But I wasn’t. I hardly cared at all. We’d tried saving people’s lives, but the world kept attacking us. We couldn’t be responsible if there were morons out there who were stupid enough to get in our way.
The only thing I cared about was if these murders had the potential to change Charlie into someone I didn’t recognize.That’swhat I was worried about. I was terrified his impulsivity would one day cause him to make a split-second decision that he’d regret… one that would have unfathomable consequences for both of us.
“Do you regret it?” I asked Charlie quietly.
He instantly got my meaning. The emotion that came across our bond was cold. “No.”
Oberi padded beside my wheelchair, giving a slight nod.You two must understand that anyone that attempts to harm you is no longer a person, but something that must be eliminated in order to protect your own lives and save the world.Nothing can get in the way of what you’re destined to achieve.
I thought about all the guards I’d killed in the Underground, how I’d ripped Jaymin to pieces with my magic. I felt nothing but a grim mark of satisfaction. That was the mark of a villain— to put their own goals and ambitions above the lives of others.
We wouldn’t kill for pleasure or vengeance. But we damn sure would take a life if it meant defending each other. That much I knew with a bitter resignation.
I’d accepted I was a villain a long time ago. To know that I was truly turning into one, and taking the label with pride, was like accepting myself to the highest degree… without judgment.
I’d never admit this to anyone, but honestly, it felt like a relief to look in the mirror and finally be okay with what I saw.
We got a quick breakfast, then headed down to the music room near the chapel. As we passed by a window, I glanced out of it, then told Charlie to stop. “Wait,” I said. I peered closer, not sure if I was seeing things. I saw a couple of guards jump into the lake and transform, their legs morphing into fish tails before their fins slapped the top of the water to go downward.
“What’s going on?” Charlie asked.
I waited to make sure, and when I was certain I wasn’t hallucinating, I said, “The guards are searching the lake.”
“Really.” His eyebrows shot up.
“Yes. They’ve got stunning rods to keep the sirens away. A couple of merfolk guards keep diving in. There’s a whole mess of them.”
“What do you think they’re looking for?”
I thought the answer was obvious. There was something in the lake the Warden didn’t want us to find.
Music class with Professor Warbright was my favorite time of the week. All my friends were in that class, and it was the one time we could let loose and allow our creativity to truly take flight. I hadn’t released any new vlog posts since I’d gone down into the Underground, and I was worried about explaining my new condition to fans. I hoped to make up for it by making some incredible new songs in the meantime. With Warbright’s help, I was sure whatever I posted next was going to really impress my base. For as bumbling and inept as the man was at magic, he was a master at the musical arts.
I grimaced as I shifted in my chair. I’d only been able to take half a pain pill this morning, because I needed the other half for this afternoon. A bundle of aching nerves sat right above the base of my spine, and my middle felt seared with red-hot pain. I’d burst out into tears if I wasn’t so accustomed to it.
Charlie sensed my pain through our bond. “I can take you back if you want. I’m sure Warbright will let you out if you tell him you need a medical exception.”
“No. I want to be here,” I said, though tears beaded my eyelids. “Let me stick it out, just for a bit.”
Charlie didn’t like when I pushed myself, but he knew how much I loved this class, so he remained silent. Kallie kept glancing at me, ready to lend a hand if I needed it.
“I’m very glad you’re all excited,” Warbright said as he passed around sheet music. “I hope you’ve been working hard, because I know how important this class is to all of you.”
What we did in music class varied every day, though there were some consistencies. Charlie was always on piano, and I was usually head soprano. Most of the time, we acted like a choir class and sang different songs, or spent our time learning the different intervals in music theory. It was the one fucking class at the Institute that actually felt like a college course instead of a reform program, and it always put me in a good mood. The class had about twenty people in it, and besides our friends, it was filled with a variety of people who weren’t cruel— people like Velma and Melody. They were normal students who you didn’t have to watch your back with, like you did with Mad Dog and Naya. It made things more comfortable.
Charlie played a couple notes. Oberi started to howl, and a couple of girls giggled. Warbright bent over Oberi and said, “Now, now, little chap, you’ll get your turn. On my ready, one, two, three, four!”
My voice shook a little as we began the opening melodies, but I tried focusing on the sound of Charlie playing the piano and Marcus singing baritone beside me instead of how uncomfortable I felt. As time went on, I found that the music took my focus off of my pain and onto the notes. Music could always dull the ache, no matter how bad I felt. I didn’t even care that the Warden had required us to learn a hymnal from the angel holy book. No matter what the song was, music never failed to lift my spirits.
By the end of class, I found I wasn’t experiencing much pain at all. As I put the sheet music into my folder, Marcus and Charlie remained at the back of the class, speaking in quiet voices. I was curious, so I rolled myself over to listen in.
“Just hurry up and ask her,” Charlie said, and he nudged Marcus. He looked momentarily frozen, as if he was terrified at what my husband was suggesting. Charlie had told me Marcus planned to ask Kallie out on a date, but hadn’t done it as of yet.
“I can’t,” Marcus insisted. “I’m too scared.”
“For fuck’s sake, we’re not in eighth grade,” Charlie grumbled. “You want to ask me how to hold her hand next?”
“I’m supposed to hold her hand?” Marcus yelped.
