Page 93 of Revenge is a Witch

Just as I’m about to take a bite of my sandwich, a sharp, rhythmichicbreaks through the cafeteria noise. My head swivels in the direction of the sound, my curiosity piqued.Hic! Hic! Hic!It’s relentless, obnoxious even, and with every jarring little hiccup, my smirk grows.

There she is. Sam. Sitting alone with Eva, looking like she’s seconds away from imploding in a fit of frustration. And she’s hiccuping—loudly, uncontrollably, almost comically. I watch herglare at her water glass, like it might somehow betray her by not curing her of this embarrassing ailment.

Derek glances over his shoulder and mutters, “Huh. So that’s what it does,” before turning back to his food with a casual shrug.

I raise an eyebrow and smirk at him. “Did you go snooping through my handbag?”

He doesn’t even try to hide the grin creeping across his face. “With very specific intentions,” he mocks, taking another bite of his sandwich like we’re discussing the weather, not the fact that he’s the reason Sam is hiccuping like a malfunctioning squeaky toy.

“Specific intentions, huh?” I try to keep my face neutral, but the corner of my mouth twitches.

“Oh yeah,” he says with a smirk. “Wanted to make sure I wasn’t going soft.” He takes a sip of his drink, his eyes still fixed on Sam, who’s now full-on glaring at Eva, like it’s her fault she can’t stop the hiccuping.

Sebastian raises an eyebrow, clearly catching on. “You didn’t.”

Derek just shrugs again, playing innocent. “All I did was slip her a little potion. One that, funnily enough, hasexactlythe side effect Zaria was testing.”

I bite my lip, barely holding back laughter as I lean toward Derek. “So, what I’m hearing is that you used my potion—myhiccuping potion—for personal entertainment?”

Derek grins, utterly unapologetic. “No, I used it to prevent her from talking. Which, honestly, is a public service.”

Sebastian stifles a laugh and mutters, “Remind me not to make you mad.”

The sound of another echoinghicfills the cafeteria, and I can’t help but glance back at Sam, who looks like she’s about to combust. “You know,” I say thoughtfully, “I might actually forgive you for rifling through my bag.”

Derek smirks, leaning back in his chair with a smug grin. “I knew you’d come around.”

I shake my head, still amused. “Just don’t make it a habit.”

“Oh, I wouldn’t dream of it,” he says, though the mischievous gleam in his eyes tells me otherwise.

We all laugh as another violenthicechoes across the room, Sam now pounding the table in frustration. The fact that no one can seem to figure out how to stop it just makes it all the more satisfying.

It’s good to win small battles too. Who knows, maybe today will end without any more disasters.

...Then again, this is me we’re talking about.

As I leave my last class, my feet dragging slightly, I’m already thinking about collapsing into bed when something catches my eye—a sleek, black town car pulling up near the school entrance. And not just any town car. Oh no.Thattown car.

I stop dead in my tracks. "Oh, no," I mutter under my breath. That’sdefinitelymy parents. And they aredefinitelyhere to chew me out. Not in the fun way, either.

With a sigh, I walk toward the car, bracing myself for the inevitable storm of disappointment. My parents—who I haven’t seen in weeks since I started at school—step out, all smiles. Which is strange, considering I just broke half the school’s rules in a magical duel yesterday.

“Zaria!” my mother exclaims, pulling me into a tight hug. “It’s so good to see you, darling.”

I blink, completely thrown off by their warm reception. Where’s the ‘we’re so disappointed in you’ lecture? Did I miss something?

“Hey... Mom, Dad. Uh, what are you doing here?” I ask, already feeling like a deer in headlights.

“We thought we’d drive in from the countryside,” Dad says with a grin. “It’s been too long, and with everything going on, we wanted to see you.”

I feel my stomach drop.They know.Of course, they know. “Listen, about the whole duel thing...” I begin, ready to apologize for being the family black sheep yet again.

But to my surprise, they’re still smiling. Shocked, yes. But not angry.

“The principal explained everything,” my father says. “What that girl had been doing to you... well, if I had known, I would have driven here sooner.”

“Oh, I would have hadwordswith her,” my mother adds, her voice dripping with protective fury. “No one messes with my daughter.”

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