Page 119 of The Glittering Edge

Mr. Barrion frowns. “I thought that newspaper shuttered its internship program.”

Penny stops breathing.

“Yes, I think it was budget cuts. They tried to offer unpaid internships, but you know how people react to things like that. They start crying about inequity, unfair labor practices, et cetera.”

Bad. This is bad. They’ve been sitting here for three minutes and he’s already caught her lie. She has to push back.

“I have a cousin there,” Penny says. “They made an exception.”

“Lovely,” Mr. Barrion says. “Well, now that I’ve answered your question, I’d like to ask you something.”

He didn’t answer her question, but Penny doesn’t know how to point that out. “Sure.”

“Is it true that my grandson has been spending time with you and Alonso De Luca?”

The shock that follows Mr. Barrion’s question is almost painful. Penny is so wildly unprepared for this that she simply stares at him open-mouthed.

“We’ve seen each other a few times,” Penny says. “Run into each other, I mean.”

“Interesting,” Mr. Barrion says, “because I have it on good authority that you’ve been seen around town quite a lot.”

“Definitely not,” Penny says quickly. “We barely know each other.”

“Hm.” Mr. Barrion considers the uneaten pastries. “Maybe I should be direct. I’m concerned for the safety of my grandson. I worry that he’s getting involved with the wrong people. While Corey is brilliant, I’m afraid he can be too trusting.”

The smart thing would be to make an excuse and leave. But hearing Mr. Barrion talk about Corey like this—as if he’s naive—it sets a fire in Penny’s chest.

“I think the opposite is true,” she says.

Mr. Barrion considers her. “Really? Tell me.”

Penny shifts in her seat. “Well, he… he really keeps people at a distance, and I think it’s hard for him to open up. He’s very concerned with protecting everyone. His family, his friends—”

“You?” Mr. Barrion says.

“Well, we’re friends, so I guess.”

“I thought you barely knew each other?”

Penny flinches. She can’t even keep her stories straight. “We didn’t. Not until a few weeks ago.”

“Well, Corey has good reasons for keeping people at a distance. We all do. But perhaps you already know that.”

The chatter in the cafeteria fades to a buzz. Because Mr. Barrion is talking about the curse. Openly.

Penny can’t let on that she knows. They can’t risk the Barrionsfinding out what they’re trying to do, even if it would help all of them in the end. Corey said if his family found out Alonso has magic, they would report Alonso immediately. They’d never have a chance to break the curse, and Penny’s mom would have no hope.

She needs to deflect. To escape.

“I actually have to—ouch.” Penny flinches as her teeth come down hard on the edge of her tongue. She tastes blood, and she quickly grabs a napkin. “Sorry, I bit my tongue.”

Mr. Barrion pushes a glass of water in her direction. Penny grabs it, moves to take a sip—and pauses before the cup reaches her lips. It’s a reflex. It doesn’t even make sense to her, until all at once, it does.

She doesn’t trust him.

Mr. Barrion cocks his head. “Problem?”

“No,” she says, forcing herself to drink. The water cools her tongue and washes away the salt-and-iron taste of her blood.

---