Page 64 of The Howl
She gave me an indulgent look.
“Of course I won’t. You just happened to catch us before I finished my offer.”
She turned back to him and opened her robe wide.
“Would you like Anwen to return you to your home, or would you like to stay and play for a while? I believe Anwen mentioned paying you five hundred dollars as well,” she said.
The man’s gaze grew a little more vacant the longer he stared at her until he began to slowly nod. She closed her robe before facing me again.
“There you go. Willing.” She gave me a bright smile. “Would you like to sit and watch? I’m sure there’s plenty for both of us.”
Poor Gabe’s eyes rounded in panic.
“Thanks, but I need to get back to school. I’ll see you at dinner.”
“Perfect. Anwen should have a new batch of humans for us by then.”
“Actually, I might head for the Roost. You know, my own age and all of that.”
She nodded and waved me off. I fled, wondering what the heck I was going to do with myself for the rest of the day. My answer came via a text from Adira just before I made it to the garage.
Your absence is noted. Is there a particular reason you needed to rush from Self-Discovery?
I wanted to kick my tire. Instead, I stopped and asked myself how Mom would respond to the text. I decided she wouldn’t. Any reply she thought Adira worthy of she would deliver in person.
Getting into my car, I headed for the Academy. Rather than scurrying to the fourth session like Adira anticipated me doing, I went to her office. However, there was no answer to my knock after several minutes.
Curious, I sent a text to my mom.
Has Adira talked to you yet?
Mom’s reply was immediate.
No. Why?
She just sent me a text asking why I left school.
That woman is atrocious. I’ll deal with her. You have a good day, sweetie. Do what you want.
I grinned. I had no idea why Mom disliked Adira, but Mom’s feelings were clearly strong. If Adira didn’t watch herself, she’d end up taking a nap in a ditch soon.
Tucking my phone into my purse, I considered what to do. I really didn’t want to go to class. Despite my mom’s encouragement to do whatever I wanted, I couldn’t help but agree with Fenris’s assessment of Adira. The more I ran, the more she would push. Where did that leave me besides stuck and unsure what to do?
The worst part was that the classes were nothing more than a joke with how Adira was making me dress now. When I’d worn my own clothes and people ignored me, I’d actually learned stuff. I missed just quietly sitting there, taking it all in.
An idea took hold, and I smiled before setting off down the hall. It didn’t take me long to reach the pools. Instead of hiding in the bathroom, I sat at the table just beside the water. A few of the mermaids hissed at me, but I ignored them and focused on the siren song filling the air. The melody soothed me, and I relaxed for the first time in days.
A head popped up from the water, rising just enough for her eyes to clear the edge of the pool.
“Why are you here?”
“Because Adira is having control issues.”
The vertical slit of the mermaid’s pupils narrowed.
“She’s not the only one, is she?”
“What do you mean?”
