“Well, there’s another rumour going around that some of the Fae with the Sight have seen a future where you’re on the other side of the line, if you know what I mean.”
He was right. If I hadn’t had a plate of eggs on my tray, I would have whipped it at the wall. My inability to waste food ensured that I kept the tray exactly where it was. Pressed firmly to my stomach. My hands turned white at the edges. I swear I could hear the plastic crack.
I was looking around the hall for a particular Fae. Ignoring the interested glances I was getting back, I spotted the indigo of Brigid’s wings amongst a group of particularly rowdy kids. Bradley and Adam were with them.
My jaw set. If Sophie hadn’t grabbed my arm, I might have marched over there and punched Brigid in the face.
“Why would Lex be on the other side?” Sophie said. “She’s got nothing to do with Lucifer.” She shuddered a little as she said the name.
“I don’t know,” Sasha said. We were now at the end of the queue. He picked up a plastic straw from the containers of utensils. “I didn’t say it was true. Don’t shoot the bloody messenger!”
“You shouldn’t be encouraging this kind of gossip,” Diana said.
Sasha made a motion that looked like he was zipping his lips and throwing away the key. “I’ll go get us a seat.”
There was nowhere in the hall that I could hide. Eyes followed me everywhere. When we were done picking our food, Sasha waved at us from a table not that far away from Brigid’s. “Is he dense or what?” Diana said.
“He just doesn’t understand,” Sophie said.
We were making our way over when I saw a flutter of blonde hair in my periphery. Despite all the red flags in my head, I turned to see Astrid and Kai now amongst the group of Fae and Nephilim. He had his arm around her shoulders. He leaned back in his chair like he owned the room. She had a small smile on her face as though she was keeping a secret. All of them looked up at me as I walked past.
“Seen your benefactor around lately?” Brigid sniped. Half the table erupted in laughter. I kept my attention firmly on the food on my plate. Hungry. I was hungry. Nothing else mattered. I’d eat and then I’d leave. Except now I didn’t really have any kind of appetite.
I should have gotten a medal for self-control. Sophie didn’t need to almost body tackle me at all.
“They’re not exactly subtle, are they?” Roland said after we sat down. He appeared with Trey by his side.
“Hey, guys,” Trey said. “How was the break?”
They all started talking at once. I was grateful that the topic had shifted to something else. I kept my head down the whole time and concentrated on chewing. I could still feel the eyes on my back, but I would be damned if I allowed them to run me out of here.
“You guys hear about the Halloween Showcase this year?” Roland asked. “All of the Council are going to be here apparently.”
“You’re kidding?” Diana said.
“I heard it from one of the girls in my Dimension Integration class who heard it from Brigi...never mind.”
I set my fork down. “You can say her name,” I said.
“She shouldn’t even be here,” Sophie said. She patted my arm.
“That’s what everyone else is saying about me though, isn’t it?”
“Not everybody.”
I smiled but there was no humour in it. “I bet the only ones who believe I’m not the spawn of Satan are the low-magic users.” What I wanted to say was that it was Azrael’s blood in me that allowed me to touch the demon blade. But even that was a bit sketchy. After all, Azrael hadn’t explicitly said that was the case. Only that I wasn’t a demon. Fat lot of good that did me.
Another chorus of laughter drew the attention of the hall. Even my friends weren’t immune to the gravitational pull of a table full of high-ranking Nephilim and Fae. I’d had enough. “I’m going to check on the Grove,” I said. Sophie tried to get up with me, but I shook my head at her. “It’s okay. I’m fine.”
I got about three steps away from the table when Jacqueline’s assistant appeared in the door of the hallway. He cast about for a second until he spotted me. Then he beckoned.
“Oooh,” Brigid’s voice rang out. “Let’s hope the board have come to their senses and are kicking her out.”
I left the hall to the rising hush of whispers. Jacqueline opened her door when Alex knocked. Her outfit was understated charcoal grey. Her expression was grim.
“Take a seat, Lex.”
I did so. My hands unclenched. I hadn’t even realised I was balling them. “I’m not going to insult your intelligence but trying to underplay the gossiping,” she said. “I see that word has gotten around about the Sightings.” She sighed. “If it would make you feel better, I could issue a bulletin to discourage any more chatter.”
I blew out a breath. The last thing I needed was for the headmistress to issue a slap down. If anything, that would make my life even more miserable. I’d never hear the end of it.
“That won’t be necessary.”
She glanced out the window. “This is a very serious matter and we don’t take it lightly. But at the same time, we can’t control some of the things the Fae have seen.”
“The Fae? As in more than one?”
I’d been labouring under the assumption that Brigid was my biggest problem.
“Unfortunately, the Fae are not the only
