Concealed (Unbound, Book 4)

Chapter Five

It was as if Luna and Islene had coordinated their efforts. After saying a quick goodbye to Calin, I stopped at my locker before classes began and found another note. Again, it was from Islene. This time, she noted that she'd had a vision from Zachariah, who told her that it was imperative for me to stop shielding myself. If I did not, he wouldn't be able to contact me. I wouldn't be receptive to him or anything that was going on around me.

Perhaps it was the extra shot of espresso, but I laughed at their tenacity.

I left the note in my locker and grabbed my books. Closing my locker, I turned and jumped in surprise, my breath catching. My free hand came up, palm on my chest, and I laughed as I shook my head.

"Maible!" I said. "You scared me."

"Sorry." She shrugged. Her gaze glanced at my books, then narrowed on me. "Did you get my texts?"

"Yeah. My phone was off all weekend, but I read them on the way to school."

"And?"

I started to walk down the hall, knowing her first class was in the same direction as my own. "I slept most of the weekend, Maible. I literally woke up, had a bath and changed clothes, then went back to bed. I'm still exhausted."

"So I have to keep waiting?"

"For now." I nodded, keeping my eyes trained to the floor as I felt the gaze of the students following me, some with confusion or disbelief or even awe. It was different than the curiosity that followed after I first arrived or when I lost my memory, though it was just as uncomfortable.

"But—"

"Hey!"

We both paused. I looked at Maible and furrowed my brow, and she shrugged. Sighing, I looked up to the ceiling and then slowly turned to the voice that had shouted, knowing in my gut that I should ignore it. Sooner or later, I wouldn't be able to. I figured I might as well get the confrontation over with.

"I'm talking to you!"

"Yeah?" I finished turning and watched as Duvessa strutted her way down the hallway without her usual sidekicks until stopping right in front of me. "What do you want me to do about that?"

Duvessa glared, her usual kohl-lined eyes looking more like a raccoon than an artfully applied enhancement. Her hair was slicked back into a ponytail with her bangs pinned to the side, which was as messy as I'd ever seen her allow herself to appear in public. The most surprising was the puffiness around her eyes. It seemed as though she'd dumped a bottle of concealer on her face to mask the fact that she appeared to have missed out on a week's worth of sleep.

"What did you do?" she demanded as soon as she stopped.

"What do you mean? You'll have to be more specific if you want me to answer. I've done quite a few things."

"You know what I mean!" She balled fists at her sides. "You took away my abilities!"

"Oh?" I blinked.

"Don't act dumb, Nora," she said. "You said that you would punish me by the end of the day. I tried to use my abilities on Saturday and wasn't able to, so what did you do?"

I shrugged. "Only what you deserved."

"You—Only the Council can punish people!"

"Then perhaps you should go and speak with them," I told her without inflection. I knew, as angry as she was, my nonchalance would be frustrating. "If only the Council can punish someone like you obviously have been, I don't see how speaking to me is going to help you, Duvessa. Perhaps you should try being nice and rehabilitate your ways. Maybe then you won't find yourself in this predicament."