“Juliet Donovan.” My head pops up and I quickly hide my phone between my legs as I straighten my back and look towards the teacher.
Mr. Salter is a tall, lanky man with an unfortunate balding spot that shines under the harsh florescent lights of the classroom, but he’s always been rather undisturbed by my presence, so I like him. Now, he’s staring at me and holding a paper next to the open door where another student is standing there shifting from side to side.
“You’re being called to the front office,” he states.
Several people turn their heads to stare at me, as if they can determine the reason for my summons just by drilling their beady little eyes into my head. I glare back at each and every one of them. A few look away, but more still continue to stare. I sigh and get up from my seat.
“Might as well take your things,” Mr. Salter says, waving the paper in his hand my way. “We don’t know how long you’ll be.”
Those that I’d managed to scare off with my scowl slowly turn to look at me again. Ignoring them, I reach for my backpack and stuff my notebook inside as I stand up and start moving to the front of the room. The student in the hall steps to the side as I exit.
When I arrive at the front office, it’s to find Long’s personal guard dog, Mrs. Rogers, missing from her station. I glance down the hall that leads towards the principal’s office. The door is closed, so I just pop a squat on one of the cheap plastic chairs that lines the wall next to the door and wait.
Withdrawing my phone—returned to me by Lex over the weekend after the guys had managed to retrieve it from mykidnappers—I type out a quick text to the group to let them know where I’m at. I stroke a fingertip down a scratch that lines the right side of the otherwise smooth screen.
I’d forgotten all about my phone the night I’d been taken, but I’m grateful for it. It was, after all, how Lex had known something was wrong. It was how they’d found me so quickly. My kidnappers had taken it while I’d been out, but they’d stupidly left it on and the way Lex had explained it, the signal it was receiving had pinged across various cell towers to let him know to go to Trail’s End.
Principal Long’s office door opens and I sit up, sliding my phone into the back pocket of my jeans as three figures step out into the front office waiting area. My gaze skims over Principal Long to the man at her side. Every inch of my skin draws taut over my bones.
“Hello, Juliet.”
Dressed in an impeccable navy-colored Tom Ford suit with a deep red tie over a white dress shirt, Morpheus Calloway smiles down at me before turning to Principal Long and offering her his hand. She takes it, but the smile she returns doesn’t meet her eyes. My heart thuds against my chest and a wave of ice floats over the back of my neck.
What is Morpheus doing here? Why is he talking to Principal Long and… Ms. Beck? I finally glance past the two of them to see the third and final figure standing a few steps back.
Ms. Beck remains quiet, but her eyes meet mine as my jaw unlocks. What. The. Actual. Fuck?
“Thank you for your time today, Mrs. Long,” Morpheus says, drawing my attention back to him. He flashes Principal Long the same smile he uses on everyone. It’s a politician’s smile—pleasant, but distant. “I’m sure I’ll be hearing from you soon.”
Morpheus releases Principal Long’s hand and I stand quickly as he walks towards me. My hands ball into fists. My throatcloses up, but I tip my head back as he pauses at my side with his hand on the doorknob.
“I’ll see you soon, Juliet,” he murmurs, lowering his voice as he lifts a hand and gently squeezes my shoulder. I’m going to vomit. Without thinking, I shove his hand off and step away from him, letting him feel the full force of my glare.
“Doubtful,” I snap.
Morpheus’ brow creases and he frowns, taking a clear expression of hurt. To my surprise, though, he doesn’t say anything else. Merely shakes his head and twists the knob, disappearing into the hall. No one moves as the door swings slowly shut behind him. It isn’t until the latch clicks that Principal Long speaks.
“Miss Donovan,” she calls, and I slowly turn to face her.
It shouldn’t hurt. Principal Long has no idea why the sight of Morpheus Calloway makes my skin crawl. She couldn’t have known. She doesn’t know anything about him other than what he promotes to the public. Still, the lack of warning sits in my chest, the weight making the air in my lungs wheeze in and out with each breath.
It’s not a betrayal, so why does it feel so much like one?
“Please come in,” she says, gesturing down the hallway where Ms. Beck still waits and I know, this is not going to be a good meeting.
I reach around, making sure that the cell phone Lex gave me is still there. My fingers scrape the edge. Its presence is a balm to my anxiety, but I won’t let myself use it. Not yet.
Even if I’m starting to trust the Scorpion Kings more, that doesn’t mean I should rely on them for every small thing. So, with that in mind, I tip my chin up and bend down, snatching up my bag and slinging it over my shoulder, and march towards the back office. As I pass Ms. Beck, she offers me a small encouraging smile, but all I see is a devil’s lie.
I curl my upper lip back and snarl at her. “If you think I trust you,” I say, dropping my words low so only she can hear. “Then you’re dead fucking wrong, bitch.”
Her eyes widen in surprise. No doubt, it’s due to the amount of venom I put into my words. I don’t care. She should know she’s vastly overstepped her fucking bounds as a school counselor.
Morpheus obviously didn’t get the outcome he wanted last Friday, so this has to be another plan of his. Whatever he does, I will never let it break me. Never again.
Sweat trickles down my neck as Principal Long closes her office door behind me and though there’s no sound of the lock clicking into place, I still feel trapped. I take a seat across from the desk that dominates the majority of the space.
Principal Long sighs, a loud noise in the otherwise quiet room as she takes her seat. Her chair creaks as she leans back. Ms. Beck stays quiet as she steps behind Principal Long and I let my hostile gaze linger on the mousy counselor for a bit longer than I normally might. She avoids my gaze, though.
