“Unfortunately no. Human.” I point to my face. Plus, I was dog-tired after the day I had, but I don’t mention that part.
“That’s fucked up. Why would someone do that?”
“We thought it was to scare her, to show Quinn the darker aspects of being around supernaturals, like the first prank. But now I’m not so convinced.” Evan taps his fingers on the arm of the chair he’s sitting in.
“First prank?” Alice eyes me again.
“Dead pig. It was left in my room the first night when I got back from dinner with you guys.” I twist my lips after retelling the story, no need to try to hide it now.
“You didn’t tell me any of this.” Alice swats my arm. It stings a little, even though I know she wasn’t trying to hurt me.
Griffin makes a growling sound behind me. Alice’s eyes jump up to his, wide and a little fearful. I run my hand down Griffin’s thigh reassuringly and ignore it.
“It wasn’t a big deal. The pig I mean, but the blood…” I sneer, leaving the rest unsaid. “I would find little things out of place in my office too. I thought it was just to make me uncomfortable, trying to get me to leave, but I wasn’t about to let anyone scare me away.”
“You never told me that!” Evan sounds accusatory.
“Or me.” Griffin doesn’t sound any happier. “Someone was in your office too?”
“Like I said, I knew what they were doing. I never expected it to escalate to anything else.” I feel slightly defensive. It’s not like I’m going to tattle every time someone looks at me crossly.
“You should have told me.” Evan gives me a warning glower. “Not many people go up to the third floor. There are only a few offices up there besides yours and his.” He points his finger at Griffin.
“I assumed from the beginning it was a kid just because the stuff was sort of harmless, in a weird kind of way.”
“We did too,” Evan concurs, “and Michelle seemed to be the perfect suspect, considering she’d already tried to sneak into the staff wing more than once.” Wes nods, agreeing with Evan’s announcement. “Then there was the attack on Quinn that Michelle reluctantly admitted to. We knew she wasn’t working alone though, since someone had to let her out of the containment room. So that leaves an unknown threat at the school.”
“Which is why they insist on having me followed,” I add.
Evan continues as if I didn’t just interrupt him. “We only recently suspected the sippin’, and that’s when shit started to take on a new light. What if the blood in Quinn’s room was just an easy explanation for what happened to the missing blood from the bank?”
“I wish I had some information to give you, but it all seemed fine when I went in. I signed in, filled out my preferred type, and when it was ready, they would tell me what room was available and that was that,” Wes states simply.
“Why didn’t you just get it delivered?” Evan inquires.
Wes’ eyes dart to Alice, then me. He licks his bottom lip quickly. “I had to monitor my intake in the beginning. My transition, when it finally hit, was hard and fast. It seemed safer to have to go get it than having access all the time,” he admits.
Questions filter through my mind, but I know now’s not the right time. Honestly, there probably never will be, it seems deeply personal. Alice lays her hand on Wes’ thigh and gives him a little squeeze.
“What about the nurses, any issues there?” Evan presses, not making a big deal out of what Wes just disclosed.
“Not really.” He winces a little. “Some were nicer than others, but everyone has bad days.”
“They better not have beentoonice.” Alice bumps Wes’ shoulder. He grins at her in return, and the anxious gleam that was in his eyes moments ago is pretty much erased.
“If it would help, I could start going back. Keep my eyes and ears peeled,” Wes offers.
“I’m expecting to have this solved sooner rather than later, so I hope that won’t be necessary, but I’ll keep it in mind, thanks.” Evan moves to stand. “I know you’ve had a long day, so we won’t keep you any longer. Alice can fill you in on the other stuff we talked about.”
Understanding the dismissal, Wes stands and helps Alice to her feet. “All right, just let me know.”
“We appreciate all of your help, both of you,” Evan says, following them to the door. When I move to push off Griffin’s thigh to get up and say goodbye, he holds me down.
“Bye, Alice. Thanks for hanging out with me,” I call instead.
She turns around and gives me a sly smile. “Any time, Quinny. Thanks for an entertaining afternoon.” She wiggles her brows.
“Entertaining?” Griffin mutters once the door closes behind them.
