VILLAIN

Chapter 4

 "Where have you been?" Meriwether demanded as I changed into a fresh uniform and ran a brush through my twig-infested hair.

I winced, trying to figure out a way to explain myself. I should've thought about this on the way up here, but I had been too busy pondering my strange encounter with Professor Fennel to think about anything else. For a moment I considered lying, but I was really no good at that anyway, and Meriwether was a master lie detector.

So instead I just sighed, relating to her a condensed version of my night. I left out the part about Professor Fennel's garden, though, because some sort of instinct told me that was best kept secret.

After I'd finished, Meriwether snorted. "All that trouble to sleep in some bug-infested tree?"

I rolled my eyes. "It...felt like home," I said vaguely.

Meriwether arched an eyebrow. "Is this another one of those Thimble Boy things?" she asked.

I tried as hard as I could to keep my face neutral, but no matter how many times I chanted don't blush don't blush don't blush to myself, my body refused to listen. And Meriwether donned a triumphant smirk at my pink cheeks, pumping her tiny green fist in the air.

"Ha ha! I knew it," she exclaimed.

Then she seemed to have thought of something, because she paled, letting out a gasp. "You didn't go out to that tree to...see him, did you?" she asked, not bothering to conceal the gossip in her voice.

My eyebrows shot upwards, and I made a face. "What? Are you crazy? No, I didn't see him! And for the last time – my family gave me that necklace!"

Meriwether grinned knowingly, wiggling her eyebrows. "Uh-huh. Sure. And I'm certain the fact that you randomly decided to miss curfew in a tree on the edge of the forest – which you knew was forbidden – had nothing to do with a secret tryst between you and Thimble Boy."

I rolled my eyes, tying my hair back in a braid. "You're disgusting," I told her.

Meriwether only laughed harder, falling back on her bed and shaking with giggles enough to make me wonder if she'd accidentally drank Giggle Serum.

"Moira and Thimby, sitting in a tree," she teased. "K-I-S-S-I-N--"

"Oh, shut up already," I snapped, throwing a pillow at her.

She groaned, sitting up again, her cheeks flushed bright green from her laughter. At my look of anger, though, she waved her hand in the air. "Alright, alright," she said with obvious irritation. "Fiiiiiiiiiiiiine. I'll stop."

I rolled my eyes again, but in a friendly way this time. "Thank you," I replied, opening our door and walking down the stairs to meet James.

But I could've sworn I heard her mutter "G" behind me.

The early part of the day went by in relative normalcy, Meriwether, James, and I joking through breakfast as usual, then heading to our morning session. James and I both had Basic Wit and Strategy, a class that we both equally despised. Professor Quip seemed to be perhaps the sourest teacher in the school, a fact that I was certain was the single reason James hadn't moved on from the class ages ago. I, on the other hand, was doing only marginally better in Wit and Strategy than I was in Spells and Enchantments. I didn't mind too much, though, because it was the only class other than Level II Brewing that James and I shared. And, mercifully, the bells chimed just as I had started wondering if they were still working, and off to lunch we went.

Afternoon sessions were at least interesting, albeit humiliating, as I had Spells and Enchantments again. Though I tried my hardest in that class, I never could get the hang of things, and Professor Jinx had taken to hovering over my desk with a deep frown, sighing every time I moved. It was nerve-racking, sure, but I did at least have one small victory in that class. No rats met their demise that day, which was more than I could say for the past five lessons. Still, I was exhausted after two hours of Jinx's scrutiny, and I headed wearily back to the commons. Meriwether and James arrived a few minutes later – Meriwether having come from Appearances, which probably contributed greatly to her sour mood. James, for his part, was trying desperately to perk her up – even going to far as to offer her a spell-casting duel, which was quite a sacrifice considering how low his chance of winning was. However, despite his valiant efforts, Meriwether stormed from the commons and into our shared dorm, slamming the door behind her without even bothering to respond to him.