by Kat Cotton
“This has never been magic class. Don’t be dismissive. We need to be a fully functional fighting unit.”
Sometimes Mr. Norton lacked a sense of humor.
By the time we’d finished training, the light was fading but I’d gained a little control of my powers. Not much but I didn’t float Lucas again, which was a good thing.
“Do you think it’s safe to go into the woods?” Lucas asked as we walked out of the back of the school.
I’d been thinking the same thing but hadn’t wanted to say it. Those woods looked mighty dark and gloomy.
“No problem.” Britney created a circle of light around us. “I can handle that.”
“Great but maybe leave it off until we get out of sight of the school.”
The three of us followed the path Ren had marked.
“Did you hear about the school dance?” Britney asked. From the look she gave Lucas, he hadn’t asked her yet.
“Yeah, I heard about it.” I had to tell them.
“Are you going?” Britney asked.
I just had to say the words. One sentence. Ren asked me to the dance. Not that hard to say. I’d never kept secrets from Lucas before. I’d never had secrets I needed to keep from him.
But Lucas would laugh. He’d laugh so hard. And he’d mock me forever. I’d committed so much of my time over the two years to hating Ren that even downgrading that to dislike would be a huge deal.
I still hadn’t said anything when we found the spot Ren had marked on the map.
“Is this the right place?” Britney looked around.
“No idea. All trees look the same to me but he said there was a tree that looked like it had a face nearby.”
Britney pointed up. Yep, that tree had a face. A really creepy face. Right spot.
Now we were off the path, the ground became all soggy. It hadn’t rained for a while but I guess this area was close enough to the stream that the ground was always damp.
“Are you sure we can trust him?” Lucas kicked around in the leaves. “In first year, he threatened to flush my head down the toilet.”
“I have no idea. No idea at all. He made that redhead kid quit school too. Poor kid was in tears, not able to cope with the bullying.”
The two of us dug around looking for I don’t even know what while Britney lit the ground. My feet squelched in the mud. I’d be cleaning these boots all night to get that off them.
“His creepy friends attacked us,” Britney said.
“I guess that was Blake and Oscar, not him.” Mud caked my hands and leaf muck had gotten all under my nails.
“Actually, Blake was the one who threatened to flush my head down the toilet, not Ren. But I assumed Ren was behind it.”
My feet slipped out from under me and I landed on my butt with a thud.
“Hey, weird idea. Maybe Ren isn’t the bully, maybe he’s just got shit friends.” I couldn’t believe I said that. I didn’t want to become a Ren apologist but he had saved me from Oscar.
Mud soaked through my jeans as I clamored around, trying to get my footing.
Lucas’ slipped around in the mud too. “You sure that’s not lurve talking?”
“I’m not saying he’s an angel but maybe he’s not the criminal mastermind we’d thought.”
“Actually, you’re the main one who thought that.” Lucas took my hand to help me up. “Still, don’t get too close to him.”
I gulped. I had to tell Lucas. No matter how stupid it sounded to say the words out loud.
“Ren asked me to the dance.” I said it all in a rush so that the words mushed together into one long jumble. “Not that I’m going or anything but he asked me.”
“What?” Lucas jumped, losing his footing. He grabbed hold of me to steady himself but the two of us just floundered. Britney laughed. But mud covered my legs now. Finally, I got to my feet.
“You heard me. I don’t know why he asked me, maybe some stupid rich boy thing, but I said I’d think about it. I mean, maybe I should go with him... he might be at risk.”
“At risk of falling over and crashing into your lips, you mean.”
That would not happen. “Shut up.”
“You are going to the dance with Ren Worthington. You. Ren Worthington. Dance. I heard the words but they make no sense when said together.”
“I haven’t said yes yet.”
“You will.” Lucas seemed certain of that. “But you shouldn’t.”
“What? You think I’m not good enough for him?”
I lunged at Lucas, ready to punch him but my feet slipped out from under me again.
“No, I think he’s not good enough for you.”
I skidded into Lucas. The two of us tumbled in the mud. It squished through my fingers and in my hair and even up my nostrils.
“Do mud monsters exist?” I asked Lucas.
“No. Not— crap, look at this.” Lucas uncovered something. He held it up in the light Britney created. Mud caked clothes.
“Are they Farran’s?”
“Yeah, that’s his red flannel shirt. He loved that shirt.”
I hung my head, not wanting to look. I’d never been close to Farran, had barely spoken to him. His disappearance had always seemed suspicious but having those suspicions confirmed like this turned my belly to lead. I’d wanted to hope the teachers hadn’t lied, that Farran was now happily living somewhere else. But nope, it didn’t look that way. Not with his clothes buried in the woods.
“Should we...”
“We should get the police involved, that’s what we should do.” Lucas stood up, trying to wipe the mud off himself.
“No way. The police aren’t going to do a dang thing, not with the school covering this up. But what can we do? And what if he’s in a shallow grave near here.”
Britney picked up the mud-soaked clothes with a stick and put them in a bag, then she added samples of the mud to other zip lock bags.
“What are you doing?”
“My auntie works in supernatural forensics. She can help us.”
Lucas and I stared at her, not sure what she implied. And, what? Supernatural forensics? Britney lived in a whole other world to us.
“Have you considered that Farran wasn’t human?” She got more mud samples. “I didn’t know him so I can’t say but that’s how it seems. Cherry, what did that ring look like?”
I described the ring. “Nothing special, just a regular signet ring. I can get Ren to show you if you like.”
Britney shook her head. “Best not to let him know we’re involved in this at the moment. If you could get a photo of it, though... I’ve got a strong feeling Farran was a vampire.”
“No way. He walked around in the daylight all the time. And he didn’t look all fangy...”
I exchanged glances with Lucas. Neither of us had considered that. We were paranormals, the other students were human. That’s how it worked here.
“I think the ring was charmed. He used it to act human, walk in the sun and all that. But someone removed it from him and without it...” She made a sizzling sound like something frying.
Chapter 22
“Have you given Ren an answer about the dance?” Lucas asked me.
I looked around the training room, hoping no one had heard that.
“Shush. No one, and I mean no one, is to know he asked me. You know what will happen if people find out.” I did a throat-cutting gesture. “Anyway, he probably shouldn’t go to the dance anyway. Not with the threats on him.”
“Ren asked you to the dance?” Mr. Norton walked over to me. “You should go with him.”
Oh great, now one more person knew. I glared pointedly at Seth. That elf had amazing hearing and loved gossip more than anyone. He seemed more caught up in trying to make things float around the room than our conversation.
“Don’t you think it’s better for him to stay safely in his room?”
I didn’t want to go to that dance, no matter what.
“Nonsense. He has to take part in
regular school life or people will get suspicious. Just tell him you’ll do it.”
I groaned. “I’m not a going to dances kind of person. It’ll ruin my anti-social image. Britney could go with him.”
“He didn’t ask me, and anyway, I’m going with Lucas.”
Lucas? Lucas asked her to the dance? I stared at him, making sure he was the same person I’d always known. He blushed and looked away. Whoa, things must be getting serious between them.
“You should go. We can double date.” Britney grinned. She would say something like that.
“Enjoy yourself for once,” Mr. Norton added. “You should do something to participate in school life.”
What was with everyone? I hated dancing. I hated dressing up. And participating wasn’t for me. I’d agreed to tutor Ren and I’d agreed to keep him safe but I had not agreed to date him.
“Please.” Lucas mouthed the word so that only I could see.
Lucas knew my thoughts on staying under the radar. Attention wasn’t for me. I scrunched up my face in a non-committal way. Lucas might want me around for moral support but I bet once he got to that dance, he’d be happy to be alone with Britney.
The next morning in history class, Polly stared at me.
I tried to ignore her but she hissed. “Why you? You’re nothing special.”
I jumped. She’d found out about my powers? I’d deny everything. The last, the absolute last thing I wanted was people knowing I was some kind of paranormal.
“Did you blackmail him or something?” Polly asked. “Seems the only logical explanation. You’re tutoring him and you found out some dirty secret. That’s a low blow.”
Okay, maybe that was the last thing I wanted people knowing. Looking around the class, it seemed Polly wasn’t the only one. I cringed at the stares.
Seth. It had be. He’d overheard us and had spread word all over the school.
“I didn’t blackmail him and I’m not going to the dance with him.”
“Yeah, right. As if anyone would say no to Ren.”
I grimaced but didn’t reply. I hadn’t said no. Not yet.
“He asked her because she’s pretty and smart and not bitchy.” Lucas glared at Polly.
I glared back at him because my plan had been to deny everything. Now he’d confirmed Ren had asked me. That would just add fuel to the fire.
“I’m not going,” I hissed at Lucas.
“Just say yes.” Lucas hissed back at me. “It won’t be so bad.”
He said that but when I went to lunch, someone tripped me over and my food tray flew as I face planted on the floor. A ripple of laughter spread through the cafeteria. I stood up and looked around but everyone had their head down, ignoring me. I cleaned up the mess and got more food. The second time I walked around the outskirts of the room, giving everyone a wide berth. I picked at my lunch, not able to eat with all the hate aimed at me.
“Have you heard back from your auntie?” I asked Britney.
Since she’d barely had time to send her samples, I didn’t think so but I needed to break the silence.
“She’s in the middle of analysis now.”
Wow, that’d been fast. I wondered if Britney had some magical way of sending things.
Britney tried to mention the dance a few times but I changed the subject. I wished that stupid dance never existed.
On the way back to class, I got pinched three times. I hadn’t even said yes and I got treated like this. I couldn’t imagine how bad things would be if I actually did go to the dance with him.
“Bitch,” someone hissed.
People laughed. I kept my head down as the anger welled up inside me. I wanted them dead, well not actually dead but a long way away from me. I jerked as someone else in the hallway pinched my arm.
The anger got stronger. So did the buzz in my belly and the voice in my head saying I could just zap them all out of my way. It’d be so easy and I’d be left alone.
Instead of going straight to class, I ran into the bathroom, locking the stall behind me.
I never wanted this. I never wanted Ren Worthington. All I’d ever wanted had been a quiet life. I’d planned on staying under the radar until I graduated.
When I came out, the corridors had cleared. I rushed to class, trying not to be too late.
All talking stopped as I ran into the room. Bollocks. Math. One of the classes I had with Ren.
He glanced up, a smile on his face. I couldn’t look at him and I couldn’t smile back. I took my seat on the other side of the room and pulled out my books. I kept my head down until class ended even though my skin heated from the stares boring into me.
I’d tell Ren tonight in our study session. I could hardly refuse him when we were being so scrutinized.
Before I could get back to my dorm after class, I ran into Mr. Norton. We didn’t have training for once and he’d made it look like he’d just ran into me but I wasn’t so sure.
“Any more thought to the dance?” He walked with me through the halls.
I shook my head and sighed. “Can’t people talk about anything else?”
“You really should think about going. You can’t spend all your life cut off from other people.”
I shrugged. “What’s the big deal about a dance?”
“It’ll be fun.”
“My arms are covered in bruises,” I rolled up my sleeve to show him. “That’s hardly fun.”
He grabbed my arm. “The other students did that?”
He shot me a look of pity but I didn’t need that. I needed to get to my room and away from all this attention. I didn’t tell him that was just the beginning. It’d only get nastier if I was actually seen with Ren.
“You should report it.”
“Report who? It’s all done secretly, in crowds. Anyway, what’s anyone going to do for someone like me? Can you see Principal Murphy giving a shit?”
“He might.”
“Not only do I have to put with that, but I also have to keep my temper under control because, if I get angry, I’m scared of what I’ll do. Don’t you see? This attention isn’t good. Not for me, not for any of us. You should understand that more than anyone.”
Luckily, we’d reached the elevator.
I got to my room and grabbed everything I needed for the tutoring session. I didn’t want to get to the study room early, though. The less time I spend around other students, the better.
To kill some time, I picked up the clothes from the floor and sorted them. For someone who owned so little, I sure had a mess around. When I opened the wardrobe door, that cherry dress tumbled from the shelf.
I sighed and picked it up off the floor, meaning to put it away.
Instead, I stripped off. It wouldn’t hurt to try it on again, just once. I tied the straps behind my neck, glad that no one could see how foolish I could be. Then I walked to the mirror, my heart heavy.
I grinned and twirled a strand of hair around my finger like I’d seen Britney do. Then I swirled around, enjoying the way the dress swished around my legs. In my imagination, Ren smiled back at me and held out his arm to me. The two of us walked together into that dance.
How stupid. Ren hadn’t asked me as a real date and I couldn’t go with him, no matter what. Anyway, if Ren touched me like that, the pair of us would sizzle.
The knock at the door startled me out of any stupid fantasy I might have.
“Just a sec,” I yelled as I slipped my jeans back on.
Poor scholarship girls had to know their place.
Students crowded the study room. None of them studying. All of them watching Ren and I walk to our room. I kept my gaze averted. At least the insults and pinching stopped while I was with him.
I sat at the table. “I can’t tutor with all that.” I swept my hand toward the window... well, the hundred staring faces on the other side of the window.
“You get used to it.” Ren grinned.
“You might. I won’t. It’s one thing to get attention because everyon
e loves you, a whole other thing to have everyone wanting your blood. I can’t go to the dance with you.”
“Of course you can.”
I grimaced. “No. Understand. I’m saying no to you.”
“You’ll change your mind.”
I had no idea how to get it through his thick head.
“No. N. O. Definitely not. I’m not putting up with this bullshit, understand. I’ll spend the night alone in my room, and you would too if you knew what’s best for you.”
Ren didn’t say anything but pulled out his homework. Had this all been a trap? If he wanted to torture me, asking me to the dance would be a sure way to do it. He looked like a nice guy while I got mauled to death by an angry mob. I wanted to hate him for that but he had his tongue out the side of his mouth again and I found it almost impossible.
“Have you found out any more about Farran?” he asked.
“No. We should have the test results soon.”
“Why do you want to go to this stupid dance anyway?”
“Why wouldn’t I? Everyone goes to the school dance. It’s fun. Don’t you get that, poor girl? Don’t you want to leave here with fun memories of your school years?”
I shrugged. “My main plan is to leave here in one piece.”
“You talk like school is a battlefield.”
I sighed. He really didn’t get it. School was a battlefield. And he really didn’t get that he was the main battle.
“What do you think it’s like for students who don’t have buckets of money? Do you ever think about that? No one likes being teased or tormented. Have you ever even talked to poor people?”
Ren huffed as he handed over his notebook. “Of course. We do have servants, you know.”
“You have servants? Wow, that’s really mixing with the lower classes. Do you ever talk to your servants? Not just like ‘hey servant, fetch my slippers’ but really talk to them?”
He sat up, no longer smiling. “Yes, I do actually.”
That seemed to have touched a nerve. I couldn’t resist pushing further though.
“Do you go out and distribute gifts to the poor for Christmas?”
He rolled his eyes. “You seem to think I’m pampered like a little prince but life isn’t that simple. Our family has a financial empire and I’m the heir. I have to be prepared for that role.”
