His words made me want to vomit. That was my worst fear— the thought of John attacking another woman. I’d been praying to the ancestors I was the only one, but I was all but certain there had to be more victims. Hopefully my brother’s actionswouldcause John to pause before he cornered another girl again.
“Still,” I argued. “The Institute isn’t a great place to be.”
“Maybe it’s not such a bad thing,” Ezekiel said with a shrug.
He was an optimist to the point of his own detriment. “Ez, you’re inprison! This isn’t a good situation.”
“I was failing at Orenda Academy. My magic sucks,” Ezekiel insisted. “I couldn’t keep up in my Toaqua classes. I can’t even levitate a ball of water.”
“It can’t be that bad,” I scoffed. “Last semester, Mama said you were casting Water like a natural.”
“She was exaggerating to try and boost my confidence. I’m shit.”
“I don’t believe you.”
Ezekiel pointed to the condensation on the window and raised an eyebrow. Then he moved his hand toward it, in a way that should’ve commanded the droplets to move.
They didn’t budge an inch. He made a gesture toward the window, and I blew out a breath. “Okay, so you’re new at this. Big deal.”
“At my age, I should be able to do more than what I’m capable of,” Ezekiel said. “The Elementai program at the Institute is at a slower pace. I might do better in an elemental class that’s easier than the ones at Orenda Academy.”
That was putting it lightly. The elemental class at the Institute was a course for beginners and people who couldn’t do magic. Charlie and I were bored out of our minds during that class. It was just too simple.
But maybe Ez was right and that’s what he needed.
“I’m sorry about Rosary,” I offered. “I knew you were hoping you two could work things out.”
Good thing they hadn’t, though. I hated that bitch.
“I don’t care abouther,” Ezekiel said, in a way that sounded like he was repulsed. “You should’ve seen the way she looked at me after she got done kissing John, like she wanted to brag about it. She loved rubbing it in my face that she’d moved on. Really, Ava, it doesn’t bother me that she and John are together. I went after him because he hurt you, but that was the only reason.”
I chewed my lip nervously. “Ez, what if you had killed him, in the public where everyone could see? You’d be doing life right now.”
“I didn’t care at the moment. I just wanted him dead. I saw the look in his eyes as I was wailing on him. He knew exactly what he did and why I was doing it,” Ezekiel said darkly. “I think he was terrified I was going to tell everyone what he’d done. But I wouldn’t do that to you.”
“It sounded like you and Daddy really got into it,” I pressed. “What did you guys say to each other?”
Ezekiel wrinkled his nose and crossed his arms, hunching his shoulders. “I don’t want to talk about Dad. He really pissed me off after I was arrested. He said some shit he shouldn’t have.”
“He probably didn’t mean it,” I said gently. “I imagine he was devastated at the thought of sending you here.”
“Yeah, well, I get that it doesn’t look good for him. He’s a chief, and two of his kids are in prison,” Ezekiel admitted, scratching the back of his head.
“It’s not about that. He’s going to miss you.”
Ezekiel huffed. “Yeah, well, could’ve fooled me. There was some stuff said that he can’t take back.”
Their argument must’ve been bad. I redirected the conversation. “What about the rest of the family?”
“Well, you know Mom. She’s just trying to hold everyone together,” Ezekiel said. “Alana just seems… really confused. You know she’s smart. She might piece it together.”
I nodded. I didn’t really mind if my sister knew, but I hoped she didn’t figure it out before I told her on my own, and I wasn’t ready yet. Not after this fiasco with Ezekiel. “And Mav?”
Ezekiel frowned. “I, uh, had to tell Maverick,” Ezekiel said reluctantly. “He wasreallyupset when you left, and when I got sentenced, he practically lost it. He’s just a kid, Ava. It’s not fair to him to lose two siblings to prison at such a young age and not know why.”
“I wanted to tell him myself, Ez.”
“I get that, but he was in a rage. I thought he might hurt himself. I had to calm him down somehow. He took it pretty well, actually,” Ezekiel said fairly. “He thought that I did the right thing and it was good I was coming here, to protect you. He promised not to say anything.”
