A lightweight landed on my chest, and I smiled at my hawk. He was staring down at me. Maybe my story was interesting to him.
“I found out I have grandparents too. They’re kind of awful.” I twisted my lips. “Okay, that might be an exaggeration. I shouldn’t judge them after one encounter, but I don’t think I regret not knowing them sooner.”
He hopped forward.
“You want to know more?” I swear he nodded, and I grinned. “Well, Masie is still my aunt. She’s not my mom’s sister, though.” I paused. “I mean, she is my mom’s sister but my birth mom. Not the one that raised me.”
I thought about the witch bomb they dropped on me, but I wasn’t quite ready to say those words aloud. Not yet. I needed more time to process and understand what this new world was.
“I had to leave Aiden and Brielle.” My throat tightened, and I closed my eyes, willing myself not to cry. Not right now. Not in the one place in the world I was free. I came here to escape the bad and talk things out with my hawk. I’d shed many, many tears in this field, but I didn’t want to cry tonight.
“I wish you could tell me what you’ve been up to.” I stared back at his golden eyes. “Flying and hunting and not having to worry about stupid emotions like grief.”
He opened his beak, and I grinned. I could feel the familiar tug that signaled my time was wrapping up. “I’ve got to go. I hope I see you again soon.” I patted his head and tapped my spot before he could snap at me.
He took off, soaring across the sky as I sucked in a breath and opened my eyes.
Chapter 9
Natasha was already gone when I got back from the shared bathrooms down the hall the next morning. I wanted to ask her opinion of what I should wear for my assessment, but I was on my own. How physical would the tests would be? Would Mrs. Hedgings have some magical tool to see what my affinities were? I couldn't help but think about a certain sorting hat. Maybe there was something similar at this school.
Or maybe I needed to accept that my life wasn’t like a book. What did I know? I met a mountain lion and honey badger yesterday. The possibilities of what I might discover were endless.
Just in case I needed unrestricted movement, I settled on jeans and a loose T-shirt then slid on my tie-dye converse so Aiden could be here with me in a small way. I didn’t want to go down to the dining hall alone, and I was still too nervous to eat. So I waited in my room, listening to voices and footsteps fill the hall until it was time to leave.
I gave myself ten minutes to walk over to the lab building, and the pathway was full of students heading in both directions when I stepped out of my dorm. Excitement filled the air as people hugged and greeted each other.
I hadn’t planned on being the new girl my senior year, and I missed my friends back home more than ever. They were still enjoying their vacations and would get to continue our traditions without me.
There was no point wasting time or tears thinking about how my life could have been. That was over. I wasn’t that girl anymore. I had to be brave and accept my new reality. With a steadying breath, I rolled my shoulders back and merged onto the path toward the labs.
It was easy enough to get to the building, but finding a staircase or elevators to the third floor was proving to be a challenge. I clutched my folder to my chest and looked for someone to ask.
Each person who neared me acted as if I was invisible. I opened my mouth like a fish trying to stop someone but failed miserably. I checked the time and started to panic. Three minutes left to get to the right office. Being late wasn’t the first impression I wanted to give, even if she didn’t end up being one of my teachers.
“Excuse me?” I said louder this time, and a girl around my age actually stopped.
“Yeah?”
“Can you tell me how to get to the third floor?” I nearly held my breath waiting for her reply.
“The stairs are behind that door. The elevator is around the back end of the building so you’re better off using the stairs.” She pointed to an unmarked door down the hall, and I thanked her profusely before hurrying over.
Why would they hide the stairs? Did they just assume everyone knew? It wasn’t marked on the campus map. Details like that weren’t included. I huffed and took the steps two at a time before pushing through the door into the hall and searching the name plaques next to each door for Mrs. Hedgings.
Halfway down, I found it and knocked on the door.
“Come in,” a gentle voice replied.
I opened the door and stepped inside to find an elderly woman waiting beside a wide oak desk. “You must be Saige Williams.”
“Yes.”
“Good.” She patted her white hair, which was pulled back into a low bun. She wore a simple, ankle-length dress in light blue, topped with a knitted white cardigan despite the warmth of the room. “Come and sit.”
She waved me toward to armchairs facing each other deeper into her office. She sat, so I took the other and laid my folder across my lap.
She watched me, studying my face more intently than was comfortable. Her eyes narrowed slightly, and her head tilted to the side. My skin tingled under her appraisal, and I combed my brain for an opening to redirect her attention. Finally, she stopped and gave me a warm smile. Mrs. Hedgings was what I imagined most grandmas were like. The complete opposite of Susan.