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Chapter 31
Margo
I slipped into a free seat next to Chloe then pointed at Emma. “I’ve been thinking about it, and I’m pretty sure the fires have something to do with you.”
She looked horrified. “I told you I had nothing to do with that!”
“Not you, personally,” I explained. “I mean somebody’s doing it to connect you to the fires. Is somebody trying to hurt you? Get you into trouble?”
She looked like she was about to cry. “Why would anybody do that? Everybody likes me.”
“Not really,” Chloe murmured then raised her voice when Emma narrowed her gaze at her. “But I agree with Margo. It’s getting out of hand now. I don’t believe in coincidences, not like this.”
Emma’s lower lip trembled. “Somebody did tell the police about the things I said at school. But then, wouldn’t that mean it’s a student here?”
“Somebody could have told the police because they suspected you,” Chloe said. “Doesn’t mean it was the same person who started the fires.”
“I don’t know.” Emma twisted her hair around her fingers. “I’m scared now. What if they want me to get hurt?”
“Then they would set fire to your house,” Chloe said.
“That’s a good point,” I said. “So what are they trying to achieve? Setting Emma up? Have you pissed off anyone lately?”
Emma stared back at me blankly. “But I’m popular. Even the people who don’t like me actually really like me.”
Her reaction was frustrating to me. I could see so clearly how she was being targeted, but she refused to believe it.
“Victor and Alison are meeting up at Dorian’s house for a study session later,” I said. “I think you two should join.” I glanced at Chloe. “Even if you don’t study, Emma shouldn’t be alone, and being in a study group gives her a lot of witnesses if anything happens.”
“Good point,” Chloe said. “We’ll do it, right, Em?”
Emma nodded glumly.
“Don’t tell anyone where you’re going, okay? And don’t go anywhere alone. Not until we figure this out. Victor and Alison are on a trip today, but they’ll be back later. They both agreed to keep an eye on you and watch out for anything suspicious. I’ll do the same whenever I can, okay?”
“Me, too.” Chloe reached out and untangled Emma’s hair from her fingers. “We’ll figure this out.”
Emma shrugged us off, irritated, but mostly scared. “I don’t know what the hell is going on anymore. I need to get to my locker. I was held back after History this morning and completely missed early break, so I didn’t get a chance. I already got a bollocking in English yesterday for not having my book. I can’t go empty-handed two days in a row.”
“We’ll go, too,” I said.
“Am I going to have an entourage from now on?” Emma complained as we headed out of the lunchroom.
“Just for a bit,” Chloe said warmly. “Right, Margo?”
I grinned back at her, glad we were on the same page. I barely noticed Emma come to an abrupt stop.
“Is my locker open?” she blurted before dashing forward.
I smelled something familiarly smokey right before Chloe yelled, “Don’t touch it!”
But Emma had already swung the door open, wrinkling her nose as a small whirl of black smoke came out from the locker. Then I heard a sudden crack. Emma screamed and held her arm up to protect her face as small shards of glass flew outwards.
Chloe and I hurried over. Chloe drew Emma away from the locker to inspect the damage done to her friend.
I gazed into the locker, baffled by the contents. A group of small glass candles had been placed on top of a pile of books. Most of the candles were completely burned out, but one had apparently cracked and leaked candle wax on the books beneath it. Some of the pages had singed, leading to the smoke, but the final candle had somehow exploded from the heat. Small pieces of glass had scattered all over the locker, and some had struck her arm. If she hadn’t protected her face…
I looked back at the locker, catching sight of the names of the burned books. The ones we used in History and English. Emma had been in trouble in both of those classes recently. Now the books were a mess, and she was bleeding profusely from her arm. What was going on?
