“Did you get everything done like I told you?”

“Everything is ready.”

“Then let’s watch and enjoy,” I said, gleefully lifting the left corner of my mouth so they couldn’t see it.

Miles joined me at the window. “You should have seen the blonde witch’s face when she saw the long scratch mark on her car.”

Chapter 31

Bayla

The first thing I felt, even before I opened my eyes, was the sharp pain in my head. I blinked and immediately regretted it because the sunlight coming through the windows literally burned my eyes. Instantly, I curled up in the cozy blanket with a contorted face.

Why was I lying in bed at all? Didn’t I actually have a lecture with Prof...?

I sat myself up and looked around for Larissa, but neither she nor any of the other girls were here.

Shit! Why hadn’t she woken me up?

Blurry memories flashed through my mind.

Emely, the forest... Julian?

Confused, I shook my head, which I immediately regretted, because the pain became more intense. But I couldn’t lie here any longer. I felt as if I had spent several days in bed. Besides, a literature lecture was waiting for me.

I quickly looked for my cell phone on my desk, but gasped at the sight of the mess spread out in front of me.

What the...how had all the herbs, pill boxes, and rocks gotten there?

I carefully reached for a small brown fabric bag, but immediately put it down because it smelled so badly of lavender that it made me nauseous.

Whose stuff was all this?

The chaos in my head got worse.

This lavender bag...my memories...what had the others done that night? What had I done?

Confused, I kept searching for my phone until I finally found it among more colorful crystals, but somehow my battery was dead. I always charged it overnight, but strangely I had forgotten this time.

So, I plugged my phone into the outlet and quickly jumped up to change my sleeping clothes, but arriving in front of the mirror, I paused.

I couldn’t remember going to sleep in a hoodie and jeans yesterday. Suspiciously, I eyed the clothes first, then my face.

My eyes were dark underneath and my hair was a single knot.

Why couldn’t I remember last night?

I felt like I’d been to one of those Larissa parties that I’d just avoided at some point because my friend had shown her worst side there and always dragged me into a pile of trouble.

I frantically brushed my hair and changed out of my smelly black hoodie into a dark green one with “Vanderwood University” written on it and the university’s crest.

I had found that thing yesterday in the store here.

While I didn’t want to make friends with Vanderwood, Mady and Larissa had insisted I get something.

I grabbed my phone off the table and headed to campus.

By now, I knew that the Copelands owned this place and were investing heavily in the restoration and these new accommodations to make even more money. This family had to be one of the richest here in British Columbia. And even though I didn’t really want to believe this drug myth, one of the other Copeland mysteries, a certain distrust was gradually growing inside me. One did not come to this wealth just like that.

Suddenly, I felt dizzy and staggered as strange images of Emely came into my head again, sitting on the edge of my bed, staring at me with...yellow-glowing eyes?

What on earth had I taken yesterday to make me dream so wildly that night?

Still dazed, I regained consciousness and followed the path that brought me closer to campus. Actually, it should have, but somehow it didn’t stop, and suddenly, I found myself somewhere behind the stone walls of the university.

I groaned.

Great job, Bayla. First oversleeping and now lost.

For a moment, I stopped and looked around. Through the canopy of deciduous trees, I could make out the dark towers of clouds that had been lingering over the city for days. Deep black ravens flew through the area loudly expressing themselves. Nothing new either... The Gothic stone walls stretched upwards beside me and the path seemed to lead along the university, perhaps even to a back entrance.

Actually, I had no time at all for such jokes, but I was already too late anyway. Besides, this path looked like a welcome distraction to me.

Determinedly, I started moving to follow the endless path along the wall. The air was pleasantly fresh and relaxed my lungs, which desperately needed some more air and exercise.

I felt the limpness overtake me, and only now did I notice that my hands were shaking.

I decided to focus on the forest path before I got lost again, but the further I wandered along the wall, the less hope I had. Add to that the memories of the Blairville Daily news about the jogger who had never reappeared.

I was about to let it go and turn back when I heard angry voices in the distance and finally spotted a man-sized arched entrance in the wall, partly overgrown with ivy and white lilies, partly collapsed.

“I know for sure it was you, you filthy mutt!”

Relief spread through me as I slowly turned through the opening and found myself in a sort of circular walkway massively overgrown with ivy. The walkway surrounded a courtyard with an active fountain, around which a few faces I knew had gathered.

I decided to wait behind the column, from where I could follow the action, because it seemed that Vivienna and Emely were already at each other’s throats again, and I had enough of all the conflict.

“I don’t know what your fucking problem is!” Emely snapped, upset.

I had the English seminar and then a lecture to attend, but that could wait, if the others had nothing better to do than to kick each other’s asses again.

Cautiously, I peeked around the corner.

“You really think you can talk to us like that,” Vivienna laughed angrily.

I spotted her friends behind her and next to Emely...Julian.

I hadn’t quite figured out what they had to do with each other yet.