Page 44 of Faerie Gift

It didn’t make my job any easier, because although the tracking spell for the Augundae Imperium had failed, I still had no leads on the artifact beyond a hunch on the location. Right inside the Fort Knox of dorms.

I couldn’t very well go up to the door and ask to be let inside. I’d need a damn password and a drop of blood as well as an oath to do no harm. And so I told Melia the evening after I finally finished with Detective Wilson, scurrying to her room and spilling everything about what happened. She’d stared at me with sleepy eyes through my first sentence, snapping awake when I mentioned running into Mike, and practically lunging at me when I hit the part about Professor Reeds.

She didn’t understand it any more than I did. My suspicions did nothing but scare her, too. We decided to bide our time, at least for the moment, until we could devise a better plan. In the meantime, I could only hope Barbara didn’t get antsy and pressure me. My normal studies were stressful enough.

And now spring break was just around the corner. In my old high school, I was used to spring break being a time of madness. Kids went crazy for a chance to ditch school even for a week. Here at the academy, that wasn’t the case, and a somber hush fell over all of us once March rolled around.

The day before the official start of break, I sat in my bunk, pressed against the far wall where I thought Persephone couldn’t see me, chewing on a pen and thinking. Not sure why it helped me with the thinking but pen chewing wasn’t such a bad habit to have, considering the many alternatives.

I’d made a list of all the things burdening me. Starting with my number one.

I stared down at Mike’s name, although I’d been careful not to state why he bothered me in case someone happened to stumble on my list. Things with Mike had been tense since the police interviews. Weird and…off, as though we couldn’t find a common ground.

After Detective Wilson pulled us both aside for questioning—spending extra time with me, of course, and sending me on my way with a warning to stay the fuck out of trouble (his words, not mine)—it was like Mike and I weren’t sure what to say to each other. Our late-afternoon study sessions dropped down to twice a week, if that, and our conversations were short. Simple because neither one of us felt like doing anything more than skimming the surface ever since—

Ever since I caught him in the exchange student hall just before we found the half-eaten Professor Reeds.

Did I think he had anything to do with the murder? Absolutely not.

But I also knew without a shadow of a doubt he was hiding something from me. Abigsomething, if his demeanor was to be questioned. Mike was an easy-going guy who usually gave straightforward answers. He was thewhat you see is what you gettype.

Lately he was acting squirrely. Squirrelier than usual, anyway.

I didn’t want to sound like a big old hypocrite, because I had plenty of secrets of my own, but mine didn’t stop me from giving my friendships everything I had. Mike’s apparent secrets, however, seemed to do the opposite. Any time the balance of normal tilted one way or another, he got weird, and it showed.

Hiding something from me, surely, I thought as I continued to chew on the pen. I stared down at the paper until the lines I’d written blurred together. I didn’t think it had anything to do with the Augundae Imperium, either. Still, I couldn’t rule him out entirely. Because I trusted Melia’s skill and the tracking spell had brought me to him when I was looking for the artifact. I couldn’t discount that little nugget of information.

Which brought me to number two on my list.

Between classes and studying and my late-night tutoring sessions with Mike—ones sadly missing in any kind of making out—I hadn’t had the opportunity to look for the Augundae Imperium again. Secretly I hoped I could tell Barbara I tried (once) and it would get me off the hook with her. I knew she’d rather skin me alive than accept an excuse.

Classes earlier in the day had been absolutely brutal as well: number four on the list, because number three began with MUR and ended with DER and I had a hard time writing it out. I didn’t want to look at the word.

With a sigh I slammed the notebook shut, rubbing my eyes. I needed to take a night off and give my brain a break. I’d read so many books and written so many spells, I could use some mindless television and a few hours where I didn’t have to worry about, well,everything.

Although worrying about everything seemed to be my specialty.

I sent a text to my bestie stating my desire, her response arriving in an instant. She could use a night off as well.

Thank goodness we at least were on the same page.

The first-years used a shared common room in the castle outside of the dorms, which were separated by gender. All the first-year girls shared the same living space. Same with the first-year boys.

Mike had been lumped in with the half-human boys despite his full-blooded status but I didn’t think it bothered him. He was pretty good at making friends, as befitted his station.

Nope, not thinking about Mike tonight. I gave myself the night off from him as well. No classes, no boy trouble, and certainly no killers on campus.

I grabbed Melia and together she and I headed for the first-year common room becausewehad the best television. Go figure. It was probably another kind of test, to see who could focus on their studies rather than spending their time sitting in front of a huge television screen every day. We even got free movie channels.

So far I’d managed to stay away from those kinds of activities, driven by my fear of getting kicked out. Tonight, I simply didn’t care anymore. Everyone deserved a break. Tonight, Tavi Alderidge took one without guilt.

Okay, with only a smidge of guilt. Nothing to worry about.

Most everyone had gone on vacation with their families for spring break, leaving right after the last class ended. Not to mention we’d just gotten through with the latest lottery. Fewer students went home this time, since the major cullings had occurred earlier in the school term; still; those with the lowest points were given the boot while the rest of us held our breath and prayed to the heavens we’d been good.

With the halls nearly empty and echoing, the food pickings slimming down, and the noise level dropping, this was my time to relax.

“This is going to be fun,” I told Melia. Then glanced down at my feet and the adorable pink color of my toe socks. Walking the halls in my pajamas…what a luxury!

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