by D. R. Perry
I put my hands behind my back, and Alex's shoulders eased. He took a deep breath, then let it out with a sigh, seeming to deflate. There was nothing quite like the threat of imminent expulsion to stop a fight at good old Hawthorn Academy.
"It wasn't me, I swear on all the gods of Olympus." He put his hand over his heart.
"Fine." I took a deep breath, trying to settle my agitation. "I believe you. About this."
"Thank the gods."
We stood in silence as the hushed group of students around us dispersed.
"Don't thank them just yet." I shook my head. "We're on opposite sides at this school. Clementine wasn't your fault, but somebody did this, and I’ll find out who eventually. If your poison was involved in any way, even if someone stole it, I'll make sure everybody knows."
"So will I." He nodded. "Nobody steals from me and gets away with it, Aliyah. But I'm not the only poison magus on campus by a long shot."
"I know what you've been planning all summer." I turned my head, giving him side-eye to shame the devil. "I saw you last year, with Charity and that costume."
"What's that supposed to mean?" He stuck his nose in the air. It was a world of difference from how he’d reacted when I accused him of poisoning Clementine, so I knew he lied this time, but pressing further was too risky.
"Whatever." I shook my head. "I've got my eye on you, and Tempe too."
"Go write a Hallmark card or something, Goody Two-Shoes." He snorted. "She's not afraid of you."
"She should be." I turned on my heel and stalked toward the stairs, glancing over my shoulder to gift him with a withering glare. That should have been the end of the conversation, but Alex called after me, words that echoed in my ears, cementing themselves soundly enough to plague my dreams all that night.
"Nice talk." He raised his hand in a golf wave. "Your Uncle Richard would be proud."
My grandmother called on Darren the next day to give him a report about Clementine. She was on her way out while the second-years had lunch. Bubbe stopped by to say hello as I sat at the largest table in the cafeteria with everyone in my year. Even Dylan ate with us that time, though as far away from Dorian as possible.
After greeting my friends, she asked for a moment of my time. I got up, dropping my plates and tray at the dishwashing window before going into the lobby with her. Bubbe and I found seats on a bench near the double doors leading into the entrance hall.
"I'm not supposed to ask this according to the headmaster, but what happened to Clementine, Bubbe?"
"It was neurotoxin like Ezekiel said." She sighed, running a hand through her aquamarine hair. "If you hadn't helped hold her down for the nurse through that seizure, she might still be sick, or worse. I've sent samples to a lab in Boston, but so far, it looks like it had a non-magical vector."
She went on to explain that the poison might have been conjured by magic, but it had been delivered by putting it on a surface Clementine came into contact with. The lab results would do more to determine if the poison was magical or mundane in origin.
"Who uses poison magic mundanely at a magic school?" I blinked.
"Someone without poison magic, or any magic at all, who wants poison magi or critters like them to get the blame," she answered. "A poison magus covering their tracks is another possibility."
"The only person on campus without any magic is Ezekiel." I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. "Some anti-vampire jerk could be trying to get him fired."
"I'm well aware, Bissel, but I won't say more until the lab work comes back." Bubbe put her hand over mine. "Except that I want you to be careful. Ember too. Remember that fire magic lets you burn poison out of yourself. If you have any friends with that element, you ought to show them how that works."
"So, you think we're not safe?" I blinked.
"I'm saying it's best to be prepared. I'm a medical professional, and it's something we learn over years of practice. So, perhaps mention it to your friend with the Sphinx, and Elanor Pierce as well."
"I'll do that, Bubbe. Thanks for the advice."
"Don't be a stranger this weekend, Bissel. I'll see you soon."
The rest of the week went by with little incident. Familiar Bonding continued with worksheets and magipsychic presentations given by Nurse Smith. The only interaction the first-years got with critters came from Doris and Ember making friends with Lena and Arick. She let Doris curl up in her lap while he practiced keeping his hands away from animal's faces and taking a few calming breaths before approaching them. I thought that by the next week, they'd both be able to continue the course as intended.
Lena seemed likely to find a magical companion, something sedate, but I wasn't sure Arick would ever bond with a familiar. He might be one of those rare students at Hawthorn Academy who ended up on the educational track like my mom. That would be a shame since he clearly loved animals with a passion.
Darren vanished from any social activity. We had a high tea, a study group, and a movie night that first week, but he attended none of those. The only time I saw him was on the way in and out of the cafeteria, and he rebuffed all my efforts at checking on him. I did see him whispering with Elanor in the hall between classes, so at least he talked to someone.
I decided to take Bubbe's advice and help my fire magus friends learn to counter poison. Kitty was easy to find, so I started with her. She ran her weekly Truncheons and Flagons game on Wednesdays, so I dropped by her room after it let out and Faith was on her way to the baths for her swim.
"I never tried burning poison out. Is there anything on the subject at the library?" she asked.
"Yes. I found descriptions in this book about Bishop's Row." I jotted the title down on a piece of paper for her. "We can practice together if you want. No poison's required for that, thank goodness, but it's easy to run out of energy, so we should have our familiars nearby."
"Can we give it a go now?"
"I guess."
The basic principle was something like having a fever, except induced and controlled by magic. We both conjured fire, and then I showed her how to focus it inward. By the time Faith returned from the baths, we sat flushed and panting at the round table in the middle of the room, our familiars snoring on the table between us.
"That was like a hot yoga workout." Kitty laughed. "Whew!"
"What was?" Faith raised an eyebrow.
"Some fire magic stuff." I yawned, too tired to think about anything but sleep. We said goodbye and I left for my own room, letting Kitty explain the exercise.
I tried to look forward to the weekend. I'd go home on Saturday and meet with Izzy and Cadence to chill out from all the school stress. Plenty of my classmates needed a break, and I tried encouraging them to join in. It wasn't easy, considering nobody seemed inclined to come into town with me.
Dylan insisted on sticking around campus with his guitar. I said we wouldn't mind if he brought it along, but apparently, he wanted to practice with some other folks. My momentary flash of jealousy cooled when he explained Elanor was looking for a guitarist to join a musical act in the extramural talent show.
Faith and Hal were heading into Boston for a visit with his doctor. They’d leave on Friday during Familiar Bonding, so I couldn't even see them off. Grace planned to spend all weekend in Creatives, working on a project she insisted on keeping secret. And Dorian had to do homework and help Nurse Smith clean the infirmary, an ongoing task since Mercy had trashed the place that first afternoon in Familiar Bonding.
Finally, I tried to coax Logan into town, asking him if he'd visit Bubbe at least, but he said he wanted to help Dorian catch up on last year's critter-specific material. I couldn't argue with his insistence on encouraging good study habits.
Logan's academic strategies had propelled him to top of the class last year, so who was I to criticize? He was probably still worried about his parents, too, so I gave up. On Friday night, I hung out with Grace. Over chips and salsa, the subject of Logan's crush on Dorian came up. She wasn't surprised
.
"Maybe they'll get together someday." She grinned at my blink. "You know Dorian's bi, right?" Grace shrugged at my dropped jaw. "We discussed it on the first day. We're only together for show, temporarily. He gets to skip the whole newcomer garbage and I get to look strong, keeping the rebellious guy in check. Exponential cool factor that makes up for no longer dating the athletic class clown."
"Oh." I looked away, avoiding giving voice to the first thought that popped into my head. “Why temporarily?”
“Because Dorian’s helping me cement popularity with Hawthorn students. He won’t go over well with psychics, shifters, and changelings, though, so I’ll need to be single and eligible in October when the competing students get here. Then I’ll play the field.”
“Everybody in town loves Dylan, though. Cadence and Izzy do, and they’re popular at their schools already.”
"Why didn't I just stay with Dylan then?" She sighed. "Isn't that what you want to know?"
"You told me already. Too much emotion, right?"
"Not from him." She rolled her eyes, chagrin morphing to anger. "How can you be in love and not have sex?"
"That makes no sense." My face felt nearly feverish. I'd always imagined true love not requiring all the messy-seeming naked body stuff, or only exploring once you had a long history of devotion and trust. I couldn't imagine what it felt like, desire for the sake of it, but she took my words differently than I'd intended them.
"Right!" Grace's nod was as emphatic as applause. "I'd rather get stuck being celibate with someone I don't want to bang all the time."
I didn't contradict her because we'd end up in an argument about a subject I found utterly baffling. I had no time or energy for that. Instead, I got ready for bed. Spending the weekend coordinating events with Izzy and Cadence might end up as an exercise in cat-herding anyway.
Chapter Four
"We got the same list of projects." Izzy nodded. " I singled that one out too. Mostly because of you, Cadence."
"Me?" Cadence batted her eyelids, smiling. "Oh, you shouldn't have, Iz."
"You know practically everyone at Gallows Hill. Who's going to help most with this experiment? And will they be participating in extramurals?"
"Let's see. What kind of shifters do you need again?" Cadence raised her eyebrow.
"You can't tell by looking at this description?" Izzy tapped the paper, her eyes widening. "Have you been asleep in class?"
"Don't get on my case. I do a lot of work at school. And I've always been a little scatterbrained, you know that." I didn't like how strident Cadence's voice sounded while she was defending herself.
"I can always invite Azrael over and ask him." I shook my head. "Or we could just tell Cadence what we’re looking for. Let's all chill out. We've got this."
"I don't need a lecture, Aliyah." Izzy's jaw clenched, eyes too shiny.
"Sorry, I didn't mean it to come across that way." I reached out, putting my hand over hers. "Are you okay?"
"I might not even have a spot on the extramural team." Izzy's lower lip trembled. "After I worked so hard last year."
"What happened?"
"Everyone at Messing is fickle. It's hard to describe, so I won't. I'll just give you a name." She took a deep breath, steadying her hands and her voice. "Jonah Arnold."
The name meant nothing to me, but it did to Cadence. She gaped like a, well, fish.
"No. Way. How did he get into your school? He's a vampire."
"Messing Academy admits psychic vampires as long as their years of existence total eighteen or less. Jonah's clairvoyant just like me, uses tarot cards and everything. Anyway, Dean Adelphi said he was automatically on the extramural team. That means I'm not going to make it."
"Doesn't Adelphi understand how much prejudice there is at Hawthorn against vampires?" I blinked. "Having him there is dangerous."
"That's why she's doing it." Izzy sighed. "Messing's its own counterculture. Also, it's basic strategy. They’re keeping redundancy to a minimum, like we're a Swiss Army Knife instead of a team."
"But aren't you, like, super-popular?" Cadence asked. "Isn't leadership important to Dean Adelphi's selection process?"
Izzy and I shook our heads at the same time. She jerked her chin at me, so I explained as best I could.
"Do you remember how Hal Hawkins was on my Bishop's Row team last year, just because he was the only space magus?"
"So it's nepotism?" Cadence narrowed her eyes. "Is Jonah related to the dean? Could you cry foul?"
"No and no."
"Is there any way you'd both be sure to go?" I tapped my pencil on the packet of experiments. "Magipsychic lab projects are a big deal, but that and Bishop's Row aren't all we've got going on."
"Maybe. Nobody's said anything official. I just overheard the dean talking to a teacher. She said he's our biggest asset." She patted the bag she always wore at her side to carry her cards. "Got a weird feeling right after that, but didn't have time to do a draw."
"That tears it." I grinned. "The weird feeling could have been about Dean Adelphi's next hair appointment, for all we know. Let’s make sure you’re not redundant."
"Maybe."
"What extracurriculars are you doing?" Cadence flipped open a notebook and produced a pen with a downy black puff at the top. "If they're different from Jonah's, that'll help."
"We both play Bishop’s Row." She shook her head. "He's a vampire. His reflexes and speed will get him on the team, no problem."
"What else?" Cadence wrote Bishop's Row, then moved her pen.
"Okay, fine. I'm in the chess club." Izzy rolled her eyes. "But he's the president."
"Okay." Cadence didn't bother writing that one down. "What else?"
"Ballroom dancing, which he got trophies for back in Chicago where he's from."
"So have you, in Boston!" Cadence dropped her pen and pad, clapping her hands and squealing. "Partner up with him for the talent show and boom, you’re essential too."
"Cadence, you're a genius." Izzy leaned over and hugged her.
"You just told me I needed to study more." She giggled.
"Genius isn't just academics." I smiled, then rubbed my growling stomach. "I think it's pizza time, ladies. Let's head out and celebrate this stroke of brilliance at the Engine House."
My friends agreed, so we packed up our papers and notebooks, then headed into the early autumn day together.
"Bubbe?" I knocked on the rear door of her office, the one at the bottom of the back stairs. I'd just gotten back from my day out with Cadence and Izzy, and I'd promised to visit her this weekend.
"Just a moment, Bissel!" I heard her voice call from down the hall.
Her footsteps sounded solid and reassuring on the other side of the door as she approached and opened it. We smiled and hugged, then I followed her down the hall. She paused outside the entrance to the kitchen and turned to face me.
"Your friends are here, Harold Hawkins and Faith Fairbanks. They brought something I think you ought to see."
"Oh?" I blinked but nodded. "Okay."
She opened the door and I walked in, then sat across the table from Hal and Faith. Bubbe set an empty mug in front of me and poured red zinger tea from a pot. After that, she took her half-full beverage from the table and headed into the hall to do rounds for her boarders and patients. Mine was the only mug with steam rising from it, so they'd been there for a while.
"Hi, you guys." I wrapped my hands around the warm cup. "What's up?"
"Remember last year, before you righteously dumped the poisonous bastard?" Faith studied her nails.
"Yes, unfortunately." I nodded.
"You asked if his mother could look into Hal's family. Well, she did, but he waited until now to tell us about it. Anyway, he gave us this."
Faith pushed the piece of paper across the table toward me. I didn't look at it, at least not yet.
"Why are you showing me?"
"We thought you might have some idea what this means." Hal tapped a line
at the bottom of the paper. "You're fanatical about the folks down at Providence Paranormal College."
"Oh. I'll help, I just didn't want to go poking around in your private stuff. Not after all the mistakes I made in that area last year."
"The mistakes turned out to be an advantage, though." Hal sighed. "Alex came through, but I can't get my brain around why."
"He sent it to us by way of Arick Magnuson, who positively quaked in his boat shoes." Faith rolled her eyes. "At least we've got one ally among the first-years. You made quite the impression on him in Familiar Bonding."
"I hope you're right." I sighed.
"The document seems to be in order, anyway." Hal tapped it again. "But this bothers me. Something about it feels almost too familiar. Uncanny, even coincidental."
"All right, all right. I'm looking."
I held the paper up, reading the words printed on it. The document was brief, mostly a list of names with relationships to Hal's father.
"Gamila Haddad Hawkins is my grandmother. She made the stained glass mural on the doors to the academic wing." He shook his head. "I never met her, though. She's fae and went away for some reason. Business with a monarch, maybe?"
"I don't know. I only remember your dad saying his mother made that artwork."
"Let's stay focused on Stephanie's side of the family." Faith sniffed. "What there is of it."
"There's nothing here about her except that your mother's maiden name was Kiln." I tapped my temple, trying to remember. "And you're right, it rings a bell. Reminds me of something I heard, but it's off somehow."
"Absolutely." Hal nodded. "It's unique because everything on Dad's side is a birth or baptismal record, but hers is a GED record at North Shore Community College. She covered up being a dhampyr, but that can't be all."
"That name must be an alias." Faith said. "It makes sense, but if you're hiding your status, why do it with a name so odd it draws attention?"