Snookie? Gag me.
“He would know,” I shot back, regretting the pointed barb the minute it escaped my mouth.
Brittany placed her hands on her hips. “And what is that supposed to mean?”
I’d already opened the can of worms; I might as well throw it on her. “Ask him.”
Brittany turned to Will. “What does she mean?”
“I think she means that it’s a lot harder for Will to see her with Aric than it is for her to see the two of you together,” Kelsey announced, rounding the corner and heading toward us with a frown.
“Where were you?” I asked.
“Study room.”
“On a Friday?”
“Why are you here? I thought you were going to the movies and then spending the night with Aric?”
“That was the plan,” I replied. “He got called away for some emergency at the frat, though.”
“Oh, bummer.”
“What emergency at the frat?” Will asked curiously.
“He didn’t say.”
“Why wasn’t I called?” Will looked worried.
“Maybe because it didn’t involve you,” I suggested.
“Or maybe because you’re not important enough to rate a call?” Kelsey offered snidely.
“I’m sure it was just an oversight,” said Brittany, putting her hand on Will’s arm in a comforting manner. He didn’t seem to notice.
“Did he seem upset?” Will focused his attention on me.
“Not really,” I replied. It’s not as though I’d tell him anyway. “If you have an issue with the frat, you should probably take it up with the frat. I try to stay out of those issues.”
“Well, that must be a nice change,” Brittany said sarcastically.
I ignored her and instead focused on Kelsey. “I guess it’s another night in front of the television. You have any whiskey left?”
“That sounds like a great idea,” Kelsey agreed. “I think Matilda and Laura are doing some dorky sorority stuff, so it should be just the two of us.”
I pushed the door open, expecting to find an empty room, but was assaulted by the smell of something burning. “What the ... .”
The room wasn’t empty. Matilda and Laura were sitting in the middle of the floor, the full-length mirror from the wall lying between them. They were spraying it with a bottle of hairspray.
“What are you doing?” Kelsey asked, her voice laced with alarm.
“Just playing around,” Matilda laughed, raising a handheld lighter up to the mirror and flicking it. Whatever they’d written on the mirror – which wasn’t exactly legible -- ignited into a torrent of flames, while Matilda and Laura dissolved into a fit of giggles.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” I exploded.
“That doesn’t look safe,” Brittany warned, taking a step back.
“It’s perfectly safe,” Matilda announced, and when she focused on me I saw the hint I had missed when I first entered the room. The dark shadows were back, which meant Matilda and Laura had been engaged in some witchcraft. Whether it was here or at the sorority house, though, was the big question of the evening. Unfortunately, it was one I had no intention of asking.
“I think we need to have a room meeting,” Kelsey announced.
“What for?” Matilda whined.
“You’re lighting a mirror on fire in the middle of the room,” Kelsey pointed out.
“It’s nothing,” Matilda said hurriedly. “We won’t do it again. We’re sorry.”
I wished I could believe her. One look at Laura, though -- and the darkness that had invaded her every pore -- and I knew that the something much worse I had been dreading was almost here.
There’s never a dull moment at Covenant College. Never.
Twenty-Five
I quickly shut the dorm door, blocking Brittany and Will from further fight details, and then wheeled on Laura and Matilda angrily.
“What are you two thinking?” My rage was at its boiling point.
“It was just for fun,” Matilda said stiffly, standing and smoothing the knees of her jeans as she did. “I don’t think there’s any reason for you to freak out. It’s not like we killed somebody.”
“Really? You don’t think a big fire in the dorm room that we all share is a big deal? Really?”
“It was just for fun,” Matilda repeated, casting her eyes at the floor in what looked like shame.
“It doesn’t look fun,” Kelsey charged.
“No, the fun went away the minute you two got here,” Laura said coldly, climbing up from the ground and sinking back down onto the couch. “That’s the way it always is now, isn’t it Matilda? We’re having fun and the two of them show up just to ruin it.”
So much for the meek little Laura I met last year. I didn’t think she existed any longer. At least not on a regular basis, that was for sure. I was starting to rethink Kelsey’s emotionally unstable argument. Laura’s moods shifted faster than an angry werewolf these days.
“I think a room meeting is definitely in order,” I said stiffly. “And hey, look, we’re all here. What better time?”
“Oh, definitely,” Laura scoffed. “Let’s have a room meeting. We’ll sit here and listen as the two of you tell us exactly what we’re doing wrong. Again. And you two can get off on your moral superiority. Again.”
“You know what? I’ve had it with you,” I strode over to Laura angrily, purposely positioning myself in front of her so she’d have no choice but to look at me.
“You’ve had it with me?” Laura asked emptily. “That’s rich.”
On closer inspection, she wasn’t just sporting a dark aura. Her eyes, usually brown and filled with emotion, were as black as Aric’s hair and, I guessed, Jessica’s soul. It was like staring into a void.
“Do you have something you want to say to me?” I asked pointedly.
“To the magical mage? What could I possibly have to say to you?”
Internally, I cringed, but I refused to let her draw me off target. “Is that what your little friend, Jessica, told you?”
“Are you denying it?” Laura challenged.
I ignored the question. “What else has Jessica been filling your head with?”
“Just the truth,” Laura said. “Boatloads and boatloads of the truth. Something you’re not very familiar with. You or your beloved Aric.”
Uh-oh. “What does Aric have to do with this?”
“What doesn’t he have to do with this?” Laura mimed me petulantly. “What does he have to do with this? Your precious little boyfriend is at the center of all this. Isn’t he?”
My face was blank -- at least, that was the expression I was going for. I didn’t want to tip my hand. I wanted to know what she knew. Now was the time. She was clearly exhausted. I had a better chance of getting answers out of her now than when she was recharged in the morning.
“Don’t tell me you don’t know,” Laura laughed. The evil sound sent chills straight through me. “You don’t know what he is? You don’t know the evil that he is? That can’t be possible.”
Laura was clearly getting off on her power trip. She wasn’t putting the show on for me. She was doing it to show Matilda she was in control – and any reaction she got from Kelsey was icing on the cake.
“Let me tell you, then,” Laura said smartly. “He’s a werewolf.” She paused for dramatic effect. When I didn’t react, she frowned. “Which you knew. Of course you know. You know everything. Did you know that he’s the head werewolf, though? That’s he’s the big dog on campus? Big dog,” she laughed to herself.
I remained silent.
“Okay,” Laura faltered. “So you knew that, too. Well, did you know his fraternity is full of werewolves? Like your ex, Will? He’s a werewolf. Not a big one, like Aric – although I guess that’s why you traded up – but a werewolf all the same. I bet you didn’t know that.”
I was starting to get bored. One glance at Kelsey, though, and I knew she was taking everything in
– and things were starting to make sense to her.
“Did you know there are other things on this campus besides werewolves?” Laura tried a different tactic. She was clearly trying to get a reaction out of me. I was determined not to let her. “There are vampires, too. I bet you didn’t know that the skulking guy who shows up from time to time, what’s his name, Rafael? Yeah, he’s a vampire.”
I raised an eyebrow slightly but let her continue. Because I had told her some of this information myself, I couldn’t figure out what she thought her tactical advantage was here. Of course, since she was so exhausted, she might not remember what I had told her. Everything was about the lies Jessica was feeding her now.
“You knew that, too? You knew all of that and you never told me?”
“I told you,” I reminded her. “You seem to forget that whole conversation we had last year when you were considering joining the monster hunting academy because you were hot for Mark and I tried to talk you out of it.”
“Oh, yeah,” Laura hedged. “I had forgotten about that. Thanks for that, by the way. That would have been a terrible decision.”
“Because you joined a witch sorority?” Hey, we were laying all of our cards on the table here.
Laura looked surprised by my question, and Matilda looked suddenly uncomfortable. I didn’t risk a glance at Kelsey. I was afraid of what I might see reflected in her eyes. Fear? Revulsion?
“Witch sorority?” Laura scoffed unconvincingly. “And just who told you that?”
“It’s common knowledge,” I countered. “Everyone apparently knows.”
“Define everyone,” Laura sneered.
“Well, let’s see,” I started counting off groups on my fingers. “The werewolves know. The vampires know. The monster hunters know. A couple of random people I know on campus have mentioned it. Did I miss anyone?”
“That’s impossible,” Laura raged. “It’s a secret.”
“Not a very good one.”
“Kind of like you being a mage,” Laura shot back.
“Yeah, everyone does seem to know that,” I agreed. “How many people have you told?”
Laura looked taken aback. “I never told anyone.”
“Really? Who told Jessica?” I was setting a trap. I could only hope she would step into it.
“Jessica already knew when she approached us about joining the sorority,” Laura said, realizing too late what she had just admitted.
“That’s what I thought,” I said. “So she recruited you two because of me.”
“Not everything is about you,” Matilda said, her voice low and accusatory.
“No,” I agreed. “But this is.”
“She wanted us in the sorority because of our strength,” Laura charged. “Something you wouldn’t know anything about. All you care about anymore is Aric and Kelsey. They’re your world now. There’s no room for anyone else.”
“And you sound like a jealous middle-school girl,” I shot back. “Grow up.”
“Oh, don’t you worry about us. We’re fine. We’re exactly where we should be. We’re exactly where we want to be.”
“With a sorority that’s draining your aura?”
Laura’s eyebrows nearly shot off her forehead. “What?”
“Your aura,” I replied stiffly. “This is the second time you and Matilda have returned to this room from a sorority outing with auras blacker than night.”
“You saw my aura again?” Laura looked momentarily impressed. “I thought you said that was just a one-time thing. You never told me you could see them on a regular basis.”
Regular basis? Was twice a regular basis? I didn’t think so. “Why would I tell you anything anymore?” I asked. “You’re not even the same person now.”
“No,” Kelsey agreed, finally breaking her silence. “You’re like five different people. Both of you.”
“Another country heard from,” Laura spit, glaring at Kelsey. “This is all your fault, you know?”
“Excuse me?”
“Everything was fine until you came along and stole my friend.”
This was veering into uncomfortable territory.
“Stole your friend?” Kelsey looked nonplussed. “You’re such a child.”
Laura struggled to her feet, pushing past me and heading toward the door to our bedroom. “I don’t have to sit here and listen to this.”
“No, you don’t,” I agreed. “I don’t either.”
I moved around her, opening the door that led to the hallway and slipping outside. I exchanged a worried look with Kelsey, but then turned on my heel and left. I wanted to be the one who stormed away this time. It felt like the upper hand – even though it was anything but.
I was halfway to Aric’s apartment on foot before I realized where I was heading. The truth was, I didn’t have a lot of places to go. The dorm room felt like a death trap right now. Even if Aric wasn’t home, at least his place was safe. I didn’t think he’d mind coming home to find me asleep in his bed. Maybe that was just wishful thinking, though.
I considered calling him to come and pick me up. It was pretty cold out. The frigid temperatures were getting my blood pumping, though, and I figured the walk would do me good. I needed time to clear my head.
It took me about fifteen minutes to walk to Aric’s apartment. I was relieved when I saw his truck parked out front. Maybe the frat business hadn’t been such a big deal after all. That would be a nice change.
I rounded the corner that led to his building when I heard a door swing shut. I paused, waiting to see who was coming out of the building, and practically choked when I saw Will’s familiar frame descending the stairs.
Luckily, he didn’t notice me. He looked angry about something. The gesturing and talking to himself was kind of a tip off. I watched as he climbed into his car and sped away, leaving me alone in the night.
Why was he here? This was the last thing I needed tonight.
Twenty-Six
I stomped up the stairs to Aric’s apartment with drama in my heart and mayhem on my mind. I was geared up to make a huge scene, as many hurtful words on the tip of my tongue as I could muster, when I threw open his door and abruptly stopped. Aric was sitting on the couch, his elbows on his knees, and he had his head buried in his hands.
He looked up in surprise when he realized his apartment door had been thrown open. His eyes were dark and murky – and that didn’t change when he caught sight of me. “What are you doing here?”
“What are you doing here?” I countered uneasily. “I thought you were going to be at the frat house?”
“I was. That still doesn’t explain what you’re doing here.”
“I had a huge fight with my roommates and I decided to walk over here and wait for you.” That was my initial intention, so it wasn’t exactly a lie.
“Is that why you threw the door open like one of those women on that awful soap you make me watch with you?”
“Well,” I hesitated, “when I got here I saw Will leaving. I decided I was pissed off, so I thought I would come up here and confront you.”
Aric smiled wryly, although there wasn’t much mirth in the expression. “And what made you change your mind?”
“You,” I replied simply. “I can’t be mad at a guy who looks that sad.”
“I’m not sad,” Aric shot back.
“Right. I wouldn’t want to impugn your manliness,” I said sarcastically. “You looked like you were brooding. Really hard.”
Aric blew out a sigh. “This night was supposed to be just the two of us,” he lamented.
“Instead I got a pile of crap at the frat house and then a pile of even bigger crap when I got home.”
“Well, since you can’t tell me about the frat stuff,” I said, moving to the couch and sitting down next to him, “why don’t you tell me why Will was here? Did he tell you what happened tonight?”
Aric looked confused. “What do you mean?”
“Oh, I had my own little run-in with Will tonight,�
� I sighed, leaning forward far enough to slip out of my heavy coat. Aric reached over and helped me, letting his hand wander down the back of my head tenderly when he was done.
“What happened?” Aric asked, rubbing the bridge of his nose tiredly.
“Well, when you dropped me off, I went straight upstairs and found Brittany and Will making out in the hallway.”
“They are going out,” Aric replied pragmatically. “They’re allowed to do that. She’s a bitch, but it’s not like she was out of line or anything.”
“They were doing it in front of my room.”
“Of course they were.”
“I decided to ignore them,” I continued. “She wouldn’t exactly let me. He was kind of in on the action tonight, too.”
Aric clenched his jaw and waited for me to continue.
“He said he hoped it wasn’t too hard on me to see him with Brittany. I shot back some snarky crap about being more worried about him in that regard and then Brittany flew off the handle.”
“I bet,” Aric smiled at the mental image. “Let me guess? It was all a big screech fest with her demanding Will tell her you were lying?”
“Pretty much,” I agreed.
“And then what happened?”
“Then Kelsey showed up and made things worse.”
“She’s really starting to grow on me,” Aric said.
“Me, too. Especially after what happened when I actually got into the room.”
“Do I even want to hear this?”
“I’m not sure,” I said. “Let’s find out.”
“I can’t wait. So what happened when you entered the room?”
“Laura and Matilda were sitting on the floor with a full-length mirror. Only they weren’t looking at themselves. They were writing messages on it with a bottle of hairspray and then lighting it on fire.”
Aric looked flabbergasted. “I don’t even know what to say to that.”
“Neither did I.”
“What were they writing?” Aric asked, worry lining his handsome face.
“I have no idea. I couldn’t actually read it.”
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