AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I didn’t need to go home. I already was.
ChapterTwenty-Four
THE ORACLE MUSINGS
Iforesee a grand showdown tonight!
Evil always comes in threes, regardless of gender. On one side of the ring, we have our testosterone-fueled fae heir, second-year repeat, and school crybaby. On the other, we have mommy issues, orphan issues, and abandonment issues (what abandonment issues, you ask? To be continued in a later column).
Who will get the most points after a heated night? May the best trio win!
Spring Equinox was always “Balance Day.”
It was the one day a year when the university opened all portals they knew of and aimed the demons coming through at ourselves.
Affectionately nicknamed “cleanup day,” it eliminated a sizable chunk of the humanity-curious demon population on our campus before they could spread.
Balance out the population, as you will, on the day of equal balance between day and night.
Seniors saw it as their last day of glory before heading out into the real world, where they were unlikely to encounter more than one or two more demons in their lifetime.
Freshmen saw it as their last chance to prove themselves to a House.
It was the deadliest day of the year, but not for us.
It was the day predators learned what it was like to be prey.
“You’ve reviewed all the books, right?” Audrey asked. She was staring up at the sky, ready to rumble. She surpassed me in points last night, and her competitive streak demanded she ended up on top today. There were only five points between her and Hunter, and then she’d be at the top of the class.
“Yeah. I doubt there’s anything that could surprise me tonight.” I tightened the boots on my laces. “Run away from anything crazy,” Aubrey added. “You can always go back for the kill in a couple of years when you have House magic on your side.”
“Agreed.” She hugged me goodbye. “I’ll see you after tonight.”
Another set of arms hugged from behind. I turned around once she released me. “Good luck out there. Call me if you need anything,” her kind voice said.
“Sure you don’t want to follow me around, Cordelia?” I asked.
She shook her head. “Not tonight.” She was already in a silk bonnet, cartoon pajamas on.
We parted in three separate directions. How unusual our odd little trio was, always pushing away from each other with the same end goal of being Housed.
* * *
Judgingby the position of the moon and the state of the constellations in the sky, it was nearly midnight.
The coppery scent of blood surrounded me, as well as the screams of banshees, wails of students, and triumphant yelling of Houses as the clock tower updated. Today there was a dual screen: House Rankings on top, and individual unhoused on the bottom.
I’d come across some centaurs, a wandering ghost, and even a lost troll—
All of them got swiped by an upperclassman before I could approach.
I kept wandering campus, wary. What if I wasted all night? Every time I’d come close, something else came in my way.
I kept far from the wolves, knowing that they’d work as one. Fae were already deep in the forest, so I avoided the Whispering Woods, too. I stayed far from the beach, Siren territory, and I kept clear of Angels every time I spotted white light.
However, vampires liked to lurk in dark corners, and they kept threatening to rip my neck out when I distracted them from their kill.
Vivienne had already threatened to bite me, lock me in a coffin, and leave me there for a century. Twice.
