by Kit Kyndall
Not that Kip had told her that. She hadn’t really had a chance to confirm that was why Suzanne disliked her, but it was obvious to her by the way Suzanne treated her poorly, and in the territorial way she looked at Kip whenever she was around him. She’d staked a claim Kip didn’t want, but Suzanne wasn’t going to let that stop her. Clearly, she viewed Candace as a threat.
Thinking of threats made her thoughts drift to Dalton, and she wrinkled her brow in confusion once more. After the night he’d returned her locket, he’d pretty much stayed out of her way. She was aware of him staring at her sometimes with a brooding expression, and occasionally, he joined Malone in mocking her, but he seemed to have marginally backed off his campaign of intimidation. Maybe he’d reached the same conclusion as her—keeping their distance from each other was the smart choice.
She wished she could say the same for Malone. Her stepsister was an evil troll, and if it hadn’t been for Jonas, Lex, and Kip, she probably would’ve stopped fighting Malone’s efforts to get her kicked out. So far, none had been successful, likely in part due to her friendship with Octavia—not that she was cultivating it to protect herself. She genuinely liked Octavia. At least for now, Malone seemed to be contenting herself with just angry words and the occasional physical assault when she got the opportunity.
Candace rubbed her hip where Malone had shoved her into the corner of a table as she was leaving the dining hall Thursday. She now sported a bruise and was tender at the spot, but it was mostly a reminder that Malone hadn’t given up, even if Dalton had decided to dial down his hostility.
Clearing her thoughts, she smiled as she approached Jonas, who was busy raking leaves. There wasn’t another rake to help him, so she sat on the bench nearby as they talked. She wished they had more opportunities to interact without an audience, but they couldn’t always slip away to the rose maze. That would cause too much suspicion.
After an hour, he started packing up his things. He came a bit closer, lowering his voice. “I don’t have any other reason to stick around the academy for the weekend, but you can help me next weekend, if you’re interested?”
She nodded enthusiastically. “I’d also like to have lunch with you once or twice this week.”
Jonas grinned, his pleasure evident. “I’m always up for that.”
With a regretful sigh, she was on her feet and waved at him, wishing she could reach out to touch him, to pull close to kiss him. Kissing Jonas had become one of her favorite things in the world, though she couldn’t slip away to be with him every day.
She longed for quiet time in the gazebo with him, away from prying eyes, but she knew that was an illusion. Even there, where few staff and students ventured, they could be caught at any moment. She hated having to sneak around, and she also hated keeping it from him that he wasn’t the only guy she was kissing.
After parting from him, she returned to the dorm, planning to meet up with Octavia to go to the stables that afternoon. She’d been at the school for a month now, but she’d yet to go riding. Octavia had talked her into it a few days ago, though Candace still wasn’t certain she would enjoy the activity. The sheer size of the horses scared her when she thought too much about it.
As she neared the entrance to the dorm building, she grimaced when she saw Dalton standing there with Malone, surrounded by her piranhas and his minions. She thought about waiting or taking the back entrance, but she wasn’t going to let them intimidate her.
She tried for an impassive expression as she climbed the steps, aware of them slowly dropping their conversation and turning to watch her. More than one scowled at her, and she gave up all pretenses of ignoring them so she could return the glares.
She was unsurprised when Malone stepped in her path. She put up a hand in warning. “I don’t want to deal with your crap today.”
“Then get the message and leave. You don’t belong here.”
Candace shook her head in exasperation. “Aren’t you sick of that tired old line? I know I’m getting sick of hearing it every day. Come up with some new material.”
Malone glared at her. “But it’s the truth. You don’t belong.”
She shrugged a shoulder. “I seem to be fitting in okay.” She brushed by Malone, physically moving the other girl out of her path by a few inches. Malone let out a startled sound, followed by a cry of fear. She teetered on the edge of the stairs for a moment, and Candace reached out to grab hold of her shirt to keep her from falling even as Dalton lunged forward to catch her.
“You saw that. She tried to push me down the stairs.” Malone sounded faintly hysterical, but mostly just satisfied. “She could’ve killed me.”
“Please.” She snorted as she released her hold on Malone’s shirt. “You’re the one blocking my path. I certainly wasn’t trying to push you down the stairs. I even kept you from falling.”
She rolled her eyes and walked to the door. She fully expected Malone to report this incident to the headmaster as well, and she felt a faint trickle of fear at the idea. She knew Hastings would be happy to be rid of her, and if Malone could spin it right, especially with her witnesses, he’d seize the chance. Malone hadn’t fallen, and it had been an accident. If Malone had just moved out of her way—and didn’t have a history of sucker punches and unexpected pushing—she wouldn’t have moved forward with such force.
Deciding she would worry about it if or when the headmaster called her in for yet another conference, she ran up the stairs and headed for her room, wanting to grab a jacket since it might be cold while riding horses. When she entered the room, she was startled to see Isis there. Being a Saturday, Isis should’ve been been gone by now. She had her own friends at the academy, and she often signed herself out for the weekends.
Candace stumbled to a halt near her, alarmed by the tear tracks on Isis’s cheeks, and the way her body trembled. She was sitting on the bed hugging herself, and she barely looked up when Candace moved closer.
Candace knelt in front of her, cautiously touching her hand. Isis flinched away, but she doubted it was because Candace had touched her. “What’s wrong?”
Isis shuddered, but she didn’t speak. She just shook her head, and then she trembled some more.
Candace and Isis weren’t exactly friends, but she couldn’t turn her back on Isis’s suffering and go off blithely riding horses. Instead, she sat on the bed beside her roommate, putting a hand on her shoulder. This time Isis didn’t pull away, but she winced. When she did so, it caused her unzipped jacket to slip off her shoulder, revealing a red mark on her upper arm, since she wore a sleeveless shirt underneath.
“What happened?”
Isis sobbed for a moment, clearly needing time to collect herself. She took the tissue Candace passed and wiped her face and blew her nose. Finally, she seemed a little more in control. “Manion. I went for a swim, and he was waiting in the shadows. He tried to pull me into the equipment room. He didn’t get me in there, but he hurt me and forced me to kiss him.” Tears trailed down her cheeks again. “I was really scared he was going to rape me.”
Candace’s mouth dropped open, and fear made her stomach clench. Manion seemed to be escalating, which meant he was feeling comfortable enough with his assaults that he didn’t think anybody was going to report him. “You have to tell Headmaster Hastings.”
She shook her head, looking horrified. “I can’t tell anyone about this, and neither can you.”
“You have to. He’s escalating. Who knows who he’ll attack next, or what he’ll do to her?”
Isis blinked. “He’s never laid a hand on before. He gives creepy looks, and well, those nasty shoulder massages, but I mean, he hasn’t really done anything like this before. It could be a one-time thing. Maybe he did it impulsively and never will again.” Her eyes pleaded for Candace to agree.
Candace started to tell her about Octavia’s experience, but she paused. It wasn’t her story to share, so she had to get Octavia’s permission. “Wait here. I’ll be right back, okay?”
&
nbsp; Isis looked faintly bewildered, but she nodded. She showed no signs of standing up or leaving the room, so Candace rushed down the hall, pounding on room fifteen’s door.
Octavia opened her door a moment later, looking concerned. “What’s with all the pounding? I didn’t think you were that eager to ride horses. Is there a fire?” She laughed.
She shook her head. “No, I need you to tell Isis what Manion did to you.”
Octavia’s expression froze, and she shook her head. “I can’t. I don’t even want to think about it, let alone tell someone else about it. Please.”
“Just come with me, and then you can decide if you want to tell her or not. It’s important.”
Octavia blanched, but she followed Candace back to room twelve, gasping when she saw Isis on the bed. “What happened to her?”
“What’s she doing here?” asked Isis about the same time.
Candace crossed her arms over her chest, casually leaning against the door so no one could run out. “The two of you have a common enemy, so I think you should compare notes. Maybe it’ll give you both the courage to do what you need to do, which is report him.”
Isis and Octavia exchanged a glance, and then Octavia exhaled. “Manion?”
After a hesitation, Isis nodded. “What did he do to you?”
After Octavia had shared her experience with Manion, Isis recounted hers, looking at the floor. Their shared shame was palpable.
“Neither one of you did anything wrong, so you shouldn’t be embarrassed about what he did. Won’t you please tell the headmaster? You can go together and back up each other’s experiences.”
Octavia licked her lips, but she shook her head. “I just can’t. The thought of trying to tell my uncle any of that…” She trailed off, her expression taking on a green tinge.
Isis was nodding just as emphatically. “I’m with Octavia. I can’t do it either. Can’t we forget it ever happened?”
Candace was frustrated, and she briefly thought about going to the headmaster on her own. She could tell him what was going on, but she wasn’t confident he would believe her. If he did, he might call Octavia and Isis in to talk to him, but if they wouldn’t support her telling of events, Hastings wouldn’t believe her or do anything.
She empathized with their fear and their shame, so she tried to be gentle and not badger them to report Manion, but she was still concerned about what he might do to them or other girls. “If you guys aren’t going to tell on him, then we need to make sure no one’s ever alone with him. That means not just the three of us, but if we see someone being called out after class, or we see him with a girl in the hallway or something, we need to make a promise to each other that we’ll step up and be there for her so she isn’t alone with him.”
“Even if it’s someone I hate?” asked Octavia, looking disgruntled.
“Is there anyone you hate enough that you want Manion to be able to rape them?” She put her hands on her hips as she asked the question.
“I guess not,” said Octavia after hesitation.
“Anyone?” asked Isis with an expression that was difficult to interpret.
Candace’s stomach tightened, and she had a hint of foreboding even though she nodded. “Anyone.”
“Even Malone?” asked Isis with a raised brow, indicating her skepticism.
Candace groaned. “Damn. Yes, even her. I wouldn’t want Manion to get hold of her, even though I wouldn’t mind if a wild pack of dogs dragged her halfway across the briar hedge.”
Octavia giggled, and it should’ve felt wrong at the moment, since what they were discussing was so serious, but it made Isis laugh as well. Candace couldn’t help joining in, and she resisted the urge to keep pressing them about reporting. She couldn’t make them tell the headmaster. They wouldn’t until or unless they were ready.
Chapter Four
Candace
It seemed impossible, but she had settled into a routine at BriarEdge. Candace still wasn’t sold on the school, but she was starting to find things she liked about it, and not just the men who interested her.
As the Halloween dance approached, she and Octavia signed for a weekend pass to go to Farley, which was the closest town that had anything approaching shopping. Transportation was the students’ responsibility, so Candace ordered them an Uber, and they met the car at the end of the gates after hiking down the driveway, since vehicles weren’t allowed on campus when picking up students unless they belonged to parents.
Octavia seemed excited about their outing, though she became apprehensive in short order. As the Uber driver, a handsome young man who appeared a few years older than them, drove to Farley, he was flirting with both of them, but especially Octavia. Octavia clearly didn’t know how to handle it, and she blushed as she looked out the window, visibly shutting down.
Candace didn’t think the guy was too overstepping, and he wasn’t being inappropriate, but he was clearly making Octavia uncomfortable. After his third attempt to flirt with her, she leaned forward and said to him, “Why don’t we drive in silence? You’re upsetting her.”
He opened his mouth to argue, but then he looked at Octavia, who was still staring out the window pointedly, before meeting Candace’s gaze in the rearview mirror. With a nod, he fell into silence, and she leaned back against the seat.
It took Octavia a few minutes to return to conversation and her excitement for their shopping trip, but she was relaxed and interacting again by the time they reached Farley. Candace gave the driver a generous tip, and he smiled at her. It appeared to be one of contrition, and she appreciated that he hadn’t been a big jerk about it.
“If I’m on shift when you ladies are ready to leave, I’ll be the one to pick you up.” That was all he said as he waved at them once they were out of his car. He drove off seconds later.
Candace thought about asking Octavia why she’d been upset with the flirting, but she didn’t want to ruin their day. Instead, she made a concentrated effort to lift Octavia’s mood. The first thing they did was stop for lunch at a local diner.
It was obvious when they entered that this was a place for locals. She didn’t see another person their age who could have been from the academy. There were a few unfriendly glances in their direction, and a moment of stilted conversation among the people, but they soon returned to their own business.
She and Octavia took a seat at the counter. Octavia looked uncomfortable, especially when she saw the menu. “I don’t know what some of these dishes are.”
Candace struggled to hide her surprise. “What don’t you recognize?”
“Hash? What’s that?”
The buxom waitress standing nearby put her pad on the counter a little more forcefully than necessary, but she was smiling. “Hash is a big old mess of meat and potatoes, spices, onions, and an egg on top. It’s delicious.”
Octavia didn’t seem convinced, but she said, “I’ll have that?”
“Will you now?” The woman, whose name tag labeled her Sally, grinned, clearly pleased by Octavia’s choice to try something new.
“I will. Sunnyside-up on the egg, please.” Octavia seemed a little more confident at Sally’s smile of approval.
Candace ordered the morning special, and their food came out a few minutes later. She was amused to see Octavia cautiously tasting hash. A second later, her friend went back for a much bigger mouthful, and she was soon devouring it. “I’ve never had anything like that. It was so good,” she said to Sally and Candace after finishing every bite.
“I’m sure glad you liked it. My husband, Bill, is running the grill today, so he’s the one who made it.” Sally looked at their glasses of juice. “Either one of you want a refill?”
Candace shook her head, as did Octavia.
“How about a nice piece of peach pie to wash it down? I made it myself.”
“Maybe we could share a piece?” suggested Candace, not wanting to offend Sally by turning down her homemade pie but feeling too stuffed on what she’d eaten for breakfas
t to manage a full slice.
Octavia nodded. Sally served it to them a couple of moments later, and Octavia must have had peach pie before, but apparently not of this caliber. Between the two of them, they devoured the wedge in a few minutes before they paid their bill and left the diner.
“Jonas said there’s not much around here, but he suggested we might try Kathy’s Boutique. She stocks some Halloween costumes this time of year, and I guess a big part of her business comes from the academy.”
Octavia frowned. “Who’s Jonas?”
Candace bit on her tongue, wondering if she’d messed up by mentioning him. “He’s the groundskeeper at the school and lives in Farley.”
“Is that the old guy with the balding head and the punch?” asked Olivia, looking quizzical. “The one always muttering under his breath and glaring at the students?”
“No, that’s Mr. Quinton, and he’s the janitor. Or custodian. Whatever the right term is.” She grinned. “Jonas is the younger one, who’s always taking care of the roses. He has longish brown hair that waves around his face, and brown eyes that are like looking into a pot of melted chocolate.” Seeing Octavia’s stunned expression, she realized she’d been a little too revealing with her description. “He’s only twenty-two,” she added defensively.
Octavia’s eyes widened. “Are you dating him?”
Candace lifted a shoulder. “We talk sometimes.” That was selling short what they had, but she couldn’t be bluntly honest. It wasn’t worth risking Jonas’s position, even though she thought she could trust Octavia.
“What about Lex? I thought you were dating him? I saw you guys kissing in the rec room last week.” Octavia seemed annoyed on Lex’s behalf. “Does he think you two are dating?”
