Page 49 of Fractured Fates

I shake my head, unable to explain, not sure if I want to.

“You’re seeing it.”

I simply stare up at him, trying my best to clear my mind.

He scowls at me and moves on to the next table.

Over the remaining half an hour of the class, the students don’t make much progress in identifying the fingerprints. One tall skinny boy insists he can feel the presence of lingering prints and another claims the name Angus springs into his mind every time he holds the pipe.

The professor seems unimpressed by these efforts though and declares that no one in the class has shown any real talent.

However, when he dismisses the class, he grabs my arm as I scuttle past.

“Not you, Blackwaters.”

“I have another class.”

“Then you’ll have to be late.”

Winnie lingers by the door, waiting for me, but the professor strides towards her and slams the door shut.

“In my office, now,” he says, picking up the mirror from one of the desks as we walk through.

Once we’re in the office, he shuts the door and I notice the pile of open books on his desk that weren’t there the last time we met in here.

He catches me looking and comes to stand in front of his desk, blocking my view.

He holds up the mirror.

“Can you do it again?”

“Do what?” I ask, feigning innocence.

“Blackwaters, I saw what you saw. I can tell when you’re lying. Your thoughts shimmer in this uncertain manner.”

Crap.

“It wasn’t anything special,” I mumble, “just my imagination.”

He examines my face and I stare at his shoes. The boots he was wearing when he came to collect me in the forest, hidden under the hem of his pants.

“You’re lying again.”

Crap crap crap.

“It’s never happened before,” I say, then quickly add, “not that I remember anyway, not that I would have known what it was if it had.”

He nods like he believes this bit of information.

“Try it again.”

He holds the mirror closer to me. I don’t like the way the object makes me feel. Shivers creeping across my skin and my stomach turning over.

“What was it used for?” I whisper.

“Why?” he says.

I glance towards the door. “I’m going to be really late for my next class and I’ve already had two detentions.”