Shadow Girl (Shadow Academy Book 3)

by Kat Cotton

  I ducked my head to hide my grin. Mr. Norton was right. Which meant I was right and Ren was wrong. Nothing made me happier than that.

  “And Cherry, you stole things from the Worthington house?”

  Yikes, not so happy now.

  “I took files that Mr. Worthington kept on me that included photos of my parents. He had no right to that.”

  There was no way I’d hand those files back. No matter how Ren felt about all this, the files were mine. I’d cross a million lines to have something of my parents with me.

  Mr. Norton sighed and ran his hand through his hair. “This is quite the mess. I’d like to take a look at those files some time, if you don’t mind.”

  I nodded. Mr. Norton might understand things in those files that I didn’t.

  “And Cherry, you won’t make any effort to find Ren’s mother unless he approves.”

  I wasn’t so fast to agree to that. Why didn’t anyone else see that the woman needed to be found? She’d been so scared of her husband that she’d fled. That was all.

  “Promise?”

  I scowled. She might be Ren’s mother but that didn’t mean he owned her. I’m pretty sure there was no law against looking for someone. They both glared back at me. I couldn’t make a promise I didn’t intend keeping.

  “Tell Mr. Norton about Miranda, Ren.”

  “That’s not relevant. That’s not a school matter.”

  Ren’s eyes glistened but I couldn’t hold back on this. Mr. Norton needed to know.

  “It’s totally relevant.” I turned to Mr. Norton. “One of the servants at Ren’s house was going to give me information on Ren’s mother. Instead of meeting me as planned, she disappeared. Later on, she was found dead on their grounds. That’s strange and I think it’s relevant as heck.”

  “The two things aren’t connected.” Ren scowled.

  “Aren’t they?”

  Mr. Norton didn’t say a thing. He had on his neutral expression face. I knew that look. It didn’t mean he wasn’t interested. It meant he was filing away that information for later.

  “You’re trying to deflect the conversation so you don’t have to promise to stop harassing my family.” Ren typed something into his phone. “I’ve set up a calendar app. From now on, if you want to go somewhere outside your room, put it in the calendar. I’ll do the same. That way we never have to see each other again.”

  Chapter 25

  I SPENT THE NEXT FEW days in my room, not speaking to anyone. The place was much nicer without other students around most of the time.

  Every morning, I went to the study. No danger of running into Ren there and even though the snacks in the fridge weren’t refreshed over the break, there was enough food around to keep me from starving.

  I searched the news sites to check if there was any information about Miranda. Nothing at all had been reported. I wasn’t sure how a death like that could be covered up. She’d been attacked and killed. Surely, that had to make the news. I could see that if Mr. Worthington was still alive, he might cover it up but with things in flux, I didn’t know if the lawyers had the clout to do that.

  Because I’d often spent breaks at the school, I’d learned that even though the kitchen staff weren’t working, I could go to the kitchen and find meals in the freezer. They kept them there for students and staff left at the school. I wasn’t sure if Ren knew that but I couldn’t tell him because he’d told me not to speak to him.

  Then in the afternoon, I’d check Ren’s calendar app.

  The first day, he’d blocked out two hours in the library from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. so I blocked out from 3 p.m. That might’ve been petty but he’d made these rules and if it meant that he had to clear out of the library ten minutes early, I couldn’t help that.

  I waited outside the door until dead on 3 p.m. before I entered. I hadn’t seen Ren leave but the library was empty. Creepily empty. Any kind of weird creatures could be lurking behind those shelves. I only stayed a few minutes then went back to my room.

  The next day, he’d blocked out the stables for the entire afternoon. I didn’t even know why he’d put that in the calendar. It wasn’t like I ever went there. But I threw on my sweats and went for a jog around the school grounds. He couldn’t stop me from doing that. Even if the track around the grounds went awfully close to the stables.

  Still, I saw no sign of him.

  Later that night, I went down to the kitchen. Rummaging through the giant freezer, I found a lasagna buried deep down in the bottom of the freezer. I scrunched my nose, trying to remember the last time we even had lasagna on the menu at school.

  Never, since I’d been here.

  But it looked still good so I put it in the microwave and jumped up on the counter to wait for it to heat.

  “Cherry.”

  I jumped sky high.

  “Mr. Norton! Don’t do that.”

  “Hey, you shouldn’t be sitting there. It’s unhygienic.”

  “I’m sure the staff will clean everything when they start back up. And I’m pretty darn happy right now because I found a lasagna.” Then my heart bounced right into my neck because Ren stood behind him. I couldn’t speak any more.

  “I’m just showing Ren the kitchen since he didn’t know about this place and has been living on next to nothing since he got back.”

  I carefully watched the numbers countdown on the microwave display. Wouldn’t want it to beep without me knowing.

  “Well, I guess people can’t tell him things if they aren’t allowed to speak to him.”

  I got the container out of the microwave and wrapped a tea towel around it. Normally, I stood at the counter and ate straight out of the container in the kitchen. That saved carrying food back to my room. But no way could I hang around with Ren here.

  I fully intended to shoot him a self-satisfied smirk as I left the kitchen but, when I saw how pale and gaunt he looked, the smile died on my lips.

  Finally, I got sick of rattling around the school so decided to have a shopping day in the village. The damage to the stores had been cleaned up so you’d never even know that the demon attack happened. I bought frames for my parents’ photos and some new shoes and picked up a couple of cheap t-shirts at one of the shops having a sale.

  “The owner wants to sell up,” the girl said as she served me. “Too many weird things going on here.”

  One of the jobs of the special operatives who’d been brought in was to ensure that the villagers had their memories wiped. It seemed they hadn’t wiped everything, though. Mr. Norton always said that memory wipes were complicated things.

  I took the path through the woods back to school. It was a much more pleasant walk than going by the road and I was in no rush to get back to school. Pretty red flowers grew by the path so I picked some to take back to my room. They were much safer than those roses I’d gotten from my “secret admirer”.

  I looked up when I heard a horse neigh. I almost waved to Ren as he rode nearby then I remembered. What was he even doing riding near here? I’d put in the app that’d go to the village today. He should be looking out of my way.

  Still, I couldn’t help but look at the way the wind blew back his hair and how his muscular thighs gripped the horse and the smooth way he and Thunder moved together.

  I kept walking but my day felt ruined.

  Chapter 26

  THE NEXT DAY, SOME of the other students came back to school.

  I was in the study room when Angela and Dior walked in. I thought they’d ignore me at best, since I’d made it pretty clear I didn’t want to hang out with them but Angela smiled.

  “How was your break? I bet you were glad to get out of this place.”

  “Fine.” I didn’t smile back. This was some kind of trap, for sure. “Not very interesting.”

  “I had a ball. An absolute ball. Finally, some real shopping, not just those dinky shops in the village. And I got my nails done.” She held out her hand to show us the cat design painted on them. “They’re so cute
. I bet they make me remove this before classes start but I’m keeping it for as long as I can.”

  “That’s darling,” Dior said. “You’re a total cat person. Do you have more photos of Claw?”

  Angela got out her phone and showed us all the photos she’d taken of her cat over the break. Her face changed as she scrolled through them. She softened and smiled in way that had no malice in it. Angela really loved her cat, that’s for sure.

  Then she showed me a video of Claw trying to beat her up, using his paws to punch her. I laughed so much, especially when Claw tried to hit too hard and ended up doing a backflip.

  “Do you have a pet?” Dior asked me.

  “I don’t have a home. Orphan, remember.” I’d never had a pet. It wasn’t like I’d had much chance.

  “I can’t have one either. A pet, I mean. I do have a family but my mother’s allergic to animals.”

  The two of them moved to sofas so I decided to go back to my room.

  “Aren’t you going to join us?” Angela asked.

  I was about to make up some excuse but why? It wasn’t like I had other friends to hang out with.

  Dior told us about her trip to the beach. She kept mentioning some guy as though I knew who he was. I assumed it was her boyfriend.

  “You spent the break with Ren, right?” Angela asked. “I bet you froze to death. My father went to their house for a business dinner once and he said it was the coldest house he’d ever been in. He thought he’d get frost bite afterward.”

  “Yeah, it was cold.” I didn’t want to say anything bad about Ren’s house to Angela. It’d be rude after he’d invited me for the break, even if everything had gone wrong.

  “This semester is going to be hell.” Angela rolled back her head and sighed. “I’ve been told I have to get my grades up. That’s why I had to come back early but I hate studying so much. Can you tutor me, Cherry?”

  That was not a job I wanted to take on. Did everybody think I was a super tutor or something?

  “I’m busy myself.” I shot her an apologetic grimace.

  Angela laughed. “Yeah and, honestly, I’d be more motivated if I had a cute guy tutoring me. Sorry.”

  She didn’t need to apologize.

  “You don’t know any cute guys looking to get some extra money?” she asked. “I’m sure there must be some.”

  “Well, there’s Nova.” I couldn’t help tease her about how infatuated she’d been with him.

  “No!” She jumped back, throwing her arms in the air in a total overreaction. “No way. There’s something weird about that guy. Like the whole time we dated, I barely had the energy to get out of bed — and not in a good way. Do you think he’s an energy vampire?”

  That comment made me jump. But she hadn’t meant a literal energy vampire.

  “He’s strange, alright.”

  Dior jumped up. “I almost forgot. I have to show you the smoking new boots I got over the break.”

  She rushed out leaving Angela and I alone. That gave me a chance to find out something that had bugged me for a while. I just had to bring up the subject with tact and delicacy.

  “Hey. Angela, you know that whole thing with Farran...”

  Angela’s body stiffened and shuffled away from me. Maybe tact and delicacy weren’t my thing.

  “Ah... yeah?”

  “You said someone told you to that.”

  “Forced me.” She stared intently. “Forced.”

  “Yeah, right, they forced you. But who?”

  She crossed her arms. “You won’t believe me even if I do tell you.”

  “Try me.” My mind reached for all the weird possibilities.

  “I can’t remember. Right. It sounds stupid. But I really can’t remember. But she forced me. Like she used some kind of mind control or something weird. The only thing I remember is a strange purple light.”

  Dior came back before I could ask any more questions but I wasn’t sure Angela could tell me more anyway. It sounded like some kind of compelling charm had been used on her.

  The next day I had to go to the village. The shoes I’d bought were too small. I should’ve tried them on in the stop but that kind of thing made me uncomfortable. I grabbed the box and walked into the village to return them.

  This time, I tried the shoes on and decided to wear them on the walk back.

  “Do you want me to dispose of your old shoes?” The assistant picked up my shoes by the laces, wrinkling his nose.

  “They’re still good!” I snatched the shoes from his hand. “I should get a lot more wear out of them.”

  He obviously didn’t think so. “I guess, if you’re gardening or something...”

  With that done, I walked around town. I stopped outside the parfait store, my stomach urging me to go inside but sitting there eating an extravagant parfait all alone seemed weird and not much fun at all. I wasn’t sure if Britney had returned to school yet but I’d ask her if she wanted to go when I saw her.

  There wasn’t much else in the village for me to do so I headed back, sticking to the woods, because it was pleasant and I could pick some flowers and not because of the possibility I might see Ren.

  Since the path was deserted, I stomped along making a list of jerky things Ren had done. If I wanted to see him, it was only so I could ignore him. I hadn’t even used his stupid app today because I figured with half the student body back at school, it didn’t matter anymore.

  My hands curled into fists just thinking of the hurtful things he’d said to me. Sure, Mr. Norton had been right. He’d only said those things to hurt me and that meant the best way to deal with this would be to forget them. But I couldn’t.

  I already had on my cool new shoes, all shiny red, like walking on clouds. Only the back had started to rub on my left foot. Leaning against the fence, I ran my finger around the back of the shoes, loosening them.

  Someone screamed in the woods near me.

  I ignored them. Probably some idiots fooling around.

  They screamed again. I remembered the day Oscar and Blake had attacked Britney and I. Maybe some other girl was in trouble and didn’t have the power to raise an army of bees to help her. If I kept walking and found out something awful had happened in those woods, I’d never live with myself.

  I vaulted the fence and ran toward the woods.

  Another scream. My feet skidded on the path as I stopped to hone in on it. South. Maybe south. To my left anyway. I had no idea if that was actually south.

  I scooted down one path, branches bashing at my face and the mud squelching under me with each footfall.

  Nope, wrong direction. I span and headed in the other direction. Danger rippled through the wood. It buzzed over my skin. If I could feel it, it had to be something a lot less human than Oscar and Blake.

  A demon.

  With all the pent-up frustration pounding through my body, I’d make short work of that demon.

  Those weren’t screams, they were the high pitched howlings of a hell beast.

  Yeah, I’m going to get you, my friend.

  Footfalls thudded in the undergrowth a long way from me. The scholarship group or some innocent who’d been attacked?

  It didn’t matter. That demon had limited time left.

  I sensed him now, so close. Though the trees, his red eyes glared at me.

  I didn’t need to get any closer. The power inside me screamed to be released. I had more power than anyone. Why should I deny it? I didn’t need Ren. I didn’t need any of the others.

  With the aura glowing around me, I focused on shooting my power right at that demon. My brain buzzed with all the thoughts I’d pushed down. All of them, they hated me.

  He hollered as the power hit him, blasting fire my way. I jumped aside and hurled all I had at him. I’d shrivel his demon hide to a crisp.

  The demon exploded in a bang and a horrible, seared flesh smell filled the air.

  Too easy.

  “Is that all you’ve got?” I yelled to the sky. Someo
ne had to be behind these attacks. “Bring it on.”

  The only answer I got was a scream. I shook my head. That didn’t sound right.

  “Cherry?” the voice screamed from near the demon remains. It sounded like Nova.

  Chapter 27

  NOVA CURLED ON THE ground, groaning. Why had he even been near the demon and not safely back at school?

  “What happened? Where did the demon get you?”

  Nova shook his head and curled even further into himself.

  “Can you get to your feet?” I put my arm around his shoulders. That only made him flinch away.

  “Come on, buddy. You can do it.”

  He scurried on the ground, pushing himself away from me. Idiot. He’d only hurt himself more.

  “I need to get you back to the school.”

  Nova whimpered. “Get away.”

  Was he crazy? Hallucinating? He needed medical attention and we didn’t have time to spare. I couldn’t completely carry him on my own so I fumbled through my pocket for my phone. I could call someone... Mr. Norton, maybe. Before I could call, someone came crashing through the forest. Mark by the sound of it.

  “Mark!” I called, glad that there was someone around to help. Mark would be able to carry Nova back to school, no problem.

  “She tried to kill me,” Nova called. “Help.”

  Mark and Lucas rushed towards us.

  “Get her away from me,” Nova called to them.

  “What did you do to him?” Lucas asked.

  Huh? He’d been attacked by a demon and they were blaming me?

  “Nothing. I killed the demon and...” Wait? Had Nova been caught up in the attack? Maybe I’d hit him when I’d attacked the demon. But why? How? “What was he even doing here on his own?”

  Lucas’ glare burned into me, full of angry and accusation, as he and Mark tried to lift Nova.

  “Cherry, get back to school and talk to Mr. Norton.” Mark got all authoritarian. “We can handle this.”

  I stared at them, wanting to explain but I knew they wouldn’t listen to me and I had no explanation. Giving up, I walked back to the school on my own and went straight to the scholarship room.