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VIOLET

I planned to speak to my friends before class, and alone, but I’m too late. By the time I arrive at Thornwood, lessons have already started. After consulting my infrequently used timetable, I locate Rowan and Leif in Potions/Chemistry class alongside Holly.

Rowan examines every inch of me as I step inside boredom-filled classroom, and black ink from spurts across Leif’s lips as he bites hard on the pen in his mouth. Holly’s face turns as pale as Grayson’s normal color.

“Yes, I am in one piece,” I inform the trio, before sitting in the vacant seat between Rowan and Holly.

Vacant because Holly isn’t keen to sit side by side with Rowan or because they were expecting me?

The door closes behind me as the teacher enters the room.

I count the students in attendance, ascertaining which humans chose to attend Mr. Woodside’s class, most notably whether Logan—and his suspicions—joined today.

His whole vigilante group sit in a row, glaring at the witches at the tables opposite.

For once, the humans merely glance at me, and the irritating babbling in the classroom quietens when Mr. Woodside claps his hands.

As one of the younger teachers, he struggles with authority in the classroom and adopts an abrupt, sour-faced manner that commands respect for him. Considering he only trained for the job as part of the search for his sister, I doubt he gains much enjoyment from his role.

He never seems to.

I’ve no paraphernalia required for lessons, and Rowan tears a sheet of paper from his notebook then slides the page and a pen toward me.

“What happened?” Rowan whispers, one eye on the teacher.

“I told you; I had a fight with Dorian.”

“Physical?” Leif asks in horror.

“Physical contact was involved.”

“Shit. And you’re okay?” Rowan places a hand over mine, face filled with panic, reflected in the surge that touches me through his magic.

No hint of shadows. Good.

“Did you tell Dorian everything ?” whispers Holly.

“I imparted all the details of our recent days, and Dorian, although unimpressed, now possesses new information due to our discovery inside Whitegrove’s mausoleum. As Dorian must act quickly, this will distract him from any immediate repercussions,” I reply quietly.

“What do you mean by ‘repercussions?’” Holly interrupts.

“For my actions.” Our actions . “In the meantime, we are no longer allowed to interfere.”

Leif laughs dryly. “Like that ever stops you.”

My lips thin “I have little choice this time if I want you all to survive.”

Julius Woodside breaks the silence, and, as he addresses the class with today’s lesson plan, he looks between Leif and Rowan then narrows his eyes at me.

We’ve successfully evaded both Julius and his questions about our search for his murdered sister recently.

This is largely due to us rarely attending lessons as the timer counted down to Eloise’s ultimatum. How much longer can we avoid him?

Dorian isn’t interested in Madison’s death, but I still am. I don’t like unfinished puzzles, and the pieces from this one will surely slot into the current situation. Cornelius knows what Viktor did.

Did Viktor tell his father where he placed the girl’s body? My father may not care about a murder from almost two decades ago, but if he takes down Cornelius, he could force the witch to admit what he knows about Madison

I once informed Julius that I would solve the mystery behind Madison’s disappearance, and I shall. Dorian hasn’t expressly told me to stay away from those investigations since he’s dismissed their importance, even when I told him about Sarah’s mysterious activities.

If I receive information, I’ll follow the leads, but also inform him the moment I encounter anything that pertains to Cornelius. I’ve made enough stupid decisions recently. That must cease. If I’m tracked to somewhere I shouldn’t be, the day would not end well.

Holly does not welcome the practical lesson that Julius announces, understandably due to her ineptitude in science-based tasks, despite her prowess in math.

Today, humans and vampires will prepare a solution to grow tiny crystals on a piece of string and pretend it’s educational.

To make this dubiously more interesting, they’re permitted to add food coloring for the overnight transformation.

Surely this won’t challenge Holly.

“Why do you never teach magical potions to humans?” Sara asks as Julius instructs select students to hand out equipment. “Otherwise, what’s the point in us attending a magic school?”

“Assimilation,” he says stiffly.

“Ass- what?” Dale frowns.

“Neither humans nor vampires learn potions because they don’t possess the required magic needed to activate them. Joint lessons such as these encourage cooperation between houses,” Julius replies.

“I’m inclined to agree that the lesson is divisive,” I put in.

The humans gawk at me siding with them, but Sara’s question wasn’t my impetus to speak.

“Chemistry is a subject tested for human exams,” says Julius. “Potions are also part of the witches’ end-of-year testing. The two can be taught together. ”

“And vamps?” drawls Darian, one of the few Sheridan House vampires in the class, and the only hemia present. “Why waste our time?”

“My class is part of the curriculum for you all, and the vampire elders agree,” says Julius firmly. “Gregory—hurry with distributing the flasks.”

I straighten and take note. How many vampires have I interacted with apart from Grayson? I’ve met a handful when walking through Sheridan house, but that’s all.

Witches outnumber vampires at the academy and have always behaved as if they’re superior among the supernatural races, and the vampires face more intolerance from human students than witches do.

The race also faces the greatest prejudice in wider society, thanks to human folk tales and unpleasant movies about vampires.

Rather than stand their ground against humans like the shifters, the vampires have a rather more aloof stance—or, to paraphrase Grayson, a ‘fuck you’ one.

Vampires keep a low profile inside the school too, and few bother to attend lessons. If they do, they always remain quiet in class. Vampires rarely involve themselves in any academy affairs. Few attended Marci’s fateful dance, and the majority refused to attend Wesley’s memorial.

Since the reveal, witches and humans are the only two races who get along, and even that’s on wafer-thin ice.

Nobody implicated vampires in the recent murders, and as the attacks bore no resemblance to vampire-inflicted injuries, neither I nor the authorities paid attention to Sheridan students’ activities. The house never singles me out or bothers interacting with me much at all, and I return the favor.

Is the vampires’ treatment of me acceptance or indifference? Or am I looking in the wrong place for academy subterfuge while they ensure my focus is kept on witches and a single vampire?

I must shift my focus.

Having missed the preparatory lesson for this experiment, I glance over Rowan’s notes. A protective Aegis potion for the witches. Interesting, and as simple as the humans’.

Within less than a minute, Holly knocks over the bottle of colored solution and swears, immediately standing and attempting to mop up the mess with tissues she grabs from her bag.

Her hands tremble, and I retrieve one to assist her.

“You seem unusually jumpy today,” I remark.

“You mentioned something about ‘not surviving,’” mutters Rowan.

“Oh. Dorian isn’t upset with Holly,” I say. “Please don’t worry. Grayson should be concerned, along with Dashiell, if Dorian finds him.”

“Right.” Holly glances at Leif and then continues wiping the table.

“And us? Should we worry?” whispers Leif.

What do I say? I don’t want Rowan and Leif reacting badly and accidentally knocking things over too.

Rather than reply, I take the soaked tissues from Holly and place them in the waste basket near Julius’s desk.

He tracks me as I cross the classroom and speaks quietly as I stop to deposit the tissues.

“We need to talk, Violet.”

“I haven’t found Madison’s bo—” I catch sight of Sara watching us. “Found any new information.”

“I want to talk to the four of you. After class. You’ve avoided me long enough—I need an update.”

“Very well.” I meet his startling eyes momentarily and nod before returning to the others.

But I won’t. Not yet.

Rowan and Leif watch me as keenly as the rest of the class. As I resume my seat, Rowan pushes the small silver scales toward me. “Explain, Violet.”

“This instrument precisely weighs extremely light substances, although I’ve no need to use one for this potion. Would you like help?”

“ Explain what happened with Dorian in more detail. Your text message sucked.”

Leif leans around him and looks expectantly, and Holly now sits again, her dark skirt damp.

“My father isn’t happy about my behavior. If I continue to demonstrate disloyalty to the family, he’ll remove me from Thornwood.”

I smile tightly, happy that one of the social skills I’ve learned includes not bluntly telling people the entire truth. If I added the part about Dorian’s threat to kill people I care about, I can predict the outcome: unpleasant and hysterical.

“Disloyalty?” asks Holly.

“Putting others’ welfare ahead of my family’s.”

“What does that mean?” Her voice rises in pitch.

“I’m not to kill any more suspects in order to protect people.”

“Protect people like me?” she asks.

“You have somebody else who’ll help protect you,” Leif tells her.

Holly’s eyes go wide. “What?”

“Leif will.” I pat Holly’s damp hand. “And Rowan. Grayson. Marci. You have a lot of friends who care for your welfare.”

Her gaze flicks to Rowan. “ Rowan and Grayson ?” She shakes her head and returns to her failed experiment.

“Are we in immediate danger?” presses Leif.

“No. Dorian aims to apprehend and question Cornelius today. I hope Cornelius and his mausoleum hold the answers that died with Viktor.”