“Well, then, I’d say you’re off to a great start.”
Asshole.
But Fritz’s sudden receptiveness to my sarcasm put me on edge, and I dropped all the snark from my voice as I said, “Um, can I go to the infirmary?”
Fritz’s grin widened. “I don’t think that’s necessary. A little bruising never hurt anyone. You can wait until after class.”
“But I have detention after class.”
Fritz’s shoulders rose and fell in an exaggerated shrug. “Not my problem. But I’m sure the teacher will understand if you’re late.” Something about Fritz’s triumphant tone told me that he knew very well who my detention was with and that Corvus would be about as understanding as a swarm of pissed-off killer bees.
Resigning myself to the overall injustice in the world, I walked to the back of the line. I kept my head down, hoping nobody would give me crap about my face.
Once again, I was stuck behind Oliver. This time I seriously contemplated punching him in the back of the head. It was his fault I’d gotten hit by that bat. If I hadn’t been so distracted by his idiotic naturekinds-only club, I would’ve been paying better attention.
But once again, I managed to restrain myself. I even got lucky as class ended before I had to go through the Gauntlet again. I quickly changed out of my gym clothes, doing my best to dodge Selene’s probing questions into my bad mood.
“Come on, Dusty,” she said, hands on hips. “What’s bothering you? You must be really upset to have gotten hit by that bat. You haven’t done anything that clumsy in a long time. You’ve gotten really good.”
I tried to roll my eyes, then wished I hadn’t as a fresh spurt of pain shot down the right side of my face. “You’re wrong there. I’m as bad as ever at this magic business.”
“Yeah, right. So what’s up?”
I could tell by the firmness in Selene’s tone that she wasn’t going to drop it.
“Okay,” I said, gingerly pulling my shirt down over my head. And then I told her what had happened with Oliver. I braced for an explosion. She was darkkind, too, and bound to be just as upset about the discrimination.
But Selene didn’t explode. Instead a sad, almost haunted look rose to her face, and she sat down on the bench across from me with an audible sigh. “That really sucks. I’m sorry.”
“You don’t seem surprised.”
She sighed again. “Well, stuff like that’s been happening for ages among magickind.”
I swallowed, knowing she was right but hating it just the same. It was so stupid—excluding people just because they were different.
“But don’t let it bother you,” Selene said. “For what it’s worth I doubt it’s personal to you, and really, who cares what they think? We both know you’re awesome.” She beamed at me, and I felt a flush of gratitude, lifting my spirits.
Selene and I finished getting dressed in silence then I headed off to detention.
Despite Selene’s pep talk, my thoughts remained unpleasant company as I climbed the winding staircase to the third floor. The door into Room 337 stood open, and I went in, forgetting to knock. I froze at the sight of the familiar room. I hadn’t recognized the number, but of course it made sense. There was the large desk, cluttered with books and papers. There were the shelves full of strange items, the spyglass and the wooden compass with the endlessly spinning needle. Even the smell was the same, something spicy, like an old man’s cologne.
This had been Marrow’s office. But all of his things should’ve been removed. What was the senate playing at, leaving this stuff here? It could be dangerous. It could be connected to him.
My pulse quickened, and I contemplated making a mad dash out of here, but the room was empty and curiosity got the best of me. With my imagination working on overdrive, I stepped into the office and started pulling the books back on the shelf one by one, checking for a latch to a secret chamber. It might’ve seemed stupid, a cliché right out of a B horror movie, but it was definitely possible. Especially here. At Arkwell. During my detention with Ms. Hardwick, I’d learned the location of several secret passageways and hidden rooms on campus.
As I moved along, checking book after book, I realized that this was Monmouth Tower. A tower like the one in my dreams. What if there was a connection?
You’re being paranoid, Dusty.
Better paranoid than taken by surprise like last time.
A familiar, gravel-filled voice spoke from behind me. “Just what are you doing, Miss Everhart?”
I spun around so hard that I knocked a row of books from the shelf. The loud crash as they fell made me jump. Then I let out a scream.
Marrow stood in the doorway.
12
J Marks the Spot
“What are you looking for in my office?” the man said again.
I blinked as his features blurred into Mr. Corvus. Not Marrow. Never him. It was just my imagination. How could I have not noticed the eye patch even for a second?
A dozen answers to this question flitted through my mind, including lack of sleep and the possibility of impending insanity, but I ignored them as I noticed the person standing behind Mr. Corvus. That awful sense of déjà vu came over me again.
Paul was looking at me with an alarmed expression. “What happened? Are you okay?”
Catching onto the focus of his gaze, I raised a hand to my cheek and gingerly ran my fingers along the bruise. His concern, especially the genuine sound of it, took me by surprise. It didn’t help that he was looking as handsome as ever. Maybe even more so with his short hair and that haunted look in his eyes like something had broken on the inside, something that needed to be fixed. That I could fix.