Cece nodded. “And slitted like a reptile’s.”
CHAPTER TWO
Cece
It took a second for the shock to wear off and worry to set in. My sister’s eyes had just looked like something totally inhuman. No way was that a good thing.
She stared at me with wide (no longer reptilian) eyes, her mouth agape. I could feel her rising panic shooting out at me in waves, threatening to pull me into its undertow. Against my magic’s wishes, I put my hands on her shoulders and shoved my face in hers.
“I'm sure it’s fine, Maddy,” I said casually, in an effort to calm her. “Whatever it is, we’ll figure it out.”
“That sounds like a great idea.” Aidan’s voice echoed toward me, and I looked over my shoulder to find the dark-haired fey storming our way. “Because I just had to convince Sarah and a couple of the others that Maddy didn’t just send some girl skittering away with one look, and that was no easy feat—especially Sarah.”
“I don’t imagine much is easy with that one,” I muttered under my breath. Apparently, it was exactly what my sister needed to hear. Her shoulders jostled with muffled laughter, and I looked back at her to find a smile tugging at her lips.
“Probably not,” she agreed.
“You think this is funny?” Aidan asked, his tone making it abundantly clear that we shouldn’t.
“Why are you even here?” I asked. “Isn’t it, like, a crime to be seen with us or something? I believe ‘slumming’ was the term dear Sarah used last time we spoke.”
I could feel his hot glare on my back. I didn’t bother to turn around and confirm it.
“I’m trying to maintain appearances, which is what we should all be doing until we figure out how to destroy that thing.”
I wheeled around to face him. “So you’re what? Being the campus badass? Upholding the hierarchy because poor little Sarah and the fey crew got spooked?”
His jaw and his hand flexed. “Something like that.”
“Should I punch you again—if we’re keeping up appearances and all?”
He bristled at my words and I smiled, but it was hollow. The truth was, I didn't want to hit Aidan at all. I wanted to ask him why he’d really bailed on us so easily after all we’d been through. After it had seemed as though things had changed between us.
But I didn’t do that. I acted like I didn't care about him and his growing anger at all.
“Look, I don’t know what that bitch told you, but Maddy didn’t do anything. Nothing happened.”
“And that’s why you were talking your sister down when I walked out here?”
“She started to panic about what happened last night,” Rhys said, picking up on my impromptu plan to leave Aidan out of the loop.
“And was it this impending panic attack that made Sarah think her eyes changed color?”
“Maybe,” I said, sounding irritated. “Maybe her malum-ness was spilling over. Maybe you should have put her fucking collar back on. Maybe you should go back in there and lie your pants off to fluff over this.”
Anger surged from him, followed by something unexpected: hurt. It wrapped around me, shaky and uncertain, and I felt my defenses waver for just a moment. I shifted closer, and his eyes narrowed, tracking me like a predator. His demeanor remained in such stark contrast to what I felt that my mind struggled to process it. If I hadn’t been able to read his emotions, I never would have believed it.
Then, as quickly as it had come, the hurt snapped back into him like a whip and disappeared.
“She needs to keep her shit together until we have a plan,” Aidan said, his voice low and threatening; everything his energy hadn’t been only a second earlier.
My defenses shored themselves up.
“‘She’ is standing right here, you know—” Maddy said, right before I cut into Aidan—again.
“Yeah, we’ll get right on that while you go play king of the castle. I’m sure we’ll have something to show you later, your highness.”
I gave a sweeping bow before wrapping my arm around Maddy and leading her down the hall toward the headmaster’s office. Rhys fell in step beside me.
Aidan didn’t move.
“Where are you going?” he called after us.
“Where do you think?”
It only took a matter of seconds for him to catch up. “Cece,” he said, grabbing my elbow, “now isn’t the time for that.”
“I disagree. I think now is a great time to go check the headmaster’s office.”
He shook his head as he pulled me to a stop. Rhys and Maddy lingered a few feet away, watching intently.
“Why do you think I went to sit with the fey as soon as we arrived?” I opened my mouth to let loose a sarcastic reply, but he cut me off. “Something strange is obviously going on, and I wanted to see what they’d heard. What they’d seen.”
“And?”
“And nothing,” he replied. “It’s business as usual. No mention of the headmaster going missing. No mention of anything at all.”
“Maybe it’s too early. Maybe they aren’t the rumor mill you thought they were.”
He shook his head. “Trust me, they are.”
“Well, I guess there’s only one way to settle this.”
I pulled out of his grasp and continued down the hall, headed for the office we’d narrowly escaped only hours earlier.
“Storming in there half-cocked is reckless,” Aidan called, “even by your standards.”
“Why? The way I see it, we have two options: deal with him if he’s alive, or ransack his office for answers if he isn’t, because we don’t know how to destroy that thing, and I don't want to hang out indefinitely until we happen upon a strategy.”
“What makes you think his office holds the answer?” Aidan asked.
My anger spiked and I turned to face him. “What made you think you could crush that thing with your power? I’m pretty sure you thought you had it all in the bag, but it sure didn’t look that way last night—and it sure wasn’t cowering from us this morning, either.” I could feel the weight of Maddy’s and Rhys’s stares on my back, but I ignored them. My anger had hit the tenth floor and it was about to blow through the roof. “I kept my mouth shut and went along with your plan because I thought it was the path of least resistance—that it would get Maddy and me out of here the fastest—but here we are,” I tossed my arms around me to gesture at the building we hadn’t escaped, “still stuck in Wadsworth. And we nearly died for the privilege, to boot.”
Aidan weathered my storm without faltering. As I fought to find my calm—to center myself and block out the frenzy of energy around me so I could think clearly—he merely stared and waited. It felt like an eternity before he finally spoke.
“I underestimated the power source,” he said, words clipped as though it pained him to say them out loud, “but that’s not what you’re really angry about.”
My cheeks burned again. “Oh? It isn’t? Because, contrary to popular belief, I don't like almost dying.”
“Do you really want me to say it out loud?” He eyed my sister and Rhys. “In front of them?”
The way he looked at me, all arrogance and superiority, I wasn’t sure that I did.
“Maddy, I’ll meet you guys there.”
She hesitated for a moment, then the two of them started down the hall toward the headmaster’s office.
I turned back to Aidan and scowled. “All right, fairy boy, enlighten me. Why am I angry?”
He folded his arms across his chest. “Simple. You feel slighted.”
I choked on his hubris. Because that was easier than admitting that there might have been truth to his words. Because feeling passed over so easily had hurt me far more than even I was ready to acknowledge.
“Do me a favor: go back to your golden-collared cronies and leave me alone. I’ll let you know if we require your royal presence.”
I backed away with another mocking bow, then turned to head for the headmaster’s office.
“I
didn’t bail on you,” he called after me. The fall of his footsteps grew nearer, and I tried to pick up the pace, but he was taller and his stride was far longer than mine. In a few seconds, he caught up.
“Great. Thanks for sharing. You can go now.”
“I’ll go when I feel like it.”
“But how will the others survive without you?” I asked, my tone saccharin-sweet. “I’m sure what’s-her-nuts will come looking for you any second now. Don’t want to get caught with me again. I’m not sure your reputation could handle that amount of scandal. I mean, once is dismissible, but twice? Three times?” I shot him an incredulous look. “I’m not sure even you, in all your glory, could wriggle your way out of that.”
“Maybe the power source damaged your brain, because I’m pretty sure I’ve told you that I don’t give a shit about what anyone in here thinks.”
I stopped and wheeled on him. “Then why are you following me to explain yourself if you don’t give a shit?”
Fury raged behind those icy blue eyes. “Because we still have a job to do.”
“You don’t need me anymore, though, remember? You know where the source is. My job is done—unless you’re just making amends so my sister will still help.”
He stared at me, silent, his jaw flexing as he clenched his teeth. He said nothing to refute my point, and my heart sank to my shoes. No amount of anger could soften that blow. I’d been used, and though that had been the agreement from the beginning—the terms of our arrangement—it still stung. I guess I’d thought that maybe something had changed over that time.
I guess I’d been wrong.
I shook my head and resumed walking. The fairy followed in my wake.
Maddy took one look at me as we neared and her expression soured. Without my collar on, I was surely emanating everything I felt, like an angry sun casting out rays of rage.
“Everything okay?” she asked as she pushed off the wall to join me. Rhys, stand-up guy that he was, fell in line between Aidan and me to give me some space.
I cast him a quick glance and gave him a nod.
“Yeah, we’re all good,” I replied, but I didn’t even bother to hide the fact that I was anything other than pissed. Thankfully, Maddy and her boyfriend were smart enough not to follow up with further questions. “What’s the status here?” I asked as I stopped before the headmaster’s closed door. “See anything?”
The two shook their heads. “No lights. No sound.”
“Wolfy?” I asked.
“I can’t hear him—out loud or otherwise,” Maddy replied.
“Well,” I mused as I reached for the handle, “only one way to do this. Time to rip the Band-Aid off.” Without further warning, I turned the handle and pushed the door open. In the hazy glow of the early sun, I found the room empty. No headmaster. “This seems somewhat anticlimactic,” I said as I walked in. The others followed, and we stared about the room, wondering where we should even start.
Then a creak of the door echoed through the room.
The four of us whirled around to find the headmaster standing in the doorway, staring.
“Can I help you?” he asked, his voice as pleasant as a summer’s day.
We were frozen in place, as were our tongues. The question lingered until Aidan managed to find his.
“We were just looking for you, sir.”
“Oh,” he replied with a smile. “Good timing on your part, then. I just got back from my morning walk.”
“Great,” Maddy said, her expression tight. “I hope it was nice.”
“It was wonderful, Madeline. You kids should make sure to enjoy the sun during your outdoor time today.”
“We sure will, sir,” Rhys added.
The headmaster walked past us to his desk and sat down. The leather of his chair squeaked as he nestled back against it and took in the lot of us. “Now, what can I do for you kids?”
“We wanted to ask you something,” I blurted out with zero thought whatsoever. It sounded frantic even to my own ears. I could practically feel Aidan’s blazing stare on the side of my face.
“Of course, Celine. What can I do for you?” He smiled as he looked from me to the others. “I’m so glad to see you’ve already made some friends in your short time here. That bodes well for your rehabilitation.”
“Yes. Right. I’m super geeked about it too, sir.” I forced a smile for good measure, and he amped up at the sight.
“Your question?”
“Yes. Our question…” I wracked my brain for something I could ask—anything, really—but my thoughts were a jumble of shit I couldn’t possibly ask, like: why are you alive, and why aren’t you trying to kill us, and why aren't you still magically welded to the ominous orb of energy in the basement fueled by the magic of kids that have died at Wadsworth? Probably not the best options to lead with.
So, in true Cece fashion, my mind sabotaged me, and my tongue went along with it.
“We were wondering if we could have a dance,” I said, the words tumbling from my lips at hyperspeed.
The headmaster looked at me curiously, as though he were actually considering my request. It was at that moment that I knew we’d officially stumbled into the Twilight Zone.
“Well, that isn’t quite what I expected you to say, young lady.” Yeah, that made two of us. “But it’s an interesting idea nonetheless.”
“It is?” There was no way I could hide the shock in my voice. Meanwhile, the others stood stock-still, staring at the headmaster as though, at any second, he would shoot to his feet and blast us with magic. But without my collar on, I knew that wouldn’t happen. No malice rolled off him, no hint of anything other than an authority figure entertaining an idea brought to him. A fucking stupid idea, at that.
I shuddered at the implications.
“Let me run it past a few key people and get their input,” he said as he stood. “I’ll get back to you later on today, okay?”
“Yep...that sounds great.”
“Is there anything else I can do for you kids?”
Maddy shot me a look over her shoulder, her eyes begging me to keep my mouth shut and quit while we were ahead. But something niggled at the back of my mind, and I just couldn’t ignore it. I lived my life by my gut—at least when I wasn’t wearing a collar to subdue my magic—and my gut had something to say.
So, much to my sister’s chagrin, I said it.
“Just one more thing, Headmaster Warren,” I said, channeling every ounce of empath ability I had. “Have Janie’s parents come to…pick up her body? I’m only asking because Maddy feels horrible about the accident, and she really wants to apologize to them.”
His brow relaxed, but my sister’s did not; I swore she would have knocked me out and dragged me from the room if she could have. I could feel her hurt and confusion assailing me as I stood my ground and focused on the headmaster. In one smooth motion, I reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze as I poured my certainty into her.
I hoped it would be enough to keep her from killing me later.
“Janie’s body? An accident? Celine, I don't follow what you’re saying. Has something happened this morning?” he asked as he rushed past us toward the door.
“No, sir,” Aidan said, voice smooth as silk. “I think Celine’s mind hasn’t been quite right since her trip to the Sensory Deprivation Room. Just ignore her. She needs rest.”
“Shall I call the nurse?” he asked, looking at me with concern.
“I’m fine,” I said with a laugh. “I’m just...you know...what Aidan said.” I shot him a look that matched his murderous glare.
The headmaster turned to reach for the phone, facing his body away from me. On his desk sat a key ring—one I recognized from the time he’d put me in the death room. While he dialed, I inched closer to the desk, my arm slowly reaching. Aidan caught my other arm to yank me back, but not before I swiped the ring. The keys jingled slightly, and I quickly muffled them as the headmaster whirled around in his chair.
“W
hat was that?” he asked, searching his surroundings for an answer.
“What was what, sir?” Aidan asked smoothly.
“That tinkling sound? Didn’t you hear it?”
“I didn’t hear anything,” Rhys offered, and Maddy quickly seconded his account.
I smiled at the headmaster and pressed a sense of exhaustion his way. “There was no sound,” I said. “Maybe you’re just tired?”
He yawned. “You might be right, Celine. I haven’t been sleeping very well lately. Now, if you kids will excuse me, I feel like there was something I was supposed to go look into.”
“Sure thing, sir,” I said, pushing at Maddy to leave. She bumped into Rhys, who led the way through the heavy wooden door. “Hope you get some rest!”
Aidan, still holding my arm hostage, shut the door behind him. His aura of emotion was overwhelming; anger and confusion and excitement wrapped around me like a cloak I couldn't shed.
“Care to tell me what the fuck you were thinking?” he asked, his eyes narrowed to fearsome slits.
“I was thinking that we need access,” I replied, holding the keys up to jangle in front of us, “so I nabbed these. We need answers, and I think I know where we might be able to find some. Now...who feels like poking around inside the room of doom with me?”
Not awaiting a response, I walked down the hall, headed for the room that had tried to kill me and all the secrets it held. Aidan and I were the only two of our foursome that had been in there, and according to the brooding fey at my back, the only two at Wadsworth to remember the encounter. I had no clue what we’d learn in there, but I was damn ready to find out.
With Maddy at my side and the boys crowding my back, I fumbled with the keys until I found the right one. It slid into the lock with ease and turned over with a faint click. My hand reached for the doorknob to tug it open, but I froze, the memory of what had happened in there temporarily paralyzing me.
“Cece,” Maddy whispered in my ear as her hand enveloped mine, “it’s okay. I’ll go first.”
I wanted to argue, but she was halfway through the opening before I found my voice. Rhys shot me a sympathetic glance as he followed her in and held the door for Aidan and me.
Rogue Reformatory: Broken (Supernatural Misfits Academy Book 2) Page 2
