Page 282 of Blood & Betrayals

“Please, start it again,” I ask, staring at the projection.

The headmaster flicks his fingers, and the spell activates. Connor’s face turns a little green in anticipation of the noise we’re about to experience again.

“Pause. Now,” I demand, just as her head hits the floor. I narrow my eyes and move in, noticing the slightest of blurs. “There. Something moves there. She’s not alone.”

The headmaster plays it again, but this time in slow motion, his eyes narrowed as he leans closer. I watch as the blur shifts only slightly, so easily missed.

“The Helm,” the headmaster whispers. “They’re using the Helm,” he says, only fractionally louder this time.

“The Helm, sir?” I ask, feeling Connor shift uncomfortably behind me.

The headmaster looks at us. “There was a note left at the scene.” The headmaster pulls a small, clear plastic bag from his desk and hands it to me.

DID YOU GET MY MESSAGE?

It is written in what looks like blood, and my heart picks up. I stare at it, reading it over and over. Connor gently pries it from my fingers to inspect it closer.

“Is the blood?—”

“It doesn’t belong to the victim, but they’ve been smart. It’s untraceable. Another one of their little games, no doubt.”

“The message they’re referencing is the one from the Nexus account?”

“I presume so. That I know of, there have been no other complete messages since the last murder. However, I could be incorrect,” the headmaster says, taking the note back from Connor.

“What message?” Connor asks.

I glance at Connor, knowing that this will probably add to his anger, but I also know that not telling him would be even worse. “The murderer seems to have been communicating with us via social media.”

The furrows in Connor’s brow deepen, his eyes flicking back and forth between the headmaster and me.

“Via the page dedicated to the headmaster.”

“OnEverydayEmrys?”

The headmaster scowls. “You’ve heard of it?”

“Everyone’s heard of it, headmaster.”

The headmaster rubs a hand over his face. “Mister Morningstar, I assume you’ll be helpful in that particular investigation.”

Connor nods. “Whatever she needs.”

I look back at the headmaster. “I actually have some leads regarding who might runEverydayEmrys.”

“Already?” he asks.

“I work fast, sir.”

He nods and gestures for Connor and me to sit. We take the chairs on the other side of his desk, and I pull a list from my bag. I pass him the piece of paper with ten names on it.

“And how did you come up with these names?” the headmaster asks, reading through the list.

“These are only potentials. Some because they have a knack for tech, some because they seem… enamored with you, a few because they’re popular, and a couple because they’re not.”

The headmaster’s eyes dart over the list, his lips pressed into a thin line. “And how do you plan on narrowing it down?”

I clear my throat. “Well, I have an idea.” I look away. “But it’s probably best you don’t know too much about it, sir.”

---