CHAPTER NINETEEN

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I stumble away from the SUV and dart a look around, seeking my escape

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I stumble away from the SUV and dart a look around, seeking my escape.

Chloe's hopping out of the passenger seat, and Ethan's staring at me darkly from behind the steering wheel. Their compass-like tracking device is perched on their dash.

"Lyric, please wait," Chloe calls out in her lilting Irish accent. She's quickly rounding the vehicle, her red ponytail swinging, her huge purse hanging off one arm. "Please don't run. Just wait."

I back up another step. My ankle twists as I reach the edge of the curb, and I nearly fall on my butt. By the time I regain my balance, Ethan's out of the car too.

One hand's in his jacket, probably reaching for his stupid wand. His light brown skin's looking a bit gray in the hazy light, and there are bags beneath his eyes.

Chloe stops a foot from me and starts rifling through her blue purse, coughing from the smoke. Up close, I can see they're way less composed than earlier. Sweat's glistening on both their foreheads, and their formerly clean and well-ironed clothes are rumpled. Ethan's are especially bad, and his leather shoes are discolored and stained from the beach. Serves him right.

Chloe sneezes from the smoky air as she pulls a piece of unfolded parchment from her purse. It's got fancy-looking writing on one side.

It's another Academy invitation!

"Are you freakin' kidding me?" I shout, my hands balling into fists. "Leave me the hell alone!"

"Maybe it's time we did," Ethan growls, his Italian accent stronger than ever.

Huh? He wants to leave?

Chloe wipes her face with the back of one hand and shakes the letter at me with the other. "Do you know how very difficult it is to make one of these? No. No, of course you don't."

"Go. Away!" I sound like a five-year-old, but I don't even care anymore. I've had enough of these two.

"If I give you this letter..." Chloe waves the parchment at me and then points to the black plume of smoke still rising in the sky. "Do you suppose you could refrain from immediately setting it on fire this time?"

Ethan raises a hand. "Uh... Chloe? Do you suppose we could do as Miss Hart asks and just... go away? I know I'm ready to go home."

Chloe shoots Ethan a dirty look and then sighs at me like I'm a giant disappointment. "Never in my career have I ever seen or heard of anyone doing this... No one just... lights their invitation on fire!" She sniffs. "It's simply unheard of."

My fists really wanna punch someone, and they've wanted to for a while now.

"Stop saying I lit it on fire!" Heat floods my face. "I didn't do anything! Your evil letter exploded all by itself! My house is gone! Forever. But you know that already." My voice cracks on the final words.

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