???
“TheAlopeciaworking’s been attributed to Blythe, not Carm,” Mud said softly. “She’s being sent home in disgrace.”
“Blythe? No. That can’t be right,” Angie said, closing her math book, a finger stuck in the pages to hold her place. “Wait. The administrator took Carmelina and Jessamine to her office. They accused her, didn’t they?”
“Nobody’s saying, but yeah. Blythe says she didn’t do it.”
Angie leaned against the tree at her back, rocking her head into the bark, thinking it through the way Koun always taught, trying to consider the opponent’s strategy. “Why would Dr. Jenkins take their word for that?”
“You’re gonna get chiggers or ticks,” Mud said, taking a seat beside her.
“Nah,” she said, her mind on the sticky problem. “I made ’em all go away.”
“Nice trick. Can you teach me that?” Mud asked.
“No, but I can give you a family amulet when we get back to the cabin. You think Carm and Jessa’s witch clans, or theirparents, have something over Dr. Jenkins? Or maybe over the school?”
“Or maybe whatever it is originates with the school. My internet and cell phone hour is before lunch. I’ll get my sister to run a search on the board of directors and the school’s financials. And on Dr. Jenkins.”
Angie sat up straight and scowled at Mud. “You know stuff. Secrets. Politics. Who’s your sister?”
Mud had the grace to look embarrassed. “Ummm. Nell’s a special agent with PsyLED.”
PsyLED, the Psychometric Law Enforcement agency that policed paranormals. And . . . worked with the queen’s people to keep tabs on dangerous paranormals. It occurred to Angie that she could contact her Uncle RickyBo. He wasn’t an uncle by birth, but was chosen family, and . . . he worked at PsyLED. Little bits of information fell into place and left Angie instantly suspicious. Her eyes narrowed. “What office does your sister work from?”
“Knoxville.”
The answer stabbed Angie. That was the same office where her uncle worked. Maybe Mud wasn’t her friend after all. Softly she asked, “Are you keeping tabs on me?”
Mud’s embarrassment vanished beneath a glare of fury. “What! No. That’s an awful thing to say.”
“How did you know so much about witch politics?”
“I looked you and your clan and your family up on the internet, like any sensible person would do when there was so much gossip. Gossip is evil. I don’t gossip,” Mud said, her voice harsh and her accent coming in stronger. “And it’s not like you’un ever asked about my family or my secrets, ’cause iffen you’un had I’d atoleyou.”
“Oh. I’m . . . You’re right.” Her fear of betrayal vanished, to be replaced by a different fear, this one almost numbing. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Are we still friends?”
“I don’t know.” Mud crossed her arms over her chest, her face still tight with anger. “But . . . I reckon you’re all I got.”
Angie spluttered with laughter. “That’s mean.”
“It’s deserved.”
“Okay. I agree. Ireallyam sorry.”
“You get so suspicious because of you’un being the queen’s goddaughter? People wanting to be your friend to get to her?”
“Or wanting to kill me because of her.”
Mud didn’t react the way Angie expected. A single leaf unfurled in her hairline but there was no shock. Instead, her eyes narrowed in what might have been anger. “That sucks. Good thing you got ways to protect yourself. Magic and all. I got nothing except to give people a severe case of poison ivy.”
Angie snorted with laughter. “That’s a good defensive move, though. It’s nearly eleven. You gonna contact your sister for the search?”
Mud stood and adjusted her overalls. “You really are a piece a work. But I reckon you get a lot of people wanting to use you for your relationship with the queen and digging into your business.” Without waiting for Angie’s reply, she trotted away, her overalls making a scritch-scritch sound as she jogged.
Angie realized the anger in Mud’s eyes had beenprotectiveanger. Protective of Angie.
To the empty air around her, Angie said, “I’m stupid.” Then she stood and tucked her math book under her arm. She didn’t need math to go talk to Blythe. With no one in sight, Angie pulled anobfuscationworking over herself and headed to Cabin A.
