Everlight Academy Book 2 Read online

  “Maybe Tristen decided to buy you something nice after you kissed last night.”

  “If he did, then he can have it all back.” I didn’t think Tristen would have bought me anything. If he had, then he’d soon learn he couldn’t win me over with expensive gifts.

  Heck, if this was what he did after a kiss, I dreaded to think what he might do if we had a full-on date. Buying me stuff wouldn’t impress me.

  I ripped the packet open and gasped when I saw it was a box for an expensive mobile phone. Inside was a card.

  “Hey, he got you a phone. Good, God knows you need one. It will make life so much easier,” Mel remarked. “This is one of the latest models, too. You lucky cow.”

  I tore the card open and read the message inside. “Holy crackers, this stuff isn’t from Tristen. It’s from Freya.”

  “What?” Mel gasped. “Why would Freya send you all of this stuff?”

  “She said she wanted to make it up to me after springing the news on me about becoming my custodian without asking me. It says as we’re family now, it’s about time I had some real things to call my own.” My chest grew heavy. She had ordered all of this stuff for me before she died, and now, I would never have the chance to thank her for any of it. “We should just send it all back. It doesn’t feel right keeping it.”

  “Hey, Freya wanted you to have all of this stuff. It would be wrong to send it back.”

  Mel and I opened some of the other packages. They were full of clothes, books, a new laptop and stereo system, toiletries, and other items. I had never owned so much stuff in my life. Heck, I had barely any essential items.

  “Wow, some of these clothes look amazing. Freya had good taste,” Mel breathed.

  “Don’t get too excited. I’m not keeping it.” I had grown used to not having stuff over the years. I just made do.

  “Silv, you lived in complete poverty at your last home. You need this stuff. Especially the clothes. You barely get by on what you have as it is. Or do you want to keep borrowing stuff from my wardrobe?”

  “Fine, maybe I’ll keep some of the clothes. But I don’t need the phone or some of this other stuff.”

  “Yes, you do. Think of how much easier it would have been to find you last night if you had a phone like a normal teenager. You are keeping the phone.” Mel shoved the device into my hand. “Here, it’s all set up for you.”

  “But — but I don’t even know how to use one.” I’d never owned a mobile in my life, nor did I see the point in one. I managed just fine without one.

  “I’ll show you. But now we better get moving or we will be late for breakfast.”

  I found Tristen sitting at my usual table when Mel and I headed down to the great hall for breakfast. The great hall is a massive room with a high vaulted ceiling and gleaming oak floors. Thick tapestries covered the walls. Long rows of tables along with benches took up most of the hall. At the far end was a raised dais where the headmaster and the rest of the teachers also sat and dined together.

  “Tristen is sitting with us?” Mel whispered. “He usually sits by himself or has his groupies flocking around him.”

  I ignored her. I had no idea why Tristen had decided to sit with us. Maybe he just wanted to make sure I was okay. I hoped he didn’t think we were dating now. I still didn’t know how I felt about our kiss.

  Our friend, Alec Clover, sat at the table and shot a bemused expression at us. Tristen Thornwood is at our table. He directed the thought at Mel. Are one of you girls dating him?

  Alec had a mop of curly dark hair and neon green eyes. He was somewhat of a social outcast too, since he wrote a blog on the fae world and what went on. Most of the students here hated it. Alec didn’t trust the council either, and that would make him a valuable ally.

  I didn’t bother answering his question, but I noticed Melanie inclined her head towards me. I groaned to myself. Tristen and I would have to have a chat at some point. He needed to accept the fact we weren’t a couple. I had no idea what I wanted us to be. A romantic relationship was something I had never envisioned for myself. And it seemed wrong to start one now after everything that has happened.

  Mel and I headed up to the food counter at the front of the hall. The food was served on trays and had several machines to make different meals. I hadn’t had my dinner the night before, and I often went on barely one meal a day back in my old foster home. I knew I had to keep my strength up, or I’d be no good to Freya.

  I grabbed some toast and jam and headed straight to my table.

  “Tristen told me about Freya,” Alec said. “Gods, Silvy, I’m sorry.”

  I’m sorry. What did that even mean, anyway? Sure, people felt sorry for your loss, but it didn’t make things any easier.

  “My mother is here too,” Tristen remarked. “Silvy, they want to talk to you this morning.”

  I groaned, but I’d known that would happen. I had hoped it would be later, though. I hadn’t expected her to arrive straightaway.

  “They had better start looking for her killer,” I growled and frowned as energy crackled against my skin. I shivered. It still felt strange having the full use of my powers at my disposal. I had no idea what my magic was capable of. From what I’d seen when I still had the block in place, it had been pretty scary. “What’s that energy I can feel?” It took me a second to realise it wasn’t my magic.

  “It’s a privacy ward, so no one overhears us,” Tristen explained. “Silvy, you need to be careful what you say around here. If someone did kill Freya, you can’t let them know you know of it.”

  “Impressive magic,” Mel remarked in awe. “Freya also sent Silvy a load of gifts that were delivered to our room this morning. They even included a mobile phone.”

  Tris’ eyes widened at that.

  Alec gaped at us. “Wait, are you saying Freya’s death wasn’t an accident? They may not have made the announcement yet but there’s already rumours going around about how she might have died.”

  “The council already ruled Freya’s death as an accident,” Tristen said. “I wouldn’t question them on that, or it could lead to more trouble for you.”

  “Freya was murdered, plain and simple,” I snapped. “If the council won’t do anything, then we will figure it out ourselves.”

  Mel snorted. “How? We are students. We can’t solve a crime.”

  “This will make an awesome story.” Alec rubbed his hands together. “We will help, Silvy, don’t you worry.”

  I glanced over at Tristen. “You don’t have to help, but don’t you dare tell your mum about this.”

  He chuckled. “My mother would never view us as a threat. I never said I wouldn’t help. You will have to be careful.”

  Mel stared at us as if we had all gone mad. “You are all bonkers. How can we do anything? It’s suicide. The council is above reproach. The Unseelie king sent creatures to kill me for most of my life. How do you expect to go up against them?” She glanced around at all of us. “I say we should leave it well enough alone. I came to the academy to stay out of trouble, not to find more of it.”

  “The council members are a bunch of lying, hypocritical morons,” Alec said and threw his spoon down in exasperation. “They could have killed Freya without leaving much of a trace. She liked going against them, and if she became too much of an inconvenience to them, they would have had no qualms about getting rid of her. No offence, Thornwood.” Alec turned to me. Are you sure we can trust him? He is a Thornwood. How do we know he won’t go running to his mummy?

  I trust him. He’s not like his mother.

  Tristen smiled. “None taken.”

  “You don’t have to be part of this,” I told Mel. “We can handle it.” It felt good knowing I had friends who had my back. That was something I had never had before.

  “You will get yourselves expelled,” she hissed. “You —”

  The double doors opened and in swept Queen Maeve herself, looking as regal as always with her long
chestnut hair, piercing blue eyes, and red velvet gown. She looked like someone who had stepped out of the Middle Ages.

  Forrest trailed in behind her and shot me a glare.

  I glared back at him. I didn’t care if he was the headmaster or not. He had still accused me of murder.

  Another man strode in after them. He had long black hair swept back into a ponytail and he wore a rumpled suit. He had a chiselled face but dark circles under his eyes. As though he hadn’t slept.

  My blood ran cold as the memory of the night before came flooding back. Holy crackers, he was the guy I’d seen come out of Freya’s room last night. How had I forgotten about that? He must have made me forget. Why else would I have gone back to my room and fallen asleep? What had he done to me?

  I reached across the table and grabbed Tristen’s hand to get his attention. A warm tingling feeling washed over my palm. Who’s that guy in the rumpled suit?

  Maeve walked over to a small podium at the front of the hall. “It’s with great sadness that I have come here today,” she announced.

  That’s Lucas Melrose, Tristen replied. He is… A long story.

  I saw him coming out of Freya’s room last night. My heart pounded as I tried to work out what had happened to me last night. Why would he have made me forget I’d seen him? He must be hiding something. That put him straight at the top of my suspect list.

  Tristen narrowed his eyes. When?

  When I snuck out. I think he saw me and compelled me to forget, I said.

  “I regret to inform you Freya Goodwin died last night,” Maeve said. “We are saddened by this devastating news. She will be missed by all.”

  Forrest then took over. “We are all devastated by the loss of Miss Goodwin. As a result, there will be no classes for today. There will also be a counsellor available for anyone who wishes to speak to them.”

  Thank god for that. That meant we had time to start looking into things. I knew full well I would never be able to concentrate on classes today. Not after everything that happened yesterday.

  And I wanted to know who the hell Lucas Melrose was and what he had been doing in Freya’s room after her death.

  Chapter 4

  I knew it would only be a matter of time before the council summoned me for questioning. So, we left the great hall once we had all finished breakfast and planned to get started on our investigation. I was relieved to get out of there, away from Lucas Melrose’s inquisitive gaze. But we needed somewhere to go where we wouldn’t be disturbed.

  Tristen said his room was off-limits while his mum was here as she had posted a guard there and she could walk in at any time. Since Mel wanted no part in our plan, I decided not to go to our room either. I didn’t think she would tell on us, but I didn’t want to risk it. So that only left Alec’s room for us to use. Good thing Alec didn’t have a roommate. Alec’s room was a chaotic mess of discarded clothes, books, and paperwork. How anyone could discard books in such a disrespectful way was beyond me.

  His room was smaller than the one I shared with Mel, with whitewashed walls and bookcases that covered one side of the wall. His desk had so many books and piles of paperwork on it was a wonder he could get any work done.

  “Excuse the mess.” Alec’s cheeks flushed as Tristen walked in. “I don’t usually have anyone else in here.”

  “I can’t stay long,” Tristen said. “Mother will have her vultures looking for me.”

  I gave Alec and Tristen the rundown of what happened when I had found Freya and when I had snuck into Freya’s room last night and how I saw Lucas Melrose there. It hurt talking about Freya’s death again, but I knew I’d have to get used to the feeling.

  “Why did you sneak out after I fell asleep?” Tristen frowned. “That was a foolish thing to do. What if someone saw you? You could get into even more trouble.”

  “I couldn’t sleep. I thought if I got…” I trailed off. It had been a stupid idea for sure, but I needed to do something. Standing back and doing nothing wasn’t the type of person I was.

  “Wait, did you sleep together last night?” Alec gasped, then raised his hands when I glared at him. “Hey, it’s none of my business. What you two do in private —”

  “We didn’t do anything. He stayed with me because I didn’t want to be alone,” I snapped, cheeks flushed. I turned to Tristen. “Who is Melrose and why is he here? And why would he have been in Freya’s room last night?”

  Alec let out a low whistle. “Oooh, this gets better and better. Imagine the stories I can write about on my blog now.”

  “He’s from one of the old noble families, but he is somewhat of a recluse. He lives on his family estate and keeps to himself,” Tristen said. “My mother says he’s going to be Freya’s replacement on the council. I’m surprised he’s appeared again. No one has seen him around much in the last few years. This will create some great conspiracies.”

  My mouth fell open. “Freya died last night, and they are replacing her already? Unbelievable! And he should be a number one suspect since he was at the scene of the crime.”

  Alec shook his head. “Don’t be so quick to jump to conclusions, Silvy. Any good investigator doesn’t narrow in on one suspect straightaway. You need to make sure you have all the facts and evidence first.”

  A gust of wind swept through the room. Paper flew everywhere and scattered into an even bigger mess. I winced and realised it had come from me. My magic had acted out of control again, thanks to my raging emotions.

  “We need to start the beginning,” Alec said. “Then form a list of what we know and make a list of potential suspects.”

  “The council should be at the top of that list.”

  Alec started writing things down as Tristen and I told him about last night’s events in order. Including the time I’d vanished and gotten back. It was around ten PM when Tristen carried me back. I remembered hearing the clock tower chiming around the time Tristen had kissed me.

  “So, you headed straight for Freya’s room when you got back?” Alec asked me.

  Tristen and I looked at each other, but he didn’t say anything.

  I nodded. “Yeah, I wanted to tell her I was okay and tell her about visiting the woods. I found her right after that.”

  “What did happen to you in Eldry Woods?” Alec wanted to know. “We couldn’t find you anywhere. We all freaked out when Freya told us you had disappeared. She was worried something would happen to you.”

  I winced. I had never had the chance to tell Freya what happened to me either. “Not much. I talked to a dryad, and she told me my birth mother asked her to leave me among humans to keep me safe. She showed me a memory of it.”

  Tristen frowned. “Did you get a good look at what your mother looked like?”

  I shook my head. “No. I couldn’t see her face. It was covered by a hood. She was fae, so my father must be human. There was no sign of him, though.” Not seeing my father hadn’t bothered me, though. I hadn’t thought much about my birth father over the years and had resigned myself to the fact I might never know who he was. He might not have even been in the picture when I had been born.

  Alec furrowed his brow. “Why would anyone leave you in the woods? It’s hard for us fae to have children due to our longevity. That makes no sense.”

  I shrugged. “I have no idea. But it’s not important now.” Finding out who my birth mother is would have to wait. Finding out what happened to Freya was much more important. Plus, I was still no closer to finding out who my mother was anyway.

  “We need to get hold of that footage; it might give us an idea of who might have been in Freya’s room before Silvy got there. The poison had to be placed there at some point.”

  “I can easily get hold of the footage. It’s not hard for me to hack into the academy’s security system. Maybe the poison was something Freya already had there.” Alec turned to me. “Do you have any idea what kind of potions and herbal remedies she had in her chamber?”

&
nbsp; I had done some snooping of the living area of Freya’s chamber during our sessions together. “I have a pretty good idea. We also need to find out what the poison was.” I ran a hand through my long hair. “Tris, did your uncle or your mother mention the name of it?”

  “No, they didn’t bother telling me that. I can ask, though.”

  “Won’t that make your mother suspicious?” Alec asked. “We need to be careful and avoid arousing the council’s suspicions. Madam Leticia may have written up a report. I’ll hack into her computer and see what I can find.”

  I snapped my fingers. “I heard something the other day about Madam Leticia looking for an assistant to help her out in the healing wing. I could apply and snoop around for a bit.”

  “Good idea.” Alec nodded and began tapping away on his computer. “What —?” Alec got cut off by a loud knock on the door.

  We all froze.

  Tristen groaned and rubbed his temples. “It’s probably someone summoning me.” He got up and opened the door.

  Zoe Finn stood on the other side of the door. Her long dark brown hair fell past her shoulders and over her pretty face. Her dark brown eyes widened when she caught sight of us. She wore her usual leather jacket, jeans, and a T-shirt. “Finally! Silvy, I’ve been looking everywhere for you. We need to talk.”

  Tristen muttered something and the papers Alec had been working on flipped over.

  I’d wanted to talk to Zoe too, but I had thought she had been busy. I had planned on going to see her later this morning. Aside from Tristen and Alec, she might be the only one to believe me about Freya.

  “Is the council summoning us already?” Tristen asked her.

  Zoe shook her head. “Not yet. Maeve is waiting for the others to arrive. They’ll have a meeting here. Silvy, can we talk in private?”

  “I’d better go before my mother comes here looking for me.” He squeezed my shoulder. “I’ll see you at the meeting. Will you be okay?”

  “I… I have somewhere else to be.” Alec stood up and hurried out.