“Silvy.” Tristen put both his hands on my shoulders. “You don’t have to do this. You don’t even have to be here if you don’t want to. Let us handle it.”
Alec rummaged around on the shelves.
“I… She…” I couldn’t form words either. Tears welled up in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall.
Light flashed as Alec took pictures on his phone.
Tristen gave me a quick hug. “Maybe you should go and keep watch outside. Let us handle this.”
I took a deep breath and let it out again. “No, I’m fine.” I pushed past him and headed over to the shelves. “What is the poison called?”
“Moon flower, it’s deadly in large doses, but it can be used as a sedative,” Alec replied. “None of these vials are labelled. How did Freya find anything?”
I swallowed, hard. “She knew what they all were.” I had seen her rifling through it often enough. “She must have had her own system for finding things. Which is why I don’t see how she could have taken something by accident. She knew every single bottle on that shelf by heart.”
Tristen joined Alec by the cabinet.
I headed into the bedroom and caught my breath. Why did this have to be so hard? I had never been in Freya’s bedroom, only the living area. It reminded me so much of her. Neat and organised. With pale blue walls, a small four-poster bed, and oak furniture. When I caught the scent of jasmine, I froze. I had to get the hell out of there. I bolted from the room and ignored Tristen when he called after me.
I considered going back to my room, but I couldn’t face Mel right now. She would only ask questions and try to comfort me. I needed to be alone for a while to get my head together.
Instead, I headed for Tristen’s room.
I’d never been there before, but to my surprise, the door opened at my touch. It was much bigger than I had expected. Probably the size of one of the teacher’s chambers, but I shouldn’t have been surprised. He was a prince after all and always had the best of everything from what I had seen. He had an entire living room and a small kitchenette to himself. The living room had whitewashed walls and black-and-white decor. A large flatscreen TV hung on the wall surrounded by a large stereo system. The kitchen area was covered in sleek stainless-steel appliances.
I headed over to the leather sofa and sank down on it. I had no idea why I had come here, of all places. Not that there were a lot of places around the academy that I could go to find privacy. Unless I went outside, but I didn’t feel like trekking around the grounds in the dark.
The room smelled of him. It wasn’t where I wanted to be — I didn’t know where I wanted to go. At least it was private.
I put my head in my hands and let a few stray tears fall.
A few moments later the door opened, and Tristen came in.
“How did you know I was here?” I didn’t bother looking up.
“I have spells to alert me whenever someone comes here. You’re not the first girl who has crept into my room.” He came over to me. “It’s okay.”
I shook my head. “No, it’s not. Why does everyone keep saying that? Freya…” I couldn’t bring myself to say it.
“I know.” Tristen sat down beside me and pulled me close.
No one ever hugged me. It still felt odd. I snuggled closer to him, anyway. Somehow, he felt safe and warm.
“Alec and I took pictures, but we couldn’t find anything else. There was no sign of the moon flower in her room. Someone must have removed it.”
“At least you looked. I couldn’t even do that.” I rested my head against his chest.
Tristen stroked my hair. “No one will blame you for —”
I shook my head again. “No, it’s not. I froze up and ran away.” I pulled away from him. “It’s what I do when things get heavy. I’m no good with emotional stuff.”
Tristen got up and walked over to a small kitchen area. How the heck did he get to have that? Most of the student rooms only had a bedroom area and a small bathroom.
I stood up. “I should go.”
“Stay, have some hot chocolate.”
“Thanks… For everything,” I mumbled.
To my surprise, Tristen appeared in front of me. “You don’t have to run from me. I’m not going anywhere.”
I took a deep breath. I had known this conversation had been coming. I just hadn’t expected it so soon and had hoped I would have been able to avoid it for a while longer. “Tris, this thing between us… It has to end.”
His eyes narrowed. “Why? Because of my mother?” he asked. “What did she say to you earlier? I knew she would warn you off. I didn’t expect you to fall for it, though.”
I frowned. “How did you — no. I’m no good for you. We come from different worlds and I’m — I’m no good at this stuff.” I shouldn’t have been surprised he knew Maeve had warned me off. “It doesn’t matter what she said. She has a point. You want more than I can ever give you.”
Tristen arched an eyebrow. “All I want is you. There’s something powerful between us and you know it. I’m tired of ignoring it. I have feelings for you, and I think you feel something for me too. Even if you don’t admit it to yourself.”
I scowled. He knew me better than anyone else, and that irritated me. I still had no idea what he saw in me. Yes, there might be this weird connection between us, and I did care about him, but hell, I was a mess. And not only because of Freya’s death. I had never been good at relationships, and I doubted I ever would be. My past was too screwed up for that.
“If you want to only be friends, fine. But I don’t and I’m not walking away from you.” Tristen slipped his arms around me. “And my mother warned you off, but I won’t let her kick you out of the academy either.”
“I am a walking disaster, why would you want anything to do with me?”
“Because you are real and strong. And I rather fancy you when you’re not yelling at me or trying to hit me with crowbars.”
I bit back a smile. “Still, this is your chance to back out now. I mean it, I’d be the worst girlfriend ever.” I pulled away from him. “You are a prince. You deserve to be with someone a whole lot better than me.”
“I can deal with it. I’m not going anywhere. And you are the only person I want to be with.” He captured my mouth in another kiss.
I moulded against him and he pulled me against his hard body. After a while, I pulled away. “Do you have the pictures of Freya’s room?” I still had no idea how I was going to work that phone Freya had sent me.
Tris nodded as the kettle boiled and I watched him make us hot chocolate. He then pulled out his phone. “I should get you one of these.”
I laughed. “I don’t have anyone to call or text aside from you, Mel, and Alec. Besides, as of this morning, I have one.” I pulled the phone out of my pocket. “Freya sent me a bunch of stuff that arrived today. I think she was trying to make up for springing the custodian thing on me. But I have no idea how to even use this.”
“At least you will be able to view them yourself then. What’s your mobile number?”
“I have no idea.” I handed him the phone, and he browsed through it. “Let’s take things slow for now, okay?”
He leaned over and gave me a quick kiss. “Okay, you already had me at the crowbar.”
I laughed, remembering how I’d once threatened him with a crowbar. Back then he seemed like an arrogant, full of himself snob. But I had seen the more caring side of him too.
Tristen flicked through the pictures of each room. No sign of poison or anything amiss. The place had been tidied up since yesterday. But who had been in the room, and why have they covered it up? What did Lucas Melrose have to do with it?
One way or another, I would find out what happened to Freya.
Chapter 7
The next few weeks passed, and Monday morning came around way too quickly. Concentrating on work and paying attention in classes had proved a lot harder than I had thought. I
still felt numb over everything that had happened. Seeing Tristen and hanging out with my friends was the only thing that kept me going.
I still expected to see Freya in class, or when I went into the library. But our lessons together were what I missed most.
First up today was PE class led by Zoe Finn. At least Tristen and I would be partnered up again. Zoe had done that when I had first joined the academy last term. Tristen and I hadn’t liked each other — or at least I hadn’t liked him. The idiot made me feel things I wasn’t used to, and sometimes it scared me.
I changed into a T-shirt and jogging trousers. All the clothes Freya had gifted me had come in handy. And it had been nice not having to cut slits into my clothing to accommodate my wings. Mel and the others still kept harping on about my missing wings. Saying the usual, “it isn’t healthy to repress emotions…” Blah blah blah.
Even Tristen kept bringing it up. I hadn’t repressed anything, nor did I miss my cumbersome wings. Being able to move around and not have anyone staring at them was a blessing. Tristen had said I could bring them out any time I wanted to. They still hadn’t come out yet. The worst thing was having Mel go on about it every day. She needed to chill. Sure, there were times when I shed a few tears, but I wouldn’t let myself turn into a blubbering mess.
I joined Tristen on the exercise mat in the gym as we all waited for Zoe to come in. “Have the council said when the memorial is going to be?”
An entire month had passed since Freya’s death and they still hadn’t had the memorial for her. Tristen had told me Freya's sisters had demanded an investigation into her death. That had pleased me. At least they had the good sense to be suspicious. But it also delayed the memorial and Freya’s legacy reading. I didn’t know whether to be relieved by that or not, since it just delayed the inevitable.
“It’s in a few days. Freya’s sister finally gave in and agreed. The council still hasn’t changed their ruling,” Tristen replied. “They insist it was an accident and refuse to conduct a formal investigation. I think Nick and Zoe are doing that. From what I heard Freya’s sisters have been pressuring them to do something.”
My hands clenched into fists. “Unbelievable. We need to find another way of convincing them. I’m glad Freya’s sisters seem to think the same as we do.”
“Still, there’s no way to prove she didn’t take it by accident.”
I gaped at him. “Are you saying…?”
“I’m saying there might not be much we can do,” Tristen stated. “Alec couldn’t find any footage of that night.”
Anger boiled through me.
Zoe herself then came in. “Okay, class, who is up for some sparring today?” She beamed at us as if she expected us to be excited. Most of us just groaned.
Only Zoe could be psyched over PE. Probably because she didn’t have to do any of the hard stuff herself, and she was in terrific shape.
“I’m going to split you into pairs.” Zoe started spouting off different names. “Silvy, partner with Aveline.”
I froze. “What?” I glanced at Tristen to see if I heard right.
He squeezed my shoulder and gave me a sympathetic look. “Just ignore any of her snide remarks. She’s not worth it.”
I couldn’t believe Zoe had paired me up with my arch-nemesis. Had she lost her mind? Aveline had hated me since I set foot at the academy. Which Zoe must have known. How could she think us sparring together would be a good idea? Although maybe I could wipe the smug look off Aveline’s face for once.
Zoe and I had been meeting up a couple of times a week when she took on her new role as my mentor. None of our sessions had gone well for me magically. Zoe was a good person, but she didn’t have Freya’s knowledge or skill. But since the council had ruled I no longer needed a mentor, we didn’t have much choice. As a Guardian, Zoe was beyond the council’s authority, but other fae weren’t. Anyone else who opted to mentor me would be in big trouble. Plus, the council was looking for an excuse to kick me out of the academy. I didn’t want to give them one.
Aveline scowled when I trudged over to her, and she gave me a smirk. “This will be fun.”
I still had no idea what her problem was. Maybe it was because I was a faeling who had come from nothing. If I hadn’t been offered a place here at the academy, I would have been living on the streets by now.
I glowered at her but said nothing. I’d wipe that smirk off her face. I might not be able to fight as gracefully as some of the fae, but I knew how to fight dirty. Years in foster care and life living on the street had taught me how to defend myself.
“Okay, class, we’re going to practice self-defence today,” Zoe announced. “One of you is going to act as an attacker, the other has to defend and block. I’ll demonstrate. Who wants to volunteer?” She glanced around as if she expected someone to volunteer. “Alec, why don’t you come up here?”
Poor Alec. Zoe always picked him to show her moves since he was the weakest one in the class. But I suspected Alec enjoyed being manhandled by her since he had a crush on her. He never complained, and he’d never been much of a fighter either.
Alec shot over to Zoe’s side.
Zoe caught hold of him in a headlock before Alec had a chance to blink. “So, what’s the best way to release yourself from this kind of attack?”
Alec flayed about and slapped Zoe’s hands. God, he was doing it all wrong.
After a few moments, Zoe let go of Alec and she told him what to do to defend himself.
“I can’t believe I got paired with you,” Aveline snarled. “You stink.”
Once upon a time, I imagined I had smelled a bit, but now I had toiletries and showered twice a day.
Ignore her. She’s not worth it. I had to keep reminding myself to ignore her.
“I mean you smell, and your wings were so mangled they had to cut them off,” Aveline taunted as everyone else started taking up their positions.
Still, I ignored her jibes. “Let’s get this over with, shall we? You can play the victim. I’ll be the attacker.”
Aveline’s glower grew. “Is it true you killed Freya? I mean, she’s the only reason you’re here,” she goaded. “Maybe she croaked because she realised what a half-breed scum you are. You are a killer — all faelings go bad. The whole damn lot of you should be wiped out. That’s probably why you got dumped in foster care. I bet your father was a human rapist and your fae mother couldn’t stand the sight of you.”
That did it. Light burst from my hand and slammed Aveline into the wall. She screamed and then slumped to the floor, unconscious.
I stared down at my hand in stunned disbelief. It continued to flare with pulsating white light. That was new.
You killed Freya. Aveline’s words echoed through my mind. I could have dealt with all the other stuff. It wasn’t anything I hadn’t heard before. I blamed myself for what had happened to Freya. If only I’d been able to get her sooner, she might not have died.
This had never happened before. I clenched my glowing hand into a fist and light burst from my palm. I could have dealt with the other comments, but not that.
Everyone screamed as the energy knocked them to the ground.
Holy crackers, I knew I was in for it this time.
My little outburst led to me being stuck in the headmaster’s office. Forest’s office always looked like a welcoming place. Tree limbs covered one side of the back wall and some of the branches were covered in leaves that change colour depending on the season. The rest of the walls were oak, and a plush cream carpet covered the floor. An enormous desk stood at the far end of the wall, surrounded by two leather visitors’ chairs and a large brown leather desk chair.
I had been fascinated by this room when I had first arrived at the academy. That seemed so long ago now. Like a lifetime. My life had changed so much in that time.
Forrest glared at me as he stood from his desk. “What led you to check to attack another student, Miss Eldry?”
I op
ened my mouth to explain, but no words came out. What good would it do, anyway? He and his bitchy sister wanted me gone. I had spent the last month keeping a lid on my powers, but I had still lost control. Especially when I got angry.
Damn, Aveline knew how to push my buttons. I had hoped to knock her over when we started sparring. However, my magic had other ideas.
Freya’s grimoire hadn’t been much help either when I’d looked in it for a way of keeping my powers under control. In some ways, I missed the block. Without Freya, both my magic and I felt more lost than ever.
“I didn’t mean to attack her,” I spoke up. “You know my powers are out of control. That’s why Freya…” Tears sprang to my eyes. “That’s why she mentored me.”
“Rubbish. Magic only spirals out of control when the user is out of control,” Forrest snapped. “You are showing all the early warning signs of a true faeling. That makes you a danger to everyone in this academy. I knew I never should have agreed to let you come here, but Freya was insistent.”
Frustration rolled through me like a storm. I wasn’t the type of person to ask for help. Part of me wanted to ask for a new mentor. But what good would it do?
“You attacked Aveline and you’re lucky she only got stunned, not injured. If this was the first time —” Forrest got cut off as the door slammed open as Zoe stormed in.
“Good, Miss Finn, perhaps you can escort Miss Eldry back to her room. She’s expelled.”
“What?” Zoe gaped at him. “She didn’t mean to hit Aveline. If you want to blame anyone, blame me. I’m the one who partnered them up.”
I sank lower in my chair. I tried so hard to keep my head down so I could stay at the academy. But no, my freaking magic had to get me expelled. Now I was about to lose my home and everything that I had been working for.
“Don’t be stupid enough to put your job on the line for her, Zoe,” Forrest snapped.
“Why are you too blind to see she needs help?” Zoe demanded. “Her magic is strong — may be too strong for most teachers here to deal with. She’s not like the other fae who grew up with people to show them how to use magic.”
Everlight Academy Book 2 Page 6