Shadowed (Unbound, Book 2)

Chapter Twenty Nine

The next morning I woke early, but took my time getting ready so I could avoid having to make nice with Devland. Had he lied on purpose or just believed the doctor without bothering to double-check facts? It had been easy to find out about my accident on the internet. The fact that the police had yet to rule out foul play was a big omission. Safety 101: Know Your Enemy. How could Devland send me back to school not knowing if my accident was an accident or if someone helped me into the water? Calin's warning was starting to make more sense, at least in part, but Devland maybe lying didn't necessarily equate to danger.

Ten minutes before I figured I had to leave—just enough time left for toast—I wandered downstairs. Devland wasn't at the table, but his leftover breakfast hadn't been cleared away. Music streamed from the kitchen and I found Mrs. Renaldi humming as she loaded the dishwasher.

"Morning," I said.

She jumped at the sound of my voice, and then turned around, her hand resting over her red plaid shirt just over her heart.

I laughed. "Sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

Mrs. Renaldi dropped her hand and smiled. Her cheerfulness leaked red into her cheeks, lighting her eyes with glee. "Cutting it pretty close, hey?"

I shrugged. "I was getting ready."

"Mm hmm." She winked. "Well, you're just in time for some toast and coffee."

"Coffee?"

"Trust me, you love it," she said, "but you can't tell Miss Rose about it. She doesn't allow it in the house."

"Okay?" I rolled my eyes. Who made rules like that?

The toaster popped behind her and Mrs. Renaldi turned to butter two slices. She came back a minute later and handed me two slices on some paper towel and a coffee in a Styrofoam cup steaming through the crack in the lid.

"How did you know I was coming down?" I held the cup up. "Where did this come from?"

"If you hadn't come down, I would have come to you. The coffee... Well, let's just say Luna, the woman who owns Celestial Java, thinks very highly of you." She winked and returned to the dishes.

I wanted to ask how to get in the garage, but clearly, she was busy. So I turned around and left the kitchen, cursing my ability to forget such simple facts like where the garage door was located. Instead, I had to waste time going outside and hoping for a way in.

The door was closed and I didn't have a switch.

But then, when I turned to go back to ask Mrs. Renaldi for help, I noticed a side door on the garage. Of course, it wasn't locked—who could get past the gate and break in? Leprechauns weren't that lucky and only an idiot would try. I used the remote to unlock my car to be sure I had the right one, though there were only two and one was tarped.

Grateful I didn't have to ram my way out, and only a little scared my memory to drive might have been lost, I found the door opener hanging from the visor and steered my way out in reverse. Cleared, I put it in drive and zoomed away from the Manor. Not only was driving a remembered skill, but I remembered how to use the navigation system. Without it, I doubted I had ever had any sense of direction.

The closer I got to school, the more my mind thought back to Calin's warning. Be careful. My stomach tied to knots, almost paralyzing. I tried to use logic to calm my nerves. If it was so dangerous for me at Grimas, Calin would never leave me to navigate it alone, blind from what I ought to be aware of. Everything would be fine.

What could possibly happen at school?

*****

It was hard, walking the halls and feeling everyone's stare without a friend at my side. Law, my third period class just before lunch, was the easiest to bear, but that's just because everyone was too busy giving presentations to contemplate my presence. Otherwise, I would be Exhibit A.