“She’s with the sirens,” Isis freely replied as she chewed. Rolling her eyes, she shook her head and added, “you know how Solo is…”
I smiled
“I don’t know how he is…You probably know more than me.” Isis’s black orbs for eyes glistened as her face complexion darkened with embarrassment. “What’s going on with you two? Last year you avoided one another and now…”
“We’ve become cordial. Simple. Nymphs are starting to get more organized these days and my parents are at the starting point of it. That’s all it is. We’re looked at as a political threat or ally to the sirens. He’s playing nice because he has to.”
Harvey looked up from his phone with his eyes blacking out for a split second before pinching his nostrils together with a sniff.
“Y'all are fucking,” he plainly said. Isis gasped as I threw my head back with a laugh. “I can smell him on you.. If you aren’t he definitely wants to. He’s imprinting on you.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she declared. He looked tiredly at her before focusing back on his phone. “He and I are not, and if that rumor gets out that we even looked at each other in that way, let alone slept together, it will start a war in the waters so let’s…. let’s not. Okay? He wants access to my parents. That’s all I know. Nothing to do with me.”
“A war in the waters,” Harvey and I repeated at the same time before laughing. Isis rolled her eyes and focused back on her food when we heard a loud applause go off. I looked back as our chosen athletes walked in with Namir and the rest of the athletic department clapping and cheering them on from behind. He suddenly cupped the side of his mouth and shouted out.
“WHOSE HOUSE IS THIS?!”
The students banged three times on the tables with their hands, cups or trays before shouting back in response to the battle cry.
“D.C YUUUUUUU!”
“WHOSE HOUSE IS THIS?!” Namir screamed out before looking around. I clapped three times to the beat before falling silent on the response.
“Make sure you come out and support our athletes this year at the games!” Another coach shouted. “Tickets go on sale tonight for students!”
Through the growing crowd in the center of the dining hall, I spotted the curly bob with the green polo shirt standing out amongst the sea of beige and maroon uniforms. Clementine Harold would always make sure she stands out wherever she goes and this time, when she saw me, she made a beeline straight for our table. She smiled and waved at a few girls before coming to bring both hands down on our table and leaned in.
“Did you hear?” She whispered as her shifty eyes looked around. “Did you hear about Xavier? They’re trying to keep quiet about it.”
“What about him?” I asked.
“He’s missing.”
“Yeah and they’re going to blame the girl,” Harvey said just as he turned his phone to show his screen. Maggie’s face was plastered all over the screen with the label of being the most dangerous First Family member. When they showed a picture of our dean, he pulled the phone back and began to read.
“Drew Collins stands with the safety of its students, alumni, and staff. That is our number one priority. Maggie Grey is not welcomed on the Grounds before, during or after the games. We want to welcome our neighboring schools with open arms and assure them that we have everything under control with the tightest security, and students who are vigilant, strong, and understand what’s most important. The Coven Council formed at our school managed to reach out to the Southern Five Families in the Underground as extra security. We are blessedto have the support and backing of our magical families that matter.”
“They’re slowly positioning witches and familiars to take over the Underground. All of the schools are in an agreement,” Clementine said as she looked around. “First family out, Southern Five witch families in. You don’t know who to trust anymore these days…”
“They didn’t mention Xavier,” Harvey noted. Clementine pointed at him.
“Exactly because nobody knows where he is…He just…disappeared and they don’t want to say anything. The problem will be when they start to blame Maggie for his disappearance.”
“Are you okay?” I asked. “I know you probably got in trouble that night–––”
“Please,” she let out with her hand in the air to cut me off. “My connections run deeper than anybody working at this school. I will always be fine and secure in my position. My issue I’m having now is where the hell is Maggie? How long do we have to keep doing this? She told me she was going to see her parents–––”
“I’m sorry,what?”
Clementine’s eyes widened as if she realized she might have slipped up and said something she shouldn’t have.
“You spoke with her?” Isis questioned.
“Before she left I did. She told me she wanted to see her parents. I didn’t expect the other girl to go with her, but I guess somebody had to support her seeing as you all didn’t.”
“This is what she told you?” I asked. “You of all people?”
“I don’t know why she kept that a secret from y'all…Honestly, it never made any sense.”
