Page 73 of Fractured Fates

I try not to sob. Campus is freaking huge and Pip could be hidden anywhere.

“All the other students will be in class soon so it’ll be easier to search.”

I agree and Winnie sets off towards the Great Hall as I set off to the gymnasium for the second time this morning.

As I reach the main entrance, I come face to face with Summer still dressed in her shorts and hoodie from her morning run.

“Ewww Piggie, what are you doing here?”

I ignore her and do my best to push straight past. She steps to the side, though, blocking my path.

“Are you deaf as well as stupid?” she says. “I said, what are you doing here?”

“None of your business.”

“It is my business if you’re going to go snooping about the locker rooms. I know you don’t have any money, Blackwaters, and I don’t want you pilfering our stuff.”

I take a step towards her. “Are you sure it isn’t you who has taken something of mine?” I hiss. I don’t want to give her the delight of seeing me squirm about Pip. And if it wasn’t her who took him, I don’t want her finding out and taunting me with this. But I can’t help myself.

She looks at me, all innocent. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Speak some sense for once, pig girl.”

“Where is he? What have you done with my pig?”

She screws up her nose in disgust. “Ewww your pig. I wouldn’t touch your filthy, diseased little pig if you gave me a ten-foot pole.” Then she pauses and tilts her head to one side. “Wait, is he missing?” She bursts out laughing. “Oh my god, pig girl, you’re so pathetic even your scummy little pig has run away from you. That’s hysterical.”

“He didn’t run away,” I say, trying to hold in my anger. All I want to do is punch this girl right in the face with a fistful of my magic. It’s practically sizzling in my veins just asking to be unleashed. “Someone took him.”

“No one would want your pig.”

“If it was you …” I hiss.

“You’ll what?” she tosses her hair. “You don’t know the first thing about magic. Professor Stone is right. You’re an ignorant little pig. You should head back to whatever hovel you crawled out of. You don’t belong here and I’m going to make sure you’re gone before Christmas.”

My fingers twitch and she seems to register the anger on my face. She smiles and goes to step around me, then at the last minute she barrels straight into me, her shoulder hitting mine and causing me to fly backwards onto my backside.

“Ooops, sorry,” she chimes before bouncing off in that infuriating way she does in the direction of the Great Hall.

I sit there in the dirt, yelling a few choice names in her direction. I’m tempted, so tempted, to send a bolt of magic her way. But it’s what she wants. She’s trying to get me expelled. I can’t rise to the bait. Not yet anyway. Not with Pip missing.

* * *

I spendthe whole day searching for Pip. Winnie helps me despite muttering under her breath about how much trouble we’re going to be in for skipping class. I don’t care. I don’t trust the assholes in this school not to harm him, whether intentionally or not.

It’s my fault he’s here and my responsibility to keep him safe.

By dinnertime and three circuits of the campus later, I have to finally admit defeat though.

He’s not anywhere I’m going to find him. I need a different tactic.

Winnie hugs me as I slump down onto our bedroom floor.

“Maybe if you went and asked Summer nicely …”

“I’m not even sure Summer has Pip. It could be any number of her minions. Or Tristan. Or Spencer. Or half the dueling team. No, wait, probably the entire dueling team.” I slump over my knees. “Even if I groveled at their feet, I can’t see them handing him over.”

“Not without torturing you first,” Winnie concedes. “Maybe you should go to Professor York, after all.”

“Maybe,” I say, chewing my thumb, although I think ratting on the other students will do nothing to increase my popularity and will probably double the likelihood that they’ll hurt Pip.