaking to me.  
                  When we get to the castle, Freya is waiting in my room. “Are you okay, Mia?”
                  Despite the crappiness that has been my day, it makes me smile to hear her call me Mia instead of princess. It only took four months.
                  “Yeah, I’ll be okay. Just ready for this day to be over,” I tell her.
                  “Your father asked me to inform him as soon as you arrived here. I’ll go let him know and I’ll be right back with some food for you.” She curtsies and before she can close the door, Grey walks in.
                  Jacoby fills him in on everything while I lay down on my bed. I have to lie on my side since the back of my head’s still tender.
                  “It’s not so bad,” Grey tries to reassure me,               “Though I wonder if David will regret his decision when he discovers I will not be returning to work either.”
                  “Eh, the movie theater always has a stack of applications. It probably won’t even faze him.”
                  “It’s still not right,” Jacoby says scowling. “You still had your wrist band on from the ER, he knew you weren’t lying. He didn’t have to be such an asshole.”
                  “Honestly, it’s not like I’d be able to continue working there much longer anyway, you know?”
                  “Still. It’s not fair.” Jacoby stares out the balcony window with an uncharacteristic scowl on his face, which is the last thing I see before drifting off to sleep.
     
     

Chapter Twelve
     
     
                  I wake up to the sun streaming in through the window of my room at Álfheimr, the memory of the day before still fresh in my mind. I dress for the day in a casual dress that is suitable for breakfast with Alberico but that isn’t too formal to wear back home so that I can leave right after