Hearing this, I draw back. “Illumination class?” I ask.
She hands me a tissue. “Yes, isn’t that why you’re… Don’t you know what happened?”
I shake my head, unable to talk.
“Professor Luna…” Dahlia takes a deep breath. “She’s been murdered.”
“No.” I sink to the ground, my knees hitting the ground hard. I don’t even worry about the pain. “No, that’s not possible. Thistle is gone. He’s locked up and—”
“Thistle didn’t do this. You’re right. He’s locked up.”
“No. Not again. This can’t be happening again! Why Professor Luna? She was such a good instructor, one of the best here!”
“No one knows why. There’s no note, no motive that anyone can tell.”
“When did this happen?” I ask.
“I don’t know exactly when. She didn’t show up for class two days ago, but that doesn’t mean for certain that she was killed that early. They noticed some flower pollen on her body that isn’t found anywhere near campus.”
“How…” I swallow hard and have to try again. “How did she die?”
“I don’t know. The guards won’t say because they don’t want us to panic.” She squeezes my shoulder. “I’m just so glad you’re here, that you’re back! I was so worried that you were…”
“That I what?” I ask.
She bites her lower lip and stares at the ground.
“You were worried I was off investigating?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “Well, I was worried you were investigating, and that this time…”
“No. I didn’t know. I…”
Just then, Wren enters the living room. Her eyes grow wide, and she darts over to me.
“Don’t worry. I’m fine,” I tell her.
But she’s shaking her head. “Where were you?” she asks in a strange tone.
“I just needed to get away.”
“Where were you?” she repeats.
I swallow hard. “You don’t think I had anything to do with this, do you?”
Wren’s face softens. “Of course I don’t, but…”
Now, all of the looks, the scowls, the glares all make sense.
“I swear… I just needed to get away. I didn’t know… I had no idea…”
“I understand,” Wren murmurs.
“Where’s Bay?” I ask.
Dahlia and Wren exchange a glance.
“She’s not here?” I ask, my heart falling.
“She hasn’t been here for a few hours,” Dahlia says.
A few hours. Maybe she realized I was gone.
“Do you have any idea where she is?” I ask. “Maybe she went to see Zoth.”
I start toward the door, but Wren grabs my arm.
“You can’t leave.”
“Yes, I—”
“You can’t,” Dahlia interjects. “We’re under lockdown. We aren’t even allowed to go to classes right now.”
“But…” I swallow hard. “There wasn’t even a lockdown with all the murders from Thistle!”
“After everything with Spring, the person in charge of the security here on campus was fired,” Wren says.
"I heard that." I flinch because that knowledge came from Thistle of all people. "I take it that not everyone was happy about the lack of a lockdown with the murders on campus last year."
"Exactly why the second guy was forced down."
“Who is the head now?”
“Pine.” Wren stares at the ground.
“What’s wrong?” I ask.
“Pine has been so busy lately that I feel as if we aren’t even together anymore. It’s hard. Really hard. I didn’t realize how much I cared for him until now when it feels like he’s pushing me away.”
“I’m sorry. He does have to solve a murder,” I say softly.
“Yes, but he started as the head a month ago.”
“He did? Why didn’t you say anything?” I ask.
"You always seemed so busy." Wren shrugs. "And, yeah, he'll be too busy now anyhow, so I guess it's for the best."
I just shake my head. “Is there anyone they suspect?”
“No idea. The security guards aren’t saying much of anything.” Dahlia heaves a sigh. “Everything’s a mess.”
“You’re telling me.” I eye Wren. “If we’re under lockdown, how did Bay manage to get out?”
Wren shrugs one shoulder. “You know Bay,” she mumbles.
The idea of Bay running to be with Zoth when there’s been a murder makes my stomach clench. I grind my teeth. This thinking is why my life is falling apart. Maybe it’s better for her to not be here. After all, there’s been a murder.
Professor Luna. Out of all of the professors, why her? She was one of my favorite professors here, although I have to admit that I haven’t been able to quite get out of the class what I’ve wanted to just yet. I’ve opened my mind some, but I haven’t been able to enough to see who I truly am and who I want to become and how. Something’s holding me back, and I think it’s fear.
Fear. That’s what’s been hovering around me since I started coming here. Fear of the unknown. Fear of the future. And that’s not to mention the fear stemming from the thefts, arsons, murders.
Fear. If there’s one thing I hate, it’s fear.
Chapter 17
Two days pass, and there’s still no sign of Bay. There’s been no lift of the lockdown either, no classes either. To say I’m going insane is a little bit of an understatement.
“They can’t keep us in our cottages forever,” Wren says.
“We are almost out of food,” Dahlia says.
The three of us are in the kitchen. It’s lunchtime, but once again, I find myself without an appetite.
“You should eat, Rosemary,” Dahlia says.
“I’m not hungry.” I can’t even give a half-smile.
“You’re upset about what happened, huh?” Wren asks.
“That one of my professors was murdered? Yes.”
Dahlia and Wren exchange a look.
I sigh and wearily rub my forehead. “You know about the fight?”
“Don’t you mean fights?” Wren asks. She has a habit of being almost too direct and matter-of-fact at times.
“Yes, fights. Yes, I’m upset about them too. But I’m honestly not hungry. I’m gonna go lie down.”
Without waiting for a response, I fly back to my room. Orchid’s there, on her bed. She closes her book and clears her throat.
“I’m going to sleep,” I inform her preemptively.
“You can after we talk a bit.”
I shake my head. “I’m not in the mood to talk.”
“Can you give one of your closest friends a minute?”
“I can, but that doesn’t mean the minute has to
