I raised my eyebrows questioningly.
“There's a plant that was originally used against us by the Quatura that weakens us. Wolfsbane. If you use it on a regular basis, you won't have to turn.”
The Quatura had used it against the Senseque? What was going on here that they hated each other so much?
I sighed. “It's a good thing I'll be gone soon and won't have anything to do with all of this.”
“You're not leaving.”
“I will.”
Julian raised both eyebrows. “You're so stubborn.”
“I'm an ungifted,” I said firmly.
I didn't belong and would soon forget everything.
“You don't smell, which is extremely strange, but you have gifts.”
“I don't smell?” Stunned, I looked at him. “You sniffed at me?”
Maybe he would remain my strange neighbor after all.
“No!” He raised his hands defensively. The grin was back. “We can smell everyone, even from hundreds of meters away. But there are so many species in Blairville that it's sometimes confusing.”
I relaxed a little. “And I don't smell like...witch?”
“No,” he said. “But that doesn't mean anything, apparently, as long as you have a gift. It's just unusual to me, because normally one can be recognized by his scent.”
So, their senses were very heightened and even nuanced... But I didn't quite understand about the gift.
Julian seemed to want to say something, but left it at that.
“Okay, one last question...” I changed the subject. “What's keeping you here?”
Julian swallowed and looked at his hands again. “My family.”
And that opened up so many more questions for me to ask. But he was just my neighbor. And I shouldn't be so rude as to pester him with all these questions.
“Julian!” Mr. Bardot's voice came from the garden. “What are you doing there again? The girl can hardly get a break from you.”
Julian's father gave me a friendly wave, and I greeted him back with a grin.
“Tell your mother that we'll do a bit of work in your garden later.” I nodded before looking at his son. “And you come down now and eat something. I hardly ever see you at the dinner table anymore.”
Then Mr. Bardot disappeared around the corner of the house again.
“Listen to your father,” I laughed, and Julian ran his hand through his hair with a grin.
“I'll see you in the morning,” he said and stood up. Then he jumped down from the window onto the ground and disappeared into the garden.
I shook my head.
That man...
Tomorrow, he would drive me to university again.
Mum hadn't managed to get me there yet, let alone pick me up. She worked very long hours and seemed to be absorbed in it. And I was beginning to wonder what exactly she was working on...
I got up from the floor and went to my mirror to take another look.
Of course, nothing had changed. I looked like a corpse in a coffin, ready for burial.
Dissatisfied, I turned away.
I would read something and maybe my condition would improve as the day went on.
I looked for the hoodie and when I discovered it in the corner of my laundry and reached for it to get Alarik's book out of the pocket, I groped in the void. The book had disappeared.
“Mum...” I whispered.
Without hesitation, I stormed down the stairs.
“Mum!”
I spotted her at the kitchen table, with her reading glasses over some lab papers.
“Where's the book?”
Mum looked at me questioningly.
“What book, darling?”
“You took it from me because you didn't want me to read it!”
Mum raised both eyebrows. “I don't know what you're talking about.” She gathered up the papers and stowed the glasses in their case. “But while you're here, feel free to clean out the dishwasher.” She walked past me and planted a kiss on my forehead. “I've got another shift now, so we won't see each other again until next week.”
And with those words, she disappeared through the front door.
My jaw dropped.
She couldn't be fucking serious!
Chapter 55
Julie
“I hate it!” Grace threw her notes to the floor. “How am I supposed to learn all this crap when I have absolutely no clue about the basics?”
