She frowns. “Y-yeah, I did. But—”
“Which is why you need to tell Helga about this,” I say gruffly.
“I can’t.” Irina frowns. “Anything close to it is forbidden on campus. If I come clean, I’ll be expelled. My parents would freak out. I can’t turn myself in.”
I glance down the hall, impatient. Edith and Nils are long gone by now. There’s no time for this.
“You should have thought of that before meddling with this,” I say. “Either you tell Helga or I will.”
Irina presses her lips together and assesses me with a narrowed gaze. “If I turn myself in, then I’m telling her about Nils, too.” Her eyes meet mine, defiant.
Damn it.I grind my teeth. I can’t allow that to happen, and Irina must know it too.
“Fine, just… don’t do it again. The last thing Skallagrim needs is another Tragedy,” I say before hurrying down the hall.
Edith and my brother have already been alone too long. I take the stairs down, moving as quickly as I can to make up for lost time. Throwing open the door, I look around the witch campus, head swiveling. Classes are over with for the week, so most students are either at their dorms or eating dinner.
There.
Nils and Edith are heading toward the dining hall.
I stay out of sight. I don’t know how attuned Edith is with her senses yet, but if I’m not careful, she could scent my leathers on the breeze. She’d realize that I’m hunting her. As I move closer, I catch some of their conversation.
“Hey, if you’re worried, don’t be,” Nils says, stopping before the stairs.
Edith scoffs. “How can I not be? She—”
Nils lowers his voice. “We don’t even know for sure thatwasEmilía. It could have been another spirit messing with us. You heard Irina. She’s never done that before.”
Edith drags her hands down her face. “I don’t know what to thinkanymore.”
“Which is why we’re going to find out who Emilía’s boyfriend is,” Nils says, his voice softening. “Don’t worry, we’ll figure this out. We’ll prove you didn’t do it.”
Edith bites her lip. “Okay.”
She doesn’t sound convinced.
“You should eat something,” Nils urges her. “You’ll feel better once you do.”
“You’re not coming?” Edith asks, sounding disappointed.
Nils shakes his head, curls swaying. “I have to meet my mom for dinner.”
My chest grows tight. It’s been years since I had one of my mother’s home-cooked meals, but I still remember their savory taste full of warmth and comfort. As a bitter breeze blows through the courtyard, I miss her more than ever.
“Right,” Edith says. “Of course.”
“I’d better get going, actually.” Nils hesitates a moment. “Be careful, okay? Whoever Emilía was seeing, he could be dangerous.”
“I know. I will be, don’t worry.” Edith starts up the steps, but then she pauses and turns back to Nils. “Thank you for helping me today. I appreciate it.”
Nils rubs the back of his neck. “It’s no trouble, really.”
Her lips curl into a smile. “It means a lot to me. Being at this school, dealing with these new powers, well… you believing in me, it means a lot.” Nils looks away, a slight blush coloring his cheeks. Edith shakes her head and blows out a breath. “Anyway, I’ll see you next week. I’ll let you know what I find out in class on Monday.”
“Good luck,” Nils says, tucking his hands into his pockets. He watches her head inside the dining hall, then walks toward the witch campus.
Towardme.
