Page 17 of The Witch & the Wolf

“I’ll drop you in a second…”

The two friends conversed, enjoying each other’s presence, until the two hours passed, and Holly made good on her promise to wake Arlo. All the while, her conversation with Chloe swirled in her mind, just like her emotions. Neither seemed to land on anything concrete. Holly replayed moments of her “date” with Arlo: the way he stared at her when he thought she wasn’t looking, the way his fingers sometimes brushed hers, or his palms rested reassuringly on her shoulders, how, when he was tired from the magic, he sort of leaned into her when he was showing her his vast collection of sci-fi books.

All the moments added up. But perhaps she needed a few more before she could draw any sort of conclusion.

Since Holly didn’t have keys to Arlo’s building, she had left the door closed but unlocked. She made her way in after getting a couple of curious glances from two male students and encountered a snoring Arlo. Shadows enveloped the room as the sun set, but he’d asked to be woken up, so she sat on his bed and gently shook him. “C’mon, Arlo. Wakey-wakey. Eggs and bakey.”

He mumbled something before grabbing his pillow in a fierce, possessive way and curling up with his back to her. While she found this action strangely adorable, she persisted.

“You asked me to wake you up,” she said gently. “It’s been two hours. You don’t want to mess up your sleep pattern, remember?”

He mumbled again, sounding annoyed, before releasing the pillow, stretching, and rolling out of bed with a thump. “Okay,” he said. “You’re right.” His sleepiness evaporated when he accidentally knocked his head against the wall. “Ow!”

“Don’t give yourself brain damage trying to wake up,” Holly said wryly. “Do you want coffee?”

“Yeah… no!” He sat upright. “No, no coffee. I’ll never be able to sleep if I drink it now. What time is it?”

“Eight.”

That got him moving. He splashed his face with water and stretched just as Holly’s phone rang with an unknown number. She debated ducking it, but the area code matched Dreadmor’s, so she answered.

“Hello?”

“Hello. This is Z’Hana. We’ve sent emails to you and Arlo, but we’re also contacting you this way. At 9 tonight, you will come to the testing room near the principal’s office. Marisha Raintotem is waiting for your input.”

“You want us to come as students?”

“Yes. Plus, as I understand, you have already been able to glean some information. Marisha would appreciate it if you and Arlo could again utilize your powers. However, if you don’t choose to come, that will not be a detriment for you.”

“Oh, no, we want to come. Isn’t that right, Arlo?” she asked, and he looked momentarily confused. “Z’Hana and Marisha Raintotem want our input on the body we took out of the well, Charles Suntooth.”

“Oh, yeah. I’ll go. But I don’t think I can quite use my powers for a bit.”

Z’Hana spoke. “You two are together? Convenient. Nine on the dot. You know how to get to the testing room?”

“No,” Holly said, “but I know the floor the principal’s office is on. Same floor as the balcony.”

“Good. We’ll see you then.”

The call ended, and Holly grinned. “Looks like we’re going to be kept in the loop.”

“Looks like it, indeed.” His eyes settled on her with a strange, calculating look. “Perhaps it will be up to you to find something more.”

“I don’t know. You kind of found out a lot. You just probably need to have more training.”

“I suppose.” His eyes continued to examine her, and she got the distinct feeling he was, well, inspecting her as if the meal she’d given him earlier wasn’t quite enough to satisfy. She pretended not to notice and acted oblivious, heading toward the door.

“I’ll see you outside the testing room at 9. Bet you’re glad I woke you up now!”

He didn’t say anything, and she left, closing the door behind her and taking a deep breath. The questions still swirled in her mind, none that she felt like answering at that moment.

Chapter Six – Arlo

Marisha Raintotem opened the door when he knocked. Holly was already there, arms folded, back against the wall, her gaze locked on his. A jolt of excitement went through his spine, but he controlled it with a small smile, nodding toward her, and then inspected the table with the bones now laid out in the proper order.

Two other individuals waited in the room as well. Professor Z’Hana and Principal Eldan. Eldan had strange, gray eyes and wore a perpetual frown. He was an older supernatural who perhaps had seen a few too many things he did not wish to keep seeing. The room itself was old-fashioned, with large black drapes covering the windows, grooved wooden surfaces, and several tables like the one that now displayed the bones of Charles Suntooth. There were chairs, heavy with dust and neglect, stacked up on the sides of the room. In short, it look like a room that wasn’t used often.

“I’m still not comfortable with this type of study being allowed to students,” Eldan said in a gruff, cold voice that reminded Arlo of his grandfather’s, which almost made him stand at attention, straight and unwilling to show any weakness.

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