recklessly. “It’s fun though, huh?” he said as he started for the door.
"Where's he going?" Brittany asked from where she sat in front of them.
Hunter just glared at the doorway and said nothing.
Shane winked at her as he walked past. “To find a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.”
As he slipped out the door, he heard her yell, “What does that mean?”
Chapter Five
"You know, my last roommate was never here. She gave me all the space I wanted," Brittany announced, sitting at her desk while she brushed her hair. She had changed out of her school uniform as soon as they walked in and was now wearing tight jeans and a dark purple tank top. If Ari had to guess, she would bet Brittany was going to find Shane. Brittany had been whining about him for over an hour, first to Ari, until she realized that Ari didn’t care. Then she had called someone on her sparkly little phone and whined some more.
Ari was trying to smother herself with her pillow, but she pulled it away from her face to answer Brittany. "She's gone. And just so you know, I plan to be in here most of the year." She pulled the pillow against her head again and sighed with relief when she heard Brittany storm out. Finally, some peace. And with the room quiet, she fell asleep.
It was dark when she woke up, her phone buzzing next to her. Brittany still wasn't back, which was convenient. She rolled over and tried to ignore the pounding in her head as she reached for the tiny dark red annoyance. The caller ID made her cringe, but she sucked in a breath and answered anyway. "Hello Richard," she said to her grandfather.
"Arianna. I've heard there has been an accident. Why didn't you inform us sooner?" Richard’s deep baritone rumbled through the connection.
Ari tried hard to sound nonchalant when she answered. "The nurse informed me that she couldn’t reach you. Anyway, I got knocked off a ladder. There was nothing to tell."
His temper flared, like always. "How do you know there was no Carules magic involved?"
"Because there wasn't any. I can see it, remember?" she snapped back. Bad idea, but she was four hundred miles away from him. Let's see you hit me with that little zinger now, Grandpa , she thought.
"They can use shrouds to hide it. Just like you do. The gods sent us a Prodigy with no common sense in her useless brain!" he yelled into the phone.
Ari was silent. She was pretty sure she would rather be hit physically with one of those weird little spells he made up than have him say that, but she shoved the pain his words brought way down deep with all the other emotions she wanted nothing to do with. "Shrouds don’t hide magic traces," she said with a calmness she didn't feel, “they only hide the wearer.”
He started to bellow, but she interrupted him. "Did you have a reason for calling? Because I've got work to do here." She could picture him in her head, his face going a dark burgundy and his eyes so wide they threatened to bug out of his head. Maybe she would make him so mad this time that his hands would shake with the effort not to strangle her. She massaged her throbbing temples.
"If you were my daughter—" he exploded.
Ari cut him off. "But I'm not. If I were, I'd end up timid and terrified like my mother." The words were out before she could stop herself.
"You little…" Ari pulled the phone away from her ear before she could hear the rest of his sentence. No need. He'd called her that before. Several times. She didn't need to hear it again to know it would still hurt. As she hung up, she prayed that he wouldn't take his anger toward her out on her mother.
After that, sleep was pointless. Despite her still-pounding head, she got up and unpacked her homework, spreading it all over her desk, ready to throw herself into history papers that didn’t give her time to think.
The door flew open, banging on the inside wall as Brittany breezed in. "They're serving dinner. We wear normal clothes to dinner." She raised a
"Where's he going?" Brittany asked from where she sat in front of them.
Hunter just glared at the doorway and said nothing.
Shane winked at her as he walked past. “To find a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma.”
As he slipped out the door, he heard her yell, “What does that mean?”
Chapter Five
"You know, my last roommate was never here. She gave me all the space I wanted," Brittany announced, sitting at her desk while she brushed her hair. She had changed out of her school uniform as soon as they walked in and was now wearing tight jeans and a dark purple tank top. If Ari had to guess, she would bet Brittany was going to find Shane. Brittany had been whining about him for over an hour, first to Ari, until she realized that Ari didn’t care. Then she had called someone on her sparkly little phone and whined some more.
Ari was trying to smother herself with her pillow, but she pulled it away from her face to answer Brittany. "She's gone. And just so you know, I plan to be in here most of the year." She pulled the pillow against her head again and sighed with relief when she heard Brittany storm out. Finally, some peace. And with the room quiet, she fell asleep.
It was dark when she woke up, her phone buzzing next to her. Brittany still wasn't back, which was convenient. She rolled over and tried to ignore the pounding in her head as she reached for the tiny dark red annoyance. The caller ID made her cringe, but she sucked in a breath and answered anyway. "Hello Richard," she said to her grandfather.
"Arianna. I've heard there has been an accident. Why didn't you inform us sooner?" Richard’s deep baritone rumbled through the connection.
Ari tried hard to sound nonchalant when she answered. "The nurse informed me that she couldn’t reach you. Anyway, I got knocked off a ladder. There was nothing to tell."
His temper flared, like always. "How do you know there was no Carules magic involved?"
"Because there wasn't any. I can see it, remember?" she snapped back. Bad idea, but she was four hundred miles away from him. Let's see you hit me with that little zinger now, Grandpa , she thought.
"They can use shrouds to hide it. Just like you do. The gods sent us a Prodigy with no common sense in her useless brain!" he yelled into the phone.
Ari was silent. She was pretty sure she would rather be hit physically with one of those weird little spells he made up than have him say that, but she shoved the pain his words brought way down deep with all the other emotions she wanted nothing to do with. "Shrouds don’t hide magic traces," she said with a calmness she didn't feel, “they only hide the wearer.”
He started to bellow, but she interrupted him. "Did you have a reason for calling? Because I've got work to do here." She could picture him in her head, his face going a dark burgundy and his eyes so wide they threatened to bug out of his head. Maybe she would make him so mad this time that his hands would shake with the effort not to strangle her. She massaged her throbbing temples.
"If you were my daughter—" he exploded.
Ari cut him off. "But I'm not. If I were, I'd end up timid and terrified like my mother." The words were out before she could stop herself.
"You little…" Ari pulled the phone away from her ear before she could hear the rest of his sentence. No need. He'd called her that before. Several times. She didn't need to hear it again to know it would still hurt. As she hung up, she prayed that he wouldn't take his anger toward her out on her mother.
After that, sleep was pointless. Despite her still-pounding head, she got up and unpacked her homework, spreading it all over her desk, ready to throw herself into history papers that didn’t give her time to think.
The door flew open, banging on the inside wall as Brittany breezed in. "They're serving dinner. We wear normal clothes to dinner." She raised a
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