The Oracle's Locket Page 17

  There it was. My final words to Celeste. Celeste Winters, the only girl I’d ever loved like a sister. She nodded, unable to respond, and then disappeared behind the door.

  It was time for me to get to work.

  I tore up from the bed and turned to face my suitcases again. They seemed so foreign and bulky, much bigger than anything I could carry by myself on the run. No. I had to think lighter, the way old hitchhikers had when they’d trucked off across the country on trains.

  Was that an option for me? Train travel?

  Fuck. I had no clue. I hadn’t been outside of the academy borders since November. Maybe the world had shifted beyond recognition since then.

  It certainly had in my universe.

  Aunt Maria was gone.

  I found a backpack under my bed, something I’d had since I’d gone to some summer camp a few years ago. Human summer camp now sounded adorable. We’d spent an entire afternoon making lanyards. What I would do to sit down, bored out of my mind, and make a lanyard!

  I packed only a few essentials in the backpack: my toothbrush, deodorant, a few shirts and dresses and pants. I would wear just one pair of shoes, my sporty ones, in case I had to run for it, or run after any trains, or hike through any woods. Whatever came at me, I needed to handle it.

  No girl had ever gotten away from danger in a pair of sandals. I felt pretty sure about that.

  There was no way in hell I could sleep. I paced back and forth in my room for a long time, then stepped into the living area to see it completely empty and even scrubbed clean by the janitor. Everyone was meant to be out of there by now. Everyone but Celeste and me.

  I sat at the fireplace. I wished I could light it up, just for a last night of comfort. But I didn’t have those kinds of powers. Not yet, anyway.

  I figured the best time to sneak out was just before dawn. This meant that the sunlight cast only a very dim haze over everything as I stepped from the girls’ dormitory for the last time. The air was oddly cool, despite it being May in Louisiana, and I put energy behind each step, marching toward the main building and then past it. I kept my mind closed off as I went, just in case Professor Binion was up, too, and searching for me. I had no idea if he suspected me for a runaway, but I couldn’t take my chances.

  Before anyone knew it, I would be out of there forever.

  When I reached the large gate that led out to the main road, I exhaled deeply. This was the only official exit to Origins Supernatural Academy. I was sure there were cameras everywhere. By the time they looked at the footage, I would be miles and miles away.

  Before I rushed out, I turned to face the school a final time. Origins had given me so much. Namely, it had given me the most confusion I’d ever felt in my life. It had given me love and it had given me my powers and it had given me the greatest horror ever.

  Already, the sun urged me along. It stretched over the lower eastern sky. With a jolt, I shoved against the side, people-door, which was separate from the driving gate, and dropped out onto the path outside. I sealed the door closed behind me and exhaled, gazing out at the small path that led alongside the road, cut past the tree line, and then joined up with the road again further on. My plan was to follow the road as far as I could until I reached a gas station. There, I would hitchhike my way someplace else. Preferably, out of Louisiana. Maybe west. I’d always had dreams about California.

  As I walked that stretch of sidewalk next to the road, I was flooded with this feeling of hope. I’d done the thing I’d planned to do all semester long. I’d escaped.

  I’d done it too late. Aunt Maria had been taken.

  But at least now, everyone else would be okay.

  I would curse myself forever for what had happened to Aunt Maria. It would be the burden that I would carry on with me forever.

  When I reached the line of trees, I heard a strange rustling and stopped short. Panic flooded through me.

  No. No. Fuck.

  Suddenly, a massive body wrapped itself around me. A huge hand clamped over my mouth. A horrible, gruff voice growled in my ear.

  “Knew that would flush you out.”

  And I knew I was fucking doomed.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  I was yanked into the forest. In there, we were shielded from the approaching daylight, since the trees were so thick it sometimes felt like an area of forever-night. The man who held me whipped me around like a rag doll. I tried to press into his head with my mind, to figure out who he was, but I was so fucking panicked that I felt I had almost no control. I grunted and tried to shove my elbows back into his gut, but he held me powerfully away from his stomach and clucked his tongue.

  “Be nice, Ivy,” he said, in that same, horrible tone.

  “You can let her go.”

  Another voice rang out from between the trees. The sound of it filled me with longing. It sounded like the most beautiful memory I’d ever had; it reminded me of a past I could never return to. As the man’s hand released my mouth, I blinked as Aunt Maria emerged from between the trees. Her white hair flowed out wildly behind her, and she looked a little bit sallow, shadowed, as though she hadn’t eaten anything in a few days.

  My lips formed a huge O. I shook my head, absolutely stricken.

  “Aunt Maria. What... what happened to you? Are you okay?”

  Finally, my legs found their muscles again and I shot toward her, my arms wide. I fell into her and hugged her hard, my hands in their gloves and safe from hurting her. She cradled me for just a second, a reminder that all things that had once been couldn’t be before. Then, she brought me out at arm’s length and looked at me with those eyes I’d seen for so many, many years of my life. They were ominous. They held so much.

  “It’s true what he said,” was what she chose to say, then.

  Somehow, this enraged me. I shook my head and said, “Aunt Maria, you can’t just...”

  “He said that news of the fire and me going missing would flush you out. We both knew it was true. You stupid, stupid girl. I told you to stay in the academy. I told you to stay no matter what...”

  The words felt like a smack. I was confused beyond belief. “What the hell, Aunt Maria...”

  She released me. I fell back a bit, shaking. I still couldn’t take my eyes off her eyes. I wanted to know every bit of information she had.

  “I didn’t want anyone else to get hurt,” I blurted.

  Aunt Maria nodded. “Of course, baby. Of course, you didn’t. I know you so well. I knew that would be your first instinct. But Ivy...” She bowed her head, exhausted.

  I wanted to take her in my arms and lead her to my bedroom and let her sleep for the rest of the day. I remembered once, years before, only a bit after my parents had died when she’d gotten terribly sick. I’d stayed up late making soup for her, placing washcloths on her forehead. She was the only person I had in the world. I needed her to be safe.

  “Nobody can know that I’m all right,” Aunt Maria said then. “Even Zoey thinks I’ve disappeared. It’s too dangerous for anyone else to know the truth.”

  “What truth exactly?” I asked. It seemed like there was too much information circling. I couldn’t nail it all down.

  “I’ll explain. I’ll send word. But only once things are safe,” Aunt Maria said. She bowed her chin and took a deep, horrible breath. “For now, I need you to do one thing for me, Ivy Whitestone.”

  I was pretty sure I knew what she wanted to say.

  “Return to the academy. Immediately. Return to the academy and do not leave, no matter what. It’s too dangerous anywhere else. And now that I’ve gone missing, I know that the bounty hunters will be even more alert.

  “Ivy, you’re far too important for the fate of the supernatural races to venture out of the academy for any reason at all,” she continued. “In the meantime, I’ve set up countless other spells—across Hillside Falls, throughout the edge of the academy, and even over parts of the Gulf.”

  I shuddered, wondering if I should have told her a
bout the situation with Zelda, or about the magic that had cut through the academy charms already and nearly killed Quintin.

  “Some tribe members have honed in on my whereabouts,” Aunt Maria said. “They had no idea I was living in Hillside Falls, so close to the academy. That is until....”

  She glanced back at the ground. I knew exactly what she wanted to say. The second I’d stepped foot out of the academy at Thanksgiving break, I’d put a mark on the house, one that Aunt Maria could never really get rid of.

  I’d been foolish and selfish and I’d destroyed our home.

  “Anyway, since that first bounty hunter, word has spread far and wide,” Aunt Maria continued. “They knew where I was. Beyond that, the spells I cast have grown weaker as you’ve grown into your powers. It’s just not safe there anymore. It was essential that I make a move.”

  “And now you’re here. In the woods,” I said. I sounded contrarian, I knew, but I was terribly confused and just needed a bit of clarity. “What will happen to you next? What will you do?”

  “I’ll let you know when I can,” Aunt Maria said. She stepped closer and squinted her eyes a bit. “Until then, I really need you to stay here. And don’t blame yourself. Not for a moment. All of this was not your fault. I just needed you to reaffirm your belief in the academy and the protection it has over you. And I needed you to know...”

  She turned her eyes to the ground again. My heart felt like it might beat out of my chest. All of it was too intense, like the climax of a film you really didn’t want to end.

  “Baby, I wanted to tell you I love you and I miss you, every single day,” Aunt Maria whispered. Her voice cracked.

  “I miss you, too.”

  I hadn’t expected to see her again. Knowing this, it felt insane to walk away from her again. It was like I’d won her back, only to be told I wasn’t allowed to keep the prize.

  When I reached the gate again, I turned back toward the forest. She was nowhere to be found. Overwhelmed with dread, I stepped back into the academy grounds. The old familiar school now looked horribly shadowed and stony, a kind of prison.

  I guess it was my prison for the rest of the summer.

  I walked slowly back to the girls’ dormitory. It wasn’t even six-thirty in the morning, yet, which meant Celeste wasn’t awake. It wasn’t like I could talk to her about this, anyway.

  I had to be alone in this misery.

  All I’d wanted was to run away. All I’d wanted was to go far, far away, to make sure nobody I loved would ever be hurt again.

  Apparently, I was pretty damn predictable. Aunt Maria had had her own plan throughout all of this. She saw right through me, even though we hadn’t spoken in months.

  And yet again, I was stuck at the academy.

  As I approached the girls’ dormitory, my locker burned against my chest. I blinked up and saw them standing in a line in front of the old stone building.

  Raphael. Quintin. Ezra.

  I stopped walking. My hands found the straps of my backpack. None of them smiled. None of them greeted me.

  “Ivy.” Raphael stepped down from the group. He frowned as he looked at me harder. I could feel his confusion.

  I knew that they didn’t know what to do with me. That they didn’t know why they’d had to return to school.

  But here they were, anyway.

  “Ivy, what’s happened? What’s wrong?” he asked.

  All they wanted was to love me. All they wanted was for me to be okay.

  Suddenly, exhausted after an entire night of no sleep and finally seeing my Aunt Maria again for what might have been the last time, I fell to my knees. Almost the moment I struck the ground, Raphael had his arms around my waist. He lifted me up into his arms and cradled me close. I pressed my face against his shoulder and let out enormous, gut-wrenching sobs. It was early, too early for all this crying, but with the boys there to protect me, I felt I could show any kind of emotion.

  They would make the pain go away. If only for a moment. If only till the next time it all fucked me over again.

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  I woke up a long time later. When I blinked awake, I realized someone had placed me in my bed in the girls’ dormitory. My suitcases had been unpacked; someone had placed my nightgown over my naked body. I scrubbed my eyes and tried to imagine what time it was. The light had just started to shift. Was it possible that it was nearly evening, that I’d slept the entire day away?

  “Hey. You’re awake.”

  Quintin’s voice came out of the corner. I turned toward it to find him at the window, giving me a tender smile.

  “Quintin. I...” I struggled to get up, but as I placed my hands beneath me, my arms started to shake. I dropped back down, frustrated with myself and how tired I was. I couldn’t imagine having energy ever again.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Quintin said, as though he understood. “Raphael and Ezra just went down to the dining hall to get us stuff to eat for dinner.”

  I furrowed my brow and tried again. But instead of helping me, Quintin crawled into bed beside me. He stretched his hand over the flat of my stomach and cuddled against me. “Breath with me, baby,” he said. “You’ve had nightmares all day.”

  “Doesn’t that kind of negate the idea of a nightmare—having them in the daytime?” I asked.

  “Just breathe, idiot,” Quintin said.

  I grinned, surprising myself. Then, I followed his lead: In, out. In, out. Slowly, moment by moment, I felt a bit calmer.

  “That’s it,” he murmured. “It’s okay.”

  I sighed and nuzzled closer to him. “I don’t know if I can get up.”

  “It’s okay,” he told me. “We don’t know exactly what happened, but... when we got to Hillside Falls, we were all overwhelmed with this terrible darkness. We all sat at our parents’ houses and tried to eat dinner and carry on conversations, but we just couldn’t. Finally, just after midnight again, Ezra called me and I called Raphael and we jumped in Ezra’s car and came back. We rested up at our dorm for a while, asking ourselves what to do. We figured that you weren’t even here. You’d said you were going to go home yesterday. But then, we went out for a walk just after dawn and we saw you come back in through the gate. We couldn’t believe it.”

  I grimaced. “And then, I just fell down in front of you. Like that.” I snapped my fingers. “A weak little creature that you have to save.”

  “Don’t be stupid,” Quintin said. He drew a strand of hair over my ear and said, “We pledged our life to protect you. This is nothing to us. Nothing at all. We just want to know what happened.”

  I sighed and let the memory of that early morning fold over me again. I wasn’t sure how much I could tell the boys about Aunt Maria and the lies we wanted to tell the world.

  How much could I protect them if they wanted to protect me even more?

  “Celeste is still here,” Quintin said. “We talked to her a little bit.”

  Oh. Fuck.

  “She said something about your Aunt Maria’s house catching fire,” he continued. “And your Aunt Maria being missing. She asked what was wrong with you, and we didn’t tell her that you’d gone outside the academy grounds. Celeste doesn’t seem to be doing too well. Ezra got her some dinner an hour or so ago and she just told us she wanted to get some extra sleep tonight.” He gave a half-shrug, then added, “She’s a good kid like you. But I think she’s scared of you. She doesn’t know what she’s gotten into, being friends with you.”

  “Ha. We’ve been friends since we were babies,” I told him.

  “But everything’s different now, isn’t it?” he asked.

  He was right.

  Ezra and Raphael arrived minutes later with several trays of gorgeous-looking food. The dining hall had kind of gone all-out on whatever the hell left they had in stock, with things like mozzarella sticks and pizza and green bean casserole and mashed potatoes, always a staple, and dinner rolls and enormous blueberry pies. My mouth watered as they laid out the pla
tters on the bed in front of me.

  “How did I get so lucky?” I asked.

  We didn’t eat much before we got distracted. Quintin took the trays over to the side of the room as Raphael placed his hand on my shoulder and kissed my neck, my cheek, my lips deeply.

  “We thought we’d lost you this time,” Raphael said.

  “The bracelets burned even more than they did when Zelda had you,” Ezra said.

  I swallowed. “I thought I was in real danger. But it turned out to be nothing really.”

  “But you took yourself out of the academy grounds,” Ezra said. “And you know you’re safer here.”

  “We thought that you’d be in Hillside Falls with us. It’s the only reason we allowed you to leave Origins,” Quintin said.

  I considered this: the idea that they allowed me to do anything. I wanted to protest it. I wanted to tell them that I could do whatever I wanted.

  But I released it wasn’t about just me, now.

  Raphael slowly inched the nightgown off the top of my shoulders and over my head. My naked body spilled out before them and they gazed at me hungrily. I felt exhausted, physically and emotionally, and I wrapped my arms around Raphael’s neck and fell into him, kissing him. I still had my gloves on from my journey. If I took them off for sex again, I knew the impact of it all, the emotional toll, would be too great.

  Raphael splayed me again on the bed and drew my legs apart to separate me, the soft wetness between my thighs. I sighed and splayed my hands across my stomach and gave over to him, to them, to whatever they wanted to do to console me and care for me.

  Raphael’s tongue flicked over my clit to taste me and a low moan rolled out between my lips. I grabbed his hair and gyrated tighter against him. I wanted to feel nothing but whatever this was. It was delicious and my heart raced with pleasure and my juices spilled out over his lips and his cheeks and he was hungry for me, wanted nothing else but me. I came hard against his tongue and the orgasm rippled through my back and through my breasts and into my neck and I gasped again and then felt myself grow heavy and fall deeper into the mattress.