Page 196 of A University of Betrayal

I looked at Julie. She, too, had to be a powerful Quatura. And I felt sorry for her.

Larissa laid back down on the cozy-looking bed, without taking off her black boots, of course. “We need to find the rest.”

Larissa’s idea didn’t seem to please Grace at all.“No,you don’t have to!”

“Youbetwe do,” Larissa replied mischievously and looked at me. “You’re going to look for the rest, aren’t you?”

The curiosity in me made me answer faster than I intended. “I have no other choice if I want to find out more about my mother.”

“Perfect.” Larissa straightened with satisfaction and reached for her camera.

Grace’s eyes widened with indignation. “You can’t be serious.”

Guilt mingled with my curiosity, as if I was doing something forbidden and disappointing Grace. No doubt this was true, but I had nothing to lose but my memories of this town.

“There’s no Alice Blair in the student records,” it came surprisingly from Julie, who looked up from her laptop for the first time, making Grace’s jaw drop.

“Are you serious?”

Julie blushed, but turned her gaze to us. “The old files haven’t been digitized yet.”

“Crap,”Larissa muttered, disappointed.

“Not necessarily,” I said, looking at her. “When we were at Professor Copeland’s the other day, I found the student files from the last few decades.”

“Jackpot.”

The expression on Larissa’s face changed instantly, and I knew she was about to come up with one of her doomed plans that would once again only costmemy head.

“What?!You broke into the Senseque director’s office?!”

Everyone looked at Grace. Only I looked at Julie, whose pale face was beginning to take on color.

“Let’s just say we needed some information.”

Larissa sounded like Grace wasn’t giving us all a death stare and winked at Julie, which Grace – thankfully – didn’t question.

“Have you completely lost your mind now?” Grace jumped up angrily, her look killing any joy at Larissa’s discovery. “If he finds out and my mother finds out, Julie and I are screwed!”

“Relax, woman.”

How could Larissa not lose her cool with Grace?

“No,I won’t! Don’t interfere in this matter!” Grace was beside herself with anger. “Bayla is one of us!”

My heart stung, and there it was again: that feeling that I was a traitor. How was I going to tell Grace that I wasn’t one of them? No doubt she would tell her mother and I would be the center of attention again.

“And she should behave accordingly!”

Now Grace looked at me. Her lips pressed together in anger.

Her eyes had a slight greenish glow.

It had to be like that with all species. When they were angry, their magic was activated.Anger. One of many strong emotions, just as Alarik had told me.

“And Julie and I will not be joining in your insane spying!”

I looked at Julie, whose expression said something completely different.

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