Bitter Demons

21. A Plague On This Town

The fact that Jackson's kisses had gone from passionate to pecks on the forehead was not completely lost on me. I blamed myself for the way I'd pushed him in the orchard to tell me more than he wanted to tell. When he dropped me off at home, he hugged me tight, but there was no passion.

I longed to feel his lips on mine. Anything to wash away the memory of Caroline's scream.

"Will I see you tomorrow?" I asked.

"I'm going to try to stay as close to you as I can," he said. "I don't know who they'll post as your guard, but whoever it is probably won't be a big fan of me hanging around."

I suddenly remembered the horrible things Meredith had said about him. In the horror of the night's events, I'd completely forgotten about it. Now hardly seemed like the time to ask him why the Order called him Wrath. It would have to wait.

"Thanks for being on my side," I said instead. "I don't know what I would do without you."

He smiled and ran his thumb across my cheek. "Try to get some rest," he said. "I'll find a way to see you tomorrow."

We said goodbye, and I headed inside Shadowford Home. Even though it was after midnight, Mrs. Shadowford was waiting for me. The second I stepped in the door, she called out to me from her suite of rooms down the hallway.

I stepped inside her door. The room was darker than usual, her lights dimmed to a deep amber. "Yes?"

"What took you so long to get home? Mrs. Ashworth called half an hour ago.""I had to wait for Jack-"

"I don't want to hear your excuses." Her sharp tone caught me off guard. She squinted toward me in the half-darkness. "Everyone speaks of you as if you were some kind of messiah, returned to save us all from our own weakness. But I think you are a plague on this town. Death follows you like a dark storm-cloud."

My knees locked in place and I tried to keep my hands from shaking. Mrs. Shadowford's tone dripped with hatred.

"We've seen nothing but heartache since the moment you first arrived," she said, her beady eyes locked on mine. "And here I sit, my hands tied to do anything about it. But mark my words, young lady. You will soon be under my control. Once the council sees the kind of girl you really are, they'll give me permission to take more drastic measures to keep you in line."

I swallowed, but my mouth was so dry. I knew Mrs. Shadowford wasn't particularly fond of me, but for the most part, she'd stayed out of my life except for the occasional question or instruction. I had no idea what kind of drastic measures she was capable of enforcing, but it didn't sound like fun.

"I'm tired," I said, holding my voice steady. "I'm going to go to bed."

I turned to leave, but the door slammed shut so fast I could feel the rush of air blow my hair off my shoulders. Slowly, I turned back to her. Mrs. Shadowford's wrinkled hand was raised high in the air. She balled up her fist and brought it down on top of her desk with a smack. I jumped as several items in the room began to shake.

"You will not turn your back on me like I am some servant," she said. Her anger radiated throughout the room. Picture frames vibrated against the wall. The beads on a small lampshade on her desk began to shake. "Until you become Prima, you are still under my supervision in this household. Do you understand me?"

I nodded and took a step back."You will go up to your room and not come down until you are called for," she said. Her fist was still clutched tight, her wrist shaking from tension. "Your meals will be brought up to you. Now go."

The door opened on its own, and I pushed through as fast as I could. I ran up the stairs and down the hall to my room. Courtney must have been waiting for me, because the second I hit the top step, she came rushing from her room.

"What happened?" she asked, breathless and wide-eyed.I threw a glance over my shoulder. I couldn't afford to stand around in the hall talking, but I wasn't sure I was allowed to have visitors in my room either. The last thing I wanted to do was piss Mrs. Shadowford off more than she already was.

"I can't talk about it," I said. I slipped into my room, but left the door open.

Courtney started to follow, and I put my hand up to stop her. "What?" she asked.

"I'm not sure you're allowed in here with me," I whispered. "Mrs. Shadowford's really upset with me, and I don't want to risk making it worse."

"Gosh, what did you do?" She leaned forward, matching my tone of voice.

Across the hall, Mary Anne's door opened a small crack. Courtney and I both turned at the sound of the squeaking hinges. She was dressed all in black, as usual. Her black hair fell across her face, and her eyes were ringed with red, as if she'd been crying. Her eyes locked on mine. She gasped.

"Harper?"

She looked surprised to see me."Yes?" I said.

She slapped her hand across her mouth and shook her head, then slammed her door shut.

"What was that about?" Courtney asked. "Harper, what's going on?"

"I'm not sure," I said. I stared dumbly at Mary Anne's closed door. The way she looked at me when our eyes met... Did Mary Anne know something about what happened tonight? Why would she have been surprised to see me, unless she never expected me to come home? She wasn't at the party, so how would she have heard? If Courtney didn't know, I assumed Mary Anne didn't either. But now, I wasn't so sure.

"Is there anything I can do to help? Can I get you something to drink or anything?"

I shook my head. "It's been a long night. I think I just want to get some rest. But can you do me a favor?"

"Just name it," she said.

"Come by my room in the morning," I said. "I might need you to deliver a note to Jackson."

I sat down at my desk once she was gone and wrote a short note to Jackson. What do you know about Mary Anne?