Page 107 of Magical Academy for Delinquents
Everyone quickly moved out of my way and let me take up the middle front.
When the elevator dinged, I shoved my way out, not caring what floor I was on. I ran haphazardly to the nearest women’s bathroom. I stumbled into a stall, heart racing. I locked the door and just leaned my forehead against it.
I’d pushed too hard. Claude had always been careful. He’d never hurt me in public before. Why would he do that right before my interview? Was it a warning that I take it seriously? A lecture would have sufficed. No, my hand reached up to touch my neck and I realized it was wet. He’d made me bleed. He’d never made me bleed before.
Either I’d gotten to him, or he’d taken his little punishments to another level. The thought of the first gave me a wretched sort of thrill but the thought of the second possibility made me sick. Claude wanted to control me. Break me.
I undid my shirt and checked the back. Only a tiny spot of blood marred my collar. I could hide that. I rebuttoned my shirt as one of the women from the elevator walked into the bathroom. She beelined right for me.
I swallowed hard a blinked. Shit. She’d seen. How to play it?
“Are you okay?” she asked, reaching gently for my left shoulder.
I tried to nod but ended up gasping as that strained my wound. I tried to play it off. “Yeah. Yeah. It’s just a lot of pressure—”
“Claude’s your stepfather?” she asked.
I blinked and nodded, not allowing the disgust to roll over my face. “Yeah. He just … mom and he just really want me to do good.” I reached up and touched my neck, like I was self-conscious. I was sure to run my fingers over the wound and bring them down bloody.
Her eyes went wide.
I pretended to hide my fingers, to close my hand. “I … um … I’ve gotta go to my interview.” I bolted from the bathroom, leaving her behind. In the hall, I reached into my bag and grabbed antibacterial foam and a tissue and cleaned my fingers.
Claude was waiting for me, leaning against the wall, just down the hall. I ducked my head and stared at the floor tiles, just like I did at home when mom yelled at me after any encounters between Claude and me. I glanced up hesitantly. His smile stretched wide, as fake as artificial sweetener. But his eyes smoked like coals. He grabbed my arm as soon as I was in the hall. He leaned down and whispered, “I know what you’re doing. Don’t think you’ll get away with it.”
The warning chilled me to the bone.He’s only referring to my attitude … isn’t he?I wondered, as we climbed back into the elevator. He had to be. And he thought he’d won. He hadn’t seen the look on Betty Sue’s (or whatever-her-name-was) face.
I bet that by sundown most of the women in the office would know about how Claude terrorized his poor little stepdaughter.
My thoughts rambled and wondered and wandered. I nearly forget to pay attention when the elevator opened on the seventh floor to let people out, I almost didn’t notice the construction. My eyes flickered toward the plastic sheeting and didn’t register it for a second.
Then my mind screamed, “No!”
I shoved my hand between the doors as they almost closed. “Wait! That’s my floor!” I shoved out of the elevator. My eyes widened in horror and my stomach dropped out from under me. The seventh floor was under renovation. And they were moving walls right next to the employee breakroom.
My eyes flickered from spot to spot. Cameras. Two less than expected. But I saw a laser beam streaming behind the construction plastic.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
Claude yanked me back. “Nope, silly goose. You’re on eight.” He chuckled fakely as his hand went to my neck and his nails dug into my brand-new wound.
I didn’t even notice.
I had bigger problems.
Chapter 41
I hadto fake my way through the interview.
“And what do you see yourself doing in five years?” Amara asked. She was magical woman near fifty, wearing a purple suit. She sat in the middle of the three magicals interviewing me, so I assumed she was heading the internship program.
I gave her a tight, no tooth smile and rocked back and forth on my seat. This stupid interview was eating up time. I needed to get out of here. I needed to take the extra minutes before that murdering asshole of a stepfather came to collect me and I needed to go see what was happening on the seventh floor.
I let my voice shake a little. “Well, um, I’m not sure exactly. I do like research a lot. But I—” I shoved a hand over my stomach and pressed my lips together hard. I widened my eyes and stood abruptly. “I’m so sorry.” I grabbed my purse and covered my mouth. I bolted for the door, letting out a little retching noise once my back was turned.
Amara said, “Poor thing!” as I shoved the door open.
One of the male panelists just said, “Ew.”
