Page 24 of The Cursed Fae

“Both sound like pretty crappy things to be known for,” I mused.

Laughter made his chest rumble. “Couldn't agree more. Should we get back to it? You didn't hear this from me, but Canterwald is giving you a pop quiz on Friday.”

“I don't know. Think you can manage not to be such a dick about it?” I countered.

He flashed me one of his cocky smiles. “Can you manage not giving me a concussion?”

I narrowed my eyes and pretended to think about it. “Deal.”

That night, after the dorms grew quiet, I slipped out of my room and padded down the hallway to the floor lounge. There, in the darkness, I sat crossed legged on the couch, back arched and head tilted toward the ceiling. I'd watched Mom meditate enough times to understand the basic concepts. I cleared my mind and chanted Missy's name inside my head.

“You look ridiculous. Do you realize that and not care, or are you simply oblivious? I'm actually embarrassed for you.”

My eyes popped open to find my spirit friend staring down at me, hands perched on her hips.

“Holy shit. It worked.”

Chapter eight

Melissa Explains it All

“What worked?” Missy frowned. “Your shoddy attempt at wielding magic?”

“I summoned you.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “Isn't that why you're here? I called you forth or whatever.”

Missy's face split into a sardonic grin. “Is that what you think happened? Mighty full of ourselves aren't we.”

I bristled. “Well, if you didn't hear me calling your name, why are you here?”

She perched on the edge of the coffee table, facing me. “We need to talk.”

“Agreed. That's why I summoned you,” I replied.

Missy pursed her pale lips. “Dude, you didn't summon me. I came looking for you on my own. You're the only person at this school who can see me. Don't be such an asshole.”

“You're right.” I sighed. “I'm sorry, Missy.” The words didn't sound as sincere as I'd have liked. So I repeated them, which wasn't any more convincing. “I am sorry. What do you want to talk about?”

Missy crossed her long legs in front of her and leaned an elbow on her knee. “You know about my condition, right?”

“The depletion sickness? Um, yeah, I've heard,” I said.

Her blunt admission came as a surprise after my conversations with Nana and Laz. Not to mention all the whispers I'd overheard. Then again, maybe the stigma of the disease disappeared after death.

“It wasn't serious when I was younger,” she continued. “I just didn't use magic much, and it was fine. The infusions started when I was about twelve. My mom was the primary source until I turned eighteen and came to the university.”

Missy averted her gaze, staring at the rug on the floor while she collected her thoughts. My heart went out to her. At twenty-one, she was dead from the same illness that had claimed so many of my ancestors. In a different life, a different world, I might have been Missy. Had the events in California unfolded differently, I would have died just as young.

“At the end of last term, I received an invitation to attempt initiation into the Gemini.” Missy picked at her jeans as she talked. “It was a huge deal, you know? My mother doesn't know her lineage. She just knows she's fae, but she really wanted me to belong somewhere. They rarely invite hybrids to join any fae organization, let alone one they have no ties to.” She met my eyes. “Essie fought really hard for me. She's the only reason the Gemini Council nominated me.”

“Sounds like Nana,” I said with a sad smile.

“Yeah,” Missy said absently, and then her tone turned bitter. “I wanted to decline the offer, I knew it was too dangerous. My mom insisted. She thought the honor was too great to pass up, but the only way I could pull it off was with more frequent magic infusions. Mom started taking me to the Maven Institute. They specialize in treating the illness in both fae and casters.”

The Maven Institute. I rolled the name around in my head, trying to trigger a memory. My mother had mentioned it before, but all I could recall was that it was a hospital.

“Ray went there for treatment too,” Missy continued.

This should have been obvious, and yet I hadn't considered that connection between the two students until Missy spelled it out.

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