Page 16 of Splitting Secrets
“Oh great, we’re stuck down here with the village crazy lady,” Jonah grumbles.
Matilda releases a deep sigh. “There are bigger factors at play here than you guys having to sit in time out in the dark and miss your finals. Veryrealdangers.”
“We aren’t just afraid of sitting in the dark. We’re awaiting execution. Don’t try to downplay our experiences,” Beatrix bites back.
“I’ve already told you, Raze will not harm us.”
My cheeks heat. “Forgive me if I have trouble believing that when he had no problem hauling me down here to begin with.”
“He has a role to play. Your little romance doesn’t take precedence.”
My little romance.Anger heats my cheeks with the derogatory comment. As if I’ve nothing more than Raze’s current hookup.
And maybe that’s all I am to them. Whoevertheyare. But I’m also the final descendant of the Landry line who hasn’t sold out to the Midnight Syndicate. My parents lost their lives to whatever movement is happening against them.
I’ve losteverythingto it.
I deserve more respect than this.
“Fuck you,” I spit, anger lacing my words. “I had no idea any of this even existed a couple of months ago. From magical powers to secret societies—all this feels more like a cautionary tale than real life. So forgivemeif I happened to fall prey to the evil villain’s prose.”
“You haven’t seen anything close to evil, girl. Stop using your ignorance as an excuse. For whatever is left of this lifetime, you need to accept that anything goes. Fiction is your new reality. The good doesn’t conquer until the very end.”
“How are you channeling down here?” Ava interjects. I know it’s an attempt to diffuse the argument, but her tone is more rushed than usual. She’s irritated too, I think.
Not that I can tell anything for sure with all this blinding darkness.
“We haven’t been able to get so much as a lantern to light in all the time we’ve been here,” she explains. “None of our gifts are working.”
“The cells are enchanted against them,” Matilda replies, her words still clipped.
“Then how are you channeling?” Beatrix repeats Ava’s question a little more impatiently.
Matilda clicks her tongue. “The dead don’t follow our rules.”
My body goes still.
Could it be that Finley was actually...real?Not some side effect of my desolation?
I think I’m going to be sick.
“It would be nice if they used some energy to light that lantern over there,” Jonah jokes.
“They don’t do your bidding. And as long as you think they do, your gifts will never fully manifest,” Matilda barks back, her voice so loud it makes my heart stutter.
Before I can stop myself, I’m yelling back. “Look, I don’t know what crawled up your ass, but turning against each other is the last thing we should be doing. All of us played a part in getting caught and?—”
“I didn’t play any part inyougetting caught,” she shouts back.
I grind my teeth to stop the accusation that if it weren’t for her and her cryptic messages,none of uswould have been caught. Suddenly, the calm and collected shop owner shrouded in mystery has lost all her composure and reveals what a fucking crook she really is.
Jonah was right about her all along.
“Talking isn’t getting us anywhere,” Ava intervenes, raising her voice loud enough to cut off my rebuttal, but still not quite shouting. “It’s been a while since we’ve slept. Let’s all get some rest and reconvene when emotions aren’t so heightened.”
Matilda grumbles her response and I turn away before I say something I’ll regret. I can hear their movements as they find their way around in silent agreement, so I try to do the same.
11
