"Okay, well, if you choose to play hardball, then game on," she threatened. "I'm ready to expose Ms. Kelly in every way possible. The town will erupt in chaos when they hear about Tommy."
She stared at me as I processed my options.
"It's on you now, Brynn," she added. "What do you choose?"
Her threat at exposing Ms. Kelly froze me into my spot. It was too soon for Tommy's reappearance to be broadcast throughout Lakefield. Granted, it would have to happen at some point—either that or they'd have to move and basically assume a new identity. It would be nearly impossible to explain the fact that he hadn't aged in seven years.
My eyebrows pulled together as I gathered my retort for Laney.
But there was something unique about Tommy. He'd burned me last time he touched me. All we needed was just a bit more time with him before the town frenzy began.
"Leave Ms. Kelly out of this," I seethed. "That's a low blow to go after her son, even for you."
She shrugged. "Doesn't bother me," she chirped. "Might as well make the witch hunt real."
Witch hunt? Her flying commentary through curveballs with every syllable.
"What are you talking about?"
"Don't you see it?" She huffed. "The whole town is turning against her. First the school, I mean, they basically fired her, right? Then the parents, thanks to my mom. Everyone thinks she's lost it. She won't have a chance in this town ever again." She chuckled. "They'll drive her out. It's their own modern version of burning her at the stake. You know, guilty until proven innocent." She stepped past me and pulled the door open. "I want the book, Brynn. Don't make me use force."
The door swung shut as she left the bathroom in a blur, and I tugged at it to follow her. Being left in her wake burned my ass. I had wanted to be the first to leave, holding what little power that move might offer.
My teeth ground in my mouth as I attempted to come up with a clever reply to her threat, but it was no use. She held too many cards.
I stumbled out of the bathroom and watched her arrogant form traipse into the AP Lit classroom. Dragging my heels, I bought myself an additional minute to consider my options.
One thing was clear; I didn't want her to get her hands on the spellbook. It held the power for the UMAs to rescue Dom and Courtney. There was no way we'd give that up.
But Ms. Kelly.
We'd do anything to protect her.
I rubbed my temples, squeezing my eyes shut.
As I reached the doorway to my classroom, I glanced behind me before walking inside. My breath caught in my throat as I saw Ms. Harrison, from APUSH, standing at the end of the hall by the bathroom. She watched me through narrowed eyes as her head tipped to the side.
I forced a fake smile, but it didn't change her expression. She continued to study me without flinching. I nervously hoisted my pack higher onto my shoulder and hurried into my English class.
Mr. Benson ignored me, likely praying I would never discuss my feminine crises with him ever again. Then Laney's eyes pulled me to her before I could resist their influence. She held an annoying smirk on her face as if she'd won a trophy, and it clenched my teeth even harder.
Settling into my seat, I pretended to follow the drone of Mr. Benson's ramblings as I panicked inwardly. The UMAs had agreed to keep our thoughts shut down at all times, except when we felt it might be safe, which was never. So, instead of channeling them to alert them to our new problem, I had to sit with it, alone.
My knee bounced like a sewing machine under my desk as I ran through every possible scenario.
If Laney got her hands on the book, she'd learn the spells and potions—her power would increase exponentially. There was no way we could allow that. And then, if we used the book, our powers would potentially increase as well. I shook my head at my use of the word 'potentially.' No, our powers would definitely increase. Exponentially.
I shuddered at the thought of the power the book held. Laney's desire for it proved to me its true worth.
Glancing at the clock, I counted the hours, minutes, and seconds until the final bell when Shane and I would sneak to the old church.
The book waited for us in its hiding spot.
We'd have to be cautious not to be followed. Or caught.
As soon as the bell rang, I darted past Laney and bolted for my second-period physics class. Desperate to connect with an UMA, I focused on getting to the science wing and finding Poorva.
Of course, Laney had no intention of letting me off that easy.
"Hey, Douglas," she called from behind.
Her voice rattled me, and I dropped my pen. Fuck. I bent to pick it up, and my backpack slid off my shoulder, hitting the floor.
She chuckled. "You're a mess, Douglas. Irrelevant."
I glared at her, then noticed Mr. Benson watching. I had to hold the F-bomb that lingered on my lips and instead be smarter. But of course, in the moment, finding the right response was utterly impossible. It would be when I got to Poorva, to tell the story, that I would find the best response.
But then, my spine straightened.
"Better to be a mess, than a soulless wench," I retorted.
Several students chuckled and stared at Laney, waiting for a witty reply.
Then all eyes were on me.
It was if they'd seen an unnatural phenomenon—someone stumped Laney Rosco.
My stomach plummeted to my feet, knowing I was playing with fire.
My days were numbered.
But it felt so good.
I turned and bombed out of the classroom. Mr. Benson's voice trailed behind me with some form of discipline or correction for using the term 'wench,' but I ignored him. I was riding too high to worry about the threat of detention or a write-up. None of that mattered.
I flew toward the science wing, and with every step, regret gnawed deeper in my gut. Pissing off Laney was an epic mistake, but it had to be done. She was traipsing too close to the UMAs and wielding her social power left and right. She had to be shut down.
Although my attack likely provoked her instead.
Now I was totally screwed.
Turning into my physics classroom, I searched for Poorva as if she were my lifesaving buoy in an angry sea. My eyes landed on her, and relief washed over me. Her head was down as she checked her phone in her lap.
"Hey, girl," I breathed, as I plopped into my seat next to her.
Her head jolted up, and she stared at me with wide eyes.
"You called Laney a wench?" she blurted.
"What?" My heart stopped in my chest, assuming Poorva was listening to our thoughts.
"Everyone's texting about it." She held her phone out to me and I leaned in. "Did you call Laney a soulless wench?"
I gasped.
"Shit," I murmured. "I'm screwed."
Poorva's eyes widened, and her hand flew over her mouth.
More students entered the classroom, and their eyes were on me too.
"What the hell happened?" she whispered, struggling to wipe the grin from her face. "I can't believe you did that."
"I had no choice," I grumbled. "She tried to humiliate me in front of the class. I had to defend myself." My eyes fell shut in regret, and I groaned. "Ugh. I should have just left my mouth shut."
Laney was probably boiling at this point.
"Well, someone needed to shut her down. She's way too cocky, thinking she rules this school," Poorva whispered.
"Yeah, but she's got too much dirt on us," I murmured with a hushed voice. "Last thing we need is to poke the hornet's nest." I ran my hands through my hair, and dropped my head back in defeat. "She knows about the spellbook, Poorva. She wants it."
Poorva sat up tall and pursed her lips tight. Just as she was about to respond, Dr. Corley entered the classroom in a white lab coat, spouting science terms and procedures.
It would be another day of attempting to perform our educational duties while panicking about the more significant issues that smothered us. Such was the day in the life of a high school senior.
As we prepared our lab station to demonstrate the correlation between velocity and acceleration, Poorva reminded me that X-block was next period. We'd have a chance to review the situation at that time. I agreed it was best not to discuss it any further in class—too many eyes were on me and we couldn't afford being overheard.
Getting to X-block was the priority now. The advisory period would bring all of the UMAs together, finally, in a safe place where we could plan our next steps.
Plus, I'd see Shane, and I was dying to know if he'd heard what happened. He'd probably be pissed, but I also knew him well enough to know he'd be proud of me too. A small grin spread across my lips.
I glanced at my backpack, wanting to peek at my phone. But Dr. Corley was notorious for taking phones, so I couldn't chance it. I'd just have to wait it out until the end of class.
Poorva and I remained focused on our lab and banged it out with ease. We wrote up our observations and data collection into the report, keeping busy until the last minute. As soon as the bell rang, we both launched for our packs and bolted out the door.
As we cruised down the hall toward the guidance suite, it was obvious that word had traveled through the school. All eyes were on me. Some held approval and nodded with surprise. Others shook their heads as if I'd willingly sealed my doom. Either way, I grimaced and kept my head down, wondering how on Earth I ended up here. My mission at this school was to fly under the radar until graduation.
And now, here I was—the girl who provoked Laney Rosco.
Great.
They had no idea about the depths of my situation. I had not only provoked the queen bee; I'd angered an enemy whose roots of evil went back for centuries. And she'd stop at nothing to destroy me before I had the chance to destroy her.
And then I realized that was it.
She feared me. She feared us.
She knew we had the power to beat her, and that was why she was so aggressive in her persistent attacks.
The idea actually gave me hope—hope that it might be true that we could have the power to beat her.
Chapter 3
Turning the corner toward the guidance suite, Blake and Shane caught up to us. In an instant, Shane was at my side, boring his eyes into me with a reprimanding glare. Blake shot over to Poorva, immediately chattering into her ear with whispers that searched for more details on the showdown with Laney.
I cowered from Shane's forceful stare as he waited for an explanation.
"What?" I lifted my eyebrows to prove my innocence, but he didn't back down. "I couldn't help it. I had to."
His clenched jaw caused sharp angles in his face, accentuating his square jawline, and I was sure the tension would break some of his teeth.
He refused to speak as we moved to the door of the guidance suite. Blake and Poorva entered first, then I walked in, and Shane followed. His fuming emotions smothered me, and his silence set a nervous twitch in my gut.
I stared at him, hoping my pressure would break him, but it was no use. He was rooted in his anger, and it sent annoying insecurity through me.
We sat at a round table in the office area, waiting for whoever would be in charge of our group. Our fate still hadn't been resolved, and we hoped we wouldn't be separated and sent to other advisory groups.
Blake leaned across the table with narrowed eyes and whispered, "What the fuck were you thinking?"
I pulled back from his uncharacteristic attack. "What?"
It was my only reply to their reaction to my confrontation with Laney. I knew I shouldn't have provoked her, but seriously? They were acting like I'd pushed the red button, starting the next world war.
Maybe I had.
I took a deep breath and muttered, "I'm sorry." I pulled my eyes from Blake and glanced at Shane. His angry face forced my eyes away, and I stared at the table. "I was defending myself and said too much," I added.
Their harsh reaction to me made it clear I'd endangered the UMAs. I hadn't realized the depths of it at first, but they left no misunderstanding now.
"I, I...." My words stuck in my throat.
I'd let them down by angering Laney to the point where she had no choice but to retaliate.
Shit.
My fuck-up was unforgivable.
"I'll fix it," I murmured. "Just give me a...."
My apology was cut short as Principal Haney entered the suite. I sat straight up, awaiting our sentence, and glanced around her, hoping the foul office secretary wasn't following.
"Good morning, students," Principal Haney stated with a bland tone. She surveyed us through her small eyes, while her thin lips pressed together as she acknowledged our diminished numbers.
Her thick legs took a wide stance, stretching the hem of her knee-length skirt. The bland navy blue suit accentuated her stoic nature as well as her stalky build.
"Your group is smaller at the moment," she observed, rubbing her chin. "So I'm uncertain how to proceed with your new advisory reassignments. Once the others return, I'll make a more permanent decision. But for now, I've found an advisor who can temporarily supervise and work with you on your advisory goals."
Our breath collectively whooshed out of us as we realized we wouldn't be separated. Not yet, anyway.
I bit my thumbnail, anticipating who might be taking over our group. If it were the secretary, Ms. Damien, I would shrivel up and hide under my chair every X-block. I rolled my eyes, imagining it.
The four of us waited without a sound and watched Principal Haney check the wall clock. Just as the bell rang to begin advisory, the door to the guidance suite flew open.
Principal Haney smirked with a judgmental grin as if she'd expected this person to be late, absent, or in some way deficient in their responsibility. She was one of those leaders who was impossible to please, and everyone walked on eggshells as a result.
All but this teacher.
Principal Haney gestured her arm toward us. "Welcome to your new advisory group, Ms. Harrison. I'm sure they'll be respectful and focused for you."
Her attempt at indirectly reinforcing how we should behave for our new advisor was infuriating. We weren’t in middle school. But I was too excited to see Ms. Harrison's friendly face to even care.
"Thank you," she replied to the principal. "I'm sure we'll all get along fabulously." She walked past Principal Haney as if she were barely there, and her initial flat affect switched to pure delight at she approached us. "Well, good morning, everyone," she said as she pulled up a seat at our table.
She folded her hands in front of her and looked at each one of us. "Blake. Poorva. Shane. Brynn." She turned to Principal Haney with a blink of her eyes. "We're all set, thank you."
Her dismissal of the principal widened my eyes, and I nearly let out a laugh. Keeping my face turned away from Haney took every ounce of my energy, as I was dying to see her expression, but I had to hide my own.
She grumbled something like, "I'm sure you'll figure it out," and then walked away.
Ms. Harrison returned her attention to us and leaned in with a happy whisper. "I've always wanted to know more about Ms. Kelly's advisory group. I volunteered to take it over in her absence. Of course, I asked her first, and she agreed without hesitation."
I stared at her in disbelief. I always knew there was something about her. She had an inquisitive mind and was always searching for the deeper meaning in things. It was as if she were a sensitive like us, but maybe hadn't fully tapped into it yet. It was funny, spending time with us as our advisor might actually help teach her some of the skills for testing her own abilities.
She grinned, pulling her wavy ash blonde hair back from her face. She had left the natural gray mixed in, sort of like a balayage effect, and its natural beauty suited her. I could easily picture her in her hippie phase that she often referred to in history class.
"Well, students, I look forward to assisting you in your X-block goals," she said. "Who's willing to fill me in on where we're at?"
Ms. Harrison appear
ed more like a tourist than a group advisor. Her role was to move us forward in our community service initiatives and to discuss the social-emotional learning prompt of the day. All the other advisory groups faked their way through the expectations, making ours seem like the only serious one.
Poorva spoke up first. "Did Ms. Kelly tell you anything about our advisory group?"
Ms. Harrison smiled. "A bit. She told me you are working on making more social connections. Taking time to understand each other better. Learning how to read emotional cues off others. That sort of thing."
I grinned. I guess that was the layman's way of explaining what we were doing. It wasn’t far off.
Then she added, "She didn't tell me much about your community service project, though. I guess that topic's a bit too sensitive right now." She looked at each of us, hoping we would explain more about what went wrong, and why Ms. Kelly was released from her school position.
The silence sent awkward discomfort through me, and I fidgeted in my seat. Unable to handle it any longer, I said, "We're kind of taking a break from our project right now. I guess we're hoping Ms. Kelly will return soon."
Ms. Harrison nodded. "Yes, me too. The school needs educators like Ms. Kelly. It's not fair that any faculty member who veers off the path of the strict expectations of the administration should be so callously removed."
"Exactly," I chimed. "It's people like her that we actually learn from. Like, real-world things that will help us in our futures."
"Agreed," she stated.
"Like you, Ms. Harrison," Shane added.
His voice shocked me, and my eyes jolted toward him before I could control my response. I hadn't realized how starved I'd been for his interaction.
He continued, "You keep it real in APUSH."
She blushed. "Aw, thank you, Shane. I try. I like to be connected to you kids. I feel like you need the connections to unfiltered ideas while trapped in this institution of rules and rigid expectations."
Her words relaxed all of us as we realized we were in good company.
"Well," she continued. "My job is to help you move forward with your goals and to teach you what I might know. And hopefully, I'll learn something from you in the process."
Urban Mystic Academy: Third Project (A Supernatural Academy Series Book 3) Page 2
