Diamond Fire (Hidden Legacy, #3.5)(31)

Mrs. Rogan turned her head and stared at Eva. Her magic turned with her and stared at Eva, too, like an ancient dragon noticing a trespasser.

Eva looked at her feet. Her bottom lip trembled.

Iker stepped in front of his wife and bowed his head. “Our sincerest apologies. He is young and stupid. We meant no disrespect.”

Mrs. Rogan spoke, and her voice reverberated through me, pulsing in my bones. The water in the fountain shook. “Take him to your rooms. He does not come out unless I call for him.”

Iker strode to his son. The cushion lifted on its own and moved back to the outdoor sofa on the porch. Nobody moved to help Iker. He grabbed Xavier by his right shoulder and hauled him upright.

“Are you all right, dear?” Mrs. Rogan asked.

The dragon was looking at me. I had to say something, and it was so hard. “Yes, ma’am.”

“I am so very sorry,” Mrs. Rogan said. “Please forgive me.”

I wanted to fall through the ground and keep falling until I was on the other side of the world. “It’s okay. I’m fine, everything is fine. It’s all good.” I clicked my teeth shut before any more rambling nonsense came out.

“Very well. I think I will retire to my office. I’ve had all the excitement I could stand.” The dragon folded her wings collapsing back, and Mrs. Rogan turned her wheelchair and rolled back into the house.

I turned and fled toward the gate as fast as I could. A familiar Honda Element drove through the gates toward me, Troy behind the wheel. I almost ran. The Honda stopped, and I jumped into the passenger seat. Troy was looking at my hand and I realized I was still clutching the stupid rapier. There was blood on the blade. I must have cut Xavier somehow.

“What the hell happened?” Troy asked.

“Too complicated. Could you please just drive?”

Troy turned the car around and drove out of Mountain Rose.

“What took you so long?” I asked.

“We found Sealight,” he said and dropped a duffel bag on my lap.

I unzipped the black duffel. The glittering crown looked back at me, the diamonds sparkling as they caught the light.

The heart-shaped aquamarine was missing.





Chapter 8




I sat on the couch in the dark media room, watching the security feed from the camera. Bern had forwarded it to our tv. The Sealight without the jewel rested on the couch to my left. The bloodstained rapier lay across my lap. My whole face was puffy. A large lump had formed on the right side of my forehead. It throbbed. My skin felt hot and ready to burst. I had an absurd feeling that if my lump healed, a pocket of skin would just sag off the side of my face. Google would probably tell me I was crazy, but I didn’t care enough to do a search on it. I stopped caring about a lot of things. It had been that kind of a day.

On the screen, the table and chairs where I had interviewed Maria and Lance waited quietly for the victims of Bern’s phone spoofing.

Mom walked into the room and flicked the lights on. “Why are you sitting by yourself in the dark . . .” She saw my face, fell silent, and sat on the couch near me. We sat together and watched the empty table.

“I don’t want to go to college,” I said.

Mom just looked at me.

“There is so much pressure to go to college. It starts from the first day of high school and never lets up. Every grade, every test, every club, every sport, everything matters, and not because you want to do it, but because it might count toward the college scorecard. You’re supposed to do great on your SAT, get a scholarship, graduate with honors, and then leave to have this awesome college experience. Winners go on to colleges, losers stay home and work crappy jobs. Well, I’m a loser, Mom. I think you should go to college if there’s something you want to do that can’t be done without a degree. I don’t know what I want to do. I’m not going to waste your money and I’m not going to torture myself just because someone might think that I failed at life because I didn’t move halfway across the country to get a degree I don’t want.”

I braced myself for the crushing disappointment on Mom’s face.

“Okay,” Mom said.

Okay? What did okay mean?

We sat some more.

“Someone’s poisoned Nevada’s wedding cake. There is a man whose job it is to impersonate people’s relatives for a fee. Bug says the company has a really good medical plan. Also, I got in a sword fight.”

“Did you win?” Mom asked.

“I didn’t lose, and he cheated.” I looked at her. “Also, I have learned how to use my magic to get people to tell me their secrets and then make them forget that they did. I’m like Nevada and Grandma Victoria, except I don’t force people. When I violate their minds, I just dangle my magic in front of them and they trip over themselves to tell me everything they know.”

I looked back at the screen.

Mom hugged me.

“Are you mad about college?” I asked.

“No. I’ve done my job. I’ve raised you to be a good person. You’re kind and smart and when you see a wrong, you try to fix it. That’s all a parent can hope for. The rest is up to you. It’s your life. You have to live it, and I would be a terrible parent if I tried to do it for you. I have no doubt that if you want a formal education in the future, you will get one. Everyone’s path is different, Catalina.”