The parking lot itself extends the length of a couple of football fields put together. All around us, people are rushing in and out of the gothic-looking building, adorned with old stones, covered with red ivy. As we come to a stop, I can’t help but take in the looks on people’s faces. Rather than excitement or nervousness, most of them have wide eyes as they use large gestures.
“Wow, these supernatural folks take orientation really seriously around here,” Wade mutters, eyeing them as well.
“I don’t think this is normal. Do you see their faces? They’re scared,” I say.
“Of what? Finding out what lessons they have?”
I shrug. “Only one way to find out.”
Both of us kick open our doors and make our way toward the building. Everyone is engaged with someone else, but the snippets of conversation I catch as we pass by are all the same.
“…missing…”
“…creature…”
“…water…”
“…could it be back?”
I don’t even have time to take in the grandeur of the academy, which, even in my periphery is impressive. As we enter the wide main hall of the school, a man wearing a suit and tie is ushering people back out the door. “Sorry, everyone. This year’s Witching Stick has been canceled because of what’s happened. Please know we’ll be doing our best to get everyone situated as soon as we can.”
Wade turns to me with alarm written across his face. “What do you think happened?”
I shake my head. “I don’t know. Let’s go ask.”
Together, we walk up to the man in the suit.
“Excuse me,” I begin.
The man’s arms are splayed out wide as he flicks his wrists and tries to get everyone to stay on the other side of him.
“You need to go home, Miss. Things aren’t safe right now,” he says.
“What’s happened?” Wade interjects.
“Two ten-year-olds have gone missing near our lake. We need all available faculty to use their gifts in order to help us search for them,” he says.
“Professor Lambert, we need you out back, sir,” a woman with short, curly blond hair says, tapping him on the shoulder.
“Will you excuse me?” Professor Lambert says, turning and heading down the hall.
The blond-haired woman remains behind, taking up the role he vacated.
“You need to head home,” she says as her dark brown eyes fall on us.
“Do you think the kids are okay?” I ask, trying to wrap my head around all the confusion.
“We have our best trackers on this. That’s all you need to know for now. Please, both of you, head home. I’m sure this will all be resolved before school on Monday.”
“Come on, Dru, let’s go,” Wade says, wrapping his arm around my shoulder and leading me down the hallway.
The number of people at the school has dwindled, but those who are still here run back and forth as if they don’t know what direction to head.
“Talk about a weird orientation,” I mutter as we leave the main entrance hall.
“I’m sure it will all get worked out,” Wade offers.
I shake my head. “If they need the teachers, do you think it’s a supernatural problem?”
“Maybe? I suppose that would make sense.” Wade agrees.
My mind whirls through different scenarios as I try to come to a conclusion of what could be happening. My mind instantly goes into bleak.
Did the children drown? And if they did, what could any of the teachers do about it?
“Don’t let this freak you out. I’m sure it’s all just a precaution. Okay?” Wade says, intertwining his hand with mine as we walk through the parking lot.
“I’m trying not to. It’s just so weird. You know?”
“I totally get it,” Wade nods. “Dang, I was looking forward to learning what they think your superpowers were, too. I mean, what if you can summon storms or zap things with your mind? How cool would that be?”
I shoot him a sideways glance.
“Sorry, I know…you’re worried. I was just trying to lighten the mood,” he says, grinning sheepishly.
As we get close to where we parked, a guy with spikey white-blond hair pops up from the back end of my vehicle. When he sees us, he starts running into the tree line. Instantly, alarm bells go off in my head and I start running after him.
What if he’s involved with whatever is going on?
“Hey—hey, what were you doing?” I yell.
Wade’s on my heels, keeping up as if an impromptu sprint after a fiasco like today’s orientation is no big deal. I race past my SUV, but the white-blond guy bounds into the tree line and I lose sight of him completely. Twisting back to Wade and Blue, I get a good glimpse of what the guy must have been doing.
Etched into the paint of Blue are the words: veritas vos liberabit.
Chapter 10
Veritas vos Liberabit
Thrusting open my bedroom door, I stomp over to my desk and drop into the chair. Flipping up the lid to my laptop, I immediately fire up Google.
“Don’t be too upset. I’m sure it’s nothing bad, Autumn,” Wade offers, placing a hand on my shoulder as I type feverishly.
I tap the edge of the desk, waiting for the page to load. “And maybe you’re right. But who knows in this town? I mean, who does that sort of thing? You know? Especially with what just happened at the Witching Stick. What if it’s a clue to the missing girls?”
“Maybe it was just some jerk who was drunk and thought he was being funny? I mean, it’s still
