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CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Every time I set foot on the Midnight Manor Academy’s campus, I felt a weird sense of awe and nostalgia. I loved my time here as a child and teenager. I’d lived in a magical environment that had set me up to be prepared for life as one of the witchblood. I knew that some people hadn’t had such a luxury—January Jaxson, from over in Moonshadow Bay, hadn’t attended a magical academy because of her mother. She never said it held her back, but she was suffering from a chronic illness brought on by not using her magic for so many years. One of the few times we’d met, she’d told me about it, and how hard it made life.

Now, as I walked across campus, the heels of my boots clacking against the cobblestones, I watched the young students on their way to class, remembering the fun times that Crystal and I had when we were in school.

Community Hall was a stone building, looking almost like a gothic cathedral. With the auditorium, theater, cafeteria, and administrative offices, it sprawled across the square, surrounded by well-groomed rose bushes and a grassy knoll where students could sit and eat lunch under the trees on warm days.

As I entered the building, I watched the surge of students navigating through the stone halls on their way to the school store or their next class. It was nearing eleven, and in an hour, the halls would be filled with students on their way to lunch. I headed toward the principal’s office.

The secretary looked up from her desk, where she was entering data. A nameplate on her desk read “Amanda Wyers.”

“Hello, may I help you?”

“I need to talk to the principal about one of the professors. It’s about Jason Willows.”

I had guessed even the mention of his name would get me a reaction, and I was right. She took a breath, then looked up at me. “Please, have a seat. May I have your name?”

“Maisy Tripwater, and I’m in his cryptozoology class. As I said, this is important.”

Amanda stood. “I’ll be right back, please wait here.” She vanished through a door behind her desk.

I waited, glancing around the room. The window on the side wall overlooked the main square of the campus, which was currently mostly empty, given classes had started. A few students were crossing the square to the other buildings, but other than that, it was relatively quiet. I flashed back to so many years spent here, and—unlike some of my friends—I had enjoyed my time in school. I’d loved learning and had gotten along well with many of my peers.

The door to Principal Morrison’s office opened and Amanda appeared. “You can go in now,” she said, motioning for me to enter the room. She stayed, shutting the door behind her.

“How do you do, Ms. Tripwater. I hope you don’t mind but I’d like Amanda here, to take notes,” Principal Morrison said. He was tall and lanky, with wavy red hair, and he wore a nice but not extravagant gray suit. He stood, holding out his hand.

I shook it and took the seat that he indicated. I had never met him—he took the job long after I’d left school—and he seemed young to me, but then again, witchblood kept us younger than if we were human.

“I don’t mind if she stays,” I said. “I need to discuss the actions of one of your professors.”

Morrison sighed. “You said it’s Jason Willows?”

I nodded. “Yes. As you may know, I was a student here when I was younger—I attended from first grade through twelfth. I loved it here. So, I was excited to sign up for some continuing education classes when I moved back to Midnight Point a few months ago. But…” I paused, not sure how to approach the subject.

“Just tell us what happened,” Morrison said.

“I’m taking his cryptozoology class. We were supposed to go on a field trip yesterday, out to Hollow Hill.”

The principal flinched, giving me a wary look. “He planned to take students to Hollow Hill?”

I nodded. “It ended up with only four of us going all the way in. At first, some of the students left because they hadn’t realized that it would be that much of a hike through the woods. But four of us stayed, and when we got there, he unlocked the gate—he said he had a permit from the city—and a ferandal came bursting through the woods. It came after me.”

I stood and removed my cape, wincing. Then, holding out my arms so they could see the array of punctures, I said, “I managed to escape getting gored, but as you can see, I ended up scrambling through a bramble patch. I have over twenty punctures on my body, as well as all the accompanying bruises. I think Jason destroyed the ferandal, but I could have been gored. I could have been killed . I had to go to urgent care and I’m on antibiotics now.”

Principal Morrison sat back in his chair, staring at me. He glanced at Amanda, who gave him a look that I couldn’t read.

“All right, can you tell me what you’re thinking? Are you planning on suing the academy?”

I could tell that he had to ask that question; it made sense. “No, I don’t want to sue Midnight Manor. I love this school. But he’s dangerous. If I’d been older, or unable to move as fast, I could have been killed. He gave us no warning that this would be so incredibly dangerous. I’m just grateful I had quick-enough reflexes. He asked me not to say anything,” I added. After pausing, I said, “Then I did a little research on him…”

“Understood,” Morrison said. “I know what you found. All right, are you willing to put this in writing? And would anybody corroborate what happened?”

I nodded. “I’ll write up a complaint. I think that at least one of the other students will, too.” I was pretty sure Kyle would agree to make a formal complaint.

“Amanda will help you. And Ms. Tripwater, please accept my apologies. This is inexcusable, and the fact that you aren’t suing the academy…well, I’m not sure I’d have the reserve that you do. You don’t know how much I appreciate this.”

“The academy is a necessity for witchblood students. Given this teacher was already problematic, and still kept on staff, well…that wouldn’t look good.” I stared at the principal, thinking that he knew exactly what would happen if this hit the news. Midnight Manor Academy would be under intense scrutiny. And if I had sued, I would have made out like a bandit.

“Exactly,” he said. “As I said, I won’t forget this. Please, make a formal complaint, and we’ll make certain that nothing like this happens again. If you can get a second complaint, so much the better.”

I texted Kyle. would you be willing to make a formal complaint against jason willows? i’m at the academy, talking to the principal. i found out some extremely disturbing things about jason that makes me even more determined to see him out of here.

Kyle must have been watching his phone, because seconds later I received a text. of course i’d be happy to make a complaint, given all that happened. just let me know what to do.

I looked at the principal. “Can my classmate make a report via email?”

“As long as it’s in writing and he’s signed it,” the principal said.

“What email address should he send it to?”

Morrison gave me his email address. I texted Kyle.

here’s the email address where you’ll send your complaint. just describe everything that happened yesterday. if you could send this off today, i’d be grateful. i’ll tell you more at dinner tomorrow night.

sure thing. see you then.

“Okay, Kyle will be emailing you with his complaint. Thank you for taking me seriously.” I stood, gingerly easing my cape back on.

“I’m sorry this happened,” Principal Morrison said. “This never should have happened.”

I nodded, gathering my purse and keys. “Just do something about him. Next time, someone might die from his stupidity. Field trips like that need to be monitored, and…tell me, do you think this was really approved by the city?”

“I doubt it,” Morrison muttered. “I’ll be checking on that as well.”

As I followed Amanda back to the main office and sat down at a desk with a laptop on it, I thought about what I was doing. I was ruining a man’s career. But then my common sense took hold. He had ruined his own career—twice. And he put my life in danger. I shook off the feelings of guilt and began to type out everything that had happened, along with giving the name of the urgent care clinic where I’d been seen, and how much Jason’s mishap had cost me.

* * *

An hour later, back at my shop, I decided I’d had enough. I needed more caffeine. I took a break and headed next door for a mocha. Crystal was swamped, so I just waved at her, got my triple mocha, and left. As I stood outside my shop, it occurred to me that I wasn’t really trying as hard for Zandre as I did for my other clients. Pain in the ass or not, he deserved his money’s worth. With a sigh, I unlocked my door and returned to my desk.

I pulled my crystal ball to me and cleared my mind. “I will give this a good shot,” I said. “I accepted his money and I’ll either refund him, or give this my best effort.”

Lowering myself into trance, I let my mind drift, asking that I be shown the kind of woman Zandre should meet. As my mind opened, I suddenly found myself staring at Crystal, surrounded by a rolling mist.

Oh hell no…it couldn’t be.

For one thing, when I went into trance for doing this, I was never shown the actual person. And second, no way in hell was I suggesting to Crystal that she get involved with a vampire. I cleared my thoughts, shaking her image out, and tried again. Once more, I found myself staring at Crystal.

Shaken, I tried a third time, and this time came right out of trance.

“What the hell?”

I’d never doubted my visions before, but this… How could I trust what I saw? Crystal was my best friend. Alarm bells started to ring and I pushed my chair back, uncertain what I was going to do. I could talk to my aunt, but I decided I needed to talk to Crystal first. Maybe something was wrong and she was just popping into my mind.

Pulling out my phone, I texted her. i know you’re busy but i really need to talk to you about something. it’s important. i don’t want to talk about it in your shop, so can you duck out and come over for a few minutes? i wouldn’t ask if i didn’t have a good reason.

I sent the text, then looked around, thinking I really should just refund Zandre his money. I was in over my head, trying to meddle in the affairs of vampires.

Crystal answered. i’ll be over in five. bringing treats.

I stared at her text for a moment, then headed over to the table where I did my readings for people. I wanted the cards’ advice on this, but I’d wait till Crystal showed up.

A few minutes later, Crystal pushed through the door, carrying double lattes and a bag of cookies. “Are you all right? You look pale as a ghost.”

I motioned for her to sit down. “I know you’re busy this morning, but a situation has come up and I need to talk to you about it, because you might be involved.” I took a sip of the latte. “Thanks, I can use this. Even though I just finished my latte from home, the caffeine is already lagging today.”

Looking worried, she settled in aside from me. “What happened? What are you talking about?”

There was no good way to ease into the subject, so I decided just to dive in. “You know how I go into trance, to find out the kind of person my clients should be looking for?’

She nodded. “Right.”

“Okay, so you know I’m trying to find someone for Zandre?”

Crystal nodded. “The woman he was obsessed with is dead. Oh man, don’t tell me she’s risen as a vampire, too? That might solve the problem, right?”

“She’s still dead. And that might have solved the problem or it made it worse, but either way—she’s definitely dead, she’s not coming back. So, I’ve told you how I go into trance to get a glimpse of who I should be looking for. Not specific people, but say a star witch—like for Brenda—or some clue of where to find them.”

Crystal nodded, looking more puzzled than ever. “What’s going on, Maisy?”

“So, I went into trance today, searching for a clue as to who Zandre should be with. I figured I owe him an honest effort.” I paused, dreading saying the next thing. “Crystal, you showed up.”

She did a spit take, spewing coffee all over the table. “What are you saying?” Coughing, she grabbed for a napkin as I took the coffee out of her hand and set it down. “You’re telling me that I should marry a vampire?”

“No! Just…you showed up twice. The first time, I thought it was just a glitch. The second time, you showed up again . Then it occurred to me that something else might be going on with you and I just picked up on it. Is everything okay?” I handed her a paper towel, since she’d used up her napkin, wiping up the coffee off the table.

Crystal let out hard sigh. “I’m all right, Maisy. Nothing other than making it through initiation. Azzy’s fine. My shop is fine.”

I shrugged. “Honestly, I don’t know what to think. That’s why I asked you to come over.”

Crystal settled down, leaning back in her chair. She looked like a deer, caught in the headlights. After a moment, she said, “I don’t know what to say. I haven’t even thought of being in a relationship. I haven’t had the best of luck with them, and I just… I think I’ve given up on looking for anybody.”

That hurt my heart. Love was one of the most important things in the world to me, and I wanted all my friends to be happy and in healthy relationships. I knew that some people weren’t cut out for marriage—like my aunt—but the ones who were, I continually held hope for.

“Oh, Crystal, don’t give up. There’s someone out there for you. Maybe whoever is meant for you isn’t ready now, or the circumstances just aren’t right, but don’t close off the possibility. Please?”

She gave me a shake of the head. “I can’t imagine anyone I might want to marry.”

I wasn’t sure, but it felt like she was hiding something. As I thought about it, I wondered if maybe she was gay and afraid to tell me.

“You know you can tell me anything , right?” I asked.

She nodded. “Yeah, I know. You really mean that, don’t you?”

“Of course. We’re besties. No secrets.”

“No secrets? Right.” She sighed. “So, I showed up in your visions, huh?”

“Yeah, but don’t take it seriously.” I shook my head. “I thought I was going to have a heart attack when you appeared in my trance this morning. Trust me, I’m not trying to set you up. And I’d never try to set you up with a vampire. I don’t really trust them, not deep down, at the core of things.”

“Then why take them on as clients?” Crystal asked.

“Because, I may not trust them, but they share this world with us. And maybe…maybe a vampire in love will be kinder to others than a vampire who’s a loner. I suppose it’s a weird way of trying to make the world a better place. Maybe?”

Her question was a good one. Why was I trying to help someone I didn’t trust? But what I had said was true—at least to a point. Given how dangerous vampires could be, maybe this was my way of trying to smooth out the kinks in a very difficult relationship—the one vamps had with the living. I wasn’t sure, but it was something for me to think about.

“I think there’s more than that, but that’s for you to figure it out,” Crystal said. She hesitated. “Could your visions be off? What might affect them?”

I thought about it. “Poor sleep, fear…geomagnetic storms, being too close to a powerful energy source for long enough. Illness, I suppose. And sometimes, when I’m not supposed to know something, my visions stop pulling their weight.”

“Maybe you should just wait for a while and try again. Maybe your visions just need a breather.” She shrugged, an odd look on her face.

I thought about it for a moment. “I wonder…” I shuffled my cards and laid out a five-card spread called the Star.

The first card—the outward energy of the matter—was the Lovers. That made sense, given we were talking about finding Zandre a wife. But I was surprised it wasn’t the underlying energy—which meant that him coming to me was on the surface, covering up another issue in his life.

I drew the second card and laid it out. The Death card. Representing the underlying energy of the situation, death usually meant some sort of transformation. But given Zandre was a vampire—one of the undead—and that he had already died once, I had the feeling it was connected to him in a more literal way. Vampires could be killed, they could die the “final death”…but it wasn’t common. But was he in danger? Was he being targeted? Had he come to me searching to fix something he felt was wrong, but couldn’t put his finger on?

I sighed, drawing the third card, which represented factors to be considered. It was the queen of swords—a court card. Court cards almost always represented people, and my first thought was Crystal. She was an Aquarius—born on February thirteenth. A thought raced through my mind that—like it or not—she was connected to Zandre, in one way or another.

The fourth card, advice, was the queen of cups and I figured that was me. I was a Scorpio, a water sign, and the moment I saw it, I knew it meant to just be who I was, do what I did, and somehow, I’d facilitate whatever was going to happen.

The last card—the outcome—was the two of cups, indicating love and partnership, harmony and connection. Given the other cards, that didn’t make much sense to me, but it made me a little more hopeful. Maybe Crystal knew someone who Zandre would click with.

“Well, we’ll see how this turns out,” I said, glancing over at Crystal. I told her what the cards had said.

“If I’m the intermediary, fine,” she said. “I don’t mind that.”

“I still have to convince him that he doesn’t want to date me.” I paused, then said, “If I can’t get out of dinner easily, will you go with me? I’ll tell him I’m not comfortable going out alone.”

“Really? You’re asking me to tag along like a third wheel? That sounds like a blast,” Crystal said. “ Not. But you have the one thing that can make me say yes.”

“What’s that?” I asked.

“You can play the friend card and I have to agree.” With that she laughed and headed back to her shop.