Wicked Wings

31

Marcus twirls in an office chair with his head back, his hair wild. “You think there’s something suspicious about everyone.”

“He may be right this time.” Callan looks out over the grounds through the large window, his arms crossed and his shoulders squared. “She’s important to Jonah in some way. We need to find out how they know each other.”

I shake my head. “It’s not only that. Last night when we went back to the dorm, I noticed her car was gone.”

Callan turns away from the window. “Where do you think she went?”

“I don’t know, but we should find out.” As soon as possible.

Marcus shrugs. “Lots of people leave campus at odd hours. There’s no rule preventing them from doing so.”

I shake my head. “But by car instead of flying? And at such a late hour? No, we owe it to Jonah to figure this out. If it’s nothing, then we won’t worry about it and move on. But if it is something, we should uncover it sooner than later.” With her being connected to Jonah, we can’t afford to leave any stone unturned. “I’m going to check the security cameras.”

“Isn’t that unethical?” Marcus asks.

My fingers are already flying across the keyboard. “Father has given me access to them so I can monitor the school for any threats. I think this qualifies.”

“She’s hardly a threat,” Callan mutters, but he also stands over my shoulder so he can watch. Marcus scoots closer too.

It only takes a few minutes to find the footage of the parking lot from last night. I fast forward until it catches Olivia walking to her car wearing tall heels and a dress that accentuates every curve. She isn’t carrying anything other than her purse.

Marcus whistles softly. “Where’s she going in that outfit? On a date?”

I raise my hand to silence him as the footage continues. Callan winces as we watch Olivia nearly take out his car again, and then I switch to the gates as she drives away. We follow her on a few other cameras set up outside the grounds, but lose her down the hill.

A little over an hour later, she returns. She parks, and we use the cameras to follow her as she walks straight to the dorms, carrying only her purse again. Her hair looks a little mussed, but that’s nothing that couldn’t be explained by the wind. She walks a little slower, like there’s something weighing her down, but it could simply be tiredness. She returns to her dorm room and disappears.

“Nothing,” I mutter. Dammit.

Callan rubs his jaw. “Definitely suspicious though. We’ll keep an eye on her, and when she next goes on one of those late-night excursions, we’ll follow her. Meanwhile, keep putting pressure on her to leave the school. Remember, it’s for her own good.”

I nod. “Yes, and we might be able to use what we find to get her expelled.”

“If she’s doing anything wrong,” Marcus points out, as he begins his spin in my chair again. “Have you learned anything from your one-on-one sessions?”

We’ve only had a couple, but they were frustrating, to say the least. “Not yet. But I’ll uncover something soon. There is some sort of magic blocking me from discovering anything about her powers. Could she have fae magic and us not be able to sense it?”

Marcus pauses his spin. “How would she get that kind of magic? Do you think she’s part fae?”

“Could she have a fae-made object?” Callan asks. “Like the Staff of Eternity, the one my dear old dad used to close Heaven with.” The bitterness in his voice creeps in, like it sometimes does when we’re alone and he talks about Michael. Only when we’re alone though.

The office phone rings, and I hold up a finger and answer it. It’s the mom of a Third Year student named Blake who hasn’t been able to get ahold of her precious baby in days. I assure her I saw her son earlier, and I’ll have him call her as soon as possible. After hanging up, I pull out my phone and text him. He’s an i***t, someone I’d never associate with normally, but I keep everyone’s numbers in my phone for just such reasons. Your mother contacted the school worried about you. Call her. Now.

He replies in seconds. I’ll call her immediately. Sorry about the trouble. I didn’t expect him to do anything less than call her that moment. When one of us tells someone to do something, they always do it. Except Olivia.

As I put my phone away, I answer Callan and Marcus’s questions. “I haven’t seen anything indicating she’s part fae or possesses one of their objects, but it’s too early to know for sure.”

“I’ve been trying to put pressure on her to leave the school, but nothing seems to be working so far,” Callan says. “She’s very stubborn. I’m going to have to try harder.”

“What you have in mind?” I ask.

“I’m not sure yet, but I might ask Tanwen. She’s good at this sort of thing.”

“Are you going to get back together with her?” Marcus asks.

Callan snorts. “Definitely not.”

Marcus chuckles. “That’s not what she’s been saying. Careful, or she might get the wrong idea.”

“I’ll make it clear.”

I fade out their conversation as my mind goes back to Olivia. I pull up the live security cameras and switch through them until I find her walking out of the dorm. She tucks a piece of dark hair behind her ear as the wind picks up, as it often does at this altitude. My eyes narrow as I watch her move out of view. I’m going to uncover your secrets, whatever it takes. You can’t hide the truth from me.