Total pages in book: 152
Estimated words: 143051 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 715(@200wpm)___ 572(@250wpm)___ 477(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 143051 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 715(@200wpm)___ 572(@250wpm)___ 477(@300wpm)
“That’s not right,” I told them. “That’s not how it happened at all! We didn’t do those things—didn’t say those things!”
“Well, you must have said and done at least some of them or whoever sent the happy-gram wouldn’t have had any material to work with to spin the rest of the fantasy images,” Avery remarked.
“And I think we can guess who sent these ‘happy-grams’ can’t we?” Megan said grimly. She nodded at the doorway to the cafeteria where Nancy and her friends were standing with big, evil smirks on all their faces.
“But how could she get those images of me in the first place?” I demanded, still mortified at the scene the bubble was showing. “I mean, we were in the Drake’s Den—nobody else is supposed to be able to get in there!”
Avery frowned. “She would have had to have something that belonged to you to work a spying spell. Fingernail clippings or blood or—”
“How about hair?” I said flatly.
“Oh, yes—hair would work.” He nodded. Then he put a hand to his mouth. “Oh my Goddess—so that was why Nancy and her nasty crew tried to cut your hair!”
Of course I had told my Coven-mates about Nancy’s attack on me with the big silver shears. They had unanimously wanted me to go to the Headmistress but since Headmistress Nightworthy was still out of town attending her Other Education Conference, it wasn’t a possibility. And besides, now that Ari was walking me to all my classes, I felt completely safe and protected.
Guess I wasn’t quite as protected as I felt, I thought numbly, staring up at the bubble. I guess not every threat is physical.
Nancy had certainly proved that to be true.
“But how was she able to use spying magic on Kaitlyn in the first place?” Megan demanded. “I neutered her magic so she could only do nice or benign spells!”
“She probably used a ‘look over’ spell,” Avery said. “It’s benign magic that parents can use on their kids—kind of like magical parental controls. And of course the happy-gram spell is a good spell too—though I’ve never exactly seen it used for this kind of purpose.”
“Yeah—this was more like a gossip-gram,” Emma remarked.
“Try a lying-gram!” I said. I felt sick. “Oh my God, I wonder what Ari is thinking about all this?”
I looked up and saw the big Drake staring directly at me. Would he hate me now that our relationship had been splashed all over the school? Would he think that I was somehow responsible for all this? Oh God, I really hoped not! And what about the way the bubble had shown him saying that his people could all go screw themselves because he only loved me? He’d insulted the Nocturnes too—and now they all knew I was one of them. Well, sort of.
That was two large groups of supernatural beings that were both going to be very, very unhappy with both Ari and myself.
Crap—what were we going to do?
As I had that thought, all of the huge soap bubbles burst all at once and sweet-smelling droplets rained down on everyone’s heads.
Up until then, except for the muttering going on at our little table, the Dining Hall had been almost completely silent. I wasn’t sure if it was part of the happy-gram spell or that everyone was just so stunned they didn’t know what to say.
However, when the bubbles burst, people started talking again—and from the looks they were throwing at me and Ari, none of them were happy with us.
“Holy crap, Kaitlyn,” Avery muttered. “I think maybe you’d better get out of here. Do you see the way the Drakes are glaring at you?”
“The Nocturnes do not appear to be feeling very friendly either,” Griffin said grimly. “A Made Vampire is considered by many to be an abomination—I am very much afraid they will want to hurt Kaitlyn in some way, simply for being what she is.”
“Let’s go!” Megan hopped to her feet. We were across the vast flagstone floor from the carpet that camouflaged the entrance to the Dungeons, where the Norm Dorm was located. But if only we could run fast enough and get to it…
Too late. An angry crowd of Drakes was already storming towards me. They were followed by some equally angry Nocturnes. All of them were shouting and pointing at me and there was disgust mixed with rage on their faces.
Staring at them, I had the same feeling women accused of being witches must have had during the Middle Ages when the enraged crowd came to burn them at the stake. I was trapped—trapped with no where to run, nowhere to hide.
Bravely, my Coven-mates stood to defend me. I saw Griffin bare his fangs and Avery was already whispering a spell under his breath. Megan had pulled out a long silver pin and was preparing to prick her finger, Even Emma who had no supernatural weapons to call on, was standing at my side, a defiant look on her face.