Page 31 of Mud

According to the IDD, he was suspected to be part of a very dangerous organization of rebel Iridians, powerful mages who’d managed to escape from the IDD in the past two decades since their existence first became known. They weren’t named, they operated in the dark, and the file was pretty vague about any specifics, but they apparently stole objects, mainly magical artifacts, and that’s how they harvested more and more power for their followers.

At present, nobody knew the number of people who worked with or for them, but Taland Tivoux was the only suspect in this school, though it didn’t saywhyhe was a suspect or who had pointed him out. All the file said was that the IDD believed he was after an artifact—unspecified—that was somewhere in the school building, and they suspected that he would try to steal it before the school year’s end.

They hadn’t sent agents after him because thisorganizationthat they hadn’t named was most probably watching, and if they became suspicious that Tivoux’s cover was blown, they’d pull him. The IDD had sentme,an actual student, for two reasons, Hill said:to both make sure that this boy is who we think he is and to make sure we catch him in time and have him reveal who his superiors are, so that we can free our people from their wrongdoings once and for all.

I believed him, of course—why wouldn’t I? And it seemed like an easy enough job.

Especially since I’d already spoken to Taland before I even knew who he was. Especially when I now knew how easy it would be to hang out with him—because that’s what I needed to do.

I’d thought about it long and hard, and that he’d asked me on a date was actually the perfect scenario. That’s how I was going to get close to him, spend time with him, find out if he really was working for some shady nameless organization of rebel Iridians, and figure out what they’d sent him here to steal.

A date was going to get me close to him, so despite my anxiety and fear and embarrassment, I was absolutely going.

Not because Iwantedto—Iris forbid,no,that was not it at all. It was not because I thought he might be the most beautiful boy to have ever existed, or that I liked his smile, his laugh, the sound of his voice, and most definitely not because the scent of him made me drool.

No, it was because I was on a mission, and that mission was to get as close to him as possible, and nobody had taught me anything about anything, had they? I’d met with David Hill twice after that meeting at the mansion, and all he’d talked about was how important it was tonot get caught.That was all he’d seemed to care about—not how I’d do it, not if I’d manage to actually succeed, but—the number one thing you need to be concerned about is that nobody finds out. Not your friends, not your professors, not anybody you meet in school, and most certainly not your target. He can never know who you are and why you’re there. He can never know what you’re thinking or feeling or planning—never. Do you understand?

Why, yes, I understood. It was very straightforward, and the reason why I thought he’d pickedmeover Poppy.She hated me for it, had refused to see me, talk to me, even look my way before I left, as if any of this wasmyfault ormychoice. She knew it wasn’t, and I hated that she hated me, but I couldn’t help but be thankful that Hill had chosen me.

Thankful that he had gotten me here,away from Madeline.

Close to the Tivoux boy.

It had only been two days, but I was alreadybreathingmore than I had in years, and I wasn’t even doing anything, just sitting in the study area with eleven other girls who slept in the same chamber with me.

They were hilarious, and I was laughing, which was odd as hell, but I also couldn’t get over the fact that theydidn’t hate me.None of them had looked at me wrong so far, and this girl Sophia even offered to grab breakfast together tomorrow morning if I wanted.

Hell, yes, I want!was what I’d wanted to say, but instead I'd said, “Sure thing.”

So now I was sitting there and watching these girls just hang out and eat snacks and drink soda and braid each other’s hair and paint each other’s nails—and it was just sonormal,I wanted to cry. It was absolutely perfect, a life I had never dared to imagine for myself. It was so easy to get lost in their little movements, their smiles, their laughs, and most definitely their stories.

“…and then he said,you’re making a big deal out of things, she’s just a friend,” one of the girls was saying—Kayla was her name, and judging by her blue pajamas, I’d say she was a Bluefire.

Some girls laughed, but more than a few gasped. The one in the middle of the biggest couch sat up straighter with a hand to her chest and told her, “Girl, he is way too short for that kind of attitude. Drop his ass.”

The look on her face was priceless. I laughed so hard I had tears in my eyes, and so did everyone else.

“I’m serious!” the girl—Gina—continued. “I don’t understand guys who are under six feet and try to gaslight you—what has the world come to?!”

“Maybe he just hasn’t grown up all the way yet,” said another girl.

“He’s an eighteen-year-old dude.” Gina waved her off. “He’s not going to get taller, and you will never be able to wear six-inch heels as the goddess intended for you to do, Kayla, baby. You can’t even dofourinches! Trust me when I tell you, just drop him.”

Iris, I hadn’t laughed like that in a long time.

“Yeah, yeah, I will. You’re right—I wasn’t blessed with these legs for nothing.” And Kayla raised her legs in the air—tan, smooth skin over toned muscle.

The girls cheered, and somehow, I found myself cheering, too. Such an odd thing to do. So simple, but odd.

And then the conversation continued—mostly about guys. Who was brave enough came forth and told stories about who they’d dated, either back home wherever they came from, or here in school. Most of these girls had attended this school since the beginning; only two had come the second year, and another—Kayla—at the beginning of senior year.

They gossiped about other students, too, both in their year or younger, about who slept with whom and who dumped whom, and I swear I found it all so fascinating it was kind of pathetic. I was sohappy,so full of joy to just sit there with them with my arms wrapped around my knees that I could have been a little girl all over again.

“…take my word for it, ladies—guys are way dumber than we think,” a girl was saying. Whitefire, but I didn’t know her name yet.

“True,” said a Greenfire—Briar with the gorgeous green eyes that looked like they were infused with actual magic. “But the same applies to people in general. I used to give everyone the benefit of the doubt when I was oh-so-young and naive. But if there’s one thing this school has taught me is that people’s stupidity is the only constant in life.”

Girls cheered and laughed and threw snacks at her while they booed her—and then something moved right outside the door.

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