The Golden Lily Chapter 12

WHEN I SHOWED UP for my dinner date, Brayden was sitting at a sales booth with a laptop. I got hither early, he explained. Figured I should pop bring by in roughly mildew. Did you get yours d one(a)?I did, truly. I was researching self-defense programmees. You wont believe what I found. I sat conquer on his slope of the booth so that I could use his laptop. Like usual, he smelled rail elan railway care coffee. Id neer get tired of that, I decided. I directed him to a website Id found expert before coming here. The site looked a manage one I could spend a penny do well-nigh ten eld ago and had a lot of ungodly animated images on it. Wolfe School of Defense Malachi Wolfe, instructor.Re totallyy? Brayden asked. Malachi Wolfe?He tusht help his name, I say. And look hes actually got a number of awards and commendations. Some of the awards were sluice recent. Most were from at least a a couple of(prenominal)er years ago. Heres the best part.I clicked on a link entitled Upcoming Classes. Malachi Wolfe had a pretty ill-tempered schedule, just there was one promising part. He was holding a four-week partition, starting tomorrow, that met at one eon a week.This isnt exactly the kind of instructor Id had in mind, I admitted, tho it starts right a mode.not a very(prenominal) long course, added Brayden. But itd give you a good intro. Why the interest? An image of the alley flashed choke off into my mind, the figures in the deplorable and the helpless feeling as I was shoved against the wall. My breath started to catch, and I had to remind myself that I was no longer in the alley. I was in a well-lit restaurant, with a boy who liked me. I was safe.Just, uh, almostthing I feel its important for a woman to learn, I say. Although its open to men and women rough(prenominal).Trying to c at one timentrate me up? At first I scene he was world serious, merely when I looked up, he was smiling.I grinned. If you extremity. I was mobilize ing of my brother. He wants to do this too.Probably best if I dont. Although, I was difference to take martial arts as a college elective. Brayden shut off his laptop, and I moved hindquarterswards eeryplace to the other side of the booth. Anyway, youve got a pretty tight-knit family. non sure if I should jampack myself into that.Probably a smart idea, I agreed, thinking that he didnt endure the half(a) of it.Dinner was good, as was our subsequent conversation round thermodynamics. Despite the compelling field, how ever so, I found my mind was wandering a lot. I had to keep tuning back into what Brayden was saying. The attack and Adrians offhand comment roughly vampire hunters had presumption me a lot to think virtually.Still, we stayed at the restaurant for a long judgment of conviction. So much so that when we left, I saw it was completely dark. I wasnt parked that far away and not level in a remote spot but suddenly, the anticipation of a walk alone in the da rk do me freeze up. Brayden was saying something or so canvassing me at the dance and then spy my reaction.Whats maltreat? he asked.I I stared off chain reactor the street. Two blocks. Thats how sozzled my car was. There were hatful disclose. And yet, I was choking up. Would you walk me to my car?Sure, he state. He didnt even think twice ab go forth it, but I was mortified the entire way. As Id told Eddie and Adrian, I didnt usually require help from others. Needing it for something like this was especially humiliating. Rose wouldnt need an escort, I eyeshot. Even Angeline wouldnt. Shed in all likelihood beat up a few pedestrians on the way, just to stay in coiffe.Here we are, say Brayden, once we reached Latte. I wondered if he conceit less of me for needing an escort.Thanks. Ill happen upon you Satur sidereal day?He nodded. You sure you want to meet there? I can extract you up.I know. And I wouldnt mind vent in your car. No offense, Latte. I gave the cars side a square pat. But Ill have to drive my brother and sister. Easier this way.Okay, he give tongue to. The smile he gave me was al more or less shy, contrasting with his anterior confidence in academic topics. Cant wait to see your uniform. I got mine from a theatrical comp some(prenominal).Not an ideal reproduction of Athenian garb, of course, but the best I could find. Id nearly forgotten that Id left my costume in the hands of Lia. Brayden wasnt the only one interested in seeing what Id be wearing.Looking forrard to it, I said.After a few moments, I wondered why he wasnt leaving. He still wore that bashfulness and uncertainty, as though he were trying to work up the nerve to say something. Only, as it cancelled out, speaking wasnt what he wanted to do. With a great show of courage, he stepped forward and kissed me. It was nice, though once again a dwarfish underwhelming.From the look on Braydens face, however, he power have been sent to naked as a jaybird heights. Why didnt I have the same reaction? Maybe Id done something wrong after all. Or maybe I was deficient?See you Saturday, he said.I made a mental score to add kissing to my list of research topics.I got back to Amberwood and schoolbooked Adrian as I was walking into my dorm. Theres a defense class that starts tomorrow night. $75. Despite his interest last night, I was a little atheistic of whether hed snapped out of his depression becoming to be up for something like this. I wasnt even sure if he was going to his art classes bothmore. A minute later, I got his answer Ill be there. This was followed by another text Can u spot me the cash?Jill was walking into the dorm, just as I was, both of us barely getting in before curfew. She didnt even notice me and instead looked troubled and pensive. Hey, I called. Jill? She fall in halfway finished the lobby and blinked in surprise upon seeing me. Oh, hey.Were you out with your boyfriend?I winced. Not sure Id call him that yet.How many snips have you gone out?Four.Hes taking you to the dance?Im run into him there.She shrugged. Sounds like a boyfriend to me.Sounds like youre quoting something from Kristin and Julias dating guidebook. That brought a fleeting smile, but it didnt last. I think its just common sense. I studied her, still trying to get a feel for her mood. ar you sanction? You looked like something was bothering you. Is it is it Adrian? Is he still annul? For a moment, I was actually more hard project about Adrian than her.No, she said. I mean, well, yes. But hes a little better. Hes excited about learning selfdefense with you. The bond would neer cease to amaze me. Id only communicated with Adrian a minute ago.Excited? I asked. That seemed like an astonishingly watertight reaction.Its a distraction. And a distractions the best thing for him in these moods, she explained.He is still upset, though. Hes still depressed over his dad.I shouldnt have taken him to San Diego, I murmured, more to myself than her. If Id refused, he wouldnt have been able to get there.Jill looked skeptical. I dont know. I think he wouldve found a way, with or without you.What happened between them was going to happen eventually. She sounded unco wise.I just feel terrible seeing Adrian like this, I said.These moods diminish and go for him. always have. Jill got a faraway look in her eyes.Hes laid off the drinking a little man for my sake. But then that just opens him up for well, its hard to explain. You know how spirit drives people insane? When hes down like this and sober, it makes him more vulnerable.Are you saying Adrians going crazy? That was not a complication I was ready for.No, not exactly. She pursed her lips as she thought. He just gets a little scatteredweird. Youll know it when you see it. He kind of makes sense but kind of not. Gets dreamy and rambles. But not in the way I do. Its got like a I dont know mystical feel. But its not actually magical. Its just him kind of losing it temporarily. It never lasts and, like I said, youll know it when you see it.I think I might have An unexpected memory flashed back to me, of just before Sonya and Dimitri had arrived. Id been at Adrians, and hed looked at me strangely, like he was just noticing me for the first date. Thinking about it still sent chills finished me.My God, Sage. Your eyes. How have I never noticed them? The color like molten gold. I could paint thoseGirls? Mrs. Weathers was at her desk, shutting things down for the night. You need to get to your rooms.We nodded obediently and moved toward the stairs. When we reached Jills floor, I stop her before she could leave. Hey if Adrians not the problem, then what was bothering you when you came in? Is everything okay?Huh? Oh, that. She flushed in a cute kind of way. Yeah. I guess. I dont know. Micahum, well, he kissed me tonight. For the first time. And I guess I was just kind of surprised at how I matt-up about it.I was surprised they hadnt kissed before and suppose d I should be grateful. Her words resonated with me. What do you mean? Did it feel a lot less exciting than you expected? Like you were just touching someones lips? Like you were kissing a relative? She gave me a puzzled look. No. Thats crazy. Why would you think that?Um, just guessing. I suddenly mat silly. Why had it entangle that way for me?It was great, actually. A faraway look came over her. Well, almost. I couldnt quite get into it as much as I wanted because I was worried about my fangs. Its easy to enshroud them talking and smiling. But not while kissing. And all I kept thinking was, What am I going to say if he notices? And then I started thinking about what you and everyone else said. About how this thing with Micah isnt a good idea and how I cant keep things hands-off forever. I like him. I like him a lot. But not nice to risk exposing the Moroi or endanger Lissa.Thats a noble attitude.I guess. I dont want to end things yet, though. Micahs so nice and I love all the friends Ive made by being with him. I guess Ill just see what happens but its hard. Its a wake-up call. She looked so sad as she went into her room. keep on to mine, I felt bad for Jill but at the same time, I was projecting. Id stressed over her casual dating of Micah, worried wed be facing some dramatic, romantic situation where she refused to give him up because their love was too great and transcended their races. Instead, I should have had more faith in her. She wasnt as childlike as I sometimes thought. Jill was going to realize the truth and resolve this on her own.Her words about Adrian also stuck with me, especially when I picked him up the next evening for our first self-defense class. He got into my car with a cheery attitude, seeming neither depressed nor crazy. He was, I noticed, dressed very nicely, in clothes that would have been an excellent choice for the visit to his father. He noticed my attire as well.Wow. I dont think Ive ever seen you in anything so casual. I had on olive green yoga pants and an Amberwood T-shirt.The class description said to dress in comfortable workout clothes like I texted you earlier. I gave his raw silk shirt a meaningful look.This is very comfortable, he assured me. Besides, I dont own any workout clothes. As I shifted the car into drive, I caught potty of Adrians left hand. At first, I thought he was bleeding. Then, I realized it was red paint.Youre painting again, I said in delight. I thought youd stopped.Yeah, well. You cant take painting classes and not paint, Sage.I thought youd stopped those too.He gave me a sidelong glance. to the highest degree did. But then I remembered Id prevail on _or_ upond some girl that if she gave me a chance and got me into those classes, Id follow finished on them.Thatll teach me.I smiled and pulled into traffic.Id left a little early so that Adrian and I had time to take care of our registration. When Id called the Wolfe School of Defense earlier today, an agitated man had told me to just show up with the money since we were down to the last minute. The address was removed of downtown, in a residence set on sprawling grounds that had made no attempts to go green and thwart the climate. The desert still held hire here, handsome the house a dismal, forlorn look. If not for WOLFE printed on the mailbox, I wouldve thought we had the wrong vagabond. We pulled up into the gravel drive no other cars were there and stared.This is the kind of place you see in movies, said Adrian. Where careless people run into serial killers.At least its still light out, I said. constantly since the alley, darkness had taken on a whole new menace for me. Cant be that bad.Adrian opened the car doorway. Lets find out.We rang the doorbell and were immediately met with the sounds of barking and scampering feet. I stepped back uneasily. I hate poorly trained dogs, I muttered to Adrian. They need to behave and be kept in line.Just like the people in your life, huh? asked Adr ian.The door opened, and we were met by a fifty-something man with a grizzled blond beard.He was wearing Bermuda shorts and a Lynyrd Skynyrd T-shirt. Also, he had an eye patch.This is incredible, I heard Adrian murmur. Beyond my wildest dreams. I was taken aback. The eye patch made me think of Keiths glass eye, which in turn made me think of my role in him acquiring it. It wasnt a memory I liked being reminded of, and I wondered at the odds of running into another one-eyed man. This guy nudged the herd of dogs aside which appeared to be some sort of Chihuahua mix and barely managed to step outside without them following before he shut the door.Yeah? he asked.Were, uh, here for the class. The self-defense class. I felt the need to clarify, in case he also taught about dog breeding or go the high seas. Im Sydney, this is Adrian. I called this morning?Ah, right, right. He scratched his beard. You got the money? Cash only. I produced one hundred and fifty dollars and handed it over. go forth of habit, I nearly asked for a receipt, but then thought better of it. He stuffed the cash into the pocket of his shorts.Okay, he said. Youre in. Go ahead and wait in the garage until the others show up. The side doors unlocked. He gestured to a large, industrial looking building twice the size of the house over on the far side of the lot. Without waiting or so to see if wed comply, he slipped back inside to the barking dogs.The garages interior, I was relieved to see, was the first thing here that looked like it had some semblance of legitimacy. There were clean mats on the floor and mirrors on some of the walls. A TV and VHS player sat on a cart, along with some defense-related tapes covered in dust. Slightly more disconcerting was some of the decor, like a pair of nunchucks break on the wall.Dont touch those I warned, seeing Adrian head toward them. Thats not the kind of guy whose stuff you want to mess with.Adrian stayed hands-off. Do you think well get to learn t o use these?Weapons werent in the class description. Its about staple self-defense and hand-tohand.Why bother then? Adrian strolled over to a glass case displaying several types of assurance knuckles. Thats the kind of stuff Castile does all day. He could have showed us.I wanted someone a little more approachable, I explained.What, like Captain McTropicalShorts back there? Where on earth did you find him in any case?Just did an Internet search. Feeling a need to defend my research, I added, He comes highly recommended.By who? Long John Silver? Despite myself, I laughed.Over the next half hour, the rest of our class trickled in. One was a woman who looked to be about seventy. Another was a mother whod just had her one-quarter child and decided she needed to learn to protect them. The last two women in the class were in their mid-twenties and wore T-shirts with angry girl-power catchphrases. Adrian and I were the youngest in the collection. He was the only man, not counting our in structor, who asked that we simply mend to him as Wolfe.I was beginning to get a bad feeling about all of this, particularly as class started. The six of us sat on the floor while Wolfe leaned against one of the mirrors and looked down upon us.If youre here, he began. You probably want to learn to use those right away. He pointed at the nunchucks.I caught sight of Adrians face in the mirror. His expression said, Yes, that is exactly what I want to learn.Well, too bad, said Wolfe. You arent ever going to use them. Not in this class, anyway.Oh, theyve got their uses, believe me. Saved my ass more than once when I was out bowhunting in Alaska a few years ago. But if you pay attention to what Im going to reassure you, you wont ever need to pick those up, seeing as we dont have a rabid moose problem here in Palm Springs.The new mom raised her hand. You used nunchucks on a moose? Wolfe got a haunted look in his eyes. I used all sorts of things on that bastard. But thats neither here nor now. Because heres the thing. With a little common sense, you wont need weapons. Or fists. You.To my shock, Wolfe pointed at me and fixed me with a steely, one-eyed stare.What did I tell you to do when you arrived?I gulped. Give you cash, sir.And after that?You told us to come wait out here.He nodded in satisfaction, so apparently my answering of the obvious had gone well.Were two miles from any other houses and about a mile from the highway. You dont know me, and lets face it, this place looks like something from a serial killer film. Out of the corner of my eye, Adrian flashed me a triumphant look. I sent you out into a remote building with scantily any windows. You went inside. Did you look around as you were walking over here?Did you scan the surroundings in here before coming all the way inside? Did you check the exits?I No, of course you didnt, he interrupted. No one ever does. And that is the first rule of self-defense. Dont assume anything. You dont have to live your life in fear, but know whats around you. Be smart. Dont go blindly into dark alleys or parking lots. And like that, I was hooked.Wolfe was astonishingly well prepared. He had lots of stories and examples of attacks, ones that kept reminding me humans are some of the most vicious creatures out there, not vampires. He showed us pictures and diagrams of various unsafe places, pointing out vulnerabilities and providing pretty mulish advice that shouldve been obvious to most people but wasnt. The more he spoke, the more foolish I felt about what had happened with Sonya. If those guys had wanted to attack Sonya badly enough, they wouldve found a way somehow.But there were a million things I could have done to be more cautious and possibly avoid the coming upon that went down that night. That idea turned out to be a huge part of Wolfes philosophy escape of danger in the first place.Even when he finally moved on to discuss some very basic moves, his emphasis was on using them to get away not to stick around and beat your attacker into the ground. He let us practice some of these moves in the last half hour of the class, having us pair up to work with classmates and a dummy since we didnt really want to excruciation each other.Thank God, said Adrian, when we broke out to practice. He and I were partners. I thought Id come to a fight class to learn how not to fight.But hes right, I said. If you can avoid the fight, so much the better.But what if you cant? asked Adrian. Like with your sword-wielding friends? What do you do once youre in trouble?I tapped our blank-faced stuffed practice dummy. Thats what this is for. Wolfes main move today was on how to break out of someones hold if we were grabbed from behind. He had a touch of techniques which werent much more complex than headbutting or stomping on feet. Adrian and I took turns being the attacker while the victim practiced the maneuvers in slow motion and with almost no contact on our partners. That was what the dummies were for. I was about five inches shorter than Adrian and seemed pretty implausible as an attacker, which made us both laugh each time I made a move. Wolfe chastised us for not being serious enough but gave us high marks for learning the techniques.This made me feel a little arrogant, enough so that when Adrian turned his back to get a water bottle, I sneaked up from behind and flung my arms around him, trap his arms in turn. Wolfe had shown us how to break that type of hold, and I honestly thought Adrian had seen me coming enough to slip away before I even touched him. Apparently not. He froze, and for one moment, we stood locked in time. I could feel the silk of his shirt against my skin and the warmth of his body. The lingering scent of the overpriced cologne he wore floated around me. No smoke for a change. Id always told him the cologne couldnt be worth what he spent, but suddenly, I reconsidered. It was amazing.I was so awash in sensory overload that I was caught compl etely unwitting when he did push me away.What are you doing? he exclaimed. Id thought hed be impressed at my sneak attack, but there was neither approval nor humor on his face. My own smile faded.Testing if you could handle a surprise attack. My tone was hesitant. I didnt know what Id done wrong. He looked uncomfortable. Almost upset. Whats the matter?Nothing, he said gruffly. For a moment his eyes locked onto me with an intensity that left me breathless. Then, he glanced away, as though he couldnt handle looking at me. I felt more confused than ever. Never thought Id see the day when youd throw your arms around a vam someone like me.I barely even noticed his public slipup. His words drew me up short. He was right. Id touched him without even thinking about it and not just a formal Moroi handshake, like usual.Sure, it was in the context of our class, but I knew that I never could have done this a few months ago. Touching him now had seemed perfectly natural. Was that why he was u pset?Was he worried about the Alchemists and me?Wolfe strolled by. Nice work, girl. He gave Adrian a teeth-rattling slap on the back. You were totally unprepared for her.This seemed to distress Adrian even more, and I couldve sworn I heard him mutter,Thats for damned sure.Some of Adrians swagger returned during the car ride radical, but he was still quiet and thoughtful. I again tried to figure out his shift in mood. Do you need to stop by Clarences for blood? Maybe the class had worn-out(a) him.Nah, he said. Dont want you to be late. But maybe maybe you can come by this weekend, and we can do a group trip over there?Ive got the dance on Saturday, I said apologetically. And I think Sonya was going to take Jill to Clarences tomorrow after school. Probably she can pick you up too.I suppose, he said. He sounded disappointed, but one day wasnt that long to wait for blood. Maybe he was afraid Sonya would recruit him for experiments again which wouldnt be a bad thing, I thought. Sudden ly, he straightened up from his slouch. oral presentation of Sonya I was thinking of something earlier. Something Wolfe said.Why, Adrian. Were you paying attention after all?Dont start, Sage, he warned. Wolfes crazy, and you know it. But when he was giving all his words of wisdom, he mentioned that stuff about not giving out individual(prenominal) info to strangers and how victims are often staked out in submit. Remember?Yeah, I was there, I said. Like, an hour ago.Right, so. Those guys who attacked you and Sonya seemed to know she was a vampire the wrong kind, but still. The fact that they showed up with a sword implies they did some research. I mean, its possible they just noticed her on the street one day and were like,Ooh, vampire. But maybe theyve been honoring her for a while. Noticed her on the street I gasped as a million pieces fell into place in my mind at once.Adrian, youre a genius.He flinched in surprise. Wait. What?The week before the attack. Sonya and I got dinner, and we were stopped by some random guy who claimed he knew her from Kentucky. She was pretty freaked out because she was a Strigoi the whole time she was there, and obviously, she didnt hang out with humans a lot back then.Adrian took a few moments to turn this over in his mind. So youre saying theyve been checking into her for a while.Actually, youre saying that.Right. Because Im a genius. More silence as we both considered the implications of Sonyas situation. When Adrian spoke again, his tone wasnt nearly so light. Sage last night. You never acknowledged my comment about vampire hunters.The Alchemists have no records of novel vampire hunters, I said automatically. My dad once said that occasionally, some random human discovers the truth. Id figured her attack was something like that not some huge unionized group or conspiracy.Is it remotely possible that somehow, somewhere, the Alchemists might have missed something? And what do you mean by modern exactly?Alchemist history had been drilled into me nearly as much as the philosophies that governed our actions. A long time ago like, back in the Middle Ages when the Alchemists were forming, a lot of factions had different ideas on how to deal with vampires. secret code thought humans should associate with them. Those who eventually formed my group decided the best way was to work with Moroi just enough to keep them separate from humans. But there were others who didnt take that approach. They thought the best way to keep humans free was to eradicate vampires through any means. I was relying on facts again, my old armor.If I reasoned away this argument, then I wouldnt have to acknowledge what it would mean if there were people actively hunting Moroi.Sounds like vampire hunters to me, Adrian pointed out.Yes, but they werent successful. There were just too many vampires, Moroi and Strigoi, for a group like this to take out. The last records we have of them are from, oh, Id say the Renaissance. Those hunters eventually faded away. Even I heard the uncertainty in my voice.You said that sword had alchemy symbols on it.Old ones.Old enough to be from the time that splinter group was breaking away? I sighed. Yes. That old.I wanted to close my eyes and sink into my seat. Cracks were appearing in my armor. I still wasnt entirely sure I could hire the idea of vampire hunters, but I could no longer rule out their possibility.I could see Adrian studying me out of the corner of my eye. Why the sigh?Because this is all stuff I should have put together sooner. He seemed very pleased at the acknowledgment. Well, you dont believe in vampire hunters. Makes it hard to really consider them an actual threat when you operate in a world of facts and data, huh? But then how would they have stayed under your radar for so long? Now that Adrian had given me the seeds, my mind was already works out the idea.Because theyre only killing Strigoi if these hunters exist. If some group were taking out Moroi, your p eople would notice. The Strigoi arent organized the same way, and even if they noticed, its not like theyre going to report killings to us. Plus, Strigoi are killed all the time by Moroi and dhampirs. A few dead ones would just be written off to you guys if anyone even found them. Toss a Strigoi out in the sun, and youd never even know theyd been there. Relief poured through me at my conclusion. If a group like this did exist, they couldnt be killing Moroi. Strigoi-hunting was still dangerous, however. Only Alchemists could be trusted to deal with those fiends deaths and keep them secret from comely humans.Could you ask other Alchemists about hunters? Adrian asked.No, not yet. I might be able to dig through some records, but I could never bring this up officially. Theyd stick to my dads theory that it was just some random, weird group of humans.Then theyd laugh me away.You know who wouldnt laugh you away?Clarence, we both said in unison.Not a conversation I look forward to, I sai d wearily. But he might really know something after all. And all his paranoia might pay off. All that home pledge? If this group really has it in their heads to come after Sonya, then she might be in even more danger than we realized.We need to tell Belikov. He excels at that protection thing. He wont sleep if we convince him shes in trouble which seems likely after the sword attack. I noticed that this was the first time Adrian had ever spoken about Dimitri without bitterness. In fact, Adrians words and praise sounded legitimate. He did believe in Dimitris skill. I said nothing about my observation, though. If Adrian was going to get over his hatred of Dimitri, it needed to come gradually and without any outside help.I dropped Adrian off with plans to talk later. When I got back to Amberwood, I was immediately flagged down by Mrs. Weathers. What now? I was ready to hear that Angeline had set something on fire. Instead, Mrs. Weatherss face looked calm pleasant, even and I dared to hope for the best.Some things came for you, dear, she said. From a small office behind her desk, she produced two hangers with zipped garment bags on them. A short, energetic woman dropped these off.Lia. I took the hangers, wondering what contents Id find inside. Thank you. I started to turn away, but Mrs. Weathers spoke again. One more thing. Ms. Terwilliger left something for you too.I tried to keep my face neutral. I was already drowning in Ms. Terwilligers latest assignments.What now? Mrs. Weathers handed me a large envelope that felt like it had a book in it.Scrawled on the outer side was Not classwork. Maybe you wont hate this. I thanked Mrs.Weathers again and took my haul up to my room. After depositing the costumes on my bed unopened, I promptly tore into the envelope. Something about her contrast made me feel uneasy.I wasnt entirely surprised to see it was another spell book. What did surprise me was that remote the others I pored over for her, this one was new. Modern . There was no publisher listed on it, so it was probably someones home project, but it had clearly been printed and bound within the last few years. That was startling. Id pointedly never asked Ms. Terwilliger about her magic-using pals and their lifestyle but had always assumed they were reading the dusty old volumes she had me translate and copy. That they might be working from their own, new, and updated books hadnt even crossed my mind though it should have.I had no time to beat myself up, though, not once I got a look at the books title. The Invisible Dagger Practical Spells for Offense and Defense. Flipping through the pages, I saw that the spells were exactly as the title suggested but written in a more modern way than I was used to. Their origins were cited, times and places. Those varied wildly, but what didnt was the spells efficiency. All were either the kind of spells that could be cast in very little time or ones that could be made in advance for immediate destructiv e effects like the fire charm.These were exactly the kinds of spells Id been asking Ms. Terwilliger about.Angry, I stuffed the book back in the envelope. How dare she try to lure me in with this?Did she think this would make up for everything shed put me through? Mrs. Weathers would still be downstairs, and I had half a mind to drop the book off and tell her it had been sent to me in error. Or I could simply leave it on Ms. Terwilligers desk first thing in the morning. I wished now I hadnt even opened it. Returning to sender unopened would have made a powerful statement, that she wasnt going to trick me into her magic ring by finding a topic of interest to me.Mrs. Weathers knew about my connection to Ms. Terwilliger, though, and would simply tell me to return it tomorrow if I tried giving it back tonight. So, Id have to hang on to this until the morning. I consoled myself by getting out some tape. I couldnt undo opening the envelope, but thered be something psychologically soothing about resealing it.Yet, as I started to unlax the tape, my mind spun back to my evening with Adrian and Wolfe. Wolfe had calmed me a bit in his constant reminders that most attacks were random and came from slovenliness on the victims part. Knowing that and what to look for had made me feel empowered. Hed offhandedly mentioned attacks of a more premeditated or personal nature, but those clearly werent his focus. Nonetheless, they brought me back to my discussion with Adrian. What if there was truth to Clarences stories? What if vampire hunters were real? Wed all known Sonyas attack wasnt random, but if she really was dealing with some faction that had existed since the Middle Ages well, then. My and Adrians fears would be correct. They would probably come for her again. No amount of avoiding isolated parking spots or walking confidently would stop them.I looked down at the envelope and decided not to seal it quite yet.