Genie looped her arm through mine. “Do you want us to go back inside?”
“I can’t make you.” Charlotte scuffed her boot through the dead leaves. “I’m just saying, don’t get underfoot. There’s important work going on.”
“We know,” I said softly.
Charlotte’s head snapped up. “The Institute has never had anything like this happen before. My mom is so proud of that, and so was I. But the two of you are here for a week and all hell breaks loose.” She hissed a breath through her teeth, visibly trying to calm down. “Do you have any idea what kind of damage this could do to my family name, if it ever got out? We’re just lucky it’s Victoria in charge, and not some sap who cracks under pressure. Meanwhile, my friend is…” She trailed off, dragging in unstable breaths.
“I’m sorry. I understand that you’re hurting.” I tried to offer an olive branch, but I’d never been one for good timing. She didn’t want sympathetic words from me right now. She wanted someone to blame.
Her eyes narrowed. “I just want to ask one thing, and I want an honest answer because I’m on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Did your monsters do this? And don’t pretend they’re not yours; the math isn’t hard.” Bitterness dripped from her words.
“Why don’t we take the animosity down a notch, huh?” Genie cut in, pulling on my arm so I ended up a half step behind her.
I smiled at my friend. “It’s fine, Genie. It’s a valid question.” I held my ground and answered Charlotte. “Not that I know of. They’re not cruel or malevolent by nature, so it doesn’t seem like something they’d do.”
“What, are you also best buddies with the things you Purge?” Charlotte chewed her bottom lip.
“No, but I read up on them.”
She snorted. “Is that what you’re carrying around in that massive backpack? Books on all the creatures you’ve spat into this world?” Her eyes flitted upward, like she was trying to blink away tears. She was the model hunter with a perfect record and a famous mom—she carried a lot on her shoulders. And, hey, at least she could actually match up to her mom’s legacy. That couldn’t be said for everyone. But it was sort of humanizing to see that exterior slough away, leaving behind a sad girl who just wanted her friend back. It certainly made it easier to ignore the insults.
“What did you say to her?” Genie straightened, shoulders squared. I nudged her gently to get her to back down, but it was like trying to wrangle a bull who’d seen red.
“Oh, come on, you can’t say you admire that messed-up ability?” Charlotte refused to look at me. “It’s unnatural.”
You’re not wrong there… I doubted she’d believe my sincerity if I agreed, though.
Genie laughed coldly. “Isn’t that what your friend thinks of me?”
“I didn’t tell them to gang up on you!” Charlotte’s eyes widened, a flicker of guilt crossing her face. “I had nothing to do with the other night. I stood up for you!”
“Yeah, to save face,” Genie shot back. “But that doesn’t mean I think your friend should’ve been taken. We’re not out here to cause problems. I hope your friend gets found, because I’d be out of my mind, too, if anything like that happened to Persie.”
Charlotte gaped like a beached fish, and I breathed a subtle sigh of relief. I didn’t want a repeat of last night. Impulsively, I made a bold move. “Believe it or not, we’re trying to help. That’s why we’re out here.” I pulled one of the puzzle boxes out of my bag and showed it to her. “We’re looking for the pixies so we can catch them. Same as everyone in there.”
Charlotte eyed the box. “Where did you get that from? Did you steal it from Naomi’s storage?”
“No, of course we didn’t.” Genie rolled her eyes. “You’re not listening, are you? We. Are. Trying. To. Help!”
“You expect me to believe—”
Just then, the intercom system screeched to life, cutting her off. A deafening siren blared three times before a familiar voice crackled through the speakers: Victoria’s voice.
“This is your head huntswoman speaking. Another magical has been reported missing. As of this moment, the Institute is now on high alert,” she boomed. “Everyone, return to your rooms immediately and remain there until further notice. The Institute is now officially in lockdown.” Three more piercing sirens sounded, ending the transmission.
Charlotte rounded on us. “No way. You two are going straight to Victoria’s office for stealing Institute property.”
“We didn’t steal anything! Do you think I’d have shown it to you if we had?” I held the puzzle box to my chest, in case she tried to take it. We didn’t have enough to lose one. “Look, we really are trying to help. Naomi gave us these—after a lot of persuading, I might add—because I have to learn to get my ability under control. That means being able to capture what I Purge. I know these pixies better than anyone, and doing my part is the best thing I can do for myself, your friend, and the Institute right now.”
Charlotte hesitated and I watched a flurry of emotions skitter across her face, morphing between fury, confusion, sadness, pain, and something else. Understanding, maybe? It could’ve been wishful thinking, but I wanted to believe that Charlotte had some faith in me. In a lot of ways, we weren’t so different.
“Charlotte, you and I are in the same boat.” I paused, hoping I was hitting the right nerve. If she didn’t buy this, I’d be back in Victoria’s office sooner than I wanted. “We both have a lot to live up to. Expectations that we didn’t ask for. And we both care deeply for our best friends. I’m trying to meet those expectations, but I can’t do that if you don’t help us to help you.”
Charlotte frowned, her hard eyes scrutinizing me.
Should
