Page 119 of A University of Betrayal

“You don’t need to be afraid of me. I won’t attack you.”

That wasn’t a promise, but as long asshedidn’t attack me or stand in my way when I had an outburst, everything should turn out fine for her.

Her eyes normalized abruptly, and she began to laugh disdainfully.

“I’mnotafraid of you witches.”

She turned her head away and walked back to the stove, where something was boiling.

I inhaled automatically and immediately recognized the smell. Everything inside me began to spin. My stomach squeezed as if I had swallowed metal and then, like last time, I felt sick to my stomach. I hunched forward.

Emely seemed to notice.“God,what’s going onnow?”

“What do you always cook there?” I gasped.

“It’s just normal meat,” she said, shaking her head and looking back at her food.

Another wave of scent hit me. That was too much.

The urge to vomit hit me again, and I stormed up the stairs. Once in the bathroom, I quickly bent over the toilet. I threw up until the gag reflex eased, straightened up and rinsed my mouth out, trying to keep my balance at the sink.

From now on, I would consciously avoid the kitchen as soon as Emely was cooking there.

I flinched when, through the mirror – which was covered in green mask stains – I spotted Emely leaning in the doorway behind me with her arms crossed.

I wheeled around in alarm.

“Either you’reterriblyunstable or you’re pregnant.”

I hadn’t been prepared for that sentence. It jolted me back to reality so hard that I had to hold on to the sink to keep from falling over.

“It’s not my food because someone just ate it yesterday without asking.”

I couldn’t answer her and clawed my hands deeper into the sink as if otherwise I would tip over and the water on the edge started to freeze. Fine ice crystals formed under my hands.

“Don’t tell me you had unprotected sex.”

That was the crux of the matter. I hadn’t...

“I... I’m on the pill,” I stuttered.

She stared at me for a second too long.

“What?” I asked in a panic. I preferred any answer from her now rather than her remaining silent.

“I would never have guessed thatyouhad aboyfriend.”

Nice that Emely didn’t think I hadanysocial skills, either. And she was right. My personality ruined any relationship.

“I don’t have a boyfriend,” I sighed, clutching my head.

Despair rose up inside me, and everything moist I touched inevitably froze into ice. I tried to cover it up, but the panic in my chest made itself noticeable through my trembling.

“Shit,” Emely laughed, looking at me even more speechless. “I really didn’t expect that.”

I started to wipe the ice off the sink with a towel.It was ice.Dammit.It wasn’t going to come off that easily.

“So, youarepregnant?” Emely whispered cautiously.

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