Page 65 of Faerie Gift

Morning came and I woke up in the hospital ward again, Nurse Julie hovering near the bed. My head and stomach both spun and nausea threatened, my temples pulsating in a very unpleasant combination.

“I suggest lying there for a few more minutes,” Julie stated, her arms crossed over her chest.

“Why?” I croaked out.

“Because you are going to be mobbed the moment you walk out the door. Some girl named Nora brought you your schoolwork and a change of clothes, and your student mentor is waiting for you in the other room. Change your clothes, pop some aspirin, and keep your head down.”

Her warning confused me until the ward door spat me out into the middle of a clapping crowd.

Well hello, migraine.

I wasn’t sure how word spread so quickly but classes had barely begun before the whole sordid story came back to me,muchexaggerated. Suddenly everyone knew who I was. They knew what I’d done (or some version of events). It bothered me how the rest of my fellow students werecelebratingme for what I’d done, lauding me for having discovered the killer. Like I had done something of worth or out of the goodness of my heart. I had enough guilt riding my shoulders. I didn’t need that too.

Melia and Nora flanked me between classes when they could, Mike taking up the slack when they could not and keeping most of the overeager well-wishers and gossip mongers at bay.

The sudden celebrity status made me super uncomfortable. Especially considering I’d broken a ton of school rules and manipulated the headmaster’s memories—which wasn’t just wrong, it was criminal.

I wondered why I was considered heroic when the truth was I should be expelled.

Worse, I was pretty sure the kid who’d attacked me hadn’t been acting alone. How could he have been? Looking for the Augundae Imperium was a big job, much bigger than one person could handle alone. I was living proof of that, and I had an extra power I could call upon.

But did I have a way to prove the kid had help? Nope. So there was possibly—probably—an accomplice still at large. Or several accomplices. Or minions doing the bidding of someone even more powerful. Or hapless fools like me who struck a bargain without knowing all the ramifications.

And there came the headache again. It was all too much to think about.

Officer Allen showing up to catch him in the act was the only reason the kid got apprehended. Allen had seen the boy ripping into me. He told me later how their CSI team was able to compare the DNA from the previous crime scenes to the boy they held in custody and hoped to have a match soon.

They’d find their match.

And none of it sat well with me.

I’d also had enough medical care to last me the rest of my life. I’d been poked, pierced, and had my temperature taken to the point where it was a miracle I hadn’t gone a little insane. Not to mention being teased by Mike for having my own security team, AKA Allen the Wolf Wonder.

Your fans outnumber mine now,Tavi.

Ugh, no thanks. They could all go away. I didn’t need their applause because I hadn’t done anything worthwhile.

Mike didn’t know the story around Officer Allen’s presence on the school grounds, yet he didn’t pry. Just as I didn’t pry into the artifact in his possession. Where he’d gotten it, why he had it in the first place, and how he could get in serious trouble for using it to cheat.

This new dynamic weirded the hell out of me. But what could I do?

Melia and I sat in the common room with another bowl of popcorn and a movie set up to play on the big screen television. I’d gotten a thorough chewing out from her for sneaking around and letting some boy get the better of me.

She’d tried to keep a stone mask in place, her voice devoid of all emotion, and despite everything she said in lecture mode, I saw the concern. I knew she loved me. The feeling was mutual.

She smoothed the front of her sweater and turned to me, reaching over to grab the popcorn from my lap. “Now that we have the tongue-lashing portion of the evening out of the way…”

I squirmed, waiting for her to finish. “Anything else you want to say to me?” I joked. I hated feeling like someone held a magnifying glass over me. Luckily for Melia, I loved her.

“Plenty.” She rolled her eyes. “Next time, clue a girl in on what you plan to do. Then maybe you’ll get the lecture-free version of movie night.”

“I’m sorry you were worried about me. But I had it handled.” Hopefully she didn’t see the way I’d crossed my fingers behind my back.Liar.

Melia fixed me with a look and lowered her voice. “You used transfiguration on him, didn’t you?”

Well, crap. I didn’t think she’d guess that. “Eh? Come again?”

“Give me a little credit, Tavi. I’ve been in this school long enough to know where to get information.” She wrinkled her nose. “I heard all about the kid they carted away and how he had puncture wounds and deep scratches on his body. Those kinds of marks are undeniable.”

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