Hawthorn Academy- Year Two

by D. R. Perry

  I froze in the doorway, wondering if she'd tell the headmaster. I'd get suspended, or worse, get Aliyah expelled.

  "I thought it was bad, but not like this." She gazed at the device. Shapes moved across its surface, distorted from my side. I stepped beside her, trying to get a better look.

  "That's my sister." I blinked. "But how?"

  "Someone set it to record." She set it on the end of the table with Seth, who was nestled in extra blankets.

  “Too bad it erases on replay. My Magipsych Fair group won second place with that orb. And I didn’t toggle record.” I glanced at the wall, lying to protect Hal and Aliyah. “I’m not sure who did.”

  "Seth’s smart enough for that.” She set the orb down in a nest of blankets. “You need to talk to someone, Faith."

  "Tempe's the one who needs a shrink."

  "She'll never admit that because she can’t be honest. Do you know what gaslighting is?"

  "Yes." I rolled my eyes. "Seriously, Doc. I'm seventeen, not seven."

  "Nice sarcasm you've got there." She raised an eyebrow. "But this is serious. Temperance will continue making you doubt. That's why you need help."

  "I don't need therapy."

  "It's more than that." Dr. Morgenstern poured tea for herself, then held the pot over my cup and paused.

  "Yes, please." I didn't want to have this conversation, but she'd saved Seth's life. The least I could do was listen.

  "You need a record, corroborated by someone who believes you. I'm not talking about Hal either. Have you told him about Temperance?"

  "I toned it down." I stared down at my tea, reluctant to sweeten it like maybe I didn't deserve it. "Didn't want to scare him away."

  "You're standing by your boyfriend through a debilitating illness. Do you think a toxic family will scare him off?" She leaned back, holding her cup between tented fingers.

  "Okay, you've got a point. But if his dad finds out, he might make us break up."

  "Why do you think that?"

  "Don't all parents keep the ’wrong sort’ away from their kids?”

  "There's no one way parents act. Most teach their children how to avoid harm, but yours didn't, and you don’t seem to think they’ll change. You need an adult to confide in."

  "Headmaster Hawkins is the only therapist at school."

  "Talk to me, then." She sipped tea. "I've got a license."

  "If Mom and Dad find out I'm talking to a counselor—" I couldn't finish the sentence.

  "Make appointments for Seth." She nodded in his direction. "He'll need regular checkups after this."

  "Where'd the poison come from, anyway? I mean, you saw Seth tangle with Precious. Are grundylows poisonous all of a sudden?"

  "No. All I can say is that this poison originates from a mountain town in northern Italy."

  "Oh." I blinked. "Like Michelina. And Professor Luciano. Do you think they know each other?"

  "Your sister’s roommate?"

  I nodded.

  "I didn't know where she was from." She sighed. "My work on this case is limited by how much information the authorities give me, which isn't much. So thank you."

  "My help backfires like I'm Hurricane Faith."

  "I've felt like Hurricane Mildred before. Chaos is part of life. Feelings are always valid since they belong to you. How you act on them is your choice. I told Aliyah as much last year."

  "Did it help her?"

  "I'd like to think so, but I only give advice. It's up to the listener to take it or leave it."

  "Can I bring Seth back on campus tonight?"

  "He needs more care and observation. I discussed it with the headmaster when he told me you were coming."

  "I don't want to leave him alone."

  "I'll stay with him."

  "That seems impossibly kind."

  "Kindness is never impossible, but I think you know that."

  "Maybe." I sniffled, the tears returning because she was right.

  I made a second trip to the bathroom and washed my face, unashamed this time. Doctor Morgenstern acted like crying was the most natural thing in the world, and maybe it was.

  She didn't want me walking home alone, so she called Aliyah's father down from upstairs, and he accompanied me back to campus. As I headed inside and up the stairs with the orb hidden in my still damp bag, I realized something.

  My parents were wrong about practically everything, but I didn't have to follow in their footsteps. The most profound lesson for me at Hawthorn was rediscovering hope. It had become a dusty artifact locked away in the battered Seward chest in my mind.

  Remembering where I came from was important, but understanding I could move beyond it was even more so.

  It was after lights out when I knocked on Aliyah's door to give the orb back. She snuck out of the room with Grace, using Umbral magic to put it back in the gym. I didn’t go, even though they offered. I’d had more than enough danger that night.

  Back in my room, Kitty was already asleep with her sphinx curled up on the pillow beside her. I thought I'd have trouble sleeping without Seth, but exhaustion blessed me with thankfully dreamless sleep.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Aliyah

  I was relieved to see Faith return to campus, but not because of the orbs or even that utterly brutal fight with Tempe. It was all about how magi shared their lives with familiars.

  When Ember's wing was injured, I'd been a mess, and I hadn't even officially bonded with her yet. I couldn't imagine how it was for Faith, who'd had Seth for years before school started. Grace understood that well.

  "I'll check on her tomorrow before breakfast." Grace turned down her bed. "Are you in?"

  "Absolutely." I helped a sleepy Ember off my shoulder.

  "Was it Temperance? Who poisoned Clementine, I mean."

  “I can’t imagine how.” I got in my bed. "But she had to be involved."

  "How do you figure?" She kicked off her new slippers. Bunnies, of course. Lune shook his ears at them until Grace helped him up to the foot of her bed.

  "Seth got poisoned in her room. Remember how Charity never got her hands dirty? Maybe Tempe's using a similar strategy. It fits Blaine's theory, too."

  "Blaine Harcourt?" She sat.

  "He thinks there’s more than one person involved here." I filled Grace in on my conversation with Blaine in the library.

  "That's messed up." She shook her head. "And yeah, she has access to other powers, but we can't do much to find out how. Faith shouldn’t go this alone."

  "So we help like you guys did last year when I went solar on the Bishop's Row court."

  "Yeah. And last winter, how you stuck with me. You're a good friend."

  "So are you, Grace."

  "That's a topic for another time. Goodnight, Aliyah."

  Before I dropped off to sleep, I said a small silent prayer that Seth would recover quickly.

  The next morning, we waited outside Faith’s room until she emerged for breakfast. We stuck to her like glue for the rest of the day. In Lecture, I sat in the middle row with her instead of in front. At lunch, Bubbe walked Seth in on a leash. She took it off his collar and he bounded straight to Faith, hopping into her lap to sniff her plate. She gave him some scraps, thanking Bubbe.

  In Creatives, everybody talked about the talent show, which was the next extramural event. Over a month would go by since it happened after Thanksgiving, but that didn’t dampen our excitement.

  Dylan practiced the song he'd done with Noah at Sukkot, along with other songs by Fleetwood Mac, Noah's most recent retro music binge-fest. His skill improved every time I heard him play.

  Grace sketched another entire set of outfits, slated for the crafts fair at the end of the year. She sat with Faith, asking her opinion on colors.

  "It's a shame you can't make dresses on stage." Faith pointed at one design, a purple ombre suit with a peplum jacket and pencil skirt. "This one's super-sophisticated."

  "What about a fashion show?" Logan asked.

/>   "That's not a valid act for this contest." She sighed. "So what if I'm not performing anything? I'm busy enough."

  "I'm doing everyone’s makeup." Kitty grinned. "Maybe you can help in the dressing room or something."

  "What about you, Aliyah?” Logan asked.

  "The lights," I said, "Someone's got to make sure everyone sees you."

  "Well, I won't be standing in them," Logan deadpanned. "I'm a recovering performance artist, remember?" He grinned as everyone laughed.

  "More room for me then, my dude." Dorian peered at the sketch on Logan's easel. "I'm doing a standup routine."

  "But you're not funny." Logan peered up, blinking slowly. Yeah, he was milking it, but we all laughed again anyway.

  "You should really do the act with me, Logan, although I'm not sure I can call you a straight man."

  My mouth dropped open. In all the drama over the Magicpsych Fair and Faith's misadventures, I had forgotten all about Dorian’s plight with the December Dance.

  "Are you guys going to the December Dance together?" Kitty clasped her hands together.

  "If I’m lucky," Dorian replied.

  "I don't know." Logan turned his easel, but not before I caught him blushing. "Still thinking about it."

  Dorian moped, so Kitty left them alone about it. "What about you, Aliyah?"

  "I'm going stag in a group."

  "Sounds fun! Better tell Lee. He'd be all over that."

  "He is. So’s Izzy."

  We all got back to our projects except for Dorian, who hung around nearby, pointedly not whittling the piece of wood he held.

  "What's up, Dorian?"

  "Do you think he'll forgive me?"

  "I don't know."

  "Well, can you put in a good word? I mean, you are his best friend."

  That was interesting.

  "He said that?"

  "Says. All the time." Dorian sighed. "Please? I'd owe you big time."

  "Maybe. Dorian, can you tell me what you overheard the day Clementine got poisoned?"

  "Scaly Spice told me you might ask about that."

  "Ha!" I put my hand over my mouth. "You seriously call him that?"

  "Not to his face. Anyway, yeah. I’ll talk to you about that day. In private."

  "That's fine." I nodded. "Now, why not actually carve something?"

  I showed Dorian the whittling tools, demonstrating what I'd learned while working on my misshapen figurine until the bell rang.

  Lab was an uneventful observation of the botanical experiment from the day before. The tiny seedling hadn't grown much either, which meant tomorrow would be more of the same. I almost wished Professor Luciano hadn't taken it easy on us after the Magicpsych Fair, but I couldn't blame him. We'd all worked extremely hard and done excellent work, according to his comments on our reports.

  During the rest of the week, Dylan haunted the café. He hung around the place way too much, considering he barely worked there anymore. Maybe he missed it, but every time I asked about it, he talked about the Lyceum instead.

  Portia was still there, managing everything. Dylan said she was a total taskmistress, but it was good money. I asked if he'd seen Crow, but the bird shifter hadn't been to the restaurant during Dylan’s shifts.

  He never discussed the extramagus test, and neither did I. It hung unspoken between us like a floral wreath from a long-forgotten funeral service. Our conversations weren't easy anymore, though he'd dropped his grudge against Dorian. Neither of us seemed able to find the right words, and I wasn't even sure what I wanted him to know.

  That you're into him, of course.

  The Evil Inside Voice was right, but I couldn't say something like that. Dylan kept getting knocked down, like a small craft in a stormy sea. Confessing my feelings could be another wave, one that might capsize him.

  The weeks stretched on like the now-bare branches reaching for gray November skies outside. There was a full Thanksgiving dinner being served on campus because of extramurals, but I invited all my friends to drop by my house for dessert if they wanted to.

  On the holiday, Dylan, Logan, and Grace showed up. Izzy, Lee, and Cadence arrived after dinner at her house. When we finished dessert, the doorbell rang. Faith and Hal told us Kitty was up in New Hampshire at Eston’s house. Dorian brought Cosmo over from the Hawthorne Hotel, where they'd had restaurant turkey with Blaine and Kim.

  After sunset, Hailey walked in with Arick Magnuson on her arm. Bailey arrived with Brianna, Elanor, and Jonah, who gave Noah a big smile before sauntering into the living room.

  You don't have to invite vampires in. The threshold thing was a myth. Besides the need to drink blood, which they could buy in cartons at stores and order in glasses at restaurants, they weren't much different from the rest of us.

  Having so many visitors for dessert and coffee was nice. We even repeated last year's outing with Bubbe's babka and plastic mugs of hot chocolate, but this time, we hung around in the backyard, watching the boarded critters that were outside for exercise.

  "I can't believe you grew up with all these magical animals."

  Jonah had spoken to Noah. The two leaned together against the rail on our small back porch. The closeness of their hands mesmerized me. Was I about to learn some fundamental secret about how romance started?

  Cadence elbowed me, then tilted her eyes to her right. I looked in that direction to see Dylan wearing a scowl, which wasn't remarkable lately, but Cadence rolled her eyes, tugging my sleeve and jerking her chin at the gate from the driveway. Her face fell like a rock off a cliff into the sea as Bar walked through and closed the gate behind him.

  "What's wrong? Thought you'd be happy to see a friend from Gallows Hill."

  She pouted. "He's just not the one I wanted to see."

  "Why do you keep breaking up with Crow if you want him around?"

  "He and I are too different, Aliyah." She shook her head. "You wouldn't understand."

  "Maybe I do." I put my arm around my friend’s shoulder, giving her a brief side hug before dropping it again. "But if you're not compatible, why bother?"

  "I can't help it." She sighed. "There's just something about him, the way he walks. And how he smells. And that body. He usually hides it, but damn, he's sexy under that trench coat."

  Troll changelings must have amazing hearing because Bar leaned against the fence beside the gate as though he'd been sucker-punched. He'd come over here on his own, probably to see Cadence, and found her obsessing about someone else.

  That was something I understood, so I left Cadence chatting with Grace and got up to greet him. Maybe we could avoid the awkwardness of unrequited crush-clashes.

  "Hey, how are you doing?" I held out my hand to Bar. "Welcome to my backyard."

  "Thanks. Did you really know Cadence her whole life?"

  "Almost. We met in kindergarten."

  "Take a little walk with me?" Bar jerked his chin at the mulberry tree.

  I nodded. We stopped by the enclosure, where some mercats frolicked in a small pond. Bar was massive, over six feet tall and built like a boulder. He leaned forward but not against the fence. I couldn't blame him. Cats with fishes’ tails were mesmerizing, but the look in his eyes didn't match how I normally felt watching them.

  "So, what's up?"

  "This might sound weird, but the friend I usually talk to about this stuff has a serious conflict of interest." He took a deep breath and closed his eyes before continuing in a lower voice, "Do you think she likes grand gestures? When guys ask her out, I mean."

  "Cadence?" I blinked. "She's a romantic, but not like that. She prefers making her own splashes. But Bar, I think you ought to know…"

  "Yeah, I already do. She's got it bad for another guy. Conflict of interest, remember?"

  "Oh." Bar's situation felt all too familiar. I wanted to help, but I couldn't even solve my own crush problems. "Well, does she know how you feel?"

  "No. We don't talk about feelings. Usually, we just act."

  "Why?"

>   He turned his head, and we stared into each other's eyes for seconds that felt like eons.

  "I guess magi are different." He shook his head. "Trolls aren't big talkers."

  "It's not much better for me. I can't tell the person I like, either. It's hard."

  "Didn't used to be. Not until I started having so many more feelings, you know?"

  "Maybe caring too much freezes people up like deer in headlights. It's okay if you don't agree, but I get it."

  "Nah, you walk the walk. Must've been crazy, realizing you're an extramagus."

  "It sucked. My friend's going through the same thing now, but I was lucky. It's been way harder for him. His family's overseas."

  "Well, at least he's got you."

  "I guess." Bar was right, but all I could think about was Hal saying Dylan didn't know I was alive. I changed the subject.

  "Why don't you just ask Cadence to the dance? You’ve got to start somewhere, and technically, that’s just one date."

  "Yeah, I just don't know how to say it." He shook his head. "She's a mermaid."

  "I don't either, and my crush is a magus like me." I glanced at Dylan, who'd taken out his guitar. As he strummed, Noah turned and started humming along.

  "Oh, it's like that."

  "Yup. Been that way for a while. I have a hard time with dating stuff."

  "Hey, I got an idea."

  "Oh?"

  "Yeah. We count to three. I go ask her, you go ask him. Just say the first thing we think of."

  "I would, but I told everyone I’m going stag in a group of friends. I don't want to let the people I already included down."

  "That's easier." He grinned. "We ask them to do your friends thing?"

  "You're pretty smart, Bar."

  "Nah, just random genius flashes. So, what do you say?"

  "Let's do it."

  Cadence and Dylan both loved the idea, and Dylan said yes immediately. Cadence insisted we invite Crow. Bar nodded, so I agreed to it. It wasn't the ideal outcome, but better than nothing.

  When we went back to school on Monday, we spent most of our time preparing for the talent show. There was a dress rehearsal, during which I discovered Alex was across the aisle from me in the sound booth. At least there'd be two walls and ten feet between us.