Page 13 of Heart of Mischief

“But what the hell is hedoinghere?” Lou asked for the third time as she paced in front of the principal’s office. “It’s been three weeks since homecoming. Why show upnow?”

“I don’t know,” Charlie said, also for the third time.

She and Abigail were sitting on the floor of the empty hallway, backs against a row of lockers. Henry skittered across the floor nearby, kicking a wad of discarded paper like a soccer ball.

Abigail wasn’t listening to Lou. Once it had become clear that the boys wouldn’t be reemerging from the principal’s office anytime soon, she’d taken out her physics textbook and started on that evening’s homework. Charlie, on the other hand, was too agitated to do anything but tap her foot nervously while watching Lou pace.

“I bet you fifty bucks and a ham sandwich that it has something to do with Maddie and Milo,” said Lou, voicing the very thing Charlie was most worried about. “It’s too much of a coincidence.”

“I know,” Charlie agreed, glancing down the hall to make sure nobody was coming. “The only question is—”

“—was he the one who did it?” Lou filled in, pivoting on her heel and starting back across the hallway.

“Exactly.” Charlie’s foot increased in speed, tapping loudly on the shiny white tile.

“And what did he even tell the administration when he showed up?” Lou pivoted again. “Hey, sorry I was gone for three weeks. Had to pay a quick visit to the underworld?”

“I’m sure he had some excuse all packaged up and ready to go.”Tap, tap, tap.“Or else he just used that horrible possession thing that he did to you to get them to let him reenroll.”

Lou shuddered. “Probably.”

Tap, tap, tap.“Does this mean that Loki sent him?”Tap, tap, tap, tap.“Or did he come on his own, just to torture us some more?”Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap—

Without looking up from her textbook, Abigail shot out a hand and clamped it down on Charlie’s foot. “We’re not going to learn anything until they’re done in Dr. Matsson’s office,” she said. “So would you twopleaseput a lid on it? I can barely focus on Newton’s third law.”

Lou sighed and turned to start pacing back down the hallway. But before she could take another step, the door to the principal’s office swung open. Elias and Mason emerged together, Principal Matsson just behind them.

As soon as Elias stepped into the hallway, Henry abandoned his soccer ball, darting over to Charlie’s side and tensing his tiny body as if in preparation to strike.

“—could get this resolved without issue,” Principal Matsson was saying, one hand on Elias’s shoulder, the other on Mason’s. He looked like a proud father congratulating his sons on a game well played, not a principal finishing up a disciplinary meeting. “You’re both exemplary members of the senior class, and I would hate to think there’s any strife between you.”

Charlie and Abigail rose slowly to their feet, trading looks of confusion with Lou.

“Thank you, Dr. Matsson,” Elias said. “We sincerely appreciate it.”

“Right,” said Mason belatedly. He cleared his throat. “Thank you, sir.”

Dr. Matsson squeezed their shoulders once, then released them. “Study hard, boys. I’ll see you both later.” He started to close his office door, pausing halfway. “Elias?”

“Yes, sir?” Elias asked.

“It’s a pleasure having you back.”

Elias smiled. “Thank you, sir.”

With a warm nod, Dr. Matsson shut the door, leaving the five of them alone in the empty hallway.

Lou was the first one to ask, “What the Hel wasthat?”

“What was what?” Elias asked innocently. Dr. Matsson had clearly helped him clean up his face, but he’d missed a few flakes of dried blood. Plus, the bruise beneath his eye was only getting worse, darkening like the night sky.

Unfortunately, neither of those things even made a dent in his otherworldly beauty. If anything, he looked even more rugged, more dangerous. Just looking at him made Charlie’s stomach feel like it had been set on fire.

No, she reminded herself.No, no, no. It doesn’t matter how handsome he is. He’s a monster.

She might be in a tailspin over his presence, but he hadn’t even spared her a glance. Not when he stood in the entrance to the cafeteria, not after the fight with her brother. Not even now, when she stood less than five feet away. It was as if she were invisible.

Beside him, Mason looked pale and confused, like he’d seen a ghost in Dr. Matsson’s office.