Cauldron of Ash

by Dorothy Dreyer

  Again, Killian held his finger to his lips.

  Christine and I exchanged a look. It was the first time today I felt as if she were on my side and not raging in anger at me.

  Eventually, the underbrush became easier to move through. A slither of sunlight broke through the trees, its rays landing upon a rock formation nestled between vine-covered evergreens. As we got closer, I saw that it was a cave. Outside of the cave were scattered puddles of rainwater—at least I hoped it was rainwater.

  Jeremy nodded to Killian, who held up a hand for Christine and me to stop walking. Jeremy stretched out his neck, left to right, and then proceeded toward the dark cave entrance. Shivers ran up and down my spine.

  Jeremy then did something that made my brow furrow: he pulled something out of his pocket and held it out toward the cave opening.

  “What is that?” Christine whispered.

  “It looks like some kind of necklace,” I answered. “What are those? Beads?”

  Killian, suddenly standing beside me, softly cleared his throat. “It’s probably better not to ask.”

  Christine brought her head forward a bit. “Are those… teeth?”

  No one answered because the next thing we knew, a hairy, dirty creature about half the size of a human came wobbling into view. It looked like a withered old man with a fat nose that extended five inches from his face. His eyes were different sizes; the big one was yellow with a tiny black dot for a pupil, and the small one was red. His bottom teeth—of which he only had two—extended past his lips and up to touch the bottom of his nostrils. Dark clusters of hair hung from most of his body, and the remaining parts were bald patches.

  I wanted to clasp a hand over my mouth to keep from gasping, but I was frozen in place, not believing what I was seeing. Christine seemed to be frozen as well, barely breathing.

  I didn’t realize until Killian patted my fingers that I’d cinched my hand around his arm in fright. Instead of pulling away from him, I let myself hold on. He gave me one small nod, the soft expression on his face one of comfort.

  “It’s a goblin,” he whispered. “Don’t worry. Nothing will happen to you.”

  “Is that’th for’th me?” the creature said to Jeremy, reaching for the necklace.

  “If you agree to let my classmates see you for a moment.”

  The goblin grunted, shifting from one foot to the other while eying the necklace.

  “Do you want it or not?” Jeremy asked.

  The goblin grunted once more, sneering at Jeremy before answering. “Fine. But make’th it quick’th.”

  Jeremy looked back at us to flash us a quick smile. He pulled out his wand and pointed it up into the air. “Riddle solved!”

  “Wait,” I said. “What?”

  The wand made a whistling sound before shooting a bright silver light out of the tip. The light was so bright, we all had to shield our eyes, and the goblin actually let out a small shriek.

  “Why did you do that?” I asked. “You didn’t ask us what we thought. What if you’re wrong?”

  In a flash, Mrs. Malvern appeared behind us. I hadn’t expected her to just appear out of nowhere, but then again, she was a practiced witch who knew magic better than I did. And with all the obstacles she must have set between the trail and the cave, I was sure Mrs. Malvern knew this was the quickest and easiest way to find the winner.

  “Well,” she said, looking around at us. “You got here rather quickly.”

  She lifted her chin and assessed the situation. As soon as she nodded her head, the goblin snatched the necklace from Jeremy and quickly wobbled back into his cave. Jeremy casually came to join Christine, Killian, and me, each of us facing our teacher and awaiting her verdict. For a moment I was afraid she would call us out for cheating. I held my breath until she spoke.

  “Congratulations. Well done.”

  I released my breath, my muscles relaxing.

  “You’ve solved the riddle. How efficient of you to get through the obstacle course before the rest of the class. Top score for this lesson and twenty points will be awarded to each of you.”

  Killian placed his hands on my shoulders. “Well, Mrs. Malvern, Reagan here used to be on the track team at her old school.”

  “Ah,” Mrs. Malvern said, nodding. “That explains it then. Good job.”

  Christine’s mouth broke out into a smile. When she turned my way, the smile didn’t fade, which relieved me.

  “I will alert the rest of the class to return to the school,” Mrs. Malvern said. “See you there.”

  She disappeared without another word.

  “It actually worked,” Christine said to me.

  “I promised, didn’t I?”

  Instead of answering, she gave me a hug. “I’m sorry I was such a bitch. I should have known you would make it up to me.”

  “Well, I’m not done yet. I still have thirty points to go.”

  She laughed. “I have faith you’ll find a way.”

  “Come on,” Jeremy said. “Let’s get out of these woods. They’re creepy.”

  “Speaking of creepy.” Christine sidled up to him as he began clomping his way through the underbrush and back toward campus. “Were those teeth?”

  “I don’t think you want to know,” Jeremy said.

  “They were teeth, weren’t they?”

  “I’d rather not say.”

  “Animal or… human?”

  Their voices diminished as they got farther away from Killian and me. I turned to him and offered a smile. “You knew he’d be able to solve the puzzle, didn’t you?”

  Killian smirked, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “What makes you think that?”

  I pursed my lips together, trying not to laugh.

  Behind us, there came a grunt. “She’s the one.”

  We turned to see the goblin poking his head out of the entrance to the cave.

  “What?” I asked.

  He pointed his long, boney finger at me. “She’s the one who is seeked’th.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” I asked.

  Killian put a hand on my back. “Don’t listen to him. He’s just a crazy, old goblin.” He urged me a little closer to him and then turned to the goblin. “Leave her alone.”

  “You hide the truth from’th her. She’s in danger’th. You must’th tell’th her.”

  Killian wrapped his arm tighter around me as we walked away from the cave. “Come on, Reagan. Let’s get out of here.”

  “But—”

  “Trust me. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s never to trust a goblin.”

  Chapter Ten

  We walked in silence until we reached the school grounds. Killian kept stealing glances at me. I couldn’t help but wonder what he was thinking. Judging by the dreamy look in his eyes, I could only imagine he could sense the same energy I was. It was like there was a thrilling electricity between us, something magnetic and captivating. I looked toward Killian again, and after he flashed me a small smile, his brows creased and he checked over his shoulder.

  I followed his gaze, wondering what he was searching for, but suddenly Killian grabbed my hand and pulled me away from the group of students. What’s he doing? I thought, trying to keep up as he yanked me away. He kept ahold of my hand until we slipped around the main building. As soon as he let go, I pushed him backward.

  “What are you doing?” I huffed out, crossing my hands over my chest.

  “What I’ve wanted to do since I first saw you,” he whispered, the wind carrying his words.

  Within a heartbeat his chest was pressed up against mine. My breath hitched as his lips touched my own. I closed my eyes, tasting peppermint and cinnamon. I tried to resist him, but my body had its own thoughts as I kissed him back. My stomach fluttered when I felt his sharp teeth graze against my lips. It lasted all of a few seconds. I felt him as he pulled away, and I opened my eyes to find him nowhere to be seen. One second, he was ther
e; the next, he was gone. Had I imagined the whole situation?

  I quickly glanced around, but no one was in sight. I made my way back to my dorm room to freshen up. All while trying to figure out what had just happened. Had I really just kissed Killian? If it did happen, why had he disappeared so quickly afterward? Was I that bad at it? I was too busy going over what had just happened that I didn’t hear Laurel yelling out my name. She tapped me on the shoulder, which broke me from my thoughts.

  “What’s wrong with you, Reagan? I’ve been calling out your name for ages,” she said, walking alongside me into the dorm.

  I followed her in, not bothering to reply. She was right: something was definitely wrong with me. Moments ago, I’d been kissing freaking Killian. Just after that weird encounter in the woods with the goblin. I still hadn’t had the chance to process all of that information and now I had to process the Killian mini-make-out session. I was done for. Laurel looked over her shoulder toward me and shook her head. But she didn’t say anything more.

  The day went by in a blur, between classes and thinking of what happened with Killian. He didn’t show up to any of the classes he was meant to be in with me. Was he avoiding me? Did he regret the kiss? The bell went and the classroom erupted in chatter. I couldn’t remember a single word the teacher spoke. I had to try and clear my thoughts of Killian and focus on what was important. Getting out of here.

  I caught up with Laurel as she stepped outside the classroom. We walked in silence until we reached our room. Laurel closed the door behind us. Rascal leaped out from underneath my covers running straight for me. He ran up my pants and nestled himself on my shoulder. I gave him a scratch behind the ear.

  I busied myself, looking through my bag for a pair of pajamas. I couldn’t deal with Laurel and her questions just then. I wanted my space to get my head cleared so I could get focused on gaining back points. I knew Laurel was looking at me, wanting to talk. I couldn’t look at her.

  “I think I’ll go for a run,” I said, grabbing a pair of sweatpants.

  Laurel narrowed her eyes at me.

  “It’s not past curfew,” I said. “There’s nothing against exercise in the rules, right?”

  “Yeah, whatever.” She grabbed the book off her nightstand and settled back in her bed to read.

  After changing into my running gear, I headed out, surprised I didn’t catch any suspicious looks from any of the teachers as I slipped out the front door. Now that I was sure I wasn’t breaking any rules, I could let go of my worries and enjoy my run. I just had to be sure to stick to the actual path. I didn’t need to relive my nightmare in real life.

  The evening air was refreshing. There was still plenty of sun, and as I stuck to the path, I didn’t find myself too close to the woods. They were a safe distance away from the path, and there was no chilling wind or darkening sky to cause me to panic. As I made it half way around the circumference of the path—judging by the location of the school—voices carried on the wind in my direction. One of them put me on high alert: it was Killian. There was no mistaking it. But he was a bit too far away for me to hear clearly.

  “No, I need more time,” he said.

  I could just make out a low voice responding to him, but I couldn’t make out any words. It was more like a rumbling of thunder in the distance. I slowed my pace and tried to listen.

  “Yes, I understand. Of course. Of course I’ll do what you say, it’s just, well, she’s—"

  The low rumbling voice said something back to him. I slowed to a walk to better make out his words, but to no avail.

  “Please, just… just give me more time,” Killian pleaded.

  I took a few more steps could spot him, just inside the line of trees in the woods. He started, looking over his shoulder with wide eyes, and his jaw dropped slightly when he spotted me.

  I blew out some heavy breaths from my run and rested my hands on my sides, waiting for him to acknowledge me. Killian turned toward the woods again for a split second before facing me. His expression was composed, and he nodded as he approached me.

  “Hey,” he said as got nearer.

  “Hi.” I wiped sweat from my brow and glanced over his shoulder. “What, um, who were you talking to?”

  “Oh, that.” He held up his phone. “Just, uh, family. My dad. I like to have a little privacy when it comes to him, so I decided to come out here for the call.”

  I hadn’t noticed the phone before, but it had been hard to see him through the trees.

  “Sounded like he was giving you a hard time,” I said.

  “Yeah. Saying he’s controlling would be an understatement.”

  I smirked. “I’m familiar with the type.”

  He smiled back at me and stuck his hands in his pockets. “I see you’ve decided to stick with your running routine.”

  “I don’t know if you’d call it a routine, but yeah, I felt like stretching my legs. Did you want to walk back to the school together?” I was desperate to talk to him about that kiss, and now seemed the opportune moment.

  “I’d love to, but I, uh, can’t right now. My dad told me to call him back, so I probably better not test his patience.”

  His eyes grew dark and his smile faded completely.

  “Oh,” I said. “All right. I’ll see you later, then.”

  “You can count on it,” he said, his stare intense.

  I stared back for a moment, not quite able to read his mood. With a wave, I continued down the path, circling back to the school. The conversation played over and over in my head the entire time it took me to get back to my room.

  Stepping inside, I found Laurel still on her bed, but her book was closed beside her and her phone was in her hand. She only glanced up at me for a split second before continuing to tap and swipe her screen.

  I brushed past her and headed straight to the bathroom.

  After I freshened up, I went back into the room and noticed that Laurel was gone. I found it odd but shrugged it off. I wasn’t her keeper, nor was she mine, and either of us could come and go as we pleased.

  I slipped into my sheets, welcoming the soft caress of them. My encounter with Killian still bothered me, but I wasn’t about to let it get in the way of much-needed sleep. Rascal snuggled in next to me, and as soon as my head hit the pillow, and I was out.

  Chapter Eleven

  The next morning, I woke early and slipped out while Laurel still slept, leaving Rascal next to my bed with some dried beef to snack on. I had one mission today and that was finding Principal Grayson. I needed to get on that volunteer committee to gain extra points.

  I caught Principal Grayson as she was walking down the corridor toward her office.

  “Principal Grayson, can I have a word with you?” I asked, plastering on a fake smile.

  She stopped and looked me up and down with a frown. She continued on toward her office, and I followed her in.

  “Now what can I do for you, Reagan? Not getting up to any more mischief at night, now are you?” She clicked her tongue.

  Of course she would bring that up. I had some sucking up to do to get back into her good books. Until then, I knew she would be keeping an eye on me at all times. Which wasn’t good.

  “Well, I wanted to volunteer at the Founder’s Festival. I was wondering if you would allow me to clean your office as a way in?” I bit down on my nail so hard that it cracked.

  This was awkward as hell. Principal Grayson laughed, and my eyes snapped up to meet hers.

  “Well, I didn’t think my office was that bad, Reagan.”

  I froze. Oh God! I’d just made it even worse.

  Now I had no chance at getting into the benefit. I turned around, ready to run out. But I stopped as I felt her hand on my shoulder.

  “I suppose it does need a little spring cleaning. It would make it easier to find things. You have two hours.” She brushed past me, leaving me stunned and alone in her office.

  I stood there in shock f
or a few minutes, confused at how she’d changed her mind so quickly. I thought for sure that she would refuse my offer based on her first comment. But here I was alone in her office for the next two hours. I quickly got to work starting at her messy desk.

  There were papers stacked up so high that I almost couldn’t reach them. I spent the next hour sorting out all her papers into neat piles. I moved toward her filing cabinets. I needed to fit these papers in there so they were out of the way. That would at least make her desk completely cleared of clutter. I opened the first drawer, and it squeaked in protest. It was full to the brim with files labeled with names of students.

  Just as I went to close it, a name jumped out at me: Killian Reid. Intrigued, I reached in and pulled the file out. Leaning back on my feet, I opened it up. I had to see what she had on Killian. It should give me some further insight into what had gotten him in here. And maybe even some insight into his strange ways.

  The first page had general information about his family history. It listed the names and dates of birth of his parents, and I noticed there was a “date deceased” on his father’s line. So Killian grew up half his life without his father. I frowned and skipped past it to the next page. This was where things got interesting. It had a detailed description of what had caused Killian to be sentenced to the school. I read over it. He’d gotten caught engaging in a crime for someone, but the weird part was that there were several parts blacked out. The most important parts. Like who was this guy he’d done the job for and what the job had entailed. Basically, I got nothing from reading it. My mind raced as I thought of reasons why it had to be a secret. I mean, my file no doubt had every detail of what had happened. But someone—or Killian himself—didn’t want anyone finding out about his information.

  I shut the file. The only way I was going to find out more about Killian was from the source himself. I wondered if I had the nerve to speak to him about it.

  I tucked his file into the filing cabinet, and then curiosity got the best of me. I looked for my name and pulled my file out.