Persie Merlin and the Door to Nowhere by Bella Forrest Page 0,67

administration, that I doubted anyone knew everyone’s name.

I shook my head. “Not even a wing flutter.”

“They can’t, like, go invisible, can they?” Genie stopped for a swig of water.

I shrugged reluctantly. “I don’t think so.”

“I love you dearly, Pers, but why did you have to Purge something that’s been extinct for ages? Couldn’t you have gone for a critter that at least has a crystal-clear entry in monster history?” She pretended to flip open a book and run a finger down the imaginary page. “Bullet-point one: this creature can’t disappear at will. Bullet-point two: leave out a cookie and it’ll come running. That’d be sweet right now.”

“I don’t get a lot of choice in what I Purge.” I took the water flask she offered and gulped down a mouthful. This secret-agent stuff made a girl sweat. No wonder my mom always came back from her missions looking disheveled. “Hey, maybe when I get better at this Purging stuff, I’ll be able to decide what I create.”

Genie laughed. “Promise you’ll make them small and singular?”

I crossed my heart.

“Come on.” Genie made to continue up the corridor. “Let’s check the orchard, see if we can notice any signs of a pixie shindig.”

Twenty minutes later, we had fresh air on our faces. It made for a nice change from being stuck indoors. There didn’t appear to be any black-suits out here, either. It gave me hope that we were on the right track.

“I should’ve worn an extra sweater,” Genie grumbled as we ambled through the trees. The spitting rain pattered at the leaves, and misty rays of dulled sunlight sliced through the canopy, dappling the ground below. The weather might’ve been grim, but the rain and soft light soothed my raw nerves. The earth was covered in a mass of foliage in various stages of decay: fresh green leaves on top of their dry, russet-toned forefathers, with the browned mulch of older dead carpeting the ground beneath. Tufts of grass pushed through, creating a pretty patchwork of color.

Admiring the scenery, I almost forgot why we were really there. In fact, I was so engrossed in the shade and light that I didn’t see the figure stalking toward us until she was beside us.

“Shouldn’t you be in your rooms, staying out of the way?” Charlotte shoved her hands aggressively into the pockets of her jacket. Her hazel eyes fixed me with a stony glare. “Hunters are sweeping the place, and I don’t want anyone holding them up.”

I rubbed my arms to chase out the cold. “There weren’t any hunters out here, so we figured it’d be okay.” I understood her frostiness more than she knew. If Genie were missing, I’d be hostile to anyone who I thought was remotely responsible.

“Well, it’s not okay.” Her voice hitched for a split second, exposing some serious subtext. She was torn up about this, and who wouldn’t be? She wanted her friend back, even if her friend did happen to be a bigoted snob. After all, friends were the family we chose for ourselves. Maybe Charlotte saw something in Xanthippe that we didn’t.

Genie looped her arm through mine. “Do you want us to go back inside?”

“I can’t make you.” Charlotte scuffed her boot through the dead leaves. “I’m just saying, don’t get underfoot. There’s important work going on.”

“We know,” I said softly.

Charlotte’s head snapped up. “The Institute has never had anything like this happen before. My mom is so proud of that, and so was I. But the two of you are here for a week and all hell breaks loose.” She hissed a breath through her teeth, visibly trying to calm down. “Do you have any idea what kind of damage this could do to my family name, if it ever got out? We’re just lucky it’s Victoria in charge, and not some sap who cracks under pressure. Meanwhile, my friend is…” She trailed off, dragging in unstable breaths.

“I’m sorry. I understand that you’re hurting.” I tried to offer an olive branch, but I’d never been one for good timing. She didn’t want sympathetic words from me right now. She wanted someone to blame.

Her eyes narrowed. “I just want to ask one thing, and I want an honest answer because I’m on the verge of a nervous breakdown. Did your monsters do this? And don’t pretend they’re not yours; the math isn’t hard.” Bitterness dripped from her words.

“Why don’t we take the animosity down a notch, huh?” Genie cut in, pulling on my arm so I ended