Dead End: Midnight Hollow by Penn Cassidy (free novel 24 TXT) 📗

but we must be on our way. They start at the university next week, and I would hate to get a late start. Nice chatting with you…” She cringed even as she said it, and I knew it was all bullshit. She really didn’t like this guy.

She gestured to Auntie Fe behind her back where Ichabod couldn’t see, but Fe quickly caught onto the signal because she started ushering us away as Pip blocked the mayor's view, throwing out weak apologies and fake smiles.

I felt his gaze digging into my back as we walked away and was grateful when the guys surrounded me. They must have sensed the way his bright, charming smile felt a little deceiving. Jason was at my back, guiding me with his big hand on my hip and kept shooting daggers behind him at Cal, who just stood there smiling and waving.

“Keep looking at her again assh…I’ll rip your eyes from…sockets…”

Jason’s voice was so clear and loud in my head that it caused me to flinch. I didn’t bother to look at his lips, as I was growing more accustomed to recognizing the whispering, far away quality to their voices. I’d come to the conclusion that somehow, I could hear their thoughts when they were strong enough.

“He was pretty hot, though, you have to admit.” Maddie caught up, adding a sway to her hips. “I swear he was giving me some serious vibes back there. Pretty sure he wanted me to sit on his lap and have my wicked way with his bod—” She slammed her mouth shut as all the guys turned to glare at her.

“They’re warlocks,” Michael said, scratching at his side right over his snake tattoo. He kept glancing over his shoulder with his brows scrunched. “I can sense it…” He seemed confused as to how he could possibly know that.

“Right you are,” said Auntie Fe. “So, to be on the safe side, let’s everyone stay away from him and that son of his. Ichabod has always been a bit peculiar, even by our standards. Always rubbed me the wrong way, ordering this and demanding that. Nothing but trouble, those two…”

Auntie Fe sighed with relief when Pip came jogging after us with a scowl on her face. Pip didn’t scowl very often, so I knew they had to have something serious against Ichabod.

“How did you know they’re warlocks?” I asked Michael, and he turned to stare down at me before he looked straight ahead again, shoving his hands in his pockets with his shoulders hunched in an uncomfortable way.

“Don’t know. It felt off but…I just do.” He shrugged, running his fingers through his silvery moonlight hair, his cheeks puffing up on a nervous inhale.

“So this college thing is really happening then. Like, on Monday?” Freddy groaned, and I had to bite my lip to hide my mirth because he’d always hated school, even though he was really smart. He just hid it behind sports in high school.

“Yes,” said Fe with a chuckle that was a little on the dark side. “Dangerous times are ahead, and you must be prepared for the worst at any moment. You're stuck here, so you might as well get to know the place.” With those damning words, Auntie Fe dragged Pip away to talk privately as we walked the short ways to the manor.

All that was going through my head right now was the terrifying fact that if I didn’t gain control of this necromancy stuff, I might as well just hand my soul over to death himself. Also, my lips still tingled a bit from that explosive kiss in those darkened corners, like a well kept secret…and I wondered what it all meant.

They say mirrors let you catch a glimpse into the soul, but as I slicked back my brown porcelain locks, I knew they were lies—lies to fool the mind, but I was no fool.

Only a detective lived inside me, the type of fella who lived to solve mysteries and put the bad guy behind bars like the scum they were. The night was young, and after scoping out the Hallowells’ manor for hours, I knew the gals’ schedule like the back of my breakable hand.

I lay in wait under the lamp post like some sort of chump, but luckily, it was dark enough that I blended in with the shadows before sneaking across the street to the Pumpkin Eater.

The place was booming, packed with greedy kids as they stuffed their faces with candy, and gave me the perfect opportunity to sneak in undetected. I worked fast and got the job done under the cloak of disguise. I thought for a hot minute the one they called Jessica would rat me out like a low life, no good punk, but no one believed the furry creature as she pointed me out.

I was one with the shadows.

“I feel so out of place…” Maddie groaned. The group of us stared up at the towering structure that looked nothing like what we remembered. “How do we even know we’re really enrolled?”

“I’m guessing the aunties took care of all that,” I said with a shrug. In truth, I had no idea.

Everything was so muddled and confusing. We'd been holed up at the manor for the last week, trying to get our bearings. The guys had been pretty reclusive and mostly avoided me like the plague when they could. Unless they were glaring at me or hissing assholish names at me in the hallways under their breaths. I was still worried about them though. I could see each of them struggling with different aspects of being stuck here, and I wanted to offer help, but I knew none of them would accept it.

Back in the mortal world, they’d been enrolled at Sunset U, while I was still undecided. I wondered if the guys were still on the basketball team…or if there was even a team to be on. I pondered if Maddie would