Essence of Magic (Ruby Morgan Book 1)

by LJ Rivers

  A couple of girls walked over, and Diane instantly began recruiting while I stepped back. I needed to find out where everyone got the MagX from. I wasn’t so delusional that I thought I could stop the entire industry on my own. But if I found the dealers, I could possibly trace the distributors and perhaps even the very source of where it was made. With a little help, they would be exposed and the authorities could shut them down. It was a long shot, but I had to at least try. I wasn’t thrilled to hear Logan’s words in my head again, but he had a point. Every big story starts with pulling that first tiny piece of string.

  “Hey,” a familiar accented voice murmured.

  I stepped forward as the very thought of Brendan made me immediately cheer up.

  I was about to reply when Diane cut in front of me with her long, perfect legs.

  “Oh, hello, B.” Diane giggled as Brendan picked up a badge, shifting it between his fingers.

  “This is where it all happens then?” Brendan asked.

  “You know it is.”

  I wanted to say something but the two of them were fully engaged in some kind of friendly banter. Next to Diane, I fell easily into the background. Why was he looking at her like that? Had he even seen me standing here? Diane was a goddess, I’d give her that much, but her personality was bland. She was too chipper. The fire started growing in my veins again, eager to push out. And I wanted to let it. For a moment, I envisioned setting that golden hair of hers on fire. I breathed deeply to quiet the flames. I couldn’t very well expose myself in a room full of people—or set anyone's hair on fire.

  Diane took a sip of water, and without a second thought, I grabbed a handful of badges and bumped into her as I placed them in the small box. The water spilt down Diane’s sheer white blouse, compelling me to give an involuntary snicker. I quickly wiped the grin off my face and turned to her.

  “Oh gosh, I’m such a klutz. Are you ok?”

  “I have to go change,” Diane muttered, covering her chest with her arms. She turned and stalked out of the hall. She didn’t even spare me a glance.

  “I’m sorry,” I called after her.

  “Hey, Ru.” Brendan finally acknowledged my presence. “Why did you do that?”

  “It was an accident.”

  Brendan raised an eyebrow at me. He didn’t appear convinced. “If you say so.”

  My cheeks burned. Why did I do that? I lost control of myself. Diane hadn’t deserved anything like what I just did to her, for no apparent reason at all. I looked at Brendan, who stared back. I had no idea what to say to him.

  “What’s up, guys?” Jen’s high-pitched voice was a relief.

  Rahul shot up when he saw her. “Di spilt water all over herself,” he said. “She was wearing a white shirt. It was Ruby’s fault.”

  Jen put her hands on her hips. “I see.”

  “It was an accident,” I repeated.

  “Of course it was, love,” Jen said.

  Rahul leaned forward, his hips pressing against the table. “You look good, Jen. Have fun last night?”

  Jen shrugged and turned to Brendan. “Have you seen Olivia today?”

  He squinted at her. “Olivia who? Oh, right, Duncan’s friend? No, I don’t think I have, why?”

  “She’s been missing since Diane’s party. I’ve spent all morning talking to her flatmates, but she’s not been back to her room at all.”

  “Perhaps she went home?” Brendan asked.

  “Nuh-uh. She hadn’t packed anything. All of her stuff is still in her room, including her passport. It’s not like she would go back to Bulgaria without her passport.”

  “I’m sure there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation, but I’ll ask around if it helps,” Brendan said.

  “Thank you. We’re running out of places to look. Duncan is out of his mind with worry.”

  Brendan nodded.

  My stomach twisted into knots again. This was getting too weird. Olivia wouldn’t just have vanished off the face of the earth. Not unless someone made her disappear. And if that was the case, she might be in trouble. Brendan could of course be right about the reasonable explanation, but every bone in my body told me that something was wrong and that we needed to find her soon.

  “So, Ru. Charlie and I wanted to know if you have dinner plans,” Jen said. “We’re ordering pizza and were thinking of doing a Netflix marathon. I think we all could use some fun to take our minds off everything.”

  “Count me in,” I said, catching a glance from Brendan. It made my skin tingle.

  He waved at us. “I’ve got to get going. I’ll let you know if I hear anything. See you around, Ruby Ruby Morgan.”

  He walked off and I couldn’t tell if he was angry at me or maybe he didn’t care enough to feel anything. Shoot. I still hadn’t thought to ask him for his number. Not that he was likely to want to share it with me anyway, not after the stunt I just pulled. Maybe that job at the cinema had disappeared too. My eyes lingered on his back until he disappeared into the crowd. I had thought there was a connection between us but with what I had done to Diane, I had probably ruined whatever spark we had. No one wanted to date a bully.

  Rahul found his voice again and was half sitting on the table at this point.

  “Girls’ night out, huh? Do you braid each other’s hair, have pillow fights and stuff? I always wondered what you girls do when you’re alone.”

  Jen rolled her eyes at me then leaned forwards, placing her palms on the table next to Rahul.

  “Yes,” she whispered into his ear. “All of that, and sometimes more.”

  “Really?” Rahul turned his face to hers.

  “No, you dumbass.” Jen pushed him off the table, then straightened and retrieved her phone before snapping a picture of the poor boy. “Hashtag Notyourbusiness.” She smirked at me. “I think I’ll go check on Diane. See you tonight, Ru. And if I were you, I’d find someplace better to spend the rest of my day.” She strutted off in the same manner in which she had arrived.

  I giggled but offered Rahul a hand, pulling him to his feet.

  He was cursing under his breath, and I figured Jen was right to shove him. I also figured she was right to say I should find something better to do with my time, so I grabbed my bag.

  “You can manage on your own for the rest of the fair today, right?”

  Rahul glared at me. His pride was definitely hurt. “Just go already.”

  I didn’t need him to ask me twice, and I knew exactly where I was going. To Raven Court. I had to apologise to Diane.

  Chapter Twelve

  Raven Court was as immaculate as the first time I’d seen it and the smell of soap and roses radiated from the clean surfaces all over the room. How they had managed to get it so clean and tidy after the party and still be at the Fresher’s stand was beyond me. Unless they had hired a cleaner, of course, which was probably the case.

  Diane and Jen sat on the sofa where I had sat with Brendan a few nights before. They were looking at Diane’s phone, both giggling.

  “He totally deserved that,” Diane laughed.

  “For sure. And I’ve got a ton of hearts already,” Jen replied.

  I cleared my throat and they both looked up at me. “Hi,” I said, my voice breaking slightly.

  “Ruby.”

  Diane gestured for me to sit on the sofa next to her. She had changed into a lovely maroon shirt. The fabric was smooth and it looked very fashionable. I could never afford anything like it, but Diane wore it as though it had been made especially for her. For all I knew, she probably had ten more just like it hanging in her wardrobe.

  I hesitated, not quite sure where to start, then took a deep breath. “I’m so sorry about drowning you.”

  She raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow at me. “Not to worry, honey. I was embarrassed for a moment, but I know you didn’t bump into me on purpose. I mean, I’m the one who drenched myself, not you. So, let it go already and look at the photo of Rahul.”

  She beamed at me, so I shook off the gu
ilt and turned my attention to the picture of Rahul. Jen had thousands of Instagram followers, and there was already more than three hundred likes as well as a bunch of comments. The expression on Rahul’s face was, admittedly, hilarious. I felt bad for him, though at the same time he kind of had it coming.

  Jen pressed the button on the side of her phone and the screen went black.

  “I think I’ll do another sweep to see if I can find Olivia.”

  Diane took her hands. “Don’t you think it’s time you reported it? She’s been missing for three days now.”

  I had to agree with Miss Perfection. We hadn’t had any luck finding Olivia but perhaps security would. They knew this place better than any of us.

  “I think she’s right,” I said.

  “I know.” Jen sighed. “Well, Dunc will just have to deal with it.” She stood and held her hand out to me. I took it, determined to do the right thing at last.

  “Smart choice,” Diane said and blew Jen a kiss. “See you tomorrow?”

  “I’ll be back.”

  Arms linked, we hurried out the door to find our way to campus security. Of all people, Brendan stood outside the entrance to the security office with his hands in his pockets, swaying on the balls of his feet.

  “B,” I called as we approached him.

  He smiled warily at us. “Ladies. Nice to see you again so soon.”

  “What are you doing here?” Jen asked.

  Brendan folded a hand behind his neck. “I know the guards. They let me hang around from time to time to show me the ropes.”

  “Why?” I asked, finding myself curious. This was a side of Brendan I hadn’t seen yet.

  “Because I want to become a police officer, or maybe a detective. I don’t know exactly, but I know I want to do some kind of investigative work. Protecting people. This seemed like a good start.”

  “But why are you lurking outside, then?” Jen frowned.

  “I was contemplating whether or not I should tell them about Olivia. It’s not really my business, though. Still, it doesn’t sit right with me that none of you have reported it yet.”

  Shame welled up inside me. He was right of course, and we should have said something sooner.

  “That’s why we’re here now.”

  He gave me a half-smile. “Good. I’ll come with you.”

  The three of us stepped inside. It was a small office with a few chairs on each side of the room and a thick glass wall separating the room in half. An open counter sat in the middle of the wall and a security guard sat on the other side.

  “Hey, Marty,” Brendan said.

  “Mr O’Callaghan,” the guard replied as he closed the cover on the phone he was looking at and placed it on the counter beside him. “Want to patrol with me this evening?”

  “Not tonight, I’ve got practice, but thank you anyway. I swung by with these two ladies. They have something to report.”

  Marty wrapped up a sandwich next to his phone and leaned closer to the opening. “What can I do for you then?”

  I exhaled sharply and moved closer. “We want to report a missing person. Olivia Barton. No one has seen her since the day before yesterday and we’re worried about her.”

  Marty’s bushy eyebrows met in a frown before he turned to his computer and typed in a password. He clicked onward to some kind of form, glancing back at us.

  “I’ll need the full details. Make sure you tell me everything, even things that might seem as though they’re not of importance. Understood?”

  We nodded and I told Marty as much as I could, excluding the parts about MagX and what had happened to Charlie.

  “So, you walked past a girl drunk out of her mind, and you didn’t think to stop and make sure she got home all right?” He eyed me with what could only be judgement coating his eyes.

  His words hit me like a cricket bat to the chest. His accusation was well placed, but I couldn’t tell him why I hadn’t stopped. I glanced at Brendan. If what I had done to Diane wasn’t enough to push him away, this would probably do the trick. I sighed and tried desperately not to sound like a cold-hearted bitch.

  “I know, and I would have, but I was looking for a friend. And truth be told, I had a few drinks in me as well. Besides, I thought she was with Duncan.”

  I pressed my lips together. Mentioning Duncan’s name was probably not the wisest decision I had made so far, and it wasn’t my first screw-up of the day either.

  “Duncan who?” Marty started typing Dunc’s name into the form.

  “Duncan Cole,” Brendan said coolly.

  “Ah, yes, I know Dunc,” said Marty, shaking his head. “And are you sure Dunc didn’t do something to her?”

  What was he asking? Duncan was a mess, but he didn’t strike me as someone who would hurt even a fly.

  “He’s her friend and he’s also the one who first told us he couldn’t find her,” I said.

  “And when was that?” Marty asked as he typed: “Known MagX user; heavy addiction; poor academic results; parents with a heavy bankroll; no siblings; a loner.”

  I gasped.

  He was profiling Duncan. And it wasn’t in Duncan’s favour.

  “He told us two days ago, the day after the party. He was truly concerned about her,” Jen said.

  Brendan scratched his head, his hazel-coloured locks weaving through his fingers.

  “It could be a way of trying to look innocent. If he did do something to Liv, then—” He paused and gave me and Jen an apologetic look. “Then he knew that people would find out eventually. Maybe he thought that playing the worried friend would make him seem less suspicious.”

  Jen crossed her arms, and I could almost feel the resentment building up in her. I was horrified that both Marty and Brendan appeared so eager to hang Duncan for a possible crime without knowing all the facts. At the same time, I could kind of understand where they were coming from. Duncan wasn’t the reliable type, and he clearly had issues on top of his heavy MagX addiction. What if he was high on MagX and had hurt Liv somehow? It could have been a drug-induced accident, and now he was trying to cover it all up. It made more sense than I wanted to admit but Jen wasn’t having it.

  “He wouldn’t touch a hair on her head,” she said. “The poor bloke is in the gutter, but he’s too gentle to cause any harm. I’m telling you, you’re wrong.”

  Marty stood and opened a door in the wall I hadn’t noticed before, then stepped out to join us.

  “Either way, we have to at least look at the possibility.” He turned to Brendan. “I assume all the usual places have been checked?”

  Brendan shrugged. “She’s not been in her room, nothing was taken from the flat, she’s not packed or anything. Jen, Ruby and Charlie have asked around and searched for her all over campus. She’s not likely to still be sleeping off her hangover under some bridge somewhere more than two days after the party. From where I’m standing, this could be serious.”

  “Then this is a police matter,” Marty announced. “Don’t you worry. I’ll notify the police, and we’ll do everything in our power to find this girl. In the meantime, I advise you ladies to keep your heads down. The police will not be happy that you decided to wait this long to report this, and they certainly don’t appreciate anyone tampering with evidence or butting in on an active investigation.”

  I nodded and nudged Jen in the side when she didn’t respond.

  She pinched the bridge of her nose. “Fine. We’ll butt out. Just find her. Please.”

  Marty tilted his head at us, then glanced at Brendan. “Make sure they get home all right, yes?”

  “Will do,” Brendan said.

  Marty was already on the phone, taking long strides as he walked under the lilac archway leading to Raven Court.

  The rest of us headed the other way back to Craydon. Jen strode a couple of paces in front of us, either to give us privacy or more likely because she was pissed off about the Duncan accusations.

  “People get jittery where MagX is concerned,” Brenda
n started. “With Duncan involved, that’s the first thing that comes to mind.”

  “But she wasn’t a user. She was simply drunk,” I retorted.

  “Perhaps it would be best if the government knew who is a Magical and who isn’t. It might be easier to keep everyone in line.”

  My chest tightened. Where had that come from?

  “You truly believe that? People would cage—” I almost said ‘us’, “them, and any Harvester would know exactly who to target. There’s a reason no one displays their magical abilities.”

  “I suppose,” he said. “Maybe. But the use and distribution of magical blood is a punishable offence. If the government had tracking on every Magical alive, then they could also protect them.”

  “Tracking? Like animals. Surely they won’t do that.” Disbelief shot through me.

  “They’re talking about it. I heard something about it on the news the other day. You know that priest guy, Colburn?”

  “How could I not?” I said. “His face is all over the place in those ads. Congregation of Purity or whatever they call themselves.”

  He was everywhere; TV ads, whole pages in newspapers and I had even seen him on a large billboard in Piccadilly Circus. Why a religious sect would spend so much on advertising was beyond me. But I had to admit, it probably had some effect. After all, I knew very well who Jarl Colburn was, and that he viewed Magicals as a threat to humanity—the message could not be misunderstood.

  “Church of Purity,” Brendan said. “But yes, he was in the studio talking about how there should be new rules, if he had any say in it. I heard the Secretary of State for Justice held a hearing today about implementing new rules to make sure no Magical falls under the radar, though no one knows exactly how they are supposed to enforce it yet. I don’t think they can, but we’ll see.”

  My head throbbed. Harvesters were already breaking the law. They wouldn’t care about the government promising to keep Magicals safe, and there was no way a tracking device of any sort would prevent the MagX industry from growing. It was more likely that whoever was responsible for manufacturing the drugs would get their hands on any records of Magicals, providing them with easy access to supply.