Bella sat contemplating. Something had changed in the school today. She'd felt it like a tension in the air. The new faculty members had been everywhere. Watching. Waiting.
And her father was here. On campus. She'd seen him from a distance in the afternoon, limping through the administrative building with Mallory Woods. The sight of him had sent her marks flaring beneath her sleeves, an involuntary reaction of recognition and rage.
Her phone buzzed softly. She pulled it out carefully, shielding the light with her hand. It was a text from Cassian: Emergency meeting. Abandoned classroom. Now. Come alone and be careful.
Bella's heart rate kicked up. Something must be wrong for Cassian to be texting like this. She slipped her phone into her pocket and stepped out.
