I raced into the house and right past Mrs. Renaldi, who walked out of the dining room looking happy and casting her eyes past me as though she was expecting someone to trail in behind. When the door slammed, though, I saw her eyes widen and her worried gaze follow me as I stormed past. I didn't even have the decency to say hello. I knew it was rude, but I had to find Devland. I went to the study but found it empty. I came back into the hallway and Mrs. Renaldi silently pointed to the library. I nodded my thanks and stormed through the double doors without hesitation, accusations flying from my lips before the thoughts had finished forming in my head.
I didn't count to ten to consider what I said or think about the ramifications of what was coming out of my mouth. I only thought of the unfair and unjust situation I had been subjected to. It was unfathomable to see such a drastic difference between what my punishment was going to be and what consequences Duvessa didn't have to face. It angered me even further to see Devland lounging behind the desk in the library, one leg crossed over the other as he leisurely read through the newspaper. It was as though nothing at all had happened that day. He hadn't had to threaten the high school's principal and his daughter hadn't been accused of sending people to the emergency room.
That didn't even scratch what had happened in WC-1.
I stomped across the room, not giving a damn about interrupting his apparent downtime. My whole life had just been interrupted and torn upside down—again. Caring about bringing a storm into his otherwise peaceful day was of no concern to me.
"Noreena—"
"You let her go with a talking to?" I stood in front of his desk with my hands placed on my hips as the words flew out of my mouth through gasps of much-needed air. "I caught her for you! That... That asshole of a principal was about to expel me from school, and you let Duvessa get away with those pranks with a freaking talking to? A pass?"
Devland slowly folded the paper he'd been perusing and placed it atop of the desk, uncrossing his legs to sit straight. He clasped his hands together and looked at me, expressionless. I couldn't tell if he was angry at my outburst or simply tired of the whole ordeal altogether. Honestly, it wouldn't surprise me if he just turned off his emotions whenever we fought.
"I don't know what you think you know, but—"
"What I think I know?" I scoffed, alternating my weight from my right foot to my left in barely controlled anger that flared within me like a lit fire doused with gasoline. "I know what I heard!"
"I don't know what you're talking about," he replied calmly.
"Did you know that I like to run laps at lunch?" I asked. "Funny, isn't it, that today I was sidetracked from doing that because I was under the bleachers listening to you and Duvessa's uncle talk about her lack of punishment for framing me for those damn pranks!"
"I only did what was in the best interest for everyone involved," he said. "Mr. Corbin didn't know it was her. He couldn't have sensed her signature because you can't sense family, Nora."
"You did what was easy," I accused, absorbing what he said. How could that be true when Mr. Corbin said the bake sale items had been tampered with using magic? "You sure as hell didn't do what was right."
"I know you don't understand, Noreena, but I am in a position where I have to take the whole picture into consideration, not just my emotions. Duvessa needed to be given a warning," he explained calmly as though he hadn't heard a thing I'd said.
How he went from denying what I'd heard to justifying it was beyond me.
"Really?" I exclaimed. "That's really what you think? Have you met Duvessa? That chick knew exactly what she was doing, trust me. I'd bet a month's allowance that I'm not the first person she's done this to. She's a bad egg. By letting her get away with this, she's just going to know she can get away with it. She will do it again. Do you understand that? She'll do it again!"
I caught my breath and looked away from Devland and out the window into the backyard. It hurt to look at someone who was partially responsible for my own existence and be disgusted with what I saw. With how different he and my mother were, it was no wonder she'd left before he could influence me.
"Are you ever going to be satisfied?" he demanded. "First, you hated me for not saying enough in your defense. Now, I've stuck up for you and followed your lead to prove your innocence, and you're still mad at me. What do you want from me?"
"You didn't prove my innocence, I did. I made sure I had an alibi. I pointed you in the right direction and made sure that Duvessa used her magic in front of you," I seethed. "If I hadn't done that, you'd have probably let Mr. Corbin expel me!"
"Nora."
"What happens when she does this to someone who has no way to defend themselves?" I questioned through gritted teeth. "What happens if next time her stupid, infantile pranks kills someone? What are you going to do then? Have Mr. Corbin send her to her room?"
"That's enough!" Devland exploded. "I don't have to explain my decisions to you. I am the leader of the High Council, and as such, my decision stands. When you become a leader, you can make those decisions. Until then, you are going to respect and abide by my rules!"
"I would never be a leader like you."
"That's right, Nora, you won't. You won't even admit to having powers!"
"Yeah, but you aren't stupid, are you? Don't get me started on that because I remember, Devland. You wanted me to prove who the prankster was just so I would prove to the community that I have powers so you would look good." The anger began to recede from me as I leveled my gaze on him. "Happy? You're going to get your wish, though I'm certain nobody is going to like it. You and me, though? We. Are. Done. And I am making sure everyone knows I am a Fallyn, not a Dwyer."
"I am your guardian," he reminded. "Until you're eighteen, you will live and abide by the rules that I set."
"We'll see," I retorted sweetly.
I briefly entertained the idea of taking advantage of the strength of my abilities, cloaking myself from him until I was eighteen and running back to Briarville. The idea was short-lived, though. If I left, Duvessa would just turn on someone else who probably had no means of defending themselves.
That's what she'd done with Maible before I'd arrived.
Raising my eyebrows at him in a silent challenge, I turned on my heel and stormed out of the library in the same fashion as I'd entered, ignoring Devland as he called me back. Nothing he could've said at this point would've changed things from what they really were.
I no longer cared about keeping the peace with him.
*****
"Are you okay?" Calin asked as I entered the hallway from the library and immediately reached out his arms to embrace me in a hug, and I felt the leftover anger dissipate as I stepped into him, resting my cheek against his chest.
I hadn't heard him arrive, but I was grateful he was here.
Mrs. Renaldi stared at me, seemingly shocked. They'd both heard at least the back-end of my argument with Devland, though Mrs. Renaldi likely heard every word. I could tell she was worried by the pinched expression etched upon her face, but I had no words. Everybody knew that nobody faced Devland as I had and walked away unscathed. In my short time in Wickenton, I'd heard enough to know that was true, and I was teetering on a dangerous tightrope by challenging my father.
"Um, Maible wanted to come and see what was going on, but she had another fundraising meeting that couldn't be missed," Calin said, breaking the uncomfortable silence that had descended, and I felt the anger rise at the reminder of why the fundraising committee would have to meet after the bake sale gone wrong.
The tension, unfortunately, was here to stay.
"That's sweet, but I'm fine," I lied. I was fuming, finally understanding what people meant when they said they were spitting nails mad.
"Liar," Calin whispered in my ear, keeping one arm around me. I leaned into him, enjoying the support of someone I knew I could rely on.
"Are you okay, darling?" Mrs. Renaldi asked in a motherly tone, reaching for me and then letting her hand drop to her side after thinking better of it. "Can I make you anything? Hot cocoa? A snack maybe?"
"I'm good but thank you, Mrs. Renaldi. I'll be fine after I take some time to cool down, you know?" I shrugged, trying to muster a sincere smile but falling short.
"Okay." She smiled and wandered back into the kitchen.
"The school called. I excused you from fourth period, Nora," Devland said emotionlessly from the doorway of the library. "Do you need to be excused, Calin?"
"No, I didn't miss any class, thank you," Calin said after clearing his throat and looking down at me, gently nudging my shoulder with the hand he'd placed around my shoulders. "I still can't believe you ran all the way here from school."
"I was motivated." I shrugged, giving Devland a meaningful glare. "How about we go watch some movies in my sitting room?"
Calin coaxed me towards the stairs as an answer, neither one of us looking back to see Devland's reaction at being dismissed. It didn't matter. He no longer mattered, not to me. At best, he was a source of information. From now moving forward, he would be the leader of the High Council and that was it, though I would never pay him the respect that the title deserved because as far as I was concerned, he hadn't earned it.
At least, not today.