Pulling out the shell box where I’d put Iliana’s ring, I used a tack to prick my finger. Once the blood welled on the tip of my finger, I pressed it against the lock, and it clicked open.

  I took out the ring and slid it on my middle finger. Once again, no flashes, no lightening—nothing. But it felt… right. I rolled the bead against my finger, and it felt warm. Like this was where it was supposed to be.

  The though both irritated and comforted me.

  I got ready, and when I came out of my room, I saw a note tacked to my door.

  Went to lunch. Join us and make it a brunch!

  J & T

  Hopefully, they’d still be there. I hurried from the pod, and through the hallway. I was thinking about when I might hear from Iliana, and when I did, what would I say to her. It probably wouldn’t be for a couple of days, right? Even then—I bumped shoulders with someone coming the other way.

  “Hey,” the girl said.

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” I said. “I was lost in thought.”

  Her nose wrinkled as she looked me over. “Clearly.” She was taller than me, with shoulder-length brown hair that I would call mousy, if I was being catty. Stringy, too. She had part of it pulled up, and a man bun would put that mess on her head to shame. You know, that would be how I described things if I was being catty. I was trying not to be. Something about this girl made it difficult to be anything but. She rubbed me the wrong way.

  “Maybe you should…” she stopped and took a step closer to me. “What are you?”

  Now it was my turn to make a face. “I’m sorry, but what are you talking about?” My heart pounded as she peered at me.

  “You’re… you’re different. What is it?”

  “If you mean polite, and not a complete weirdo, then I suppose that yes, I am,” I said. I turned to leave.

  “I’ll find out,” I heard her call out behind me.

  “Whatever,” I tossed over my shoulder.

  The whole incident unsettled me. It was like my worst nightmare coming true. Someone here would be able to tell, just by looking at me, what I was. And that girl, ugly hair notwithstanding, sure sounded like she knew something. Was she a psychic? I hadn’t heard of anyone who could determine a person’s traits, but I was discovering shit I didn’t know all the time.

  I swallowed the ball of fear down and shoved it to somewhere near my toes. I couldn’t do anything about her, and I wasn’t going to focus on her.

  When I got to the dining hall, Thalia and Jade greeted me with cups of coffee.

  “There she is, Miss Love Divine,” Jade sang out.

  “Would you shut up?” I hissed, sitting down.

  They both laughed.

  I glared.

  While they covered their mouths, they laughed harder.

  And of course, at that moment, Matty came over to sit with me. “Hey,” he said, sliding his arm around my waist and kissing my cheek. “How are you?”

  My face felt like it was on fire. “I’m good,” I said.

  “I had a great time with you yesterday,” he said. “You want to hang out today?”

  “I’d love to, but I have homework coming out my ears,” I said.

  “We could do homework together,” Matty said, and the look on his face was so seductive that I thought I would burst into flames.

  Instead, I burst out laughing, flames aside. “No, we would not. I’m not that naïve.”

  “I don’t think you’re naïve at all,” Matty said, tracing his fingers along the back of my neck.

  Holy hell, his fingers were wreaking havoc on my ability to think straight. Just being near him was bad enough. But him touching me like this, so gently, so… so… well, like someone who definitely doesn’t have homework on his mind.

  Just as abruptly as he sat down, he got up. “All right. I’ll curb my disappointment by beating the crap out of my teammates.”

  I stared blankly.

  “I have rugby practice today. So I’ll see you later,” he said, caressing my cheek with his fingers. With another brilliant smile, he was gone.

  No one spoke for a moment.

  “Whew,” Thalia said. “The sex is falling off that guy.”

  Jade just laughed. “I couldn’t have picked a better guy for you if I tried,” she said.

  “He is pretty fabulous,” I said with a sigh.

  “Why did you turn him down today?” Thalia asked.

  “Because I really do have a lot of homework, and I need to get shit done,” I said.

  “Poor guy. He doesn’t realize he will come second to a book,” Jade said, making a face.

  “I have to do well,” I said. “You guys know that.”

  Both of them sobered up.

  “I know,” Thalia said, “But you could give yourself the time to enjoy yourself.”

  “I can find the balance,” I said primly.

  Which made them laugh even more.

  “Jade, it’s the best thing to see you laugh.” A guy with short, brown wavy hair plopped down next to her, elbows on the table.

  “Levi,” she said, leaning over to kiss him.

  “It’s like the love shack in here,” Thalia rolled her eyes.

  Levi Thomlinson was an air mage with kind blue eyes and the best southern accent I’d ever heard. His voice was like honey to the ears, and I didn’t even want to date him. He was amazing with compelling spells, and when I heard him speak, I believed it.

  “You free later?” he asked Jade.

  “You know it,” she smiled at him.

  It made me feel good to see my friend happy. Levi was a childhood friend that she had started dating in high school. Their families knew one another going back generations, and Levi had transferred into Jade’s high school. According to her, his being there one week had been all it took to make them an item.

  The two of them talked quietly. Thalia and I smiled at one another and tried to pretend we weren’t there.

  Then Levi got up as he kissed Jade. “Ladies, thank you for letting me interrupt your brunch,” he said. “See you later, babe.” He walked away.

  “What, you’re not spending all day with him?” Thalia teased.

  “He’s got debate,” Jade said.

  And all three of us burst into laughter.

  It was the best meal I’d had in ages. We all walked back to our pod, and when I sat down at my desk, I remembered that I’d forgotten to tell them about mousy girl.

  She could wait.

  I went through my planner and made a list of everything that needed to be done this week. I had a feeling that this week would be great. Or special. Something. Something out of the ordinary.

  Later that night, after dinner, more homework, and finally dragging myself to bed, my cell phone rang. It was Mom.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  “Nothing. I’m sorry to call you so late, but I didn’t want to wait on this.”

  “What?” I asked.

  “We heard from Iliana. She will meet you at school.”

  “What? Wait, no, she can’t!” I said, my good feelings from today instantly gone. “She can’t be here!” I felt panic rising.

  “Why not?” Mom asked.

  “Because I’m not ready to shout out my truth to the world,” I said. Holy shit. Didn’t Mom get it? I did not need a siren coming here, of all places.

  “I’ll get in touch with Madame Karathos. She can provide somewhere for you to meet in private,” Mom said, not bothered at all. “I know you’re worried, honey, but you have to deal with this!”

  “What happened to dealing on my own time, in my own way?” My voice rose.

  “Well, you’re kind of moving at a snail’s pace, and things are happening while you’re dawdling,” she said. “So you lose some of that choice when you won’t make one.”

  “Oh my goddess, who are you, and where did my mom go?” I asked.

  “Well, I could ask who are you, and where did my daughter go, the one who isn’t afraid to face things?” Mom shot back. “This isn’t like you, Olivia.”

  “I could die, Mom.”

  “You are not going to die,” she said firmly. “We won’t let that happen.”

  “Yeah, great,” I fell back into bed. “Let’s see how it goes when everyone knows. If they knew, I wouldn’t even be here.”

  “That’s not true. The Concilium is very practical,” Mom said. “If you’re good at your job and have a connection they consider shady, all the better.”

  “Mom! That was practically cynical,” I said. She didn’t talk like this.

  “Well, now that the truth is out there, I don’t have to hold back anymore,” Mom said matter-of-factly. “Anyway, expect to hear from Madame Karathos. And when you do, you make the meeting. Do you understand?”

  I wasn’t used to hearing her so forceful. “Yes, ma’am.” I said.

  “Good. I love you always, honey. Now get some sleep.” She ended the call.

  I laid in bed, staring at up at the ceiling.

  This was moving so fast that it had already spun right out of control. And I had no idea where it would end.

  Hopefully not with me running from an angry mob.

  Chapter Thirteen

  I went to class on Monday on tenterhooks, waiting to hear from Madame Karathos. I’d dreamed of the girl with mousy hair and the sneering face, and she kept pointing at me and screaming, ‘There she is!’ Not really conducive to good sleep.

  But I didn’t see her at all, and I didn’t hear from Madame. I’d worn the siren ring today. It still felt right. So I went with my instinct. It’s not like the thing had a spotlight on it that pointed to me as the worst of the worst or anything.

  At least, that’s what I told myself.

  After dinner that night, I told my friends about the plans that were proceeding around me, and Thalia squeezed my hand. “We’re with you.”

  “Oh, and there’s another thing,” I said, taking the time to tell them about Miss Pushy Mousy Hair.

  “That could be any number of girls here,” Jade said. “But if you see her when we’re together, give me a shove. We’ll figure out who she is and smack her right down.”

  That made me feel better, but only just.

  On Tuesday, I was in Intention, keeping my partner from attempting to read my mind when Madame Karathos came in.

  Professor Holliday, a woman who wore jeans, a long eighteenth-century gentleman’s banyan robe in peacock colors, and who had the scariest eyes I’d ever seen on a person smiling, stopped. “Madame, how can we help you today?”

  “I need to borrow one of your students, Professor Holliday,” Madame Karathos said. She looked around. As her eyes met mine and slid away, she continued. “I will bring Olivia Washington back once we’re done.” Madame Karathos crossed her hands in front of her and waited.

  “Of course,” Professor Holliday inclined her head. “Olivia, should this take longer than class, see me at lunch.”

  I gathered up my bag and followed Madame Karathos out.

  “Is something wrong?” I asked.

  “Come with me to my office, please,” she said, not turning around.

  We walked together, without talking, until we reached her office door. Madame Karathos had two statues that looked a lot like the three in front of the dining hall on either side of her office. Like the dining hall statues, they held out torches. Both looked like they were running, but they weren’t the same. The clothing was different.

  Madame Karathos noticed me looking at them. “A hobby,” she said. “I collect stone oddities.”

  “Not to be rude, but they are kind of… creepy,” I said, hoping I didn’t offend her.

  Madame Karathos laughed, a soft, musical sound that lingered in the air. “They are supposed to be creepy. That’s what makes them oddities. Come in, please, Miss Washington.”

  I walked into her office and sat down without being told.

  Madame Karathos moved over to the window. “I got a call from your mother. She said that you will be having a visitor in two days’ time, and that you and your visitor would appreciate privacy.” She stopped, crossing her arms. “I don’t have any concerns with that. What I need to know, Miss Washington, is if there is anything I should know as the headmistress of this school?”

  “Well, I don’t know. I haven’t met her,” I said. “She’s a friend of my mom’s.”

  “Why is she coming here?”

  “I don’t know,” I said truthfully. And I didn’t.

  Madame Karathos turned then and looked at me. The intensity of her green eyes made me decidedly uncomfortable, but I didn’t look away.

  If anything, I sat up straighter. I was Olivia Washington. I deserved to be here. I earned my place here. And I was good at the things I did. I kept repeating it to myself. It felt good to hear, even if it was only from me.

  Why hadn’t I been doing this before? Why had I been cowering around? I wouldn’t be ashamed anymore. That didn’t mean I was putting up signs, either.

  There was a brief pair of knocks on the door, and then the door burst open. Who had the stones to just bust in on Madame Karathos?

  The blond man from the dining hall came in, one hand on the door, another brushing his artfully falling hair from his face.

  Oh, I was in rare form. Mousy hair girl must have flipped a switch for me.

  “Maya,” he began, not seeing me. “I was looking for—” his head swiveled, and he saw me. For a moment, he only stared. Then he looked to Madame Karathos.

  I didn’t know her name was Maya. It was beautiful, and it fit her.

  “Mykhel, this is Olivia Washington, one of our first-year students. She is very skilled, and is, I believe, looking toward a career with the Concilium after she graduates. Am I correct, Miss Washington?” She looked to me, her gaze mild. But something flickered in her green eyes.

  “I… yes, you are,” I said.

  “Miss Washington, this is Mykhel Sokolov, one of the investigative team members of the Concilium.”

  “Mr. Sokolov, it’s nice to meet you,” I got up and stuck out my hand.

  He glared at Madame Karathos for a moment and then took my hand.

  When his hand closed around mine, I felt an intense desire to let go of it immediately. There was fire in him, but not the kind of fire I felt around some of the men at school. This was the kind of fire that burned everything in its path.

  “How are your studies going, Miss Washington?” he asked. “What is your best class?”

  I took a moment. “I think they’re going well. I got full marks in a demonstration with another student in Spells last week, and I am very good at Intention.”

  “How so?” he asked.

  This felt like an interrogation. Why was Madame Karathos letting him question me like this? I didn’t like it. It made me feel itchy, like someone was watching me. Hunting was the word that came to mind.

  Great.

  “I am comfortable looking into others’ thoughts. Not like mind reading, but more seeing what is around them,” I said, not wanting to share how good I was within the dreamscape. For some reason, I didn’t want to tell this guy anything. I let go of his hand.

  He smiled, and it made me think of the sharks we saw at the aquarium when I was growing up. They would swim, mouths open, and all their teeth exposed, for everyone to see. That’s exactly what Mykhel Sokolov reminded me of.

  “We are always in need of those who will help us root out wrongdoing,” Sokolov said. He sounded very self-righteous, and totally pompous. “As I am from an angel family, it comes naturally.”

  Did he even realize what he sounded like? I wanted to ask Madame Karathos why she ever let him near her, but it wasn’t my business. And how was this angelic in any way?

  “Is that why you’re here?” I asked.

  “The Concilium regularly sends out members of our teams to check in on the various magical schools,” he said.

  I glanced over at Madame Karathos. Unlike in the dining hall, she was not gazing longingly into his eyes. If anything, she studied him, like one would look at something interesting under a microscope.

  “Are you a full angel? I mean, do you have wings?” I asked. I couldn’t help it.

  His eyes narrowed. “I am part angel.”

  Clearly, I’d asked the wrong question. “Well, it was nice meeting you,” I said.

  “Maya, I will join you later. I am sorry to disturb,” he bowed.

  Oh my. What a damn weirdo.

  “Miss Washington, I shall keep my eye on you,” he said. It sounded more like a threat. No bow this time. Then he walked out the door without another word.

  When the door closed, Madame Karathos turned back to me. “I’m sorry about that. Now, back to your visitor. Is there anything I need to know?”

  I shook my head, hating that I had to lie, but as close as she was with Mr. Concilium, I wasn’t going to expose myself, or my parents, or Iliana.

  “Very well. We have some rooms in the administration wing where you can visit undisturbed, if that is your wish. You are also able to go for a walk on the grounds, as well.”

  I shook my head before she even finished speaking. “No, this is a family matter. I don’t think I want to be out in the open.”

  “Is everything all right?” Madame Karathos’ voice held concern.

  I shrugged. “You know how family sometimes has the strange side?”

  She nodded.

  “I think that’s what I’m about to meet.” I shrugged. “My mom asked me to, so… “ I like my voice trail off, like this was no big deal.

  “Everyone has the strange side in their family, Miss Washington. Everyone.” She smiled. “If that’s all, I’ll let your mother know we’ve spoken—”

  “Wait, I can say no?” I said.

  “Of course you can. You’re an adult, and able to make your own choices.”

  “As long as I’m in class Monday morning,” I said, harking back to our earlier conversation when I went to visit my parents.

  “Of course. It’s my responsibility to not only keep you safe, but know where you are.” She smiled. “Is this your way of telling me you do not wish to see your visitor?”

  I thought seriously about saying no for all of two seconds. My mom would kill me. “No,” I sighed. “I have to meet her.”