Trinity High (Book 1 of the Trinity Series)

Chapter 20

"You can go ahead in. Your father is running late in a meeting. He'll be here soon enough," the secretary in front of my father's office said. I smiled fakely at her before pushing open the heavy mahogany doors and stepping into my father's dark office.

I didn't know what to do when I got inside. I sat down on one of the plush leather chairs in front of his great, wooden desk. I looked at the grandfather clock behind the desk and tapped my foot impatiently. It was really very annoying that he wasn't here right now, especially since he had called and taken me out of class. At the moment, I was missing Spell Formation, which was my favorite class this semester.

I decided to take the time to look around the room. I had never really noticed any details about his office. Usually when I was there, I was focused on trying to torture him for his mistakes in the past. But after Thanksgiving break, I felt as if we had established a bit of an understanding. But that didn't mean I still hated him. He would have to do a lot more than just give me an awesome room to make me like him again.

I stood up and walked to the window. The intricately carved wooden shutters were closed so that no sunlight streamed in. I glanced at the design. It was a fleur de lis. My eyes moved from the window to the walls, which were painted a deep navy blue colour. Along the top edges was a border of many dull gold fleur de lis designs. The background of the border was a deep crimson that reminded me of blood. Now my eyes wandered over to my father's desk, which was neat. There was a small stack of papers on one side. On corner closest to the door was a black tray with files in it. The other side of the desk had a sleek black computer monitor.

I walked behind the desk and tried one of the drawers. To my surprise, it opened. I sneakily glanced inside of it. There were several used notepads that had my father's familiar slanted cursive handwriting on it. I moved aside some fancy pens and unopened envelopes. When I didn't find anything interesting, I closed it and opened up the one underneath it. When I opened it, I didn't need to look any further. The thing that caught my attention was right on top.

It was a picture of a beautiful blonde girl with long, flowing hair and sparkling amber eyes. I furrowed my brow. She looked so familiar. Where had I seen her?

Just then, I heard my father's voice as he talked to the secretary out front. I quickly placed the picture back in the drawer and took my seat on the leather couch just as my father opened the door to his office.

"I'm so sorry, Caley. The meeting ran longer than expected. Have you been waiting long?" he asked.

"What meeting?" I asked, ignoring his question. He sat down and looked at me, his eyes weary.

"I have something important to talk to you about," he said, ignoring my question. I gave him a curious look, before shrugging it off. I guess two could play at that game.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Unfortunately, I have to be away for winter holidays. I won't be able to stay at home," he said.

"What has that got to do with me?" I asked.

"Well, you need a place to stay," he said. I frowned.

"Why can't I just stay in the apartment. I think I can handle myself for three weeks," I said.

"That's not the point. I can't let you stay in that apartment alone for that long," he told me.

"Why not? You don't trust me?" I asked.

"That's not what I'm saying at all," he replied, rubbing his eyes. He looked so tired and old. "I just feel uncomfortable leaving you alone," he said.

"What? Are you hiding something in your apartment that you don't want me to find accidentally?" I asked sarcastically.

"That's not the reason at all. It will save me some worrying if you stay somewhere with adults," he said.