“Search and Rescue found me on day three. They had to send in divers, because I’d climbed up inside the cave to escape the water, and the rest of it got flooded, basically cutting me off. I had to wear scuba gear to get out.”
Holy shit. I can see why she has a thing about rushing water. In fact, she’s holding it together pretty damn well, considering.
“You know, the last conversation I had with my parents that day was about this place. I’d just graduated high school, and I wanted to come here—more than anything, even though I didn’t really know much more about it than the name. Mom and Dad were adamantly against it, and they refused to tell me why—just the same old lines about how it’s a dangerous place, how the administration can’t be trusted, how magick is a curse.” Stevie looks around the common room, taking in the dark teal walls, the rich wooden beams, the huge windows. “Anyway, when Blue held me down like that tonight, the water rushing over me, Carly laughing… I don’t know. I guess some part of me knew they were just screwing around—that they weren’t really going to drown me. But all that old shit came back and I just… I snapped. I don’t know what that owl magick is all about, but it seems to happen lately whenever I’m threatened. It’s like a defense mechanism or something. I wish I knew how to control it.”
“I didn’t see the whole thing—got there right at the end. I saw the owl take flight though. That part was actually pretty badass.”
She smiles, shaking her head like she still can’t believe it. “Crazy, right?”
Not as crazy as she thinks, but Devane wants us to keep it all on lockdown for now, so I just shrug and say, “Keep studying, Stevie. The more you learn about your magick, the more you’ll understand it. It’s not going to happen overnight.”
“No, I suppose not.” She drains the last of her soup, and silence drifts between us again. After several uncomfortable minutes, she nudges me with her foot and says, “Hey. Don’t do that.”
“What did I do?” I hate the thought that I somehow made it worse for her. “I’m sorry. Whatever it is, I’m sorry.”
“I just mean… Don’t clam up like that and get all weird on me now. I’m fine—seriously. I didn’t even mean to get into that whole story—it’s all in the past now. I just… Can we talk? About anything? Something random, I mean.”
“Random?”
“No river or caves or people dying. Anything else is fair game.”
“Yeah, alright, I can do random. Let’s see… Oh, I know!”
She glances up at me, a mix of fear and humor touching her face.
I lean forward, elbows on my knees, hands rubbing together, and in this moment she looks like a mouse who’s just wandered into a snare.
“Let’s talk about that insane shit you pulled with Cass today,” I say, “because watchingthatlittle movie has given me all sorts of random thoughts.”
She laughs. Thank the goddess and the devil too, the woman laughs.
“Cass?” she asks. “If you’re talking about Dr. Devane, that so-calledshitI pulled… Well, it wasn’t what it looked like.”
“Good to know. ‘Cause for a minute there, itlookedlike you were eye-fucking each other in front of the whole class, which is totally against protocol, and also, totally hot.”
Her eyes flare for a second, then cool, a smirk sliding across her smart mouth. Whatever this girl feels, she isn’t about to let anyone get a solid read on it.
“Eh.” She shrugs. “Angry, tight-ass academics aren’t exactly my type. Especially ones as ancient as Devane. He’s gotta be, what, pushing fifty?”
I laughed, wishing Cass was here for this. Sonofabitch could stand to be knocked down off his high horse once in a while.
“Don’t let him hear you say that. He’ll fail your ass for sure.”
“Seriously. How old is he, anyway?” she presses.
I narrow my eyes. Does she actuallylikethat motherfucker?
“Seventy-five,” I say quickly. “Actually, closer to eighty, but we all round down to be nice.”
“Comeon.”
“He’s got a really intense self-care regiment. Bubble baths, face creams, green smoothies.”
She cracks up, and I swear I feel powerful and alive, like I just invented fire or something.
“So if angry, tight-ass academics aren’t your type,” I say, “what is?”
“Hmm. Maybe you should ask your girlfriend that question.”
