Chang's hangover accusation on the first day, Mrs. Weathers decided that was enough for a room search."
I shook my head in disbelief, anger growing within my chest. "For such an elite, prestigious place, this school sure is quick to jump on any accusations that come up! I mean, they believe anything anyone says about you. And where did the paint outside come from?"
Tears of frustration glinted in her eyes. "Oh, Laurel, of course. Or, well, one of her friends. It happened while Laurel was talking to Mrs. Weathers, so of course she's got an alibi. You don't think... you don't think anyone's on to anything, do you? You said before it's just a mean joke... and humans don't even believe in us... right?"
"Right," I said automatically.
But I was beginning to wonder. Ever since that phone call with my father, when he'd mentioned that there were humans who suspected and wouldn't be silenced, I'd wondered if I'd been too quick to dismiss Laurel's teasing. Had she simply found a cruel joke to run with? Or was she one of those humans who suspected about the vampire world and might make a lot of noise about it? I doubted anyone would believe her, but we couldn't risk attracting attention from someone who would.
Is it possible she really thinks Jill is a vampire?
Jill's forlorn expression turned angry. "Maybe I should do something about Laurel. There are other ways to get back at her besides freezing water."
"No," I said quickly. "Don't lower yourself to that. Revenge is petty, and you're better than that." Plus, I thought, any more supernatural activity, and Laurel might realize her taunts have more backing than she originally thought.
Jill gave me a sad smile. "You keep saying that. But don't you think something needs to be done about Laurel?"
Oh yes. I definitely did. This had gone too far, and I'd been wrong to let it slide. Jill was right that there were other ways to get back at someone. And I was right that revenge was petty and nothing that Jill should sully herself with. That was why I was going to do it.
"I'll take care of it," I told her. "I - I'll have the Alchemists issue a complaint from our parents."
She looked dubious. "You think that'll fix things?"
"Positive," I said. Because that complaint was going to pack an extra punch. A glance at the time told me it was too late to go back to the lab. No problem. I simply set my alarm extra early, with the intent to get up and head back there before classes started.
I had one more experiment in my future, and Laurel was going to be my guinea pig.
Chapter Twenty-One
MIXING WHAT I NEEDED TO was easy. Getting it to where I needed took a couple of days. I first had to pay attention to what kind of shampoo Laurel used in the PE showers. The school provided shampoo and conditioner, of course, but she wouldn't trust her precious hair with anything so commonplace. Once I knew her brand, I hunted it down at a local beauty supply store and emptied its expensive contents down the drain. I filled bottles with my homemade concoction instead.
The next step was switching it with Laurel's own bottle. I recruited Kristin for this. Her locker was next to Laurel's in PE, and she was more than willing to help me out. Part of it was that she shared our dislike of Laurel. But also, ever since I'd saved her from the tattoo reaction, Kristin had made it clear that she was indebted to me and had my back in whatever I needed. I didn't like the idea of her owing me, but her assistance did come in handy. She found a moment when Laurel looked away from her unlocked locker and covertly made the switch. We then simply had to wait for the next time Laurel used the shampoo to see the results of my handiwork.
Meanwhile, my other lab experiment wasn't receiving quite the reaction I'd expected. Ms. Terwilliger accepted my report but not the amulet.
"I have no use for it," she remarked, glancing up from the papers I'd handed her.
"Well... I certainly don't either, ma'am."
She set the papers down. "This is all true? You followed every step precisely? I'd certainly have no way of knowing if you'd, ah, fudged some of the details."
I shook my head. "Nope. I followed every step."
"Well, then. It looks like you have yourself a fire-making charm."
"Ma'am," I said, by way of protest.
She grinned. "What do the directions say? Throw it and recite the last incantation? Do you know it?"
'"Into flame, into flame,'" I said promptly. After having typed the spell initially for her notes and then re-creating it, it was hard not to have picked it all up. According to the book - which was an English translation of a Latin text - the language didn't matter so long as the words' meaning was clear.
"Well, there you go. Give it a try one of these days and see what happens. Just don't light any school property on fire. Because that's not safe."
I held up the amulet by the string. "But this isn't real. This is nonsense. It's a bunch of junk thrown together in a bag."
She shrugged. "Who are we to question the ancients?"
I stared, trying to figure out if she was joking. I'd known she was eccentric from day one, but she'd still always come across as a serious scholar. "You can't believe that. Magic like this... it's not real." Without thinking, I added, "Even if it was, ma'am, it's not for humans to mess around with powers like that."
Ms. Terwilliger was silent for several moments. "You truly believe that?"
I fingered the cross around my neck. "It's how I was raised."
"Understood. Well, then, you may do what you like with the amulet. Throw it away, donate it, experiment with it. Regardless, this report's what I need for my book. Thank you for putting in the time - as always, you've done more than was required."
I put the amulet in my purse when I left, not really sure what to do. It was useless... and yet, it had also cost me a lot of time. I was disappointed it wasn't going to have a more meaningful purpose in her research. All that effort gone to waste.
The last of my projects showed development the next day, however. In AP Chemistry, Greg Slade and some of his friends scurried into class just as the bell rang. Our teacher gave them a warning look, but they didn't even notice. Slade was preening over his eagle tattoo, baring it for everyone to see. The ink was gleaming silver again. Next to him, one of his friends was also proudly showing off another silver tattoo. It was a pair of stylized crossed daggers, which was only slightly less tacky than the eagle. This was the same friend who had been worrying earlier this week that he wouldn't be able to get a tattoo. Apparently, things had worked out with the supplier. Interesting. Part of holding off on reporting to the Alchemists had been to see if Nevermore would replenish what I'd stolen.