Page 21 of Forbidden Magic
“Flynn got me.”
Lydia squeezes my arm. “Are you okay? You’re awfully pale. Shit—You’re bleeding. Did Flynn hurt you?”
“Not really. I bumped my head.” I fluff my hair to hide the wound.
She bounces from one foot to the next. “Did he steal your helmet? Because there are policies in the student handbook against bullying.”
A dry laugh pops out of my throat. “I’m sure Flynn would love for me to report him so he can change my nickname from ugly mortal to dirty snitch.”
“I guess you’re right.” She sighs, glancing around the crowd. “Hey, isn’t that your sister?”
My pulse spikes when I finally spot Allie. She’s out front celebrating amongst the best hiders, and a foul taste invades my mouth.
She didn’t warn me. She just let me wander the woods and get caught without an ounce of hesitation. I should have heard about this Academy tradition from her. Family trumps secret initiations in my book, but nooooooo.
I don’t care how many exams she has or how many naps she needs, she’s acting like a jerk. It’s Middle School all over again. Allie snubbed me for 6 months when she dated her first boyfriend—a bully with a small dick and an even smaller mind—so I shouldn’t be surprised, but I thought we were older and wiser now.
The newbies, whether they were found or not, are all forced into a clump where we get stinky mudberries thrown at us. The football-sized fruits stain our skin and clothes with a dirty gray color.
Flynn and Cole are nowhere to be seen, and I kick myself inwardly for looking for them in the first place. Still, I’m surprised they didn’t come to relish my humiliation.
It goes on for a few minutes. I take a bucket of icy water square in the face and spit it out on the ground.
Trent waves his arms to get our attention. “Raise your glass with me.”
Pixies bristle above our heads and pass around shots of a glowing, orange liquid. My fingers clench around the small glass.
“May we never study through a party. May we always have enough booze to get drunk. May we laugh, fight and fuck ‘till we’re too tired to move. In a few years—months for the unlucky bastards in the back—” Trent raises his glass to the handful of students who wear the graduate polos, signaling they will finish this term. “Soon, we’ll be forced to grow up. So let’s be kids for tonight!”
The crowd cheers, and we all down our glasses in one gulp.
Lydia pours hers to the ground.
Loud music booms from a small square device on the pedestal Melanie used to give her speech. The ground starts to vibrate with the hot, savage rhythm of the Devilish Angels’ new single. The rock band has been at the top of the charts for months, and the crowd starts to dance.
I take off my jacket, an inch of muddy fruit covering it, and wipe my mouth with my undershirt.
Pushing through the sea of undulating bodies, I elbow my way to the front.
“What the hell, sis? Where were you?” I bark, the resentment in my voice so deep that I’m surprised she hasn’t drowned in it yet.
She half-chokes on her wine. “Jules. Hi. Sorry about that.” She grazes the number twenty on my forehead.
“Answer the question.”
Her casual shrug feels like a knife sinking between my shoulder blades. “I got here late and didn’t see you.”
“I was covered in pixie dust!” My eyes narrow as her answer registers.Didn’t see me?I brace my hands on my hips and use the two and a quarter inches I have on her to stare her down.“Where were you, really? Because you weren’t in that forest.”
She huffs. “If I wasn’t in the forest, I’d have one of those too.” She motions at the scarlet number again. “I have a good hiding spot. I’ll show you next time.”
I press my lips together. She’s lying. It’s a well-crafted lie, but Allie’s my sister.
The fake confidence in her speech doesn’t fool me.
My throat is painful and tight.
Why is she lying?
