Sin of the Saint

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: THE HALLOWEEN PARTY

"Ms. Chiaki!" Liv knocked on her door quickly, her heartbeat so quick she thought it might put her into cardiac arrest. Though she'd stopped her training session, the sweat wouldn't stop. "Ms. Chiaki!"

"Young Olivia...come in," she replied calmly. When Liv came through the door and practically threw herself into the chair across from her desk, Ms. Chiaki's eyebrows raised, "Is this unwarranted panic going to be a regular thing with you?"

Liv set her phone down in between them both, "Probably. Listen...I got a phone call. I was expecting Holden to call...but instead, I got this distorted voice saying that they know who I am and that they're coming for me. Ms. Chiaki, if it's at all possible that whoever called knows that I'm the Charitable Saint—they're going to tell Cupid! I'll be finished! The world will be finished!"

Ms. Chiaki kept her composure, though Liv could tell she was concerned. "Open your phone—give me that number."

Liv obeyed her and pulled up her recent calls. She pushed her phone to Ms. Chiaki, who took a glance at the number before retrieving her fan and spreading it widely in front of them. A dial pad showed up on the face of the fan, and a gloved finger pressed Liv's phone number into the old-fashioned dial pad.

"This is why I didn't know about this...it was from a payphone just outside of town," Ms. Chiaki mumbled. "I can't see quite that far if I don't know the individual doing this."

"What if I could give you an idea?"

Ms. Chiaki narrowed her eyes, "What do you mean?"

"I heard two girls talking today...and I think they were talking about the holy war...both Sins, I think."

"Who were they?"

Liv cleared her throat, "Well...I think perhaps Rose Mendez or Marie Reynolds was one of them...and the other I think was Leah Briggs—"

"You think? You're going to accuse them all on nothing but a theory?" Ms. Chiaki asked venomously.

Liv threw her hands up in the air, "It's something, Ms. Chiaki! It may not be much, but their conversation involved Holden and a guy named Toby Rasmussen. They said some things that made me think they may be involved...something about how Holden's mood may "give Toby a chance" or something of that nature. So no, it's not perfect information, Ms. Chiaki but it's something."

Ms. Chiaki tightened her lips and nodded, "Toby Rasmussen...I've had suspicions about him before. His constant delinquent behavior has kept him on my radar for quite a while, but his name hasn't come up quite yet. However, you're right, Miss Yves. Please, pass that information about him and the girls you suspect along to Holden and prepare yourself for tonight." She nodded towards the door. "I wanted to protect your identities from each other, but now that you know who the Wilson twins are, please do your best to protect them. They're my champions. Keep each other safe."

"Yes ma'am," Liv nodded and stood up. "And about the phone call?"

"I will have it investigated," Ms. Chiaki said, then motioned for Liv to leave.

Liv realized she didn't have a costume to wear for the party that night, so she pulled out costume bits from the years she and her brother trick-or-treated as kids, looking for something, anything, really.

She'd long since grown out fairies and princesses, and there was no way any of these costumes would fit her anymore anyway, so she just took a piece of torn canvas and wrapped it around her waist with a pair of black leggings and a striped white and black shirt. She'd luckily found a red bandanna.