“Thanks for all the help, Demetri,” I said, warning him with my expression to get gone.
He nodded like he’d caught my message. “No problem. Happy to help. I’ll just be going now.”
He gathered the contents we’d dumped on the table in one arm and stuffed them into the book bag, giving us an awkward smile before he hurried off. The shadows swallowed him almost as soon as he reached them. Only Peter and I realized those shadows acted unnaturally, bending against the laws of physics and reaching out to envelope him several steps before he reached them.
Caroline’s gaze sharpened on the sorcerer standing next to me. “Peter, right? What are you doing here?”
We both looked at Peter, caught between us, unaware at being put in the spotlight.
“I was with Aileen when she got the call. It sounded worrisome enough that I decided to tag along to see if there was anything I could do.”
Heh, he’d stuck with the truth. Would wonders never cease?
“Isn’t there a curfew for teenagers? What do your parents think of you being out at night?”
Peter stiffened next to me. I knew through painful experience he didn’t like to be reminded of his apparent youth.
I said, wanting to keep the blow up I could feel brewing from happening, “His parents are friends of mine. They said he could be out as long as he’s with me.”
Peter glared at me, not liking my response. I shrugged. What was I going to do? He did look like a teenager. They did have curfews. I was only going along with Caroline’s expectations. My story was reasonable and more importantly wouldn’t raise questions we didn’t want asked.
Caroline’s mouth tilted down as her eyes narrowed with suspicion. “Wait, you brought a kid into a situation that you thought was dangerous?”
It was clear from the outrage in her voice what she thought of this.
“Hey, I’m not a kid. I’ll have you know I’m—”
“How dangerous could it be? It’s a library,” I said, speaking over Peter. No way did I want him revealing his actual age.
“The better question is why you thought I was in danger in the first place?”
“Oh, I don’t know, maybe because you called me out of the blue sounding stressed out of your mind and ordering me to get over here with no explanation as to why.”
“That’s it?” Caroline asked, her face looking pinched and weary. “That’s very thin, Aileen. It makes me wonder what kind of life you’re leading that your mind jumps automatically to the worst case scenario.”
I held silent. Her words were closer to the truth than she knew.
Caroline rubbed her forehead. “I called you here because Mrs. Jackson passed away this afternoon. I thought you would want to know.”
I took a deep breath at the unexpected words. Mrs. Jackson. She was young, only in her forties. She’d been our History teacher in high school. Somehow she’d managed to make a topic that was usually a snooze fest into something exciting. She was the reason Caroline went into the field she did. Hell, she was a driving factor in me doing as well as I did in high school. Her and Caroline anyway.
I hadn’t heard she was sick.
“How did it happen?”
Now that I knew, I could see the grief behind Caroline’s façade, a slight redness to her eyes and nose.
“They don’t know. They said she just kind of dropped where she stood.”
“That’s too bad, but something I could be told over the phone. Why am I really here?”
Caroline shrugged one shoulder. “Maybe I just wanted to see you, considering you disappeared after I helped you last year.”
“And you waited until now to make your move?” That wasn’t the Caroline I knew. If she had really been upset at my vanishing act, she would have called me much sooner.
I hoped my parents hadn’t put her up to this. I didn’t think I could bite my tongue if they tried another intervention. There was only so much my patience could take.
“Yes, Aileen. I waited until now. I thought if I gave you space you might reach out again, but I see now that was a stupid hope.” Anger throbbed in her voice.
