room told my family, as they filtered in, there was no time for pleasantries.
Spencer wasted no time in recommending, “Let’s narrow down the possibilities.”
“Good,” stated Dillon. “Good idea.”
“Who are Jameson’s enemies?”
“He doesn’t have any,” stated Charlotte, offended by the suggestion.
I let her finish before answering, “ The Vires.” I then waited to see if she would react after I blatantly opposed her.
She didn’t, apparently recognizing that her ego wasn’t the concern here.
“And The Sevens,” reminded Oscar.
Spencer and Dillon disagreed , but it was Spencer who answered. “They’re too far away. It had to have been someone close… someone here in the city.”
“Has he had any altercation…any fight with a Vire who is now in the city?” asked Spencer, sensing we might be heading in the right direction.
“No,” Charlotte snipped .
Again, I was forced to counter her.
“Today, he did,” I said , and all eyes were suddenly on me. In an effort to soothe any damage to Charlotte’s self-esteem, I added, “He never had the chance to tell you.”
Disliking the morbidity my choice of words suggested, I recanted. “He hasn’t gotten the chance to tell you yet .” I cleared my throat after feeling it dry out, and proceeded to explain . “Mrs. Gaul attacked me-”
“Attacked you?” Nolan repeated, sitting forward in his chair. He wasn’t the only one who seemed alarmed by this news . To my astonishment, a few Caldwells looked unsettled too.
“She cast against me , and Jameson tried to stop it.”
“Did she see him?” Spencer questioned , remaining in his analytical state.
“I-I don’t know. She might have. She never retaliated though , and she was too busy casting against the shop owners after that.”
Vinnia drew in sharp, purposeful gasp . “So that’s why Mrs. Gaul wasn’t in my fifth period class.”
“She’s watching you, too?” I asked, shocked, never having considered this would happen. “ I thought Jameson and I were their main focus. ”
Burke’s response wasn’t comforting. “They are all watching . We have them in every class.”
“Us too,” Oscar noted.
After a moment of hesitant glances being exchanged throughout the room , Spencer summarized it for us…
“So, Mrs. Gaul attacks you. Jameson intervene s. And she left for The Quarter shops , to cast against them.”
Nolan added, “For no obvious reason.”
Dillon and Spencer shared a look of recognition, and Dillon replied, “Oh…I think we just discovered that reason.”
“Which is?” Charlotte demanded , in a tone we all ignored.
Speaking directly to me, Dillon answered, “Mrs. Gaul trapped you…well, you and Jameson. She set you up.”
“I’m still not understanding…” I admitted.
He allowed Spencer to clarify. “Mrs. Gaul knew she couldn’t retaliate in public. So she set up a scenario where she could cast against you and Jameson without anyone knowing it was her. The Quarter shops were perfect , both quiet and private . She set her cast and waited for you two to show up.”
“I don’t get it,” said Nolan. “What cast?”
“She set up two of them, actually. One , against the shopkeepers … to lure Jocelyn and Jameson … and one , lying in wait for them.”
“Lying in wait?” I was barely able to utter , sensing goose bumps rising on my arms.
“As you healed the shopkeepers, you absorbed the hex.”
“Right,” agreed Dillon. “She only needed you and Jameson in the same place at the same time for it to work.”
“Why?” I asked, still trying to put it all together.
Spencer replied softly, knowing what he was about to say would disturb me. “You were the bait, Jocelyn. She drew you in under the premise of healing others. She needed you to get to Jameson.”
Those words, that understanding , sent a stream of fire through me, a rage more intense than I knew was possible . If she had been in the room, there wasn’t a person or a spell
Spencer wasted no time in recommending, “Let’s narrow down the possibilities.”
“Good,” stated Dillon. “Good idea.”
“Who are Jameson’s enemies?”
“He doesn’t have any,” stated Charlotte, offended by the suggestion.
I let her finish before answering, “ The Vires.” I then waited to see if she would react after I blatantly opposed her.
She didn’t, apparently recognizing that her ego wasn’t the concern here.
“And The Sevens,” reminded Oscar.
Spencer and Dillon disagreed , but it was Spencer who answered. “They’re too far away. It had to have been someone close… someone here in the city.”
“Has he had any altercation…any fight with a Vire who is now in the city?” asked Spencer, sensing we might be heading in the right direction.
“No,” Charlotte snipped .
Again, I was forced to counter her.
“Today, he did,” I said , and all eyes were suddenly on me. In an effort to soothe any damage to Charlotte’s self-esteem, I added, “He never had the chance to tell you.”
Disliking the morbidity my choice of words suggested, I recanted. “He hasn’t gotten the chance to tell you yet .” I cleared my throat after feeling it dry out, and proceeded to explain . “Mrs. Gaul attacked me-”
“Attacked you?” Nolan repeated, sitting forward in his chair. He wasn’t the only one who seemed alarmed by this news . To my astonishment, a few Caldwells looked unsettled too.
“She cast against me , and Jameson tried to stop it.”
“Did she see him?” Spencer questioned , remaining in his analytical state.
“I-I don’t know. She might have. She never retaliated though , and she was too busy casting against the shop owners after that.”
Vinnia drew in sharp, purposeful gasp . “So that’s why Mrs. Gaul wasn’t in my fifth period class.”
“She’s watching you, too?” I asked, shocked, never having considered this would happen. “ I thought Jameson and I were their main focus. ”
Burke’s response wasn’t comforting. “They are all watching . We have them in every class.”
“Us too,” Oscar noted.
After a moment of hesitant glances being exchanged throughout the room , Spencer summarized it for us…
“So, Mrs. Gaul attacks you. Jameson intervene s. And she left for The Quarter shops , to cast against them.”
Nolan added, “For no obvious reason.”
Dillon and Spencer shared a look of recognition, and Dillon replied, “Oh…I think we just discovered that reason.”
“Which is?” Charlotte demanded , in a tone we all ignored.
Speaking directly to me, Dillon answered, “Mrs. Gaul trapped you…well, you and Jameson. She set you up.”
“I’m still not understanding…” I admitted.
He allowed Spencer to clarify. “Mrs. Gaul knew she couldn’t retaliate in public. So she set up a scenario where she could cast against you and Jameson without anyone knowing it was her. The Quarter shops were perfect , both quiet and private . She set her cast and waited for you two to show up.”
“I don’t get it,” said Nolan. “What cast?”
“She set up two of them, actually. One , against the shopkeepers … to lure Jocelyn and Jameson … and one , lying in wait for them.”
“Lying in wait?” I was barely able to utter , sensing goose bumps rising on my arms.
“As you healed the shopkeepers, you absorbed the hex.”
“Right,” agreed Dillon. “She only needed you and Jameson in the same place at the same time for it to work.”
“Why?” I asked, still trying to put it all together.
Spencer replied softly, knowing what he was about to say would disturb me. “You were the bait, Jocelyn. She drew you in under the premise of healing others. She needed you to get to Jameson.”
Those words, that understanding , sent a stream of fire through me, a rage more intense than I knew was possible . If she had been in the room, there wasn’t a person or a spell
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