"Okay. Let's get started with this auditing thing."
I was impressed.
I was also jealous when Wes brought out the course catalog. I'd been able to lull myself into contentment with Amberwood's classes, but looking at real college offerings showed me the two schools were worlds away. The history classes were more focused and in depth than anything I could have imagined. Adrian had no interest in those, however. He immediately honed in on the art department.
He ended up signing up for two introductory courses in oil painting and in watercolors. They met three times a week and were conveniently back-toback. "That'll make it easier if I'm busing in," he explained as we were leaving.
I gave him a startled look. "You're taking the bus?"
He seemed amused by my astonishment. "What else? Classes are in the daytime. You can't take me."
I thought about Clarence's remote house. "Where on earth would you catch the bus?"
"There's a stop about a half mile away. It transfers to another bus that goes to Carlton. The whole trip takes about an hour."
I confess, it left me speechless. I was amazed that Adrian had researched that much, let alone was willing to go to all that trouble. Yet on the ride back, he never uttered one word of complaint about how inconvenient it would be or how long he'd have to wait to move out of Clarence's.
When I arrived back at Amberwood, I was excited to tell Jill the news about Adrian's collegiate success - not that she needed me to tell her. With the bond, she would probably know more than I did. Still, she always worried about him and would undoubtedly be pleased to see something go well for him. Jill wasn't in our room when I returned, but a note informed me she was studying elsewhere in the dorm. The only bright part of her punishment was that it limited where she could be at any time. I decided to use this opportunity to go make Ms. Terwilliger's crazy amulet. I'd accrued most of the necessary ingredients, and along with compliance from the biology teacher, Ms. Terwilliger had secured me access to one of the chemistry labs. No one was there this time of night, and it gave me plenty of space and quiet to mix up the concoction.
As we'd noted, the instructions were extremely detailed and - in my opinion - superfluous. It wasn't enough to just measure out the nettle leaves. The instructions called for them "to rest for an hour," during which time I was supposed to say to them, "into thee, flame I imbue" every ten minutes. I also had to boil the agate stone "to infuse it with heat." The rest of the instructions were similar, and I knew there was no way Ms. Terwilliger would actually know if I followed everything to the letter - particularly the chants. Still, the whole purpose of this stunt was to report on what it was like to be an ancient practitioner. So, I followed everything dutifully and concentrated so hard on performing every step perfectly that I soon fell into a lull where nothing existed except the spell.
I finished over two hours later and was surprised at how exhausted I felt. The final result certainly didn't seem to justify all the energy I'd expended. I was left with a leather cord from which hung a silk pouch filled with leaves and rocks. I carted it and my notes back to my dorm room, intending to write up my report for Ms. Terwilliger so that I could put this assignment behind me. When I reached my room, I gasped when I saw the door. Someone had taken red paint and drawn bats and fanged faces all over it. Scrawled across the front, in big blocky letters, were the words
VAMP GIRL
Full of panic, I burst into the room. Jill was there - along with Mrs. Weathers and another teacher I didn't know. They were going through all of our things. I stared in disbelief.
"What's going on?" I asked.
Jill shook her head, face mortified, and couldn't answer. I'd apparently arrived at the end of the search because Mrs. Weathers and her associate soon finished up and walked to the door. I was glad I'd taken my Alchemist supplies with me to the lab tonight. The kit contained a few measuring tools I had thought I might need. I certainly didn't want to explain why I owned a collection of chemicals to dorm authorities.
"Well," said Mrs. Weathers sternly. "There doesn't appear to be anything here, but I may do another spot check later - so don't get any ideas. You're already in enough trouble without adding yet another charge to it." She sighed and shook her head at Jill. "I'm very disappointed in you, Miss Melrose."
Jill blanched. "I'm telling you, it's all a mistake!"
"Let's hope so," said Mrs. Weathers ominously. "Let's hope so. I've half a mind to make you clean up that vandalism outside, but in light of no hard proof... well, we'll have the janitors take care of it tomorrow."
Once our visitors were gone, I immediately demanded, "What happened?"
Jill collapsed backward onto her bed and groaned. "Laurel happened."
I sat down. "Explain."
"Well, I called the library to see if they had those yearbooks in - the ones about Kelly Hayes? Turns out they do normally have them, but they've all been checked out by the newspaper staff for some Amberwood anniversary edition. And you'll never believe who's heading that project: Laurel."
"You're right," I said. "I never would have guessed that. Isn't she in Freshman English?" Laurel was a senior.
"Yup."
"I guess everyone needs an activity," I muttered.
Jill nodded. "Anyway, Miss Yamani was in the building, so I went to ask her about joining the sewing club and working for Lia. She was really excited and said she'd make it happen."
"Well, that's something," I said cautiously, still unsure how this was leading up to vandalism and a search of our room.
"As I was coming back, I passed Laurel in the hall. I decided to take a chance... I approached her and said look, I know we've had our differences but I could really use some help. Then I explained that I needed the yearbooks and asked if I could borrow them just for the night and that I'd get them back to her right away."
To this, I said nothing. It was certainly a noble and brave thing for Jill to do, particularly after I'd encouraged her to be better than Laurel. Unfortunately, I didn't think Laurel would reciprocate the adult behavior. I was right.
"She told me in... well, very explicit terms that I'd never get those yearbooks." Jill scowled. "She told me a few other things too. Then I, um, called her a raving bitch. I probably shouldn't have, but, well, she deserved it! Anyway, she went to Mrs. Weathers with a bottle of... I don't know. I think it was raspberry schnapps. She claimed I sold it to her and had more in my room. Mrs. Weathers couldn't punish me without harder evidence, but after Ms.