Pearl of Wisdom: Semester Two (Jewel Academy Book 2)

by Jami Klein

  Chapter Six

  I lucked out. The only one who had been looking for me was Stefan. Except I had to listen to him in my mind roaring that it had been stupid to leave the school grounds.

  “What was I supposed to do?” I protested. “Give up the chance to see my mother?”

  We were sitting next to each other on the bus home, staring straight ahead, not looking at each other, and talking mind-to-mind. I wish he’d ease up. I just wanted to lay my head on his shoulder and close my eyes. He was warm, like a mini heater and my head was stuffed full of questions that I needed the pearl of wisdom to answer.

  “Yes. You shouldn’t have gone.”

  “Janine probably risked a lot to get me that key. How do you think she got it anyway?” I had barely parked the car when Janine had appeared at my side and held out her hand for the key.

  She had shifted into a bird and flew away with it, while I had scurried back to the locker room.

  “She probably plucked it out of someone’s purse. How should I know?” Stefan grumped in my head.

  I used a bump in the road to scoot closer to him and he instinctively put his arm around me. Ah. There. So warm. We weren’t dating. Not yet. I sometimes wondered if he was even interested. He spent all of his time either painting his nightmares on canvas or stalking the woods between the Jewel Academy and Hellion Falls looking for the demon who had killed his brother.

  I filled him in on what I found at my mother’s house. “Do you know if Delia’s mother was named Angela?”

  “No.”

  Maybe Andrei or Grantaire would know.

  This time I got a wave of concern. “Don’t use your powers to ask Grantaire. He could be setting you up to get you painted as a black witch, just like Priscilla’s coven.”

  Shaking my head, I sighed. “Not going to happen. I’m going to talk to Tracy tonight to see if they will let me join their coven. I’ve got to convince her that the bracelets won’t interfere in their ritual work.”

  “As long as they’re not summoning demons.”

  “I think they’re trying to commune with the ghosts of the founding families.”

  “Why?” Stefan sounded cranky.

  “From what I’ve overheard it’s for a research paper on genealogy. They’ve got a strong chance because Tracy is a Witt and since she’s the coven leader, she’ll be drawing the power. Her ancestors will probably come through.”

  “Along with what else?”

  “Anyone ever tell you, that you’re a ray of sunshine?”

  “Yeah, but then I ate him.” He turned to me and gave me a toothy smile that made the football players across the seat from us blanch and flinch away from him.

  “Was he tasty?”

  “I had his liver with a nice Chianti and some fava beans.”

  “Thank you, Hannibal Lechter.” I snorted. “Anyway, I’ll be back from the movies tomorrow before sundown. Do you want me to sneak out and help you patrol the forest?”

  He shook his head.

  And for the rest of the ride we were back to radio silence and his broody looks. I tried not to feel hurt by him shutting me out, but at least he kept his arm around me. I leaned closer and closed my eyes, but sleep wouldn’t come.

  When we finally pulled back into the Jewel Academy, my stomach dropped into my shoes as the big steel doors closed. It hadn’t always been a juvenile delinquent center. At one time, it was just a school for supernaturals when no one believed in magic and magical creatures. But as the centuries had rolled on and all the witches came out of the broom closet, more creatures followed until the humans and the supes learned to live together. And the Jewel Academy became a dumping ground for the people the mundanes feared.

  Stefan squeezed my shoulder before taking his arm back. He was still deep in his own thoughts and seemingly not willing to share, so I let him be. It had been a long day. As I was helping put away the cheer equipment, one of the coaches called me over.

  “Bragg, I need to see you in my office.”

  Great. I had been busted after all. Ignoring the snickers and the “Oooooh, you’re in trouble,” I went into the coach’s office and closed the door behind me. No sense giving everyone a show.

  “What’s up?” I asked, shielding for all I was worth.

  “How’s the ankle?”

  I sank into the chair, relief flooding me. I hadn’t been caught. “It hurts.”

  “I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to bench you for the rest of the season.”

  I opened my mouth to protest, but truthfully, I didn’t want to be a cheerleader. It wasn’t me. But if was an avenue to getting Headmistress Magee to remove my non-existent magical shackles and maybe the next away game, my mom would be home.

  “It’s the rules. However, feel free to tryout again next year.”

  “Thanks,” I said, wondering what I was going to do now.

  I took a shower and changed into my clothes here, so I didn’t have to wait to use the one in the dorm. Whomever thought one shower stall per thirteen girls was enough, was an idiot. I was pleased to see Stefan waiting for me outside the gym. He nodded at me and walked back. He also had showered, and the pine scent of his soap made him smell a little like Christmas.

  When we got back to the main building, I turned to go up to the witch section and assumed Stefan would go up the shifters.

  “Be careful tomorrow,” Stefan said. “You can’t trust Enforcers.”

  I nodded, pausing on the stairs. I turned to look at him and he was standing there with his hands in his pockets. “You be careful out there tonight. You can’t trust demons.”

  He smirked and walked away.

  It’s not like I wanted to hunt a demon, I just wished he had a pack to watch his back like the wolves did. Hurrying up the stairs, I peeked into the common room. A bunch of people were studying, and the television was blaring a Spanish soap opera. I went upstairs before I could get sucked in. I didn’t speak Spanish, but the actors were so dramatic and compelling you couldn’t help but watch.

  I heard voices in my room. It sounded like Abigail and Maya were fighting with Priscilla and Betty again. I didn’t care enough to listen in. I was confident they weren’t planning on doing another love spell. Anything else was just mean girl nonsense that I didn’t have time for. I walked up another short flight of stairs and knocked on Tracy Witt’s door.

  “Come in!”

  I walked in and quelled a flush of jealousy. Tracy was sitting up in bed reading, and her roommate Kim was quietly typing on an electric typewriter. It looked so normal. So peaceful. Unlike my room where I danced around Priscilla’s temper and hoped tonight wouldn’t be the night she decided to burn the room to ashes.

  “How’s your ankle?” Tracy asked, putting her book aside.

  “It’s fine, but Coach benched me for the season anyway.”

  “I’m sorry. You must be disappointed.”

  Shrugging, I pulled out her desk chair and sank down on it. “I’m more concerned that Magee will think I’m not trying hard enough to fit in. Until I do, she’s not going to take these off.” I held up my wrists to project a set of imaginary bracelets.

  “It’ll happen,” Tracy said. “By Yule. I’m sure of it.”

  It was an eternity to Yule.

  “Anyway, I was wondering if you had reconsidered initiating me into the coven.”

  Kim stopped typing and looked up. I guess we were more interesting than the paper she was writing.

  Shaking her head, Tracy gave me an apologetic smile. “You’re still too new. If you do good on midterms or if you get the bracelets off, we can talk after Thanksgiving.”

  “I thought we didn’t get paroled for turkey day.”

  She frowned at me. I probably should work on my attitude.

  “You get time off for good behavior,” Kim quipped. Then went back to her typing when Tracy turned her frown on her.

  “I’ve done my sentence,” Tracy said. “I’m here because I want to be. So my freedom isn’t as re
stricted as yours.”

  “You’re choosing to stay here?” I asked incredulously. “Why?”

  She ticked the reasons off on her fingers. “I know the teachers and staff here. I am a coven leader. All my friends are here. I don’t want to start a new high school my senior year.”

  “Your cousin Delia was the same way,” Kim said.

  “What?”

  “As far as I know, she wanted to come here.”

  That was so sad. Delia didn’t have to have died. She could have stayed in a mixed school and would be getting ready for Samhain with her family right now. Instead, she was in a cold grave and her parents were mourning her.

  “And I’ve got a job lined up once I graduate,” Tracy broke through my brooding thoughts. “Magee is putting in a good word for me at a news station.”

  Tracy was a weather witch.

  “Good for you.” I forced myself to say politely. Maybe one day I’d feel the same way about Jewel Academy as Tracy did. But right now, I just felt like a rejected loser. Not good enough to hunt with Stefan, unwanted by the cheerleading staff, and too much of an unknown to be welcomed into a coven. “Anyway, thanks for the chat. I’ll see you around.”

  Tracy bit her lip. “Wait. Since you’re not on the cheer team anymore, why don’t you join the first aid staff? We still get to go to all the games.”

  My mood brightened a little at that, until I realized I knew nothing about first aid. “I can barely put on a band-aid,” I said.

  “That’s the great thing about living in a school. You can teach yourself just about anything. Read up on basic first aid and take the qualification test. If you pass, you can come to the Essex football game next weekend with us as part of the first aid team.”

  “Great. I’ll do it. I won’t let you down.” I hoped. It was a step in the right direction, at least.

  Priscilla and the coven were still at it when I went back downstairs, so I decided that it couldn’t hurt to see if Santana told Esteban about the baby yet on the Spanish soap opera. At least, I think that was what was going on. She kept grabbing her stomach and pleading. Just when I started wishing for sub-titles, I saw something rush into the room and billow out the drapes by the floor’s alcove.

  That was probably for me. Out of the corner of my eye, I just barely made out a figure beckoning me. Andrei. Probably looking for some blood. Hauling myself out of the deep couch, I went into the alcove and drew the curtain closed.

  If anyone in the room noticed, they probably thought I was out here fooling around, and they would leave us alone. Sure enough, Andrei shimmered into existence in front of me.

  “How was your day?”

  I unloaded it on him and then felt a little bad as he dragged a chair over and sat down on it. “You know you can’t get by the guardian of the pearl, right? You’re not a fighter and magic won’t work on him.”

  “How do you know?” I crossed my arms in front of me.

  “Because, my darling Lola, if he could be beat, someone would have tried by now. You need the password. And since you’re unwilling to do that…” Andrei shrugged. “Now, then, come here and tithe to your master.” He patted his lap.

  “Does that work on the goth chicks?” I asked dryly.

  “Usually.”

  I stuck out my wrist.

  “Spoilsport.”

  I managed not to flinch as two little pinpricks sank into my arm. It didn’t hurt. Andrei was gentle. It felt like a kitten bite. The sucking of the blood was really strange. I could feel the pull of it as he drew it out of me. It never lasted more than a couple of minutes. I stared over his head into the other balconies and tried not to be a voyeur at the smooching couples.

  Andrei finished with a dart of his tongue across the wound, that healed it. That was the only part of the exchange that made me uncomfortable. Mostly because it felt really good when he did that, and I got all tingly inside. Something that he would tease me unmercifully about if he knew, so I never let on that it affected me.

  “Do you have to go?” I blurted out, feeling like an idiot.

  He smiled and leaned against the balcony. “What did you have in mind? I could cut class if you make it worth my while.”

  I couldn’t think of anything else, so I said what I was thinking. “We could go hunt demons by Hellion Falls with Stefan.”

  “I’m going to pass on that. And I think you should too. One dead witch in the Bragg family is more than enough.”

  “You met Delia’s mother,” I said, remembering back to our previous conversations about my cousin.

  “Briefly, yes. It was more, I’m so sorry for your loss and a hug than an actual meet and greet.”

  “Was her name Angela?”

  “I don’t know. I called her Mrs. Bragg.”

  So she wasn’t my father’s sister, unless she kept her maiden name. That meant that my dad’s brother was my only other blood connection. “Did you meet her father?”

  “At the funeral home. He was a wreck, as you could imagine. I don’t know his name either, but I might have saved the program from the service. I’ll look for it, if you’re really interested.”

  “Please,” I said. Even that little connection to my family might give me a clue.

  “What’s in it for me?”

  “Ugh.” I rolled my eyes. “What do you want?”

  “For you to stay away from the guardian of the pearl.”

  “You should get to class,” I said.

  He leaned in and kissed me on the forehead. After just been fed, he was brimming with warmth and energy. “Stay away from the forest also. Stefan is hunting his own demons as well as the one that killed his brother. He’s not a hundred percent sane, even if you think you have domesticated our little kitty. You could get hurt before he comes back to his senses.”

  “It’s not like that,” I protested, but his words made sense.

  “Trust me. I know things.”

  And with that, he hopped up on top of the balcony’s railing and leapt off, turning in to a bat in mid-air.

  “Show off,” I muttered with a grin on my face.

  Chapter Seven

  Grantaire drove a Porsche Cayenne and I would have been impressed except it looked just like my mom’s SUV, but with leather seats and a motor that went from 0 to 60 before you could blink. Okay, maybe I was a little impressed.

  I had snuck out of the dorm before anyone, but Priscilla could see me.

  “Why are you wearing a dress and makeup on a Sunday?” she had asked me.

  “No reason,” I had called back over my shoulder, sailing out of our room and closing the door. I didn’t want her to know I was seeing the recipient of Abigail’s failed love spell.

  “Did you decide on what movie you wanted to see?” he asked.

  “A superhero one,” I said. I should have nicked a hundred out of my dad’s stash to buy popcorn and sodas. I was painfully aware that I was broke. In addition to taking my first aid exam, I should probably look into work study. Maybe, Ms. Barnes would let me shelve books in the restricted section.

  “I heard you hurt your ankle yesterday.”

  “Heard from who?” I rotated my ankle. It felt fine, but every now and then I would get a twinge. So maybe it was for the best I wasn’t going to be jumping around on it.

  “The Enforcers get a report every evening about the things going on. Your name caught my eye.”

  “Does that happen a lot?” I laughed nervously.

  “You tell me,” he said in a teasing deadpan.

  Hecate’s twisted knickers that wasn’t good. “Who compiles all the information? Are you guys holding out on us with email and the internet?”

  “Unfortunately, no. We have no WiFi either. All the tree coverage and there isn’t a cell tower in range makes it a little difficult to get a signal.”

  That reminded me. I pulled out my cell. “I have green bars,” I said excitedly. I probably had them yesterday, but I had been too absorbed in ransacking my parents’ house to notice.


  “You’re not going to spend the entire time texting, are you?” he groaned.

  “Only if you bore me.” I put my phone back in my pocket, even though I really wanted to call my mother.

  “I’ll do my best not to.”

  His smile was sweet and gave me hope that this was going to be a nice date with a cute boy instead of something more sinister.

  “So what made you decide to become an Enforcer?” I asked.

  “My parents are both in the FBMI, so it was kind of expected.”

  I tensed. Maybe, Stefan was right. I shouldn’t have come here. Me and the FBMI didn’t get along.

  “In fact, you know my mom.”

  I groaned. Please let it be Agent Jackson, the good cop and not Agent Fines, the perfect cop.

  “Nadia Fines.”

  “Perfect,” I managed not to groan. “Your mom is a mind mage too?”

  “One of the best mindbenders the bureau has,” Grantaire said proudly.

  I was considering jumping out of the car and running back to the Academy.

  “My shields are as good as a witch.”

  Thank you for telling me that before I did anything stupid like try to pump you for information.

  “She asks about you,” he said, not realizing that my heart was thundering in my chest and I was white knuckled around the strap of my purse. “She wondered how you were fitting in.”

  “Fine,” I forced myself to say. “I’m—I’m planning on studying for the first aid exam. If I can get it scheduled in, I’ll be joining the first aid squad on the football games.”

  “That’s good. I bet Headmistress Magee will be pleased to hear it. You’ll be out of those cuffs by Yule.”

  As long as I don’t run into your mother! “That’s what they tell me,” I said, putting a lot of power into my shields. I’d be exhausted by the time this date was over, but with any luck I wouldn’t be busted.

  “My mother liked your whole family.”

  I held myself very still. He was giving me information and I wasn’t going to have to pry it out of him and risk exposing myself. “Did she ever talk with Angela?” I hoped that sounded casual and not like the fishing expedition it was.