Page 6 of With the Potion in the Courtyard
"Come here." I waved her over.
"What is it?" she askedas she joined me.
"Look." I pointed at the shard. "That's from one of the bottles from the potion room, isn't it?"
"Sure looks like it." Jessie knelt beside me and picked up the curved glass, turning it over in her hands. "From Ms. Ingow's class."
"Could this be related to Jaylyn's disappearance? The hunters did ask me about my knowledge of potions." A knot formed in my stomach.
"Maybe." Jessie's brow furrowed. "But why would a potion bottle be out here?"
"Someone must have been doing something they weren't supposed to."
"Using potions outside of class?" Jessie's tone was incredulous. "That's against the rules."
"Exactly." I stood up, brushing the dirt off my hands. "And maybe that's a clue we can't ignore. The only clue we’ve found so far."
"Everyone has to start somewhere," she says, and there’s a sparkle in her eye that tells me this is far from over.
CHAPTER THREE
I wokeup and hit my alarm, silencing the stupid thing with unnecessarily hard thumping of my hand on the top of it. When I was done, a miserable groan slipped from my lips. I felt like I'd been trampled by a herd of antelopes. Every inch of me ached. The days of dancing until dawn were gone, replaced by throbbing reminders that my forties were about more than just starting over with a sprinkle of magic. I needed ibuprofen and a big cup of coffee if I had any hope of facing this day.
I groaned again as a knock sounded at the door. "Come in!"
Jessie peered around the doorway with that comforting smile. Her hair was in its familiar darkbun, but she was wearing jeans and a t-shirt. The shirt said, "That’s a Horrible Idea… Let’s Do It Anyway." The sight of her made me crack a smile, even if I desperately wanted to roll back over and go to sleep.
"Morning, sunshine. Ready for lunch?" she asked, her smile brightening a little too much at my misery.
"Give me a minute." Ugh, I’d slept through breakfast. I got up, every muscle protesting.
Jessie waited in the hall while Tilly purred and nudged my hand for attention. I scratched behind her ears while Simon circled my feet, both cats weaving between my legs like they were trying to trip me. Which I knew they were. I swore they never looked happier than when they tripped me.
I changed clothes, brushed my teeth, washed my face, and ran a brush through my hair, before popping some ibuprofen for the achy body. When I was done, I opened my bedroom door. "Okay, let's go."
We left my dorm, the tapestries on the walls blurring as I shuffled along, still half-asleep. The hallway stretched out as I tried to make my mind wake up.There were a few students in the halls. No one I knew, but they quieted when they spotted me and stared like I’d grown another head. Hopefully, it was just curiosity and not a deep fear that I was killing off classmates.
"Whoa, who's that?" Jessie nodded ahead of us.
An older woman walked toward us. She wore an orange hat perched atop her head, a bright green jacket, a polka-dotted shirt, and pants so yellow they could stop traffic. Her huge sunglasses nearly covered half her face, but they couldn't hide her beaming smile. Straight out of a street festival.
"Hello, Cendi. Jessie," she said as though we were old friends.
Huh? How does this older woman know my name? And why does she feel… so how powerful? There was just something about her.
"Hi?" I squinted at her, rubbing the back of my neck. "Do we know you?"
"Ah, but it's a small world, don't you think?" Her voice was as colorful as her outfit.
Yet, her answer didn’t reallyanswer my question.
I wasn’t really sure how to respond, so I just started talking. "Sure seems like it," I mumbled, exchanging a puzzled look with Jessie. But despite the eccentricities, there was something reassuring about her presence.
Jessie tilted her head, curiosity lighting up her face. "New around here?"
"Something like that," the woman replied, the twinkle in her eye suggesting she knew far more than she let on.
"Are you looking for something?" I asked.