Make Quiet Things Heard

Chapter 4 : Everybody Lies (Ep. 2|Part 1)

Hope's POV

I am currently in the Guidance Office because Emma Tig, our guidance counselor caught me using Dark Magic. She looks at me, sitting across from her, with a mixture of amusement and exasperation.
"I see you've decided to double down on your nihilism this morning." she says.
"I'm trying to be rich with honesty." I reply sarcastically. Emma gives me another exasperated look before trying to redirect me back to our session.
"Start from the beginning." I did, not want to talk about the topic Emma is referring to, so I play dumb to try to get out of it.
"Of my short-lived horrific romances with liars?"

"About your decision to perform black magic on school grounds last night."
"Maybe we could table this until I catch the guy I was trying to find by using black magic? Because the longer that Landon Kirby is out there, the greater the chance he tells people about this school and the kind of people we have hidden behind the gates."
"You know there's a beacon that alerts me when someone's using. You knew you would be caught."
" After I found Landon! But I lost the trail, and now I'm being interrogated." I said impatiently.

"But go ahead. Take your time. Nothing at stake here." I sarcastically reply. Emma can tell that I am hiding something and tries to get answers.
"Did anyone help you with the spell?" I remain silent for a long moment as I recall what happened last night. When Josie helped me perform Dark Magic. But I keep up my poker face and lie.
"No. Can I go now?"I didn't want to drag Josie into this mess, I mean blackmailed her into doing it, and she already has a lot on her plate. I didn't want to be a snitch and throw Josie under the bus.

Josie's a good person she doesn't need to be punished and that will just make things worse between our already bad relationship. I want her to be my friend. If that ever happens. Emma is frustrated but tries her best to remain patient.
"Hope... You're a student. This isn't your fight." I scoff and roll my eyes before uncrossing my legs and leaning toward the counselor.

"It's absolutely my fight, Emma! Landon was inside the walls of this school because of me. He had access to the knife he stole because of me. We're at risk of exposure because of me! And you can tell me that I'm sublimating a lifetime of survivor's remorse, or whatever it says in my file here--" I pick up a file folder laying on the coffee table between us before dropping it again to emphasize my point. " But I'm gonna help Dr. Saltzman find him." I stand to my feet and head toward the door without another word. Emma sighs and calls out to me one last time before I leave.

"And what happens when you do?"
I stop walking, a small, frustrated smirk forming on my lips before I walk out the door, I know exactly what I'm going to do when I find him. I walk to my room to get my Shakespeare's book that is actually my old grimoire full of spells hiding in plain sight. I flip through the pages until I find the spell that I'm looking for and rip the page out of the book. The page about a death spell.

Josie's POV

Me and Lizzie are currently going to the Mess Hall for breakfast. She is very excited about the game since she is QB1 this year.
"Let's hit the dining hall and carb-load. It's game day." she says excitedly. I am feeling guilty about keeping my dark magic with Hope a secret and still exhausted by the previous few days' events, I look away from my sister evasively. "I'm not hungry."
Lizzie immediately stops walking and stares at me with a knowing and scolding expression. "What?"

We begin to walk again, but it's clear from the expression on Lizzie's face that she's not about to let this go.
"Well, uh, funny thing, actually, Josette. This morning, as I was desperately trying to make this trash bag of a jersey look cute, I suddenly had the urge to purge. So, I fled to the bowl, and lo and behold, I heaved up a gallon of black goo." she states. My eyes widen when I realize what this means, and Lizzie stares at me accusingly.