I snorted. “No.”
He shrugged a shoulder and leaned against the bookshelves, eyeing me. Trying to read me? Though his face portrayed perpetual boredom, there was something in his gaze that caught my attention. I wasn’t sure what to call it exactly; a hunger or craving for trouble? Something told me this boy didn’t want to be a soldier any more than I did.
“Did you find one?” Grayson’s voice interrupted my thoughts.
He marched toward us, eyes darting from me to Brady.
“What are you guys doing just standing there? We’re almost out of time,” he huffed.
Brady sighed. “Oh, rats. What a shame. I was so hoping for that tacky dragon statue for our house.”
“I thought we were competing for house points,” I said.
Grayson’s brow furrowed as he stood in front of us. “House points and dragon trophy.”
“Hey. We got this area covered, Chapman. Move along,” Javi cut in.
I turned to watch him thunder toward us, anger flashing on his face. Here it goes.
Grayson stiffened. “We’re in the same house, you idiot. We’re supposed to be working as a team.”
Javi advanced on him, lip curling. “We don’t need your help. My cousin and I can handle it.” His glare slid to Brady.
Brady just smirked. “Oooh. I love it when you get angry, Javi. Gives me goosebumps... all over.”
Javi’s ears reddened. “Just go. We’re running out of time.”
Grayson stared him down, looking just as intimidating and unrelentless as my hulk of a cousin. I rolled my eyes. Is this what their rivalry was all about? Who was going to be house president? I almost wanted to run and win just to avoid the whole alpha vibe they were putting off, but I had other things to focus on. Like surviving the school long enough to make a solid plan of escape.
“Javi, there’s nothing here, anyway. We might as well go back.” I broke the silent tension.
Javi glanced in my direction. “Yeah. Good idea. Let’s go. I already caught all the pixies in the library, anyway.” He threw a wolfish grin at Grayson and Brady.
I walked past them, meeting Grayson’s blue-gray eyes briefly before looking away. Why did all the hot guys have to be so hot tempered?
Ignoring my racing heart, I followed Javi out of the library. A loud buzzer echoed in the hallway outside. I winced and covered my ears.
“What the?”
The buzzer stopped.
“Time’s up,” Javi explained.
“Who won?”
He shrugged. “We’ll find out soon.”
“Where are the pixies you caught?”
“They disappear once you disengage them, and then they get tallied by the professors.”
His phone buzzed. He pulled it out and swore. “House Phoenix.”
I couldn’t care less, but it was obvious he took it sorely. Biting my tongue, I followed in silence as we headed for our dorm. Javi was unnaturally quiet, the loss still weighing on him.
“Brady told me about the president thing. You and Gray… Grayson,” I corrected.
His eyes snapped to mine. “Yeah. So?”
“So, if you need help like campaigning or whatever, I can help you. I wouldn’t mind seeing that asshole lose to you.”
A small smile spread on his face. “Thanks.”
We walked the rest of the way in silence. Outside the dorm building, we ran into Shiloh and my cousin’s bad mood evaporated instantly. He was all back to smiles and jokes. I half listened to their conversation as we walked, my mind on other things.
Who was that creepy woman in the photograph? I shuddered as I pictured the poor rabbits. Was that the kind of thing my mom did in that coven?
By the time we made it to our room, Javi and Shiloh made plans to take a dip in the pool which I automatically was included in. Javi left us to get ready and Shiloh gave up trying to engage me after a couple of failed attempts.
I put on my swimsuit and packed up my tablet, mind still racing. At least I could try to get started on the homework. Maybe there would be something important in the lessons.
There was so much I still didn’t know and if I was going to make it on my own, I needed to know how to shield myself from the coven.
After only twenty minutes of pouring over articles, videos, and lessons, I gave up and joined the crowded pool. A part of me felt guilty for not trying harder to figure out the past, but after the stress of the past days, it felt good to do something so… normal.
We spent almost two hours hanging at the pool until Javi told me we needed to start getting ready for Mass. It was a startling, yet not surprising, revelation. They kept springing things at me left and right, but I should have guessed my tía would drag us all to church—bracelet and all.
I showered down the hall since it wasn’t my scheduled time and when I returned to my room, I realized I hadn’t packed anything appropriate for a Catholic Mass. The idea of stepping into a church similar to back home made my stomach churn. Memories of Papi’s vigil replayed in my mind.
“Are you okay?” Shiloh’s voice interrupted.
Pushing the dark images away, I turned to her. “Yeah. Fine. Thanks. I just don’t have anything here to wear for church.”
She tapped her lip with a finger. “I might have something. Here.”
I watched as she walked over and rustled through her side of the closet. Bright colorful fabric and artsy designs flashed by as she went through her clothes. So completely opposite of my dark wardrobe it was almost comical.
“Here. I think this would work?” She held up a long, flowy red skirt and cream-colored blouse.
“Thanks.” I nodded, taking the clothes from her.
When Javi came to get me, I was ready. As ready as I could ever be. I knew there was no point in resisting, not when the bracelet
