Page 27

LEIF

The human group wait for me by Darwin House’s steps, where Dane tests his flashlight, and Logan chats with Simon, who’s on guard tonight. The girls bundled themselves in thick jackets, with hoods and scarves across their faces. I sigh inwardly at the spectacle.

“How long are we on patrol for?” I ask.

Dane looks up. “As long as it takes.”

“To do what?”

“Check places out—sports hall, greenhouse, that type of thing.”

“ And inside the academy.” Cassie hops down the steps, Sara at her side.

“No,” Dale says to her firmly. “We’ve agreed not to go inside the place at night. It could be dangerous.”

“Ghosts can’t hurt us,” she replies.

“They might be able to,” whispers Sara. “Poltergeists throw things.”

I roll my eyes to the cloud-covered sky.

“You haven’t seen ghosts; they’re people sneaking around the academy,” says Logan. “Witches, I’ll bet.”

“Ones who might want to shut you up,” adds Dale.

“Isn’t this all getting a little paranoid?” I ask.

Cassie looks me up and down. “You know more than you’re telling us, Leif.”

“Don’t you think that if something threatened the academy, and I knew, I’d tell you?” My jaw clenches. “I’m here to help.”

“Mmm. I guess shifters can run faster and hear better than a human,” says Sara.

“I’m not a shifter.” The group falls silent, and I push down the intrusive thoughts that spilled out earlier. “Shut up and let’s get on with this.”

As we wander into the shadows, Cassie takes Logan’s hand, and she walks close to him. Thankfully Sara and Dane don’t, far enough apart that they’re definitely not a couple. I do not want to be the odd one out if they all start making out.

The flashlight beams ahead of us, highlighting the way around the edge of Darwin House.

“If a supe is hanging around campus, flashing a light around would scare them away,” I say. “Or is that the plan?”

“As if we can scare a supe who’s determined to hurt us,” retorts Dane.

Cassie looks over her shoulder. “We did frighten the werewolf.”

“Violet scared the werewolf,” I reply, as Logan changes our route and heads toward the academy perimeter.

“Not the other night. Violet wasn’t with us.”

“What?” I freeze in place. “Where? The same guy?”

“How do you know it’s a guy?” Sara asks. “Females shift too.”

“Nah, was a guy before he shifted,” says Dale. “Saw him.”

What the fuck? Was Dash dumb enough to shift the night he met up with Holly? Nice one, Dash—perpetuating the rumors.

“Where did you see him or her?” I ask in exasperation.

“Coming from the sports hall. I looked inside with Sara but couldn’t see anything weird.”

“Cassie!” Logan draws her closer. “We promised—no investigations alone! What if witches hid inside the sports hall practicing spells for the Blood Moon?”

“ Blood moon?” I stare between them. “ Full moon. Blood moons are natural and not magic related, and don’t happen often. This isn’t one.”

Dale steps up to me. “That’s our new name for the planned attack because supes intend to spill our blood.”

“For fuck’s sake, Dale. There won’t be an attack. Cassie, explain to me again where you saw and heard people planning one.” I wave a hand at her in frustration. “What did they look like?”

Tellingly, she touches the brooch pinned to her black jacket. “I didn’t see their faces.”

“Convenient.” She narrows her eyes at me. “Any other details?”

“I’ve told people again and again, including Mrs. Lorcan.

I’m not an idiot; everybody is checking if my story changes because they think I’m lying.

” She folds her arms. “I am not. I was in a classroom finishing up the dumb Chemistry experiment notes. Why do we have to grow blue crystals on string while witches make something useful?”

“Useful against humans ,” adds Logan.

I ignore his comment, but it niggles. “And where were the voices, Cassie?”

“Outside the door. A man and a woman. I couldn’t hear a lot but did hear ‘academy attack’ and ‘full moon.’” Cassie clutches the brooch. “I was too scared to open the door in case the witches knew I’d heard their plot.”

Okay, I’m less concerned now that she’s told the vague story to my face. This girl totally loves drama. “How far from the door were you?”

She stares at me. “Near enough.”

To a solid classroom door that blocks out noise? And she only heard selective parts? Muttering beneath my breath, I take the flashlight from Logan and continue walking. Someone planted the rumors, I swear.

The group doesn’t only circle the academy’s perimeter once, but three times, as if they think supes are sneaking from place to place in a game of hide and seek.

Witches and vamps don’t walk campus at night currently, instead heading to town if they’re bored, which causes more issues than it solves since humans aren’t allowed off campus without a parent.

Annoyed humans now complain about the academy treating them like little kids and, as this is a boarding school, most parents don’t live nearby to accompany them.

Several human students left Thornwood permanently, and there’re rumors that more might follow.

If somebody is trying to force the academy into ‘supes only,’ they’re succeeding.

At one point, Logan rushes triumphantly toward the edge of the sports hall, claiming he hears voices, and reappears moments later mumbling something about scrubbing his eyes with bleach.

“Witches?” asks Sara.

“Yeah, but they weren’t casting spells, that’s for sure. Come on.”

“What were they doing?” asks Cassie.

Dane snickers. “Really? You need to ask?”

After yet another tour around the academy grounds, Cassie insists that we return to the sports hall to look inside. The witches Logan saw aren’t around, and Cassie is now convinced the pair are inside. If that’s true, I’m not keen on invading their privacy.

As we enter, the only sound comes from our soft-soled shoes on the tiles as we walk through the locker rooms, checking each one. Surprise, surprise—the lockers only contain smelly shoes and gym clothes.

“What are you expecting to find?” I ask.

“Anything weird,” says Dale. “Cassie and Sara saw witches leaving the other night, remember?”

“Uh. Yeah. After doing what Logan saw probably. And who’s to say they’re witches? Could be humans or vamps?” I suggest.

“Marci told me a secret coven once met here,” whispers Cassie. “That means there’s magic energy around this area.”

“Let me see.” I tap my lips. “Humans believe witches are plotting something against them. What an excellent idea by the witches to return to a place once used for secret spellcasting.”

“You sound like your girlfriend,” retorts Cassie.

“Supes from outside the academy might hide out in here,” Sara suggests. “If the attackers aren’t part of the academy, this might be their operations center.”

In my mind, I hear a Violet ‘good grief.’

“We saw clothes,” says Cassie.

“Clothes? In a locker room where people change?” I gasp sarcastically. “How worrying.”

Sara slices me a filthy look and walks toward the door to the cellars. “Down there!”

Sighing, I follow as the girls grip the metal stair rail and descend into an unlit room with breeze-block walls.

Scratching my head, I turn full circle. Mops. Buckets. Bottles of bleach and disinfectants. Bags of balls and netting stored until the next soccer season.

“Someone’s hiding here.” Logan shines the flashlight to where Sara points, and she picks up a discarded jacket.

“A caretaker’s jacket is evidence? Your imagination is going too far.”

“And food wrappers.” Sara gestures at something discarded on the concrete floor.

“An energy bar wrapper? Empty drinks can?” I yank open a steel cupboard door where spare blue overalls hang above packets of chips and unopened drinks cans. “The caretaker has snacks.”

Cassie places hands on her hips. “Why do you deny obvious clues, Leif? Do you know who’s hiding? Is Violet behind this?”

Sara searches too, shoving items in the locker to one side, and Logan wanders around the room, pointing his flashlight in every direction.

“Look!” he says.

Within seconds everybody crowds around Logan, and the beam of light shines onto a circle of symbols.

Runes. Great.

“See!” says Sara triumphantly.

“Secret academy covens once met here,” I say in defeat.

“Inform Mrs. Lorcan, but don’t overreact and tell the whole academy.

The headmistress can question the witches, and the witches can explain what the runes are for.

Maybe past students painted them as a spell to improve their skills.

Like, used them to cheat in games played in the sports hall above? ”

“Again, with the defenses, Leif,” says Logan.

“ Again , with the jumping to conclusions,” I retort. “If you want, I’ll give the jacket to Rowan, and he can use his psychometry.”

Cassie sneers. “Ha! Sure. Hide evidence, you mean.”

But I take the jacket anyway. Is this mass hysteria in Darwin House? I’ve read about this kind of thing—if enough humans come across an unexplained phenomenon, the belief spreads like wildfire through a community. Werewolves. Ghosts. Plots by witches.

“Right. Research everything available about witches and the ingredients needed for dangerous spells. In our next Chemistry class, pay close attention to what the witches brew,” Logan says.

“And we focus patrols on this building,” adds Dale.

A door upstairs bangs and the four jump to attention. Logan shoves everybody to one side and rushes up the stairs, urging the others to wait. I ignore his demand and follow, pushing in front of him as I do.

“Check the locker rooms and showers,” I say.

I have sharper senses than a full-blooded human, and, although I can’t sense anybody in the building, I need to follow a theory alone.

Logan hesitates before calling the others to join him, but I don’t wait.

I’m at the emergency exit doors in a heartbeat.

Pulling down on the bar, I shove my way outside and scan the night-shrouded surroundings.

Not only did I sense the faint supe presence from the cellar and kept quiet about it, but there’s a scent on the jacket gripped in my hand. Dash’s.

However, the figure sprinting in the direction of Darwin House isn’t a shifted wolf, or a guy. I stare after a small female figure.

Holly?

Somebody shines a flashlight in the opposite direction, sweeping the beam in a semi-circle. “Anything?” asks Dane from beside Logan. “Anybody?”

I switch the direction of my gaze before Dane notices. “Somebody ran that way.” I point toward the academy. “You could be right. Might be a witch. Take a look?”

“We’re not exploring the academy tonight,” says Logan gruffly.

“We can’t avoid checking out the place out any longer,” Sara urges.

“Not tonight,” repeats Logan “They’ll know we’re on their trail.”

On their trail?

“If you’re serious, and Violet isn’t involved in the plot, your group can explore one night soon,” he adds. “Intercepting witches is dangerous for us.”

I nod, but my mind whirls with questions. Is this why Holly interrogated me about Violet’s plans? Because she wanted to meet Dash tonight? Why the hell is Dash hidden in the sports hall when he promised he’d leave, and where is he now ?

“I’ve had enough,” I say. “Come on. Let’s go back to Darwin.”

Before the human vigilantes spot a brainless ‘werewolf’ sprinting through the night.