14
Raven
I knockedon Dr. Green’s closed door and tried to swallow down my fear. Now that I’d had a taste of this place, I really didn’t want to leave.
“Come in, Ms. Winters,” he called.
I opened the door and stepped inside, pausing just beyond the threshold.
“Sit.”
Swallowing against the lump in my throat, I complied. The room wasn’t quite as creepy during the day. Sunlight streamed in through the open slats of the wood blinds, making a pattern on the dark red carpet.
The ominous clock even looked more subdued in the sunshine. The owl’s eyes weren’t glowing now, and the tree appeared more brown than black. I could have sworn it was as black as night last night.
The chair creaked as I settled into it and I kept my eyes on Dr. Green’s massive hands.
“Raven,” he said.
I looked up, startled by the causal use of my name. “I swear I didn’t ask him to come in the bathroom.” Suddenly, I felt like I was sixteen all over again, denying that I’d spray painted the boarded up temporary buildings in the back of the school. Of course, then I was lying. This time, I wasn’t.
“I know,” he said. “But you’re on thin ice here. Do you know how many strings were pulled to get you into this school? How many phone calls were made on your behalf?”
Fire simmered in the pit of my stomach. “Of course, I don’t know. I didn’t even know this place existed until I was dragged here.”
“Calm down,” he said, his tone level.
I didn’t want to calm down. “Why am I here? There’s no such thing as a scholarship fund, and it’s clear I don’t fit in. I’m not wealthy and I’m not important. I don’t belong here.”
“Do you want to leave the school?” He asked.
“No,” I said, startled at how quickly I answered. I knew I wanted to stay, but I usually wasn’t so open with others until I knew their personal agendas better.
“You’re here because you belong here. Even though you don’t know it, you were meant to be here, so it was arranged for you to attend when you were found.”
“Why?” I asked, desperation sinking into my tone.
“I’m not the right one to explain all this to you, but you’ll have answers soon. I’m going to need you to trust me.”
“I don’t even know you,” I said.
“I’m trying to protect you. Your options are limited. You stay here, you prove you’re not dangerous and you can move on with your life after you pass the trials,” he said.
“IfI pass the trials,” I said. “I keep hearing how dangerous this place really is. I’m not sure it’s much better odds than prison.”
“You’re right, the trials have their own risks as all things with magic do. But I can assure you, it’s a better place than magic prison. You have food and shelter and clothing and you still have use of your magic here,” he said.
My brow furrowed. What exactly was he saying? Would they take away my magic if I was sent away?
As much as I wanted to stay here, I’d clearly upset something or someone. I didn’t want such a fuss made over me when I didn’t even know why I was here in the first place. My skin crawled thinking of the fact that I owed a favor to strangers without even asking for the favor in the first place. “Look, if it’s such a big deal, just send me back. I was making it just fine on my own.”
He shook his head. “You can’t go back. When you used your magic, you sent a signal into the world. A signal that many were tracking. You won’t be safe until you can learn to control your magic. And even then, you’re always going to be at risk.”
“You’re going to have to start giving me some answers,” I said.
He sighed and picked up a folded piece of paper that was sitting on his desk and handed it to me. “You received a letter about an hour ago.”
I lifted my eyebrow. “You read my mail?”