Scarlett staggered back as if Dahlia’s words had been a physical blow. “What are you talking about?” she asked in a voice too fragile for her. Too close to breaking. “Vivi?” she said, studying her Little.
“I . . .” Her brain raced for an excuse, an explanation, or even a lie, but she couldn’t do it. She wasn’t sure whether it was guilt or magic, but the words came tumbling out. “I didn’t mean to do it, I swear. And it’ll never happen again. I’m so sorry.”
“What won’t happen again?” Scarlett asked, no longer sounding fragile.
“I . . . we weren’t thinking . . . it was an accident. Just one stupid kiss—”
“You accidentally kissed my boyfriend?” Scarlett’s voice was cold, but heat was radiating from her, charging the air with fury and magic.
“It was so stupid and I stopped it immediately. I’m really, really sorry.”
“Oh, so you stopped it,” Scarlett spat. “You’re saying that Mason couldn’t control himself around you?”
“No, of course not. I’m so sorry, Scarlett. I—”
“Cut the bullshit. You’ve had your eye on him since you got here. And you took advantage of him in a vulnerable moment, because, let’s be honest, you know there’s no way in hell he’d ever go for you otherwise.” She sneered and let out a forced, mocking laugh. “Socially awkward freshmen aren’t exactly Mason’s type.”
Although Vivi knew Scarlett was lashing out in anger—anger that was more than justified—it wasn’t enough to take the sting out of her words. Vivi knew that she wasn’t Mason’s type. It made absolutely no sense for him to go from someone as glamorous, sophisticated, and talented as Scarlett to someone like her. He was probably still reeling from the breakup and looking for an easy distraction. And who was easier than a naïve freshman so desperate for attention that being called beautiful made her lose all reason and self-control?
“Okay, Scarlett, that’s enough,” Dahlia said with a smirk, as if she was enjoying the proceedings. It seemed odd and out of character for the normally stern yet empathetic president, but perhaps the pressure was making everyone act strangely. “We have more important things to discuss.”
“I’m not discussing anything in front of her. It’s like I’ve been saying all along—a little bit of magic can make up for only so many shortcomings.” Scarlett gave Vivi a tight, cruel smile. “We both know that you don’t belong here, so why don’t you go back to telling fortunes at a strip mall in Reno?” Before Vivi could respond, Scarlett brushed past her and strode toward the door.
Vivi almost let her go. She couldn’t bear to be in the same room as Scarlett for one more second. All she wanted to do was curl up in a ball on her bed and try to drown out the words she knew would keep echoing in her skull: That she didn’t belong. That it was a huge mistake to make her a Raven. But she couldn’t let Scarlett leave without telling her what she’d discovered. “Hold on. I have to tell you something. My mom was a Raven. I found a photo of her with Evelyn Waters and I think—”
“Why don’t you tell Mason all about it instead?” Scarlett called over her shoulder. “Maybe he can help you. Or maybe you can just make out some more while my best friend is being held captive by a psychopath.”
Vivi flinched as Scarlett slammed the door shut behind her. How could she possibly make this better? Even if they found the talisman and rescued Tiffany, things would never return to normal. Vivi had spent her whole life wanting to belong, and after finally finding a group of amazing girls who offered her not only friendship but magic, she’d ruined it through an act of supreme stupidity and selfishness.
Dahlia’s hand landed on her shoulder. “She’ll cool off in a bit. Now, tell me what you learned about your mom.”
Vivi took a deep breath and tried to steel herself. She was only slightly less anxious about the fallout from this information than she’d been about kissing Mason. What would the Ravens say when they found out that Vivi’s mother had stolen the Henosis talisman? That she’d been a Raven herself and never told Vivi anything about it? It was all majorly shady and definitely would reflect about as well on Vivi as her kiss with Scarlett’s ex-boyfriend had.
“Holy shit,” Dahlia said, her eyes growing wide when Vivi finished her story. “Have you spoken to her about it yet? Does she have any idea where it might be now?”
Vivi shook her head. “I talked to her but she wouldn’t tell me anything about it. All she said was that I’m in danger and need to be careful.”
“Yeah, well, we know we’re in danger. Where does she live? Should we go pay her a little visit and search for the talisman?”
“I don’t even know what state she’s in right now. She refused to tell me.” Vivi felt a prickle of shame. Not only had her mother stolen a priceless magical object, but now she was on the run. However, Dahlia looked unfazed.
“Try again. Tell her you’re in over your head and you need help.”
“I did that already. It didn’t work.”
“Then I guess it’s time to up the ante,” Dahlia said. “Channel your inner Jennifer Lawrence and give an Oscar-worthy performance.”
“Okay . . .” Vivi said uneasily. Unlike her mother, Vivi had never been a very good actress, and Daphne could always tell when she was lying. “And what happens if I do manage to find the talisman? Are we actually going to hand it over to Tiffany’s kidnapper?”
“Once we have the real talisman, I should be able to use a replicator charm to create a fake one. That way, the magic won’t fall into the wrong hands.” Dahlia paused. “The worst possible hands.”
Vivi nodded, pulled out her phone, and called her mother. It rang a few times, and for a moment, Vivi worried that Daphne wouldn’t pick up at all so as not to be forced to discuss the talisman again. But just when Vivi expected the call to go to voicemail, she heard a weary-sounding “Hello?”
“Mom, it’s me. Listen, I know you don’t want to talk about this, but it’s really, really important. I need to come see you.” She tried to inject as much urgency as she could into her voice, but she didn’t think it was possible to sound more desperate than she already was—finding the talisman was literally a matter of life or death for Tiffany.
Daphne was silent for a moment. “There’s an old inn a couple miles from campus called the Rose and Thorn,” she said finally. “I’ll meet you there in an hour.”
Next to her, Dahlia began to mutter a spell. “I call to the Moon and to the Tower, source of the shadows that seek to devour.”
“Mom, I can’t stay in Savannah,” Vivi said, taking a step away from the older girl. “You don’t understand, it’s not safe for—” She cut herself off with a gasp. She’d just caught sight of her reflection in the gold-framed mirror behind Dahlia’s desk. But it wasn’t her, not really. Her skin had grown paler and taken on a greenish tint while her face was bloated and misshapen, like a body decaying underwater. She made a noise that was half sob, half shriek as a worm twisted its way out of the reflection’s ear.