Oakley bit her lip, glancing from the vial to her newly freshened uniform. “I can’t—”
“It’s my gift. First rule of actual, in-person high school: You only have one chance to make a first impression.”
Oakley gulped.
“At lunch, we’ll get you settled in the dorm. Then I’ll introduce you to my friends, we’ll eat, and you’ll be on your way.”
“On my way to where?”
“To a senior year you’ll never forget. In the best way.” With that, Embry spun the girl around and hauled her into the gymnasium. “Welcome to Raven’s Head, Oakley.”
CHAPTER 2
WITCHES, BITCHES, STITCHES, GLITCHES… AND OAKLEY RIDDLE
NO MORE COMMUNICATIONS FROMHEADMASTERMARTINELLIwere dropped upon Embry via Merlin’s very sharp talons in the next few hours. Therefore she was all but sure Oakley Riddle had survived her first taste of boarding school life.
Still, it was a relief to see the girl’s impish face as she stumbled into the outdoor lunch seating, her pale features going from pinched and anxious to open and sure upon spotting Embry in the middle of the mealtime chaos.
“There you are. How do you feel about panzanella? Ames is grabbing three trays for us.” Then she realized she needed to explain who the Goddess she was talking about. “Ames is my bestie, and she’s extremely excited to meet you, Oakley.”
This was true. Ames took to new blood like a shark. Nothing was more interesting to Amethyst Oberon than anyone or anything that broke up the monotony of her very comfortable existence. Embry had a hunch this was part of the reason Ames and her perfectly matched boyfriend sparred (and made up) so often—it wasexciting.
“Cool,” Oakley said yet again. They’d really have to work on her vocabulary.
“Come on, let’s get you settled. Lunch will be ready when we get back.”
Valentina, the dorm manager, met them on the steps and walkedOakley through the building’s wards while Embry retrieved the girl’s things. Then Embry bid them adieu and returned to lunch. She was here to help Oakley get acclimated, not attach herself at the hip.
“Where’s the new girl?” Ames asked as Embry dropped into the seat beside her. “Please tell me someone hasn’t literally eaten her already?”
“No, no. Oakley’s alive and well, just checking into her room.”
“Did you find out what kind of magical person she is? Please tell me she’s not a Bitch. That’d be so disappointing.”
Embry waved her off. “We know the Bitches can’t stop talking about being Bitches. She would’ve told me right off the bat.” This was true. Cultural relevance was a highly traded currency at Raven’s Head, second only to rarity as far as the hierarchies within the school went. And thanks to a recent pop culture resurgence, the shifters, particularly werewolves, made up for their lack of rarity by bragging very loudly. Embry glanced around. “Hey, where are the boys?”
“Café line.”
Embry relished in the idea of imminent caffeine. She was accustomed to midday java—it just wasn’t worth jostling with grumpy Stitches first thing in the morning on campus and, unlike Rye, she didn’t mooch on Daddy’s espresso. “Knights in shining armor.”
“When they want to be,” Ames agreed. Then, her vision snagged on something, her silverware hovering over her plate. “Oh, that’s got to be her, yes?”
Embry shifted in her seat. She tried to ignore the fact that everyone else seemed to be turning, too, while accepting the phenomenon’s confirmation that, yes, Oakley Riddle, newly minted senior, was walking across the dining courtyard.
“Correct,” Embry answered, stretching an arm high to guide her in.
Oakley waved back… and tripped over her own feet in the process.
A collective gasp went up and Embry shot from her seat, reaching out a hand to help the poor girl, who’d crumpled into the grass in front of theentiresenior class.
“Oh, so embarrassing,” she muttered as Embry half carried her to standing.
“Or memorable,” Embry coached. “Come on, my best friend can’t wait to meet you.”
Ames well and truly could not wait because she was already right there.
“Hey, Oakley, I’m Amethyst.” Ames went by her full name with anyone not wholly integrated within the Witch crew. And no matter how excited she was to meet this new girl, she’d beAmethystuntil she deemed a person worthy of using her nickname.
