Page 155 of The Holy Academy of Witches

“Let me in!” I cried, pounding on the door. The gold font flashes a warning that I was not allowed entry into another dormitory without permission. Like I didn’t already know that. Like it mattered right now, it did not.

“Someone’s trying to get in,” I heard my brother’s voice shout to the room.

“And you can’t get off your backside to answer it?” another voice yelled in return. Were these walls thin or were they just awfully loud.

“Nope!” Theo answered, popping the ‘p’ sound. I was going to murder him.

Cillian appeared, opening the door. He looked like perfection, despite me having jumped him in an empty classroom earlier. Perhaps I didn’t do a good enough job.

“It’s your sister,” Cillian said to Theo as he let me in. I looked into the room just in time to catch Theo rolling his eyes before refocusing on the football game. Two times, he was going to make me a two-time murderer. That was almost a serial killer.

“Cillian, I need to talk to you.” I rushed out, barging my way into the dorm.

Theo looked up from his position on the couch, eyebrows raised at my appearance. I reached up trying to smooth the curls that were undoubtedly in disarray after my run here, and my activities from earlier. I began braiding the mass back, an excuse as I pointedly waited for Marcus to leave the kitchen and return to his room, at which point Cillian replied.

“What’s wrong?” He answered seriously, lowering his voice.

“It’s Adeline…” I said, my eyes darting to Theo, knowing she wasn’t his favourite topic of conversation. His eyes stayed firmly on the television, no doubt feigning disinterest. I shifted my attention to the person I knew would listen without some ridiculous bias.

“She’s acting… Weird. Not herself, well, she is herself but her old self… Oh Cillian, I don’t know what to do or say to her…” I admitted, throwing my hands in the air in exasperation. I had put up with this alone for long enough. He was her oldest friend, he would know what to do.

“What do you mean? What’s she doing?” He asked with a frown.

“She’s disappearing all the time, she’s exhausted… Whenever I ask her if she’s okay she bites my head off. She’s having nightmares… So many nightmares. Sometimes she wakes up screaming.”

“Yeah,” Theo gave a cold laugh, interrupting our not so private conversation, “and do you know why?”

“Obviously not, Theo.” I said with a sigh, “Are you going to contribute anything useful? or just your usual vague Adeline-hating theories?”

“Because she’s using dark magic…” He announced, standing up, “like the fucking worst shit you can imagine, at a guess.”

I stopped breathing. That couldn’t be true… She was the one who taught me the rules and risks of performing dark or light magic. That we shouldn’t even be doing it as students.

“What?” Cillian said in disbelief.

“Theo…” I shook my head, refusing to believe what had come out of his mouth. It was just another wild accusation.

“But I guessyouknew that huh?” He directed at Cillian, closing in on him with every word, “You’re so close right?” He accused, his chest almost to his. The two men stared each other down. Barely any difference in their height.

“You don’t know what you’re talking about Williams. She wouldn’t… You don’t know anything about her,” Cillian spat, pushing him away.

Theo laughed, laughed so hard Cillian stepped back, throwing me a look that clearly said he thought Theo had lost his mind. Hell, maybe he had.

“How do you know?” I asked. Giving him the benefit of the doubt.

“Sage, you can’t honestly believe…” Cillian turned to face me, shock written all over his face.

“Theo?” I pressed.

“You think I don’t know what I’m talking about?” Theo asked Cillian with a hollow laugh, nodding, before looking back at me, “Tell me Sage… Do I not know what I’m talking about?” The words hit me like a blow, and I felt the blood drain out of my face. Memories of Theo’s face when our parents told us the truth about Tyler’s death. That Theo had been right, Tyler didn’t overdose on drugs. That all those bad feelings he was getting from Tyler, what he was sensing, was true. Tyler had been a warlock, just like Theo. A warlock who, so desperate to be the best athlete, the best student, the best son… Abused dark magic until it inevitably killed him. Theo’s face at his best friends funeral, his face as he screamed and cried and smashed everything in our house. Our dad bailing Theo out of jail for the millionth time after he’d beaten someone black and blue.

“Sage?” Cillian’s voice broke through the flood of memories holding me hostage. His face was drawn with worry.

I held Theo’s gaze, my hands shaking, “How?” was all I managed to get out.

He sat down heavily on the couch, “Christmas.” Of course. He had been so happy all morning. Winding me up about hiding all my presents so I wouldn’t ever find them and then Adeline showed up and he… He hugged her, And he changed.

“You knew when you hugged her….”

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