“It’s not just that, though.” I chew my lip, not knowing how much more I should say as I join her at the sinks. “I’m worried Isaac might be dangerous.”
“Isaac? Dangerous?” Tala stares at me, stunned.
She erupts into loud laughter like I just said the funniest joke she’s ever heard. Her whole body is shaking, and she has to wipe away tears before she can speak. “Oh, you’re serious? Are you sure we’re talking about the same Isaac?”
I do my best to ignore her. “I think he might have hurt someone.”
Tala shakes her head, checking her makeup in the mirror. “I’ve known Isaac for years. He would never hurt anyone, trust me.”
Mom used to say something similar about my dad.I know him. He wouldn’treallyhurt me.That’s how she ended up dead. I chew on one of my nails, unsure how I can convince Tala. Even if she already knew Isaac was cheating on her, I doubt she knows how it ended.
“Emilía is dead,” I blurt out before I can think better of it.
Tala raises an eyebrow. “Emilía?”
“The girl Isaac was hooking up with. Someone killed her… and I think it was him.”
Tala stares at me, blinking a few times. Then her eyes narrow. “You have no idea what you’re talking about,” she says, the words practically a growl. “You don’t know anything about Isaac. Don’t you dare accuse him of that. You’rewayout of line here, Edith.”
She storms off, slamming the door behind her.
Damn it. I grip the smooth porcelain sink, leaning against it as I swear under my breath.
That didn’t go how I thought it would at all.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWOAMUND
Chalk scrapes as Father scrawlsEcology of Fearacross the blackboard. “Can anyone tell me what this is?” he asks, turning to look out over our Hunting Techniques class.
I wait to see if anyone is going to raise their hand. Once, I asked Father why we hunt the wild berserkir, and he explained the concept to me in detail.
No one volunteers, so I answer. “It’s the idea that animals who know they’re being hunted will behave differently,” I say, using the same words Father did. “For example, hunted animals will be less likely to approach humans or will even alter their behavior during the day to avoid hunters.”
Father nods. Smiles. “Correct. Very good.”
Something warm spreads through me at his praise.
He writes on the board:
Ways predators impact prey behavior:
Approach distance
Diurnal activity
Vigilance
As I jot down the last one, it makes me think of Edith.
She knows I’m hunting her now. She’s going to become more careful, making my job that much more difficult. Especially since I’m beginning to have doubts after Saturday. Catching her in the seer school was supposed to convince me of her guilt, not make mequestionit. But her gray eyes were so wide, so frightened, when she ran into me. Was that really the look of a killer?
I can’t get her expression out of my head. When I found her standing over Emilía, I mistook it as emotionless, but what if Edith was in shock? She didn’t lie about not being able to go berserk either. Her file confirmed as much. There are just as many things that don’t add up about Edith being the killer as there are that do.
What if I’ve been wrong about Edith the entire time?
After class, I wait until everyone leaves before approaching Father at his desk.
“You did well today,” he says.
