I never do make it inside the orphanage. Now that I know that a creature is indeed responsible for the strange happenings, I have to figure out how to hunt it down, how to stop it, how to capture it… I haven’t done much research at all on gargoyles, and that has to change.
Kayden is silent as we hold hands and he hovers us slowly to the ground. Instead of riding the horses back to the academy, we walk alongside them. There’s barely enough room for us to walk side-by-side on the sidewalk, but we manage, to the amused disgruntlement of the few other pedestrians who have to walk around us.
When we’re about a mile from the academy grounds, Kayden breaks the silence. “You aren’t planning on hunting that gargoyle down, are you?”
I say nothing. Friends don’t lie.
“Mirella, this is serious. You really will get expelled, and not only that, you’ll be in danger. The orphans will be in danger. Do you really want to risk all of that?”
I wince. As much as I want to argue with him, he has a point, one I can’t ignore.
“I’ll talk to someone,” I murmur.
And immediately, a weight lifts off my shoulders. Kayden’s right. I’ve been trying to do too much, take too much on with my studies. If I do this too, I’ll reach my breaking point, and I just might die. It’s so much smarter to tell the mentors. They’ll be able to handle this no problem.
“Of course, that means we’ll have to confess what we did…” I eye Kayden. “I’ll tell them I went by myself.”
“You will not.”
“But—”
“I came willingly.”
“To keep me out of trouble.”
“To make sure you’re all right. I’m worried about you. You have dark circles beneath your eyes. You’re struggling to take on everything, and this is just one more thing. Let it go. The mentors can help.”
“I already said I would tell them.”
“Yeah, well, I want to be there when you do.”
“Because you don’t trust me.”
“Because I want to accept my part in this.”
“Kayden? Thank you.”
“Anytime, Mirella. I just wish you would learn to ask for help all the time instead of when you’re pressured into it.”
I shrug but smile, feeling a little better about everything even though I risk expulsion. “If that’s my worst character trait, maybe I’m not so bad.”
“That’s a big maybe.” He winks.
At a red light, I quickly text Valerie an email. Hey, I haven’t dropped off the face of the planet. Stay inside the orphanage at all times, okay? Try not to be freaked out. You don’t have to worry. I’m sure everything will be okay.
Almost immediately, she fires an email back. Mirella! Thank God. I thought something might’ve happened to you. I’m really freaking out. Everyone is. The kids keep saying they see a monster, and they refuse to go to sleep at night. We’re letting them sleep with us older kids.
Even though it’s green, I stay put to type. Stay away from the kids’ room, okay?
Why?
Because.
Mirella, what is going on? I thought I saw you with a cute guy who has to be Kayden. I mean, how many guys have green hair? And you came with horses? But then you disappeared. Am I going crazy?
“Mirella, it’s green again.”
I glance up at Kayden, feeling a bit lost and out of touch with reality. My world had dissolved to the screen, to my connection to Valerie. "I… I'm just worried about my friend. The kids. Even the workers."
“I know. The sooner we get back, the sooner we can tell someone, the sooner the gargoyle can be dealt with.”
“Why the orphanage?” I ask, almost whimpering.
“I’m sure it has nothing to do with you,” he says, his one hand on the reins, his other hand on my back, slightly propelling me forward.
We walk across, and he just shakes his head as I try to text and hold the reins at the same time. Kayden takes my reins too.
You aren’t crazy. Yes, you saw Kayden and me. He’s cute, right? But we sneaked away, and one of our friends who is covering for us said we need to hightail it back. I wanted to surprise you. I’m sorry.
It’s all right. I’m just glad I’m not seeing things.
You won't go into the kids' rooms, right?
Why are you so worried about it?
I want to tell her. I need to tell her something, but the truth might be too much for her to accept. My mind is spinning. What can I say that will get her to believe me?
Because if the kids have seen something, you don't want to be seen by it. I reread the text before sending it.
You really think it’s not just in their heads?
Can you explain the fire? I send.
No. And I don’t understand how there was another one in the bathroom.
When was that?
Didn’t you read all of my emails?
Almost all of them. I’m sorry. I’m a terrible friend, but please. For your safety, stay out of their rooms.
She doesn’t respond, and I stop walking, waiting, waiting, waiting…
I don’t see what the big deal is. I mean, yeah, I know I told you I’m freaking out, but nothing has happened since the kids moved into our room. It’s all probably a coincidence. Some of the other teenagers think Arabella is to blame for the fires. She’s been getting into a lot of trouble lately, and they think she’s acting out.
I grimace. I don’t really care for Arabella, but I hate to see that her name’s being dragged through the mud for something she didn’t do.
Or did she? I don't think gargoyles have an affinity for fire, so maybe it's a coincidence there have been some fires at the same time that the gargoyle appeared.
I’m glad nothing else is happening, but I still think it’s best to stick together with everyone else. Please? I’m sorry I couldn’t see you today. I tried. I’ll come back soon. I promise. Maybe with Kayden again. Just humor me, okay?
You’re ridiculous, you know that? Fine, but you better bring Kayden again. I want to tell him about all of the craziness you’ve ever done.
I haven’t done anything crazy!
Yeah, yeah. Sure.
You really gonna blackmail me? I don’t have anything you want!
I’m sure we can reach some kind of compromise.
Unreal. Laughing, I close my phone.
“I’m glad you’re happier,” Kayden says, but his eyes have that same serious look as before.
“Gargoyles aren’t good, are they?”
“Some are. Some are protectors.”
“And they’ll protect their own like no other.”
“Precisely.”
It doesn’t escape my notice that Kayden picks up the pace.
Maybe we should’ve ridden back. Walking is taking too long, but we arrive soon enough, and I head to the offices the moment we ushered the horses back into their stalls. I can’t leave until I brushed mine down, though. Linones would be pleased.
Most of the professors are not there, but Mentor Le Rogue is, and I cringe. She’s not happy with me, and I don’t blame her. She’s going to be even more upset in a moment.
Kayden stands right behind me, though, and I draw strength from his presence. At least I’m not in this alone, even though Valentina left me to face the music by myself.
“Mentor—”
She sweeps to her feet, almost gliding, the movement impossibly smooth. “You left the academy grounds.”
I stare directly at her. “Yes. After class, I learned that one of my friends, a fellow orphan—”
“You have kept in contact with a human?”
“Yes. She doesn’t know what I am, what I’m studying, and it’s a damn good thing I never wiped her memory because strange things have been happening.”
The mentor looks so displeased that I cringe, but I don’t let her have a chance to interrupt.
"The orphans have been terrified of going to sleep, claiming they're seeing something, and they are. Kayden and I—I dragged him into this. Don't punish him. It's all me, all my fault. Together, we found a stone egg. Kayden said it's a gargoyle egg, and that that baby inside is dead. Do gargoyles really hatch eggs and grow like we do? I guess so, but I mean, they're made of stone… Are they a kind of shifter? Can they turn into a human at night?"
Mentor Le Rogue merely crosses her arms.
“Please.” I clasp my hands in front of my chest. “Please help my friends and keep them safe. The kids are terrified, and—”
“The issue will be dealt with,” she says, her tone cold.
I swallow hard. “T-Thank you. Um, will someone be sent to hunt down the gargoyle or…”
“The issue will be dealt with,” she repeats. Her gaze shifts to Kayden and back to me. “The two of you are dismissed.”
“But—”
“Come on,” Kayden murmurs in my ear. He takes my elbow and leads me away from the offices.
Just then, a loud bell rings, signaling that lunch is over.
I wince. “Go to your next class.”
“Mirella—”
“Please. It’s still possible we’ll get in trouble for leaving, so it would be best if you head to class.”
Kayden hesitates and then walks away.
I close my eyes. I don’t know why, but I don’t feel a sense of relief having told Mentor Le Rogue. If anything, I feel as if I’m being brushed to the side. Worse, I no longer feel welcome here, and I turn around to face in the direction of the academy entrance. Honestly, I’m tempted to run away, to be done with this place. I was so upset that my mental walls should’ve been down. Mentor Le Rogue should’ve been easily able to read my mind and learn that Valentina had sabotaged my potion. Yes, I could have made the potion in front of the class, but I had been leery to since I would be using so much of my magic in front of everyone. It would have been even more taxing to do it all, even the potion making, and that potion hadn’t been simple to make the first several times I made it.
But, no. Maybe Mentor Le Rogue thinks she’s respecting me by not reading my mind, but she should be able to read my emotions easily enough. I am beyond distraught. I was begging her. And her cold tone, her clipped words, her unwillingness to give me any details has me walking toward the entrance.
Maybe she doesn’t know how the gargoyle would be handled, but she could have explained that. She could have been a true mentor in every sense of the word.
Instead, I feel abandoned all over again, isolated, alone, so maybe I will be better off hitting the streets.