Page 21 of What Happened on Roslyn Street?
“No!” I furrow my brows. “That’s not what I mean, but I don’t know if you want to get involved with this.”
Is she more loyal to Poppy or her school?
“I’ll help,” she says. “Whatever you need. If it keeps you alive, I’ll do it. I can’t—” Her voice breaks, eyes rolling to the ceiling as she fights off tears. The whites of her eyes turn pink. It’s a rare moment of weakness. “I can’t lose both of you.”
“I know.”
It’s too late; we’ve already lost each other. We’ve lost so much time we were supposed to spend together, and there is no way to get it back. Our friendship can’t return to normal when a part of us is gone forever, but we can do this together. That will make it right.
“Tell me about the watch.” She scoots closer.
I reveal the pocket watch again, dangling it in the air between us. “Do you know Caldwell?”
She shakes her head.
“He’s a new student as well. A vampire.” Still a guess, but I’m more certain than ever. Who cares about death when they have a chance at immortality?
“Huh. Haven’t heard of him.”
“He saw me pick this up and claimed it was his… but it was near the body. Like, so close I can’t believe someone else didn’t pick it up… and…” I flip the watch so she can see the initials on the back. “B.C. The C must stand for Caldwell.”
She frowns. “It might stand for Caldwell, sure, but that doesn’t mean he’s the murderer…”
“I’m not saying that, but it’ssuspicious—and it’s our only lead. We have to follow it until we find something better.”
“Fine,” she says. “But before we do anything crazy, you need to find proof that he’s involved.”
Somehow, I don’t think it will be difficult. Caldwell is strange and mysterious, and yet—he has been open with me. Stealing time with him won’t be hard, nor will questioning him. I can’t explain why my face grows warm at the thought and sends a thrill up my spine.
I suppose I harbor curiosity about the strange vampire.
My brows furrowed in determination, and I stare at the watch in my hands.
“Fine,” I say. “I will.”
Chapter Six
Aglance at my phone tells me it’s only five o’clock in the morning. The sun is just rising. I could turn around and go back to sleep. Instead, I bolt out of bed and scramble to our shared desk. The pocket watch is sitting on the wooden surface, taunting me.
Caldwell already told me too much about himself andnothingat the same time. He’s slippery, weaseling his way out of questions and pinning them on me.
I have one thing that gives me an edge over him: his precious watch.
I need to figure out what’s so important about this thing. It’s likely sentimental, but… nothing at Strode is as it appears.
Margaux doubted me, but I know this watch belongs to Caldwell. I can tell by the way it reacted to his presence. It wants to be with him, but I won’t give it up until I’m certain it’s not a clue… and that it’s not dangerous.
It may be dangerous forme, but I shake off the worry. I need to activate whatever magic it possesses.
Turning the watch over, I inspect it, my fingers movingover the cool metal. My nail traces along the engraving. Nothing happens. I open the watch and stare at the moving hands. When I lift it to my ear, the ticking is… completely normal. No secret messages. No morse code.
“I know you’re keeping secrets,” I whisper to the thing, setting it down. “I don’t know how or what you do, but I’m going to?—”
“Can you please be quiet?” Margaux presses a pillow over her face. Her next words come out as a muffled mess. “You would think you’re the nocturnal one with your godawful sleep schedule.”
“Sorry.” I slip the watch into my pocket. “It’s a big day.”
“No, it’s not,” she says. “It’s Wednesday. Nothing grand has ever happened on a Wednesday.”
