Page 124 of Blood & Betrayals

“Ashley?” I frown.

Alice nods. “Ashley Troy. You met her the other day.”

I look down, trying to place her, and then it clicks. “The cheerleader?”

“Cheercaptain. You’d better get it right if you’re serious about wanting to join the squad.” Alice opens the main door to Kelpie, and we climb the stairs plotting against the twins.

When we open the door to our dorm, every instinct I have goes on alert. There is something wrong. Alice, too wrapped up in chatting about Zach and Ashley, doesn’t notice and just walks through to her room, continuing to talk. Her voice fades into a faint hum as I zero my senses onto the strange energy in the dorm. Slowly, I walk toward my bedroom door. It is sitting ajar, and a pang of fear sinks into me as I brush my fingers down the wood, following the grain. The hinges squeak as I cautiously push it open, my heart racing in my chest. As my room comes into view, my stomach sinks. It is completely destroyed. Drawers have been dumped, my wardrobe has been emptied, and my clothes are strewn across the floor. Pictures have been rippedfrom my walls, some of them torn to pieces. I step into the room and pick up one of my shirts. There is a huge slice along the back of it.

“So I was thinking about cheerlea…” Alice’s words trail off as she rounds the corner into my room. “What the fuck?” She inhales deeply like I have seen her do when trying to get a scent. “Nothing. Fuck, Sum. What do we do? Call the authorities?”

My hands start to shake, and I drop the ruined shirt. “I think we should notify the headmaster first.” I grab my phone and open my school email account.

To: [email protected]

From: [email protected]

Sorry to bother you, sir. Someone has ransacked my dorm room. Should I contact the authorities about this, or is it a school matter?

-Summer.

The second I hit the send button, regret churns in my gut. “Fuck, he already hates me, Alice. Now, I am emailing him on a Sunday. He is going to expel me for sure.”

I’ve barely finished my thought when someone knocks on the door. It’s a familiar knock, sure and strong. I already know who it is before Alice opens the door for him. The headmaster steps into the dorm wearing a casual version of his usual professional attire. His steely eyes rake the living room, taking in every detail.

“Miss Tuatha De Daanan, Miss Legosi,” he says. His voice is clipped, but there is no unkindness in it.

“Headmaster Emrys, thank you for coming.”

He nods once. “Your room was ransacked?”

I nod, leading him into my bedroom. He steps just inside the door, looking around at the mess. “Was anything taken?”

“I’m not sure, sir.”

He steps deeper into the room, taking care not to trample any of the destroyed clothes that litter the floor. I appreciate the gesture but also don’t understand the point of the courtesy.

“Did you touch anything after finding your room like this? Move anything?” He asks, scanning the room.

“Just that shirt,” I reply honestly, pointing to the one I had picked up. The headmaster glances over his shoulder, noting the shirt. He nods once and slides his forefinger along the inside of his ring, slicing the skin. Turning on his heel, he walks to the door and presses his bloody fingertip to it. He drags the pad over the painted wood, leaving a precise line in its wake. I notice he is careful not to lift his finger as he loops the line in a series of curves. To finish, he presses two dots in the center. It’s not a rune I’m familiar with, but from the way it’s rounded, I think it’s supposed to show motion.

The rune glows softly and pulses three times before a ghostly figure appears in the room. A ghostly figure moves through the room, carelessly tearing through my belongings. The projection isn’t perfect, and obviously, the being took precautions to avoid being identified. It flickers in and out, sometimes showing them yanking items of clothes out of my wardrobe, sometimes throwing papers around.

My throat tightens, and I wrap my arms around my torso, surprised at the sense of violation. Unable to watch anymore, I instinctively turn toward the headmaster. He is watching the scene, trying to get as much information as possible from the grainy, incomplete projection. I glance back at the scene just in time to watch the being lift something.

“Sir! There! Stop!”

The illusion pauses immediately, and he moves closer. “A notebook?”

Even from the poor quality of the projection, I can tell what it is. It’s a book with a small daisy on the front and a soft pink background. “It’s my journal. Though, I never use it.”

The headmaster rubs his hand along his jaw, and I notice his stubble is a little heavier than usual. “They must have known you were away for the weekend.” He turns his piercing gaze on Alice. “And you didn’t hear anything, Miss Legosi?”

Alice blushes a little. “I uh… I wasn’t here last night.”

I blink at her.

The headmaster just nods, turning his formidable attention back to the scene. “They knew the dorm was empty.”

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