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My eyes widened in shock as I stared at the man, who murmured jumbled, threatening nonsense to himself. He could hardly keep himself standing, his legs threatening to buckle beneath him. My fear and confusion locked up my muscles, freezing me in place.
I tried to look at his face, but it was warped and blurry. I couldn’t get a clear look, but when his head turned in my direction, I swore that our eyes locked. With a scared gasp, I ducked back around the corner, hoping that my curiosity didn’t get me killed. Relief only flooded through me when I heard my father’s voice. Then, everything turned black.
I shot awake from my nightmare, sweat glistening on my forehead as I panted to catch my breath. My eyes darted around Buffy’s room, grounding myself to reality. I wasn’t back at my childhood home, facing a strange man. I was at Stormcloud Academy. What was worse, though?
Dragging my fingers through my hair, I sighed and rested back against my pillow, running the dream through my mind once again. The thing was that it wasn’t just a dream. It was a memory from when I was about six. At the time, my father claimed to his family that the man was one of his clients in a criminal case.
I didn’t believe him. Why would a client of his storm into the house, spitting out threats while covered in blood? Something happened that night, but I had no idea what that was. My lack of knowledge put me in danger. Everyone around me knew more than I did, and I was left to be the clueless fool.
Not anymore. I didn’t have the protection of the Kings any longer, and it seemed like there was nothing that I could do to change Zephyr’s mind. I saw the look on his face. All that I could do was protect myself from the killer, the Kings, and whoever else decided that they didn’t like me.
I needed to play my own card and have someone of power be on my side. I didn’t want to have to think like a survivalist, but the reality that I currently lived in was hostile. I had to play strong and maybe a little bit dirty. I needed to talk to Dean Schmidt.
Creeping out of my bed quietly, I pulled on a pair of black pants and a white, flowy top before sneaking out of Buffy’s room, leaving her asleep in her bed. It was too early in the morning for most people to be up, and I used that to my advantage as I headed to Schmidt’s office.
As expected, the door was shut and locked. I didn’t retreat, though. I leaned against the wall next to his door and waited, my eyes surveying the hallway. When I finally caught sight of him, I stood up straighter, conjuring what courage and dignity I had left after getting beat up and spat on yesterday.
“I need to talk to you,” I told him.
Schmidt stared at me for a moment in incredulity before nodding and unlocking his door. He let me inside before shutting the door behind us and sitting at his desk. He gestured to the chair across from him.
“What is it?” he asked, his gaze weighing down on me.
I drew in a breath, hoping that this was the right move to make. Once I committed to this, there was no going back. Then again, I was too far gone anyway. The Kings weren’t taking me back, and as much as that crushed me, I had to look out for myself.
“I’ll find out the Kings’ plans for you,” I pledged to him, seeing his eyebrows lift slightly. I was sure that he didn’t expect that from me.
“Really now?” Schmidt asked as he settled back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest. He looked curious now.
“I need something in return, though,” I replied.
Schmidt narrowed his eyes slightly.
“What do you need?”
“Information. I want to know everything about Estrella’s death, the expelled Kings, and the men who betrayed them,” I demanded firmly. “Everything.”
Schmidt stared at me for a few seconds, thinking to himself. He then joined his hands together and rested them on the surface of his desk as he leaned forward.
“I heard that the Kings discarded you,” he said. “That you and Zephyr are on the outs.”
I clenched my jaw to try to keep my face from dropping. I should’ve known that news about our breakup would spread to all corners of the school.
He was going to try to play with me.
“I will do everything I can,” I assured him. I wanted the information that he kept locked away - I wanted to ensure that I had a long future ahead of me.
“Oh, I don’t doubt that,” Schmidt replied. “In fact, I believe you can even save Stormcloud if you put your mind to it. Three decades ago, your father did.”
