Page 76 of Waysider
Louis was writing again, his chalk clicking into the stillness. You know someone else who has a key, he said.
Her eyebrows rose. “I do? Who?”
Victoria Chen.
Cass swore.
Hours later, the sound of banging pulled Cass awake.
She cracked her eyes open, and her dark dreams began to fade. Cass absorbed the sight of sunlight streaming through the white, lace-edged curtains over the window before her focus shifted to Cal, who sat in his usual place at the desk. The banging was still going. She gave her brother a questioning look, and he shrugged. Cass reluctantly left the warmth of her bed, the springs creaking with every movement, and reached for a sweatshirt she’d abandoned on the floor. She pulled it on over her tank top and slipped into the hallway, leaving the door open for Cal.
Cass followed the sound all the way to the first floor. She found Justin standing outside the bathroom, his muscular frame towering over Candice. The redhead wore nothing but a towel, and her freckled skin was bright pink. Water dripped off the ends of her hair and pooled on the floor.
“I warned you. I said ten minutes,” Justin said.
“Hey, guys,” Cass said casually, glancing between them with raised brows. “What’s going on?”
“She uses all the hot water,” Justin snapped. “Every morning, she gets up at the crack of dawn and takes the longest shower I’ve ever seen. By the time anyone else gets to use it, the water is ice cold, man. What do you even do in there?”
Candice tilted her head back, her eyes flashing. Even though she couldn’t speak and didn’t have her chalkboard, she had no difficulty communicating. Justin glared back, and it was the most animated Cass had ever seen him. Not even Bradley could get him this riled. She was half-tempted to linger in the hallway and see which of them won the battle.
But she had somewhere to be.
“Good luck with that,” Cass said, nodding at Candice. She moved past them and padded into the laundry room. She’d put her things in the dryer before going to bed last night—it had been a decent distraction from the interaction with Louis and the fact that Cal was still gone.
To Cass’s surprise, someone had folded all her clothes and left them for her to find. Finch, she thought, taking a pair of jeans from the pile. Cass put them on, remembering the conversation they’d had while she was doing her laundry. Finch was an encyclopedia of knowledge when it came to their classmates. Luckily, she also didn’t ask many questions. She hadn’t batted an eye when Cass expressed some curiosity about Victoria Chen.
It was from Finch that Cass found out Victoria worked in the science building, and was a TA for one of the professors. Add her prestigious family to the mix, and it was no wonder Victoria had been entrusted with a key.
After the talk with her roommate, Cass had gotten an idea. A horrible idea. One that might leave a stain on her soul, if it actually existed. She’d spent the rest of the night tossing and turning, wrestling with her decision. Then the dreams started. Every time Cass jolted awake, she’d glance at the clock, knowing it would end once the devil’s hour was past.
When Cass finally fell asleep for the last time, she’d made her choice.
Once she was dressed, Cass claimed the bathroom, making doubly certain to lock it behind her. Justin was still on the warpath about everyone having a time limit.
Ten minutes later, Cass was in the science building, on the second floor, standing outside one of the labs. It smelled different from the other halls she’d been in. Newer, maybe. Cass found Victoria right where Finch said she would be—she could see the Timekeeper through a narrow window in the door. The moment she laid eyes on her, Cass felt a flutter of apprehension, and she regretted the banana she’d eaten on the way over here. For the hundredth time since last night, she wondered if what she was about to do would be a huge mistake. Then she heard Sinister’s matter-of-fact voice again, forcing her to confront the truth she’d been dodging for weeks. What’s the alternative? Do nothing and let her torment you for the rest of the semester?
Cass took a deep, slow breath before she tapped lightly on the glass. Victoria lifted her head and looked over. When she saw who stood in the hallway, her dark eyes narrowed. They were already off to a fantastic start, Cass thought as the other girl approached and opened the door.
“I don’t think we’ve officially met. I’m Cass Ryan,” she said as the hinges squeaked into the stillness.
Victoria’s voice was flat. “I know who you are.”
Of course she did. Else & Bellows was a small school, and Cass’s presence here hadn’t exactly been subtle. Then there had been that super fun moment at the Shadowripper party. Webster had definitely told Victoria who Cass was then.
Thinking about Webster was a mistake. Cass’s mind flashed back to the night of the Haunting, and she remembered the fear Webster had been trying so hard to hide. You said you owe me, right? I’d consider us even if you kept what you saw to yourself.
It’s none of my business. No one is going to hear anything from me, Cass had told her.
And now here she was, using what she’d seen that night as a means to get something she wanted. Self-loathing crept through Cass’s veins like poison. Once again, she considered backing down. Finding another way. But Cass had already gone over all her options. If she went to Headmistress Crane or a professor, they probably wouldn’t be able to untether Karen. On the off chance they were actually successful, everything Karen knew would go with her. There would be no justice, no answers. The man who murdered her got off scot-free, just like the guy who had been responsible for Cal’s death.
This was the best way. The only way.
Cass squared her shoulders and wiped all the feeling from her expression. “I need a vial of See,” she said.
Victoria answered promptly, “Students are only permitted to use See on official Hauntings or within a supervised, academic setting.”
“I know.” Cass paused. “I also know you have a key.”
