Free Spearwood Academy Volume Two (The Spearwood Academy Book 2) by A.S. Oren Page B

frowns. “No, before
that. You said full. What do you know?”
    I frown. “What do you mean? You and Lennox are half Royals.
I’ve known that ever since Dad told me I was going to marry Paden, and that
Lennox wasn’t an option, because he is only half-Royal. I also tied together
the fact that you both have long hair, but you don’t tie it back like the full
Royals do.”
    “Lennox wasn’t an option? Are you saying you were with him?”
Dante turns back to look at Lennox, who looks like a deer caught in the
headlights.
    Lennox shakes his head and holds up his hands, “I swear, we
have never done anything. I have no idea what she’s talking about.”
    A suffocating lump forms in my chest. He completely denies
everything now. The others were around when we were together, they know the
truth. “That’s just cruel. Ever since the breakup you have been downright
horrible, but denying everything? I—” I stop and shake my head. My hand wipes
away a stray tear. “I don’t have time for your sudden need to play a round of
twenty questions. I’m going to be seriously late for dinner with Paden. You
guys can come if you want, or you can eat in the dining hall. I don’t really
care either way.”
    I don’t leave them time to try to stop, or argue with me. I
turn and walk, faster this time. I need to see Paden.

The
Passage
    A fter
having to go down the painful memory lane with Dad, their strange behavior is
more than I can handle. I just need Paden to put his arms around me and tell me
that it is all going to be okay.
    They don’t say anything else, but multiple dress shoes follow
behind me, clacking against the marble floor. We go upstairs and down,
before coming to the hall that leads to a portrait. Paden showed me how to get
into his personal quarters. Behind this portrait, of an ancient looking woman
holding a bouquet of dead lilies, a passage leads to his room. Feeling under
the right lower corner of the golden frame, I undo a latch and push the
portrait to the side, revealing the dark passage. I feel for the button on the
side of the wall and push it. It makes a clunking sound, as it clicks
into place. A row of old lights turn on. Their light casts a dim yellow glow on
the dark red bricks.
    I look back to them. “Whoever is the last one in, has to move
the portrait back into place.”  I keep my hand on the wall as I move
forward. I wish I could see better in the dark, like the night vision the fire
masters have. I’m not affiliated with fire though, so that’s never going to
happen.
    The guys whisper behind me. I can’t make out what they are
saying, but I’m sure it has something to do with me. The silence between us
only makes my heart thump harder in my chest. I’ve never felt so distant from
them before. I’ve never had them acting like we just met either. Did Dad do one
of his weird experiments on them?
    I shake my head. No, he wouldn’t touch them. He knows they
are my best friends. They are off limits. As we near a fork in the passage, I
squint my eyes and look to the wall I’m touching. Soon, I should see the
carving in the brick that has Paden and my initials in it. He placed it there
to mark which way I should turn. I know this layout like the back of my own
hand, but it’s comforting to know that he placed it there for me when I was
still new to Spearwood. I like to trace the letters for good luck.
    The fork comes to a head and my eyes search for the mark.
It’s not there. I frown and place my hand on the brick where I know it should
be. Nothing but smooth stone greets my fingertips. It couldn’t have been
erased. He made sure it could never be removed. We placed bonding magic into it
together.
    “I don’t understand,” I mumble. My hands move over the other
bricks nearby. Maybe I’m wrong. I can’t be, but there’s a small chance I am.
Where else could it have gone?
    “What’s wrong, Avvi?” asks Amr.
    I bite my lip before answering, “It’s missing. There’s no way
it could