Page 6 of Live To Tell

“Not a spirit, Holly,” I interrupt.

“Someone murdered her—maybe at the academy—and now there're all kinds of stories about mysterious happenings over the years.”

“Good grief,” I mutter. “It's a supernatural academy, of course there's 'mysterious happenings'. Who murdered Madison? When? How?”

“Violet,” whispers Rowan. “Put your pen and paper away.”

I glance at where I've already begun my notes.

“I only spoke to Cassie because Sienna’s too upset, and her parents are collecting her later. Cassie did tell me Sienna freaked out and screamed that she couldn't breathe or see anything.”

I tap the pen on the notepad. “Perhaps Madison was asphyxiated? Buried alive or some such? Although, if Sienna couldn't see anything either, that’s rather annoying. Without a visual, there're no helpful clues to where and when this occurred.”

A familiar silence draws over the group and I frown at Rowan, who inclines his head to Holly. The girl's face drains of color, but her expression sharpens with disgust.

“How can you be so cold and cruel?” she asks.

“What? The girl is likely deceased. I'm investigating circumstances around her death and merely stating facts.”

Holly clutches the neck of her blazer. “But still. To say Madison died horribly—and in such a matter of fact tone.”

“And that's all you found out, Holly?” interrupts Leif.

“That's it. A girl called Madison died and her ghost possessed the tiara, which tried to suffocate Sienna.” I roll my eyes at Holly's explanation. “Sienna stopped breathing, Violet!”

“How long for?” I ask.

“Again, matter of fact!” snaps Holly.

“Not long otherwise she'd be clinically brain dead.” Oh. I look up, a sudden lurching in my stomach. “Sienna does still have a functional body? You've seen her?”

“No. But others have.” Holly scoffs and adds sarcastically, “Maybe she died and a necromancer brought her back. Did you sneak into the infirmary, Violet?”

Both my brows shoot up. “What do you mean by necromancers? Has Marci mentioned one?”

“Uh.” Holly stares. “I know one. And I was joking, but now I'm unsure if I am. Are there other necromancers beside you and your mother, Violet?”

“This isn't necromancy,” says Grayson laconically. “I saw Sienna last night, and I caught enough of her thoughts to know her mind hasn’t changed.”

“Saw her where?” I demand. “Why didn't you tell me?”

Grayson flicks his tongue against his top teeth, the eyes I avoid looking into glinting as they meet mine. “I spent time at a human party and as I left the room, Sienna passed on the way back from the infirmary.”

“The nurse told me Sienna wasn't leaving the infirmary until the morning.”

“In the hope you'd eventually go away,” mutters Rowan, and I huff.

“The party was in the common room, the opposite end of Darwin House to Sienna's room,” says Holly. “Why were you in that part of the building?”

Grayson pushes a strand of hair from his cheek. “I spent time at a different party, not one in the common room.”

“Omigod!” breathes out Holly. “Were you one of the hemia who took—” Her eyes slide to me.

“Who what?” asks Rowan sharply.

Blood? I shake away the thought, remembering the day I assisted Holly in locating water, when a nurse mentioned students 'experimenting' with blood play.

“Can we return to what's important?” I say and glance at Grayson, who's now examining his nails. “Holly. You have no information apart from a theory that the girl who cursed the tiara possibly died of suffocation?”

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