Page 9 of Hell House
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Pierce
My plans for Salem were derailed this morning, by none other than the little witch herself. Bumping into her threw me off my game and distracted me from my goal of messing with her. And then there was that weird moment during class when I felt like all my body heat was being sucked out of me. I chalked it up to the coldness of the day, but the sensation threw me enough to make me forget about my plans. Thankfully, Javelynn had called a group meeting and I could exact some torture on my prey while we worked on the project. Who said guys couldn’t multitask?
I slap my hands against the sides of my face.
Time to focus.
I stride into the library, and the faux gaslights that sit right outside the doors flicker as I pass. All these buildings were old, weather worn from the salty sea air that saw over a few decades of use. Tiny tufts of moss cling to the sides of the stone, having to be scraped off or power washed by the groundskeeping staff, but I personally preferred it when they left it alone.
My steps squelch loudly against the marbled floor, echoing against the arched entryway, which earns me a scowl from the dowdy librarian. She looks like the cranky loud one from that old showAll That, only much older. I half expected her to pull out a bull horn and yell at me for my shoe noise, but instead she returned to scanning her pile of books.
I swiveled my head looking for the group I’d been saddled with for this project and landed on the back of Salem’s head. She’d ditched the braid from earlier and thrown her raven hair up into a high ponytail that made my hand itch to yank it. I crack my knuckles, walking up to the table with a bounce in my step.
Time to play.
I feel my smirk slip into place, tugging my cheek up in amusement.
“Well look who finally made it.” Javelynn says clicking their pen in annoyance.
I pull out a chair and flip it around, straddling my legs around it and clutch the back with my hands. I tap my fingers out the wood in a rat-a-tat rhythm, earning me a scowl from Salem, making me smirk even harder.
This is going to be fun.
Jackson pushes his round wire frames up his nose, glancing nervously at all of us before clearing his throat.
His voice comes out in a posh accent that I can’t really place. Like a male Anna Delvy. I wonder if his glasses are even real or if he wears them as a fashion statement.
“We should divide this project into four parts, don’t you think?” I feel my eyebrows raise as he talks.
I’m about to make a quip back, but Javelynn gets there first.
“That’s a great idea, Jackson, but how about first we come up with what we’re even working on, then we can focus on who does what.”
Jackson’s cheeks pink, but he nods his agreement.
I lean back slightly admiring Javelynn’s natural leadership skills.
We look over the project requirements, the grade percentage glares at me as I flick over the instructions. Javelynn is saying something to the group, but I’ve tuned out. Focusing on that grade percentage makes my palms start to sweat. My father’s voice reverberates in my mind. His expectations feel like a noose around my neck, pushing me towards goals that he’s set in stone since I was in the womb. The Pride inside my chest roils with the desire to be seen as the best. It yearns for me to fulfill the Ledger Legacy, choking me about the neck into compliance. I feel my eyes briefly flutter, the sense of Pride settling, but not fast enough that it’s escaped Salem’s notice. She frowns at me, her pen resting smack in the middle of her lower lip as she looks at me with confusion. I bristle, brushing her off and refocusing on Javelynn, who thankfully is still talking.
I flick out my phone under the table while my group is otherwise engaged in what Javelynn is saying. I send off a quick text to Emmet, letting him know I’m in place, using our agreed upon poop emoji as the signal. Innocent enough that it looks like the two of us are shooting the shit with each other without giving away our true intentions. I figured that to make sure my plan goes off without a hitch, I’d need reinforcements. No one can pull off a prank like Emmet, and that’s partly due to how well he knows his prey. He was the king of pranks, and his expertise was one I required when dealing with my little witch.
The headmaster was adamant that I carry out his plans for her, but in order to do that, I needed to know her. Our interactions thus far showed me that I wasn’t about to become best friends with her anytime soon… my chest rolls in disapproval. My Pride was still sulking from her flat-out dismissal of me. I’d make her pay for that eventually.
I catch a flash of movement in my periphery as I nod my head at Javelynn’s business ideas. Emmet had arrived. I tilt my chin at him as he slinks through the library, his wet feet squeaking against the tiles. Salem turns to face the noise.
She’s easily distracted, I note taking that moment to swipe her phone from her bag that lays slightly ajar. Jesus, her bag could cause some serious damage, I think as I snatch the phone from the spiked purse without raising suspicion.
Salem turns her attention back to Javelynn, blowing a bubble with her gum. Emmet comes close enough to our table that I’m able to hand off the phone to him behind my back.
Emmet’s dad was the CEO of some tech company that specialized in security, which was just code for talented hackers that charged you a lot of money to stop other hackers.
It took Emmet only a moment before he was looping back around to put the phone back in my hand.
I feel the cool kiss of the phone slipping into my palm. Emmet uses this moment to knock into Salem, giving me a moment to place it back into Salem’s spiked purse while she glowers at Emmet.
“Oh! I’m so sorry.” He drawls, laying on the southern gentleman accent and earning a forgiving smile from Salem. I feel myself frown at seeing how easily she interacts with everyone else.
