My Ex From Hell (The Blooming Goddess Trilogy, #1)

Truth is stranger than prediction (Part 4)

I slid down the wall and tried to memorize the gibberish that Cassie had spouted, so I could share it with Hannah and Theo and see if they understood it. I sure didn't. But that didn't keep it from sounding bad. Really bad.

I didn't see Hannah and Theo again until after classes were done for the day. I'd skipped out and spent the afternoon in the library doing more research, typing what she'd said into every search engine I could think of. No results. I didn't actually think it was going to be that easy, but jeez, something could have come up.

I pulled the two of them into an empty classroom and recited what Cassie had said.

"None of it means anything to you?" Hannah asked.

"Nothing. 'One above and one below' could be me and Kai or Zeus and Hades. Though I couldn't find any reference to Persephone, I mean me, and a key."

"Kai? He's part of the plan?" Theo was radiating thundercloud.

"Maybe?" I idly spun a globe which sat on top of a low bookcase. "Cassie knew I was Persephone. She could be right about this."

If anything, his expression grew darker. "Cassie. She's Cassandra. As in the oracle Cassandra who could predict the future—"

"But who no one believed," Hannah finished. "How did she end up here? This sudden epidemic of Greek figures in teen bodies is a little too Invasion of the Body Snatchers for me." She tilted her head and regarded the chemical equation on the board.

Theo muttered a few more choice words about Kai before answering. "I don't think that's it. Cassandra had a couple kids who everyone figured were murdered. But it's not like there was DNA evidence to prove anything, was there? I think this Cassie is a descendent with the same abilities."

"Could be," I said. "She's always seemed kind of, well, off. I probably do too, now. The stench of crazy."

"What I'm more concerned about is when did she realize all this about you? Could it have been before the kiss?" asked Theo, leaning against a table.

"I doubt it. I never got that sense," I replied. "I'm pretty sure it was that same night. The next morning she made this Persephone reference which I didn't get until you told me your real name. She seemed really wigged out. Mentioned she'd had a bad night."

"I'll bet." Hannah said. "Especially if it was the first time she actually got these predictions or whatever they are for her." She moved up to the board, picked up a piece of chalk and made an adjustment to the equation.

"I tried to ask her about it but we got interrupted. Not that she looked willing to talk."

"Could be when you broke through to your true identity, it triggered her full-on abilities. Which means that she's right and Kai could be integral to all this. You're sure you don't remember anything about the plan?" Theo looked at me hopefully.

"Not yet. Sorry."

"Let's see if she's up for a bit of a chat," Hannah said, brushing chalk dust off of her hands. We walked in silence to the nurse's office. The door was open and the lights were on. Cassie was still there, sitting up on the bed with her back to us.

Theo, Hannah and I exchanged glances. This seemed more promising than before.

Hannah stepped forward. "Cassie?" she said. No response.

I was chilled. This is what had happened last time before the crazy kicked in. I wasn't up to hearing any more doom.

"Cassie?" Theo spoke a little louder. We came around the bed so we could see her. Cassie was staring blankly at a wall.

"She's stoned out of her tree," I said. I shook her but she didn't even react, she was so looped out.

"It's like she's frozen," Hannah commented, waving a hand in front of her face.

Theo picked up a small pill bottle on the table beside her and peered at the label. "Chlorpromazine."

Hannah frowned. "That's an antipsychotic." She took the bottle from Theo. "And a really high dosage of it."

"No wonder she's all zombie," I said.

"This much can't be good for her," Hannah observed. "But I can't tell who prescribed it."

"Someone who doesn't want her speaking, obviously," said Theo. "She might spill something that someone wants kept from Sophie."

"Worse than I'm going to destroy the world?"

"It might not be about the earth," Hannah added. "It might be personal to you." She glanced at Theo. "Like Kai?"

"Prime suspect number one."

"Because you don't like him," I sputtered. "Doesn't mean he'd OD Cassie. That's just evil."

"Or self-serving," Theo pointed out.

"What do we do about her?" Hannah asked, concerned, trying to catch Cassie as she fell slowly backward onto the bed. She lay Cassie down and put a blanket over her.

"We take the bottle and leave her. For now." Theo ordered. "Tonight we come back and see if she's more coherent."

Hannah pocketed the pill bottle. "Fine."

We cleared out of the room in time to find Kai heading straight for us. "Don't you dare abandon me," I muttered to Hannah and Theo.

"Don't panic. All is well," Theo soothed, grasping my elbow and steering me down another corridor before our two parties could actually meet. He pushed us all into a classroom, then peered out of the window to see if Kai had followed.

"That's odd," he said. "He's not coming."

Hannah's hand flew to her mouth in exclamation. "What if he was coming for Cassie, not looking for Sophie? And we just left her alone?"

She flung the door open and we raced back to the nurse's office. The door was locked. I tugged desperately on it to no avail. "Find Stan," I cried. "He has a key."

Hannah and Theo raced off in different directions to track him down while I uselessly pounded on the door. "Cassie? Kai? Open up in there."

It felt like forever but was only moments before Hannah dragged Stan over and he unlocked the door for us.

We bolted inside. But it was too late.

Cassie was gone.