Initiation (15 page)

“What’s going to happen tomorrow?” Faustine queried as I stared at the sheet.

“Not sure, but I’ll be with you all day. I have to go to the trial first thing tomorrow morning, but I’ll be back to take you to Professor Bern.”

“Don’t I have to be at the trial, too?”

“No. The student council might ask you to talk to them, but it will be in private. So relax, sleep in, and get breakfast with Quinn. That’s okay, isn’t it, babe?” I batted my eyelashes at him. I knew I was asking a lot; he hadn’t signed up as a co-baby sitter.

“My pleasure.” He smiled, reminding me again of how much I loved him and how I couldn’t wait to get into his arms and snuggle in for the night.

Faustine yawned. “Okay if I go to bed? I’m tired.”

“Yeah, it’s late, and it’s been a long day. Just knock on the wall if you need anything, and I’ll come over.”

She nodded. “Night, Cordelia, Quinn.”

As soon as she left, I jumped straight into Quinn’s arms, nuzzling into his warm chest. He rubbed his face against the side of my neck, kissing it gently….

Without giving Quinn and me time to really get into it, Faustine came rushing back into the room, the door slamming into the wall as she pushed her way in. Her face was white, all blood drained from it, and her eyes were full of fear.

I rushed to her. “What happened?”

She held up her hand. She clutched the same type of feather I had found outside my room.

I
woke up feeling just as frustrated as before I fell asleep. There was no fooling around with a twelve-year-old asleep on the sofa bed.

Finding the feather outside her bedroom door had totally freaked out Faustine, and we’d decided that it was best for her to move in with me for the time being, at least until we dealt with the pesky eagle.

Quinn was still asleep, snoring heavily beside me on my bed, while Faustine made cute little piggy grunts from the sofa bed. I left them sleeping soundly while I got dressed and made my way to the Justice Auditorium. So early in the morning, the hallways were quiet and empty, but I was on full alert, with my nose analyzing all the different aromas. The one coming from the mentors’ lounge made me drool. I stopped in there for a quick feed before continuing on my way.

I spotted Octavia waiting for me outside the auditorium. She looked very official, having donned a black cloak over her uniform. She wore a white curly wig that made her resemble one of those barristers in old movies.

“How are you feeling?” she asked.

She probably thought I would be stressed out or whatever, but I felt more strung out than anything, something Quinn could have taken care of last night had we not been interrupted. I shrugged in response.

She laughed. “Like that, is it? I’ll have to have a word with Jagger. Here he comes now.”

“Don’t you dare,” I hissed.

She rolled her eyes at me, as Jagger curtly nodded in our direction before making his way into the auditorium.

“I’m fine,” I said sharply. “So?”

Octavia arched her perfect brows. One great thing about being undead: all hair growth stopped. She looked as though she’d had her eyebrows done just before she was turned. “We’re waiting for the student council members to arrive; then we’ll go in. The four shifters and their counselors are already inside.”

I gave Octavia the letter that had been stuck to The Smelt’s door, along with the two feathers.

“I heard about the letter from Frau Schmelder. What’s this, though?” She pointed at the feathers.

“They were left outside Faustine’s and my doors yesterday. They smell the same as the letter. Faustine and I are pretty sure that the smell is from the fifth shifter, the girl who transformed into the eagle.”

Octavia sniffed the letter, and then the feathers. “Interesting. Although you’re right about it coming from the same being–”

The doors to the auditorium opened.

“We’ll meet up later and talk about it then,” Octavia whispered as she ushered me to my seat.

The room was large, half the size of a gym. It was decked out more like a mini-theater with seating for a small audience of maybe forty or so. A dark auburn, velvet-like material covered the seats and floor. The wood-paneled walls gave the place an old-courthouse feel. A raised platform was at one end, sort of like a mini-stage, with a dark oak table long enough to seat the twelve members of council comfortably on one side so they faced the audience. I didn’t recognize any of the seven girls or five boys, other than Jagger, who was dressed the same as the others–in a red and yellow cloak over his usual Academy uniform. He was sizzling hot, but a little over the top in the wig.

I smiled in their direction, but they didn’t acknowledge me. All of them, including Jagger, wore stony, unyielding expressions.

Octavia and I made our way to one of the two enormous rectangular tables facing the student council members. I sat down beside her and glanced over at the other table. I already knew that the shifters were sitting there; their smell made me gag. Although I’d gotten a good look at the leader of the pack, my memory of the faces of the other three was hazy. At the moment, they were bent over, their faces partly shielded by hoodies, so I still couldn’t see them. The leader, however, stared at me unwaveringly, a smirk playing at the corner of his upturned lips. Gross.

I brought my attention back to Octavia. “What’s his name? The one who’s staring at me? He’s the leader.”

“I figured. Let me see.” She flipped through her folder. “Tad O’Neill.”

“What else does it say?” I tried sneaking a peek, but she held the sheet angled away from me.

She slipped the paper back in a folder. “Sorry, Cordelia. That’s confidential. You wouldn’t want them seeing any of your private info, either.”

True. We waited in silence as the auditorium seats filled, mostly with curious Integrates. I spotted Sienna, Delam, and Jewel in the crowd and smiled when they waved.

Jagger banged his gavel with a resounding thud to signal the opening of the trial. “We are gathered to hear case DH 2086731–Cordelia Hammer versus Jeremy Pickard, Hank Murphy, Tad O’Neill, and Andrew Bell. I’m going to recuse myself from this case, as I’m a witness for the prosecution. So, Council Member Ten Chu will preside.” Jagger jumped off the stage and left the auditorium.

“Isn’t he going to stay and watch?” I whispered to Octavia.

“No, he’s not allowed to. We’ll call him when it’s time; he’s waiting right outside. It’s not going to be today, though. We’ll just have time for the intro speeches before classes start.”

Ten rose and turned to us, then to the opposing table. “Cordelia, Tad, Jeremy, Andrew, and Hank, please note that you must tell the truth in response to questions from the student board and the reps during this trial. Is that clear?”

We nodded. I tried not to chuckle. The truth? Did shifters even know what that was?

“Octavia, are you ready for your opening argument?” Ten inquired softly, carefully speaking into his microphone.

Octavia stood and walked to the front, then turned to stand sideways, so both the council members and the opposing table could see her.

She suddenly jabbed a finger in my direction, and peered at me, her eyes red with tears. “Council members, ladies, and gentlemen, this young girl, Cordelia Hammer, died two days ago.”

A murmur went through the crowd, and Ten had to bang his gavel. “Octavia…”

She marched over and hugged me. I nearly erupted in giggles. I wished she’d warned me! Then she extended her right arm and pointed at the shifters, wagging her finger. “They
murdered
her.” She paused, then almost whispered, “They murdered her in cold blood.”

Pointing at me again, she said, “Cordelia was merely walking down a hallway here at our own Bonfire Academy, minding her own business. She did
nothing
to provoke
them.
” Octavia pointed at the shifters with a blood-red, talon-like fingernail. “But they attacked Cordelia, anyway. Viciously. And for no good reason.” Octavia suddenly turned her attention back to me. She studied me, then pinched my left upper arm really hard.

 
“Ouch!” I squealed.

“Oh, how strange! Thankfully, but no thanks to
them
,” Octavia said, her voice full of scorn. “Cordelia has recovered from the horrific injuries inflicted upon her by the defendants. Cordelia is alive.” Octavia flicked her hair and took a sip from her tumbler full of blood. “She was murdered, yet she sits here. How can that be? Has she been turned into a vampire?

“
That
is irrelevant. What is relevant is that this young girl was attacked on school grounds.
Attacked
, not by one, but by
these four
cowardly beings. She was beaten to the point where her heart stopped, her limbs were literally ripped from her body, and she died.

“I ask the student council to hear my evidence and pass judgment in favor of Cordelia Hammer. Don’t allow the criminal acts of these cowards to forever brand our school a dangerous place for paranormal children. Let justice be served. Convict all defendants.”

She nodded at the council and sat back down next to me. “I could have bloviated a lot more, but we’re limited to five minutes for our openings,” she whispered.

Ten glanced over at the opposing counsel, a tiny pixie-like being. “Sally, you ready?”

“Yes,” she answered in a soft singsong voice. “I was going to do the pinching thing myself, but since Octavia already did it for me, I may as well just sit back down. I mean… the girl is obviously not dead. Anyone can see that.” She giggled and sat down.

“That’s it?” Ten asked.

Sally nodded and smiled at the crowd. She had the whole cute thing down pat.

Octavia sighed. “Genius of them to get Sally to oppose me.”

“Is she really good?” I asked, concerned.

“Yes, she’s really good. But not as good as I am. No worries. We are seeking to have them convicted on charges of aggravated battery, as well as murder. Let’s see what she’s got tomorrow.”

“Our allotted time is over for the day. We’ll reconvene at the same time tomorrow for a full day of testimony. Claimant’s counselor goes first.” Ten banged the gavel, dismissing us.

“I have to rush off, but can we meet up later?” I asked Octavia.

“Yes, we need to go through some stuff. Text me when you have time.” And she rushed off.

I suddenly felt my blood go cold as I caught the scent of the eagle. She was in the courtroom. I scanned the room, desperately scrutinizing the crowd as they hustled out the door. I rushed toward the scent, but it was gone. I twirled in a circle, trying to catch the scent again. No luck.