Page 79 of A University of Betrayal

“I’m waiting for the day you open up to me and the Circle completely,” were Grace’s last words before she shouldered the leather backpack, pulled her dark brown cardigan tighter around her waist, and turned away from me with a disappointed look, hastily disappearing back through the stone entrance toward the campus lawn.

I stared into the courtyard, but then looked to the side as a black raven hopped through the corridor heading in my direction, as if it didn’t know how dangerous I could be to the creatures around me.

It stopped just before me, looked up at me with its head tilted as if it was reconsidering its proximity to me, but hopped even closer and began to peck at my gray leather boot.

I backed away, but the animal followed me. I didn’t want to step on him, so I turned around and disappeared through the corridor, knowing that I would never be able to fully open up to the Circle.

His tail wagging, the little golden puppy pranced toward me as I pulled the door shut behind me with a sigh. I had brought him here this morning and hoped he wouldn’t make a mess. I had hoped wrong.

Shaking my head, I looked at the torn cushion on the floor in front of me. The dog sat on his back paws and tilted his head to the side before plopping to the ground, landing in a pile of polyester and feathers that swirled up immediately.

“Your mutt made a big mess.”

My head snapped up, and I spotted Emely sitting on the countertop next to the stove, where something seemed to be cooking. She herself was sitting there, lowering a fat law tome, looking with raised brows at the puppy running toward her so that she had to pull her legs up to avoid him.

“And he’s annoyingly clingy.”

I had to smile slightly as the little one propped his paws on the cupboard to sniff Emely’s suede boots. A sign that the effects of the Salma were wearing off.

I went to Buddy, picked him up, and his warm little body wriggled. Something inside me tightened. The feeling of holding something so tender and vulnerable in my hands...

When I straightened up, I stood directly in front of Emely, who eyed me suspiciously. Her indigenous features fascinated me as always, because she looked so different from her brother. The two of them were almost nothing alike, except that they both shared that suspicious look.

Her eyes began to glow yellow, which made me flinch.

I kept forgetting that we weren’t on the same side.

“There doesn’t seem to be any peace from you guys in this place.” With these words, she slipped off the worktop and walked around the kitchen island behind me.

I didn’t move. Instead, I looked at the stove. My heart stopped when I saw the blood-red water boiling in the large pot. A huge meaty chunk was floating in it... and then the smell hit my nose.

My stomach did a flip.

“And I actually thought you and your cousin were inseparable.”

My gaze remained fixed on the pot and its contents. I felt sick to my stomach. Emely’s words reached my ears from the background. And her presence suddenly sent an unpleasant tingling sensation over my skin.

“I forgot... You’re’ the one who never talks.”

The dog began to whine and fidget back and forth in my arms, but I couldn’t break out of my stupor.

Whatever Emely was cooking had been alive... and not that long ago.

It smelled awful and the urge to retch came faster than expected. Everything inside me fought against the image before my eyes, and then I couldn’t hold it back any longer.

I hastily put the dog down and sprinted up the stairs to the bathroom. Just in time, I was hanging over the toilet, and then it was already too late.

I threw up.

Vomiting, I bent down even lower because it wouldn’t stop and the image of the bleeding flesh wouldn’t go away from my mind.

When I had finished, I breathed hastily.

I realized that I had probably also regurgitated some of the Salma.Great.That was all I had needed. I didn’t have that many doses left.

I got up and went to the sink, where I washed my mouth. In front of my reflection, I paused. I was used to seeing this pale skin with its cool undertone. My ash-blonde, almost white straight hair had grown so long over the years that I had to wear it up so that it didn’t blow around my nose at this time of year and block my bright aventurine-colored, almost ice-blue eyes.God,I looked fragile, almost elfish.

As I stepped out of the bathroom and hurried down the stairs to deal with the mess Buddy had left behind, two bewildered faces met me.