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“Because of the investigations and upcoming exams and all of that noise, the powers that be have decided to postpone the show until the community centre opens again. They haven’t found any good venues, so we’re back to one rehearsal a week for now. Study hard so I don’t get lectured by your principal again, please.”
“So all this rush was for nothing?” Emma groaned. “How is that fair?”
“At least we’ll have more time to rehearse,” Chloe told her. “And we’ll have everything finished by then. Do they know when the community centre will open again?”
“They don’t,” Tammie said mournfully. “We need to be prepared for anything. Look, I know it’s annoying, and some of you have exam pressure this year, but with a couple of hours a week rehearsal, you’ll be able to perform in your sleep in a few months. Take it easy, but don’t slack off, all right?”
After the rehearsal, everyone hung around to complain for a bit, but if I was being honest, I felt relieved. I had too much on my mind to focus on rehearsals as well as studying as well as living in fear for my life. It was for the best if things got delayed.
“I’m okay with it,” Chloe said, too. “At least we’ll have more time to prepare.”
“Fires were good for something then,” Emma said. “But all that stress was pointless. We even had that lot helping us.” She gestured towards Victor and the others who were discussing things in a circle a little away from us.
“I’m used to having them here now,” Chloe said.
“Me, too,” I said. “I’m glad Alison joined in.”
Chloe grinned. “And now maybe my mam will stop nagging me about mid-week rehearsals. She was driving me mad.”
Emma grimaced. “Mine was asking why we didn’t have more of them. Now how am I going to get her off my back?”
“I’ll pay for your food if you shut up about it,” Chloe said.
“Deal.” Emma winked at me. “Sure you don’t want in, Margo?”
“I am very definitely going to study. I’m way behind.” I gestured at Victor. “That lump is even worse.”
Once the others left, I dragged Victor to Perdita’s house. He seemed surprised that our study session wasn’t a lie, but he didn’t complain. He did, however, find it impossible to focus.
“Don’t you care about your exams?” I asked him at last. “Aren’t you worried?”
He shrugged. “It’s no big deal. If I stay here, I could get an apprenticeship somewhere. Learn a trade.”
“Perdita makes it sound like there are no plans for any of the teens to leave.”
He brightened momentarily. “Really?”
I went back to my studies only to realise he was staring at me.
“What?” I said, disliking the look in his eyes.
“Lots of people think Dorian should be with a wolf.”
So did I, sometimes, not that I would ever admit it to Victor. “Do you?”
“Of course. Don’t you?”
I wanted to scream. Why did he have to keep poking at the things I didn’t want to talk about? “Obviously not, Victor.”
“You were safe before you met us. Don’t you regret coming here?”
“No.” I set down my pen. “I was living half a life, not knowing anything that was happening to me.”
“You still don’t know much.”
I couldn’t argue with that. New, hard to explain incidents were happening all of the time.
“Dorian’s trying to find your birth parents,” he said. “What will you do then?”
