Will laced his fingers behind his head. “The geezer in the office agreed to lend me some yearbooks. I thought I would do a little research, see what I could scratch up.”
“The geezer?”
“The old bird.”
I frowned. “Heddy’s not a geezer. She’s . . . seasoned.”
Will shrugged and produced a bag of Skittles, picking out the orange ones.
I leaned forward. “So, did you find anything?”
I prayed Will would whip out last year’s yearbook, open to the photograph of last year’s coven, complete with names and addresses, so I could skirt Mercy High and leave these hallowed halls back in my nightmares where they belonged.
“Not yet. She’s getting them together for me.” Will cocked his head and the bell rang. He grinned and downed his whole bag of Skittles while my stomach dropped into my groin and threatened to expel everything I’d eaten in the last twenty years.
“Looks like we got some classes to teach. You okay? You’re looking kind of green.”
I just nodded, somehow certain that opening my mouth would lead to a spew of vomit or one of those blood-curdling banshee yells. Who ever thought it was a good idea to let me teach people?
My heart thundered in my ears as I stood up and followed Will. I closed my eyes and thought of Nina, of her glistening eyes as she danced around and told me these girls were lucky to have me. I was the adult.
“I’m the adult here,” I whispered under my breath.
“What’s that, love?”
“Uh, I’m just, uh, thinking about the case.”
Will stopped and turned to me, the back of his hand softly brushing over my cheek. His eyes held a sympathetic softness that I had never seen and my body started to melt into him. “Don’t be nervous, love. The girls are going to go crazy for you.” His voice dropped; it seemed slightly choked. “How could they not?”
He gave me a half smile, and when his soft palm left my cheek I was acutely aware of what wasn’t there.
Will left me in the hall with my traitorous body piqued, every synapse and nerve on high would-you-make-a-goddamn-decision-already alert. Which is why I nearly choked on my tongue—and launched my big-girl briefcase through the window—when I walked into my classroom and was met by thirteen pairs of made-up eyes, some curious, some scathingly judgmental, most bored.
I got through my first class without throwing up or making a complete fool of myself. I think I may have even passed as a semi-decent substitute teacher. The lunch bell rang at the same time Will knocked on my door frame.
“So,” he said, jamming his hands in his pockets. “Did you get through your morning classes okay, Ms. Lawson?”
The way Will’s lips curved over my name sent an inappropriate bolt of lightning right through me. “It was fine,” I stammered. “You?”
“Fine.” We stood there in an awkward beat of silence.
“We should finish our tour of the school, see if we can find anything.”
“Aha. This side of the school is the evil side. Cauldron in the gymnasium. Flying monkeys in the lockers.” He grinned, produced an apple from somewhere, and took a huge bite.
I couldn’t figure out whether I wanted to smack him or lick the tiny dribble of apple juice from his lip.
“Come on.”
We made the rounds, poking in empty classrooms and nonchalantly trying to overhear student conversations, ears piqued for anything suspicious, anything that sounded remotely like a teenage girl firmly entrenched in the dark arts. We learned that someone named Carlie was a slut, that no one used Facebook anymore, and that the boys from St. Ignatius were so sex-starved, they would buy you anything if you showed them the top of your boobs.
“I don’t know,” I said to Will. “I kind of think this might be a dead end. We should be out looking for Alyssa, not playing around here.”
Will may have answered me, but I couldn’t be certain because all sound was drowned out by the screeching wail of the fire alarm.
“Drill?” I yelled.
“Don’t think so,” Will said, shoving by me. “It’s outside.”
Heavy plumes of smoke were choking the clear glass windows.
“It’s coming from the faculty lot,” Will said, breaking into a run.
“I’m coming with you.”
Will looked over his shoulder. “It’s just a fire, love.”
“Could be supernatural. Could be a hellfire.”
“Just come on!”
When Will wasn’t guarding me and my amazing ability to seek out people who wanted me dead, he was a bona fide San Francisco fireman. I could have left him to it—probably should have—but I was half expecting a dragon to be on the other end of that huffing fire.
Heddy and Principal Lowe met us at the bottom of the stairs, Heddy thrusting a fire extinguisher into Will’s hands.
“We’ve made an announcement to the ladies that they’re to sit tight. The fire is out there, at the Dumpster. There’s no danger of it reaching the school.”
Will and Lowe went running toward the door and I followed behind them, panting like a puppy.