3 Conjuring (19 page)

I was quiet as I watched him mull things over.

“Somehow there’s something bigger at work here,” Rafael finally said.

“I can’t take much more,” I replied ruefully.

“You don’t have a choice,” Rafael replied matter of factly.

“So what do I do?”

“You have to get your roommates to open up,” he said. “They’re the key. They’re the only move you have.”

“And what about Aric?”

“Winters and his ilk are not my concern,” Rafael replied coldly. “Whatever they have planned for the sorority, I hope it’s big and I hope it works. They all have to be eradicated or extricated from the power base. Those are the only two acceptable options.”

“He’s my concern.”

“You’re going to have to fix your relationship with him on your own,” Rafael said. “I will not help you. In fact, I want it to fail.”

“That’s a nice thing to say,” I grumbled.

Rafael’s eyes softened as they met mine. “I prefer you single. It’s just a quirk of mine. If you’re single, then I can date you.”

Great; just what I needed: another complication.

I realized Rafael was right. Not about the Aric thing – that whole comment was still weirding me out – but about Laura and Matilda being the key to true answers. So I did the only thing I could: I acted like everything was great.

When Matilda and Laura talked about the sorority
I feigned interest and hid my outright disgust.

When Aric said he had to leave for another fraternity
meeting I pretended it didn’t bother me.

When Sam Blake approached me on campus I didn’t run
away. Sure, I didn’t tell him anything, but I didn’t flee in fear either.

I pretended everything was fine.

It was exhausting.

The only good thing the month of March ushered in was spring. At le
ast the snow was gone. It was still cold at night, but the days were climbing into the forties and fifties. Hey, any piece of good news was welcome in my world these days.

One afternoon in the middle of the month, I took advantage of Matilda and Laura’s absence to have a little talk with Kelsey. It was
a long time coming. She hadn’t pressed me about the accusations thrown about the night of the big fight and I hadn’t volunteered anything.

“I think we need to talk.”

Kelsey looked up from her spot on the floor. She had to do a lot of mathematical stuff with little graphs and charts – it all looked really boring, so I didn’t pay a lot of attention -- and that was what she was working on now. “I wondered when this was coming.”

“You could have brought it up,” I reminded her.

“So could you.”

“I was waiting for you.”

“I was waiting for you.”

Well, this was getting us nowhere. “What do you think?”

“About what?” Kelsey asked, sliding back so she was a few feet away from her work.

“About how Laura and Matilda apparently think
they’re witches? Or how you’re supposed to be some big, magical being who’s really important? Or how about the fact that you’re sleeping with a werewolf? I have a few things to say on all of those subjects.”

Uh-oh.

“Well, which one do you want to talk about first?” I wasn’t sure which topic I dreaded most.

“Let’s start with Aric,” Kelsey offered.

Oh, good.

“Is he really a werewolf?”

My first instinct was to lie. That kind of defeated the purpose of clearing the air, though. “Yeah.”

“And you knew that
before you started dating him?”

“Yeah.”

“And you’re okay with that?”

“I was a little leery at first,” I admitted. “He grows on you, though.”

“That’s why it seemed like he was pursuing you and you were the one who wasn’t interested,” Kelsey mused. “I guess it makes sense now.”

“At least there’s that,” I offered lamely.

“He seems to really care about you, and that’s the most important thing,” Kelsey said. “I don’t have a problem with it.”

“You don’t?”

“I told you before, I knew there was more going on here on campus than just academics,” Kelsey answered. “I didn’t think it was quite this freaky, but it does make a weird kind of sense.”

“Not in a normal world,” I mumbled.

“You can’t pick the world you live in,” Kelsey said. “You can only survive it.”

“You’re like a fortune cookie sometimes,” I laughed.

“I’m more interested in Matilda and Laura being witches,” Kelsey said pointedly.

“How long have you known that?”

I sighed, sinking down onto the floor and facing Kelsey on an even level. “I’ve known about Laura since last year.”

“And you didn’t think to tell me?”

“What should I have said? ‘Laura’s mom is a dark witch and Laura might have the same tendencies?’ That would have gone over well.”

“Laura’s mom is a dark witch? Did she tell you that?”

Uh-oh. This was a little trickier. “No,” I hedged. “Someone else told me.”

Kelsey pursed her lips. “Paris.”

“What?” I was trying to be cagey. I think I was coming off as a little spastic, though.

“Paris and Laura are from the same hometown. Does that me
an Paris is a witch, too? I bet she is. That’s how you know so much.”

I bit my lower lip. “I don’t think I can really talk about Paris.”

“No, I get it,” Kelsey said hurriedly. “It’s not your secret to tell.”

Exactly. “Paris isn’t the problem here.”

“No, Matilda and Laura are definitely the problem,” Kelsey agreed. “How long have you known Matilda is a witch?”

“Here’s the thing,” I said. “I’m not sure Matilda is really a witch.”

“Isn’t that sorority filled with witches?”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean they’re real witches.
Some of them might just think they’re real witches.” My logic sounds circular sometimes, even to me.

“How does that work?” Kelsey looked confused.

“I’m only getting my information secondhand,” I explained. “But it seems that maybe the sorority is recruiting people who are susceptible to suggestion. Stumbling across

Laura, a real witch, was probably just a happy coincid
ence. They might just be using Matilda to suck her life energy.”

“That sounds gross.”

“I’m not sure I fully understand it either,” I admitted. “Rafael says he thinks the witches are setting up rituals that look like simple little spells but are actually a way for Jessica and the other witches to suck energy from their recruits.”

“Who is Rafael?”

I have such a big mouth sometimes. “Um, I can’t really talk about him either.”

“Another secret?”

“If it were up to me, I would tell you,” I replied plaintively. “I’m not trying to hide information.”

“I know,” Kelsey said calmly. “Let’s just talk about what you can talk about now.”

“That sounds like a good idea – at least a safer idea,” I agreed.

“And what about you? What’s up with this mage thing?”

“I have no idea,” I sighed.

Kelsey didn’t look convinced.

“I’m not lying,” I continued. “People have been coming up to me and telling me that

I’m something special since I stepped on this stupid c
ampus – and yet I have no idea what they’re talking about.”

“Don’t your parents know?”

I paused momentarily. “I haven’t asked,” I finally admitted.

“Don’t you think you should? I mean, what can you do?”

“Nothing very impressive,” I lamented. “I talked to a ghost last year.”

“Cool. Did she tell you anything good?”

“No. She mostly just made fun of my clothes. She died in the seventies.”

“And she was making fun of your clothes?”

“She just didn’t get it.”

“What else?”

“Nothing really. Although, every supernatural being on this campus seems drawn to me. I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.”

“I think it’s creepy. How do they know? Do you have a
smell or something? Like only supernatural beings can smell you?” That was a really good question. “How did

Matilda know?”

“How did Matilda know what?”

“You said she insisted on living with us and you were ag
ainst it,” I said. “So how did she know?”

“I ... I’m not sure that she did,” Kelsey said ruefully.
“I’m not being evasive. I just don’t know that the reason she insisted on living with you guys is for anything that high-minded.”

“Meaning?”

“The thing with Matilda is that she doesn’t really think things through,” Kelsey offered. “She never looks to the future. She only cares about the right now.”

“So why would she have wanted to live with me la
st year?” I mused absently. “I mean, other than the fact that I was friends with Rick?”

Kelsey raised her eyebrows suggestively.

“No way.”

“When she gets obsessed with something there’s no
talking her out of it,” Kelsey replied blandly.

“You’re saying this could all be because she has a crush on Rick?”

“If she thought living with you could get her closer to him, then she might do it.” Kelsey seemed embarrassed on Matilda’s behalf.

“So Matilda might have gotten caught up in all of this by accident?”

“I told you before that she gets caught up in what other people are doing,” Kelsey reminded. “It could really be a coincidence.”

“And you’re sure she’s not a witch?”

“She wouldn’t have been able to keep that a secret. That’s why I was so surprised to hear the sorority is full of witches. I couldn’t believe she could keep something like that from me.”

“So now she just thinks she’s a witch.”

“Which makes her dangerous,” Kelsey admitted.

“But maybe not evil,” I added.

“Do you think Laura is evil?” Kelsey glanced around nervously, as though she was making certain Laura wasn’t hiding in a corner and listening.

“I think Laura is exhibiting some personality traits that worry me.”

“That’s not really an answer.”

“I don’t think that Laura was evil last year.”

“And this year?”

“I honestly don’t know. I’m hoping that if we thwart w
hatever the sorority is trying to do the real Laura will come back.”

Kelsey didn’t look convinced. “Well, I don’t want
to add to the mountain of suck you’re living on these days, but there’s something else.”

“I don’t want to know.”

“I know,” Kelsey said, getting to her feet. “I think you need to know, though.”

“I can’t wait.”

Kelsey disappeared into the bedroom she shared with Matilda and then returned a few seconds later carrying a shoebox.

“You bought me shoes?” I asked hopefully.

“I found this the other day when I was looking for my advanced algebra book.”

“There’s not something dead in there, right?”

Kelsey shook her head. “No. It’s creepy, though.”

I reached over and took the box from Kelsey. I shook it a
little, gauging its weight. It didn’t smell, so I was hopeful that nothing dead was going to stare back at me when

I opened it. Kelsey said there wasn’t a dead animal in the
box, but as far as luck goes, this hadn’t been my year. I sucked in a big breath and then flipped the top off. I wasn’t sure what I was looking at when I finally peeked inside.

“That’s my bracelet,” I reached in and pulled out a famil
iar leather cuff. “I thought I left it at home over Christmas break.”

“She’s hoarding it for a reason.”

“And why would she want one of my homework assignments?” I asked, pulling out a familiar notebook. I had used it for my creative writing class.

“I don’t know.”

“Oh, God, is that my hair?” I pulled a small hank of blonde hair – held together by a purple ribbon – out of the box. “How did she even get this?”

“I don’t know,” Kelsey replied. “I don’t think it’s good, though.”

That was an understatement.

“She’s not just a klepto, right? Maybe she just likes stealing things?”

“Your hair?” Kelsey looked dubious.

“Oh, man, why can’t anything ever just get better? No. In
my life, everything just gets worse and worse.”

“You think they’re hoarding it to use for a spell?”

The thought actually hadn’t occurred to me, but now that seemed the obvious answer. “I was actually hoping she was just discovered she was a lesbian,” I lamented wryly. “I guess that would be too easy.”

“What are you going to do?”

“I have no idea.”

“This sucks,” Kelsey sighed.

This really did suck.