The door opened, and Doc slipped in. "Hello, Samantha."
"Roy," she said shortly.
"I'll get them out of here," he said.
"Think hard before you break the truce, Roy. You fought hard for that." She glanced at me.
Doc pursed his lips but shrugged. "Some things are worth it. Let's go. Ma'am." He touched the brim of his hat before we all left the store.
It was almost truly dark now, and Allan and Ed stayed close to Doc, Victoria, and me.
"You going to tell us what that was all about?" Victoria asked.
I was too rattled to ask, so I was glad she had. They had all implied I was the one in danger–not Victoria and I, but me.
"Yes. Let's go to the library. It's another safe space." The easy manner Doc had displayed earlier was gone. I couldn't read his expression, other than it looked hard. Allan and Ed were clearly worried, and I hoped they were going to tell us about what.
∞ ∞ ∞
Despite several attempts, I hadn't yet made it to St. Giles library until now.
Doc scanned his key fob at the entrance for after-hours access, and we went inside. The library was open to students late. In the evening, you had to scan your fobs to get in. I wondered if that was why Doc thought it was a safe place.
The guys all relaxed by increments as we went deeper into the library, until Doc let us into a small conference room and shut the door. He sank into one of the conference chairs looking angry. Ed perched in another, attention focused on Doc. Allan paced at the end of the room.
"What are we going to do?" Ed asked after a long silence.
Doc sat up and sighed. "Hope they ignore this and move on."
"Will they?"
"No."
"Shit." Ed punched the table, clearly agitated.
"Easy, I don't need to buy the college a new conference table." Doc turned his attention to us. "Grab a seat."
Victoria and I had stood nervously by the door. We sat when directed. I glanced at the door, then back at the guys, a little freaked out by their strange behavior. I was getting used to Ed's weirdness, but this was completely different, and all three of them were obviously unhappy.
"So, what was that?" Victoria asked.
Doc studied me for a minute before he finally spoke. "How much do you know about the magic underground?"
I frowned. "The what?"
"I was afraid of that." Doc shook his head and sighed again. "Damn it."
"Wait, do you mean the black market?" Victoria stated. "Where they still exploit magic users and sell illegal spells and stuff?"
"The very same," Doc replied.
"Wait, that's real?" I frowned. "I thought that was just an urban legend."
"We wish it was," Ed grumbled.
"There's a small, but unfortunately powerful sect here in Sunnyglade. Fortunately, most of the time, they stay pretty quiet. Unfortunately, that means that the people who deal with such things are focused elsewhere, and we can't get rid of them."
"You mentioned a truce?" Victoria prompted when Doc didn't continue.
He tightened his lips again. "I'd rather not talk about that just now. Suffice it to say, it's probably not going to hold much longer. The two of you are in danger, because they've taken notice of you for whatever reason."
"Could it be because of my activism?" Victoria twisted her hands nervously.
"Your what?" Allan came over and leaned on the table.
"I'm a supernatural rights activist. My whole family is involved."
Doc's eyebrows went up. "Well, if they don't already know, I wouldn't let that get out."
"Is Sofia in danger because she's my roommate?" If anything, Victoria's expression fell even further.
For a minute, I wondered if it would be safer to let her believe she was the cause of the danger. The miserable expression on her face tore at me.
"No," I murmured. "I think it's me."
Everyone focused on me.
"I can do a little magic."
"Really?" Victoria straightened and stared at me.
She probably didn't notice, but none of the guys were surprised. How had they known?
"Yeah, not much. Like, um, I can make plants grow, and um, I can move small things short distances, and, well, I never have a bad hair day." I blushed at my nervous rambling and stared at the table, clenching my hands. It was hard to admit. I'd been raised to hide my abilities. It wasn't safe for anyone to know, and now I was telling four almost strangers, but I felt I had to trust Victoria. My heart raced, and I tried to take a few calming breaths.
"Wow. Cool."
I shrugged, relaxing slightly with her acceptance. "I mean, the hair thing is handy. Really, it's just scary, because if anyone found out, I could be in real trouble. Well, I guess somehow, they did find out. What do I do?" I looked at Doc, trying not to cry. I was more scared than I could remember ever being.
"First, I'll remind them that your disappearance would attract quite a bit of attention they don't want. I doubt your parents would quietly accept that you were gone. If that doesn't work, I'll have to try to renegotiate the truce to include you and Victoria. Until then, don't go anywhere alone. Call me if anything weird happens, and stay close to campus." Doc took a deep breath. "Any other questions?"
Victoria glanced between Doc and Ed and Allan. "Won't you be in danger?"
"No."
I sensed there was more to Doc's answer, but I would accept it for now. I was too freaked out to ask any more questions anyway.
"Let's get you two back to your room so you can get some rest. You should be safe there, as well."
"Thanks," I whispered. "I'm sorry."
"Something like this was going to happen sooner or later," Allan said. "The reprieve was nice while it lasted, and we're more prepared this time. Everything will work out."
I was so tired and depressed from the extreme emotion swings of the day, I couldn't wait to crawl into bed and
