Page 30 of The Bleak Beginning

I brush past him, only stopping momentarily at the other two. “I would suggest you do your own dirty work in the future, instead of having others participate unknowingly,” I comment, my tone thick with feigned sweetness. “The consequences would seem earned then, no?”

Their faces contort with a mix of shock and indignation as my words sink in, but I don’t wait to see how it plays out, walking away from the now-sparkly trio.

“Woah, what happened to you?” Sutton asks shoving past a group of students leaving the courtyard outside Altair’s main building. “Did you fall into a unicorn’s litter box or something?”

I shake my head, snorting. “No, I’ve just been chosen as the new Fairy Queen. Can’t you tell by my dazzling aura?”

Sutton chuckles, falling into step beside me. “Right, and I’m the princess of Altair. Seriously, what’s with the glitter explosion?”

As we walk, the late afternoon sun caught the tiny particles clinging to my clothes and skin, sending little rainbows dancing across the cobblestone path. A few passing students did doubletakes, some whispering and pointing. I growl in their direction, trying to maintain my composure despite the glitter tickling my nose, and I must show enough conviction because they turn away.

“You do realize that stuff is poisonous, right?”

“Relax, I don’t plan on ingesting a bucket of it. There was a miscommunication, but I handled it,” I say.

Sutton eyes my glitter-covered form with a mixture of amusement and concern, before tucking a lock of hair behind her headband.

“Look, I was actually coming to find you to see if you wanted to help me with a project.”

“An art project?” I hedge, remembering how closed off she’d been the other night when I’d asked her about her art. “What kind of project are we talking about here? Because I’m not sure I’m up for anything involving glitter.”

She chuckles, her eyes flickering with playful intent. “No glitter, I promise. It’s for my mixed media class. I’m thinking of doing something with found objects and maybe some spray paint. Could be fun, right?”

“Spray paint, huh?” I say, arching an eyebrow. “You’re not planning on getting us arrested for vandalism or anything, are you?”

“Of course not,” Sutton says, scoffing.

I hesitate, brushing more of the sparkly flecks from my sleeve. “What day were you thinking?”

She shrugs. “Whenever. It’s not due until next week, so I pretty much have an open schedule anytime between now and then.”

“Are you free this Thursday evening?” I ask, a plan already forming to get out of having my one-on-one with Sylvester.

“Sure,” she agrees. “Thursday works for me.”

“I’ll be there,” I say with a nod.

I can still see the curiosity in her eyes, but she didn’t press me further about how I ended up like this, and that’s what I was quickly realizing I liked about Sutton—she was always up for anything, no explanation needed. I didn’t push her about her art, and she didn’t push me to explain myself.

“We’ll meet up in the studio,” she says, excited.

“Absolutely,” I confirm.

Helping Sutton with her art sounded way more appealing than spending a few hours alone with a Legacy going over the history of Altair.

“It’s a date then!” Sutton beams, squeezing my arm in excitement, but then pulls it away a moment later to shake off the glitter she’s now infected with.

She can thank the Legacy guys for that one.

“Come on, glitter bomb.” She chuckles. “I’m hungry.”

My eyes light up. A woman after my own heart.

Chapter 6

Bishop

“Glitter? That was really the best idea you could come up with?” I glower, scolding my best friends.

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