Page 34 of Forbidden Magic
My skepticism only spurs Vivanne on. “Um-um. I live below Allie, and she has a secret boyfriend. Bri and I heard them giggle last night. We tried to spy on her and see who the mysterious boy was, but he’s sneaky, and all our spells bounce off her damn attic door.”
“You’re Bri’s roommate?” I ask, my mouth twisting downward.
“Yep. She’s not as mean as she appears,” Vivianne cheers in her high, pep-filled voice.
I chew on my bottom lip, unconvinced.
“When was this?” Jeremy asks, white as a Miss Eillis’ hair.
“Right after the Halloween party.”
Jeremy meets my gaze, and his eyes flash with a hint of yellow, his fists shaking at his sides. Before I can try to defuse the situation, the closed exam room opens.
The Academy’s doctor, Dr. Chen, slips out, and I catch a glimpse of a bloody foot before she shuts the door.
She straightens her white coat. Her long black hair has the typical silver freckles of a chimera. It’s tied is a neat bun at the nape of her neck. Her serious, secretive eyes are two different colors, one green, one pink, and I detect a hint of annoyance when her tired gaze falls on me. “You again?”
A deep sigh quakes my chest. “Me again.”
“What’s the issue?” She passes a hand over her tense face.
Her right sleeve is tainted with blood.
“Absolutely nothing.” My swollen lip speaks for itself. I’m here because immortals are dumbasses.
“She hit her head,” Jeremy says, still hovering.
He’s standing too close behind me, and I’ve got half a mind to swat him away like a fly that keeps landing on you and won’t give you an inch of space.
“Second time in two days, Miss Winslow. Be careful, or I’ll have to pull you from Duel class and recommend a special seminar.”
I cross my arms. “I’ll be penalized because I got hurt?”
“It’s policy.”
“Sucks for me.”
She gives me a reproachful, stern glare and takes my vitals silently. “You don’t have to stay, Vivianne. Thank you for bringing her in. She’s stable for now. She got lucky that you found her.” She murmurs a spell, and the gash in my head along with the one on my lip tingle with warmth. “You can go too, Julia. Tell Oz that he better stop sending me students, or I’ll start a Duel class of my own.” With that, she spins on her heels and enters her office.
Vivianne waits for Dr. Chen to close the door before she answers our unspoken question. “I found a mortal in the woods this morning…” She leans toward us, her eyes gleaming with excitement like she’s about to drop the juiciest piece of gossip.
Dread builds in my chest. “Who?”
“Holly, I think.”
My mind flashes to a small, mousy witch sitting behind me and Allie during the mortal seminar. I heard Olson address her as Holly. “What happened?”
“I don’t know. She was unconscious. I was running the trails that loop from the falls to the beach and smelled her. There was blood everywhere, and her uniform was in tatters like she’d been attacked by some kind of animal.”
The yellow eyes and the growl I heard yesterday come back to mind, and icicles prickle my ribcage from the inside out. “Where, exactly? Was it near the trail that goes down to the dining hall?”
Vivianne arches a brow. “Why?”
I bite my bottom lip, uncertain. If I blab about the yellow eyes and the shadow to this girl, the whole school will know about it before tomorrow. I grab my head dramatically and wince. “Shit. I need something for the pain.” I knock on Dr. Chen’s door and wave to Vivianne and Jeremy.
“Come in.”
Crisp teal paint welcomes me as I enter the rectangular office. A mahogany desk towers in the middle, and three small black frames decorate the glossy wood surface. Vials and flasks clutter the table behind her while a big copper cauldron simmers on a cook top.
