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“Again,” Nathan muttered in disgust.
“It’s confusing.” Amelia sighed. “Always is.”
“Let’s say this kid really is a harbinger,” Nathan said. “And she might be the key to solving the murders. What do we do about it?”
Everyone fell silent. We had no more answers than a day ago.
“What if we’re wrong, and this girl is somehow the killer we’re after?” Ryan asked.
I refused to look at him. I’d been told harbingers equalled death, and now I wasn’t so sure of my answers anymore. If harbingers brought death, then it was Margo’s fault my friend was dead, even if she never meant it.
Chapter 25
Margo
Dorian wason my mind all night. Either he was insane, or something really did happen to Mara. And then there was me. I’d been sleepwalking again, and Dorian seemed to think it meant something. But he believed in werewolves, so why the hell was I listening to him anyway?
By morning, I had shaken it all off as a fake story, another trick. He hadn’t seemed the type, but colour me fooled.
So the next morning, I went to school as normal and acted like nothing was different. Emma greeted me on the front steps as though we were friends. We were all ignoring the obvious then.
“Hey,” she said. “See you on Saturday at Drama, right?” She hadn’t been there when the others basically banned me, but she’d obviously heard from Tammie that I was now welcome.
“I suppose,” I said warily. “How are you feeling?”
She touched the stitches on her forehead. “Good. It wasn’t a big deal in the end. Dorian…” She bit her lip then shrugged. “Maybe that crowd aren’t all bad.”
Maybe they were worse. “Who knows?” I said lightly. “See you around, Emma.”
I went inside, carefully watching out for Dorian. I saw him a couple of times, surrounded by his usual crew—except Mara. They all looked depressed, barely speaking, even to each other. Good acting?
Uneasiness squirmed in my belly, but I ignored it. Nobody apart from Dorian’s group were acting any differently. Surely there would be an announcement and an outpouring of grief if a student actually died.
My final class of the day was free, so I decided to take off. Others had the same idea, so I waited a few minutes to avoid that awkward moment when they all ignored me on the way out. Emma might have approached me, but that was obviously because she’d been coached to by Tammie. Chloe had cast a couple of glances my way during the way, but she hadn’t actually spoken to me at all.
Outside, I spotted Victor waiting by the front steps. He looked up at me, and I automatically smiled at him. His expression transformed into one of hate and rage, and I instinctively moved backward.
He leapt up the steps in one swift movement then knocked me back against the wall, his hand curled around my neck. For a few seconds, I stood frozen in terror before trying to fight him off. He was way too strong for me, freakishly strong. Strong like Dorian, but without the calm steadiness that had been somehow reassuring in my room. I had never been scared of Dorian. Victor was very different.
“Getoffme!” I ineffectively struggled against his grip, feeling pathetic. I had to learn how to fight. No way was I going to let anyone make me feel so weak again.
“If you’re the one who hurt Mara, I’ll kill you,” he growled, his mouth sounding like it was full. Something sharp pinched the skin on my neck, and I started to see black spots in my vision. Then a flash of movement to my left distracted Victor who let go as someone barrelled into him.
I had never been so pleased to see Dorian in my life.
He calmly pinned Victor to the ground, making it look effortless. “Leave her alone.”
“What did you say to me?” Victor hissed. His eyes widened as though he couldn’t quite believe what had just happened.
“Don’t touch her.” Dorian got up off him and helped him to his feet. “She didn’t do anything.”
“Are you seriously suckered into,” Victor pointed at me,“this?”
Dorian’s gaze remained steady. “Byron warned you.”
Victor looked as though he might spontaneously combust. “You finally grow balls, and it’s for her? Not Mara or Alex. Buther?” He sounded on the verge of tears, and somehow, that scared me more than the violence. Something was very wrong.
“Go home,” Dorian said firmly. “See if there’s any news. I’ll deal with this.”
