“No.” I pause.
This has become a way of life for him. Everything he does must revolve around whatever information he can get out of it, and I can’t imagine going to sleep at night knowing that morning will bring the same dark limbo as the day before, and the day before that.
“You said you’ve been looking for patterns.”
"There are circumstantial connections that campus administration refuses to investigate." Gideon says. "Four omegas in less than two years and now another at Thornwood.”
“Four?”
“Helena Raven died at Thornwood after Lydia Jones.” He furrows his brow. “They kept it quiet. I’m not surprised you don’t even know about it. All post-heat. All newly bonded packs. All declared natural causes without an autopsy."
I think about Olivia. “Another omega got sick last week, but she recovered.”
His mouth hangs open. “Post-heat?”
“Yes.”
“Newly bonded pack?”
“I don’t know. Maybe.”
“Symptoms?”
I feel like I’m being interrogated, but I don’t protest. He’s fighting for justice for his twin sister, justice that he is convinced she deserves, and I pray that Iris knew how loved she was.
“Vomiting. Fever. Restlessness. The nurse said that it was a virus she’d picked up while her immune system was still recovering from her heat.”
“What about the omega? What does she say?”
“She’s fine now.” I don’t know what else he wants me to say.
“I need you to find out if anything untoward occurred while she was heat.”
I shake my head. “Gideon, I don’t know if I?—”
“Please, Elowen. Just so I can rule Olivia out of the investigation.”
I sigh. “What do youwant to know?”
“Who was with her during her heat. What she ate. What she drank. What medication—if any—she took. Then I can compare her notes to the other omegas.”
“What if her circumstances were the same?”
“Then I’ll have to dig deeper. Someone knows what really happened to my sister, and when I found out who it is, I’ll make sure the whole world knows about it.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
I didn’t tell anyone that I was meeting Gideon today. Not even Lila. When Olivia got better, it felt as if every omega in Elderwood had been given a second chance, like cats who thought they’d used up their nine lives and realized they had one left. Then when we heard about the latest death at Thornwood, the black cloud came rolling across the academy once again.
“Thank you, Elowen.” Gideon stands and offers me his hand to shake. His touch is cold, as if he won’t be able to warm up until this is over. His grip is strong. “Please, be careful. Make sure that you trust the people around you.”
I flex my fingers when he releases me. “I will.”
10
ELOWEN
The lake pathis quiet this morning, mist hanging low over the water.
