Winterwood Academy Book 3: Hunted

Chapter Two

Chapter TwoBri

My mind was still reeling at eleven o’clock on Sunday night when Keeya and Luci snuck down the hall to join us in our bedroom. I was glad that I could rely on my roommate, Zoe, to get a discreet message to them because I was way too shaken to come up with a plan on my own. After all that had happened over the last few weeks and being told by my tutor that I had to leave the Winterwood Academy, I was definitely far from the top of my game.

“Do you have to go?’ Luci asked even as she grabbed me and pulled me into a great big bear hug that left me spinning all over again. I had no idea how such a petite girl could house so much strength. “We only just got you back.”

After waking from being dead, I had to agree with her, but my last conversation with my tutor told me everything I needed to know. The Winterwood Academy wasn’t the safest place in the world, what with our psycho Grand Priestess, and that was before I’d learned I was quite possibly some freaky magical twin or, as Merrin called it, a Gemini twin.

“Trust me, it’s better this way,” Zoe called over her shoulder even as she zipped up the bag, she’d been helping me to pack with what little was left of my stuff. The Winterwood Book, my mobile and charger, and a couple of pieces of clothing that Zoe had borrowed without asking. Under normal circumstances, I might have been pissed at that, but the fact that they’d been in her closet and not mine when they’d come to take my stuff away was a relief.

Zoe and I glanced at each other because we’d both agreed it was best to keep most of our conversation with Merrin to ourselves. The last thing we wanted was to worry our friends even more than they already were.

“There’s enough gossip going around with my lookalike without people figuring out that I’m not dead,” I pointed out as I placed my hand on Luci’s shoulder, “But I have a feeling I haven’t seen the last of this place.”

That instinctual gut feeling I always seemed to get was back again as soon as I said it. I was pretty sure that it didn’t matter how far away from the academy I got. My troubles were still going to follow me. Whether I wanted to believe it or not, a Goddess had marked me, and from the way, everyone was reacting, I was pretty sure that meant she’d chosen me for something.

“You’re damn right about that,” Zoe said as she shoved my bag at me. “We’re going to get you back here just as soon as it’s safe.”

Then she glanced at her watch and looked at us. “It’s time.”

I didn’t need to check to know that she was right. Zoe had never been one for being late.

“I don’t feel right about leaving without seeing Booth first,” I admitted.

Although I had a lot on my plate, he had been flitting through my mind all day. Every so often, an image of his worried face popped into my mind.

“I don’t think you should be worrying about him right now.” Zoe was the first to speak up, and I couldn’t help but notice that her cheeks began to redden.

“Yeah, Zo is right,” Luci agreed, her own expression a little sheepish. It wasn’t exactly an odd look for her. I mean, it was Luci.

But when Keeya added, “It’s better he thinks you’re dead for now,” I couldn’t help but feel as though there was something, they weren’t telling me.

“What’s going on?” I demanded, crossing my arms over my chest and planting my feet firmly on the ground.

There was no way I was going anywhere until they explained to me why they were acting so shady.

The three girls glanced at each other, unspoken words passing between them.

“We should tell her,” Luci insisted.

“We agreed we wouldn’t,” Zoe groaned.

“She has every right to know,” Keeya put in, “If I were in her shoes, I would want you guys to tell me.”

“Hello, I’m right here!” I uncrossed my arms to wave my hand at them. “Tell me what?”

It was Zoe who turned to me, her expression awkward.

“Umm… well you know how the Adreanna girl was seen by the entire academy this morning when the council arrived?” She said, looking down at her hands as if she was fiddling with something between her fingers.

“Yeah?”

“Well, it’s just that… Booth thought it was you.”

“I’m sure everyone thought it was you. I mean, we all did,” Luci put in quickly and as soon as I turned to look at her, her cheeks began to flare bright red.

“I knew it wasn’t her,” Zoe protested.

“Would someone just tell me what the hell happened?” I demanded, heat rising to my cheeks.

“Oh, for God’s sake, Booth kissed the Adreanna girl!’ Keeya blurted out as though she was annoyed with the back and forth.

Her words hit me like a bolt to the chest and I had to struggle not to stumble backwards.

“In his defence, we did mention that we all thought it was you!” Luci said in such a shrill voice that I got the feeling she was terrified of me or something.

“Yeah, we can’t exactly blame him,” Zoe agreed, “I mean, everyone was talking at breakfast as if it was you. Everyone was asking why you were with the high witch council and why they were suddenly calling you Adreanna.”

“But it wasn’t me!” I exclaimed, my own voice sounding shrill.

My gut was aching at the thought that Booth had kissed another girl, “How many people saw?”

Every one of my friend’s faces reddened then and even Keeya looked awkward which was seriously uncharacteristic of her.

“Well, it happened while we were all here with you but from what I hear it was pretty much the entire academy,” Keeya explained, “Yet another reason why everyone thought she was you.”

“Some of the girls were even saying that Rhea looked like she was going to blow,” Luci chuckled. I could tell from her expression that she was trying to make me feel better, but for once, my feelings were on par with Rhea’s.

“If it makes you feel any better, they said she gave him one hell of a slap for it,” Zoe shrugged as if she already knew it wouldn’t make me feel better. In fact, it made me feel even worse.

Not only did Booth still think I was dead, but he’d practically been assaulted by someone he thought was me.

“I should go and find him.”

I was already half reaching for the door when Zoe grabbed hold of my hand.

“We don’t have time for that now,” she pointed out, dragging me away from the door.

Before I could make any kind of protest, she grabbed hold of my shoulders, looked me in the eye and promised, “I swear we will help you figure out the whole Booth thing and we will let him know about you as soon as it’s safe but right now we need to get you out of here.”

* * * *

I felt like I’d been sneaking around way too often lately. First with Booth to see what Celestria was up to. Then stealing the Winterwood Book from the library. Even sneaking into my own room after supposedly being dead.

Now was no different. My three friends moved in a sort of semi-circle before me as I walked with my head down and my hood up.

Luckily for us, the few girls that were still up were too absorbed in whatever crap they were watching on the common room television to look up at us, and we were able to slip out of the dorm without any trouble.

It wasn’t until we were halfway across the courtyard that someone detached themselves from the shadow of the fountain and came to stand directly in our path.

“Well, if it isn’t the dork brigade.” Rhea’s sarcastically sickening voice hit my ears, and I had to bite my bottom lip to stop myself from lifting my head.

“Bog off b***h!” Keeya threw at her.

I glanced sideways, first in one direction and then the other, half expecting some of her girlfriends to appear.

I was more than a little relieved when no more shadows began to move.

“Well, aren’t you one for offering a kind welcome?” Rhea sneered back at her.

“What the hell do you want, Rhea?” Zoe demanded.

I was almost gobsmacked. I’d never once heard Zoe speak up in front of Rhea. In fact, she and Luci had always cowered away whenever she was close. I couldn’t say I blamed them. The honeysuckle blonde b***h that was Rhea wasn’t by any means a nice person. In fact, she was probably even worse than Lola, my old best friend’s girlfriend, back home in London. I say worse because it appeared that now she thought I was dead. She had no problem with approaching my friends all on her own. That was something a bully never usually did. And that made her dangerous. Especially now with my not being dead and everybody thinking I was, situation.

For a moment, I was hopeful that I might simply melt into the shadows. Her attention seemed to be pinpointed entirely on my friends. I would have loved to kick her ass for them, but right now, they needed me to protect them by not making my presence known.

It seemed I wouldn’t be so lucky.

“Who’s hiding back there?” Rhea demanded, slapping Zoe on the shoulder as if she thought she could swat her away like a fly.

Although I never lifted my head, I could feel her peeking over my best friend’s shoulder.

Stand your ground, Zo.

To my best friend’s credit, she didn’t budge an inch.

“What do you want, Rhea?” Luci asked although her voice was less than confident. I had to commend her for trying. “We’re busy.”

“I just thought you might like to know that I’m back safe at the dorm after a wonderful evening with Booth,” Rhea chirped.

I felt my blood beginning to boil. She was such a liar. There was no way in hell he had let her anywhere near him. Even before I arrived, he had hated her. The only time I’d ever really seen them together, he had been telling her to f-off.

I buried my hands into the pockets of my hoodie and gritted my teeth to stop myself from saying anything.

“What makes you think we give a damn about where your nasty ass has been?” Keeya growled, and I could tell without looking that she was squaring up to Rhea.

“Well, he was dating your poor little friend, what’s her name?” Rhea chuckled. She was beginning to wear on my last nerve. “Anyway, I just thought you’d like to know he’s being well taken care of. If you know what I mean.”

I didn’t need to look up to know that she was winking. I also didn’t need to ask to know what she was talking about. From the moment I’d seen her all over Booth in the dorm hallway, I’d known she was a slut.

I was one step away from throwing myself at her and clawing her eyes out when the sudden raucous cawing erupted from somewhere in the courtyard.

Air whipped around me, and I wasn’t at all sure whether it was my anger manifesting wind to my aid or the flapping of wings but the truth was I didn’t care.

My head shot up just in time to see the black winged raven swoop at Rhea’s face. Luckily for me, she was too preoccupied with running away from razor-sharp talons to see me.

Thank you, Ebony. I sent a silent thought of gratitude to the bird even as all my friends turned to look at me.

“The nerve of that skanky b***h!” Keeya snapped, and I realised that her hands were balled into fists. No doubt, she had been getting ready to use them. “I should have slapped that nasty smile right off her face!”

“It’s the thought that counts.” Zoe placed a hand on Keeya’s shoulder as if to calm her.

“Are you alright, Bri?” Luci whispered, and this time the hand landed on my shoulder.

Removing my own hand from my pocket, I placed it on top of hers and gave her a grateful squeeze.

“I’m fine. It’s not like she wasn’t lying.”

Even as I said the words, I wasn’t entirely sure that they were true. Grief did funny things to people.