“I heard something last night,” Hailey hisses in a low tone.

“Something?” Ginny asks.

Hailey falters for a second before continuing, her eyes darting around the school hallway. “I’m not sure what. It was just this voice.”

“Well what did it sound like?”

Hailey concentrates for a few seconds and screws up her face before saying in a deep voice, “Like thisssssss.”

“Like thisssssssssssss?”

“No, more like, Thhhhhhhiiiiiiiisssssss.”

“Okkaaayy?”

“No, not so high pitched, deeper and more like a snake?” Hailey corrects uncertainly.

Ginny sighs. “No I meant like okay? Okay? So you’re like hearing snakes now?”

Hailey bites her bottom lip. “I don’t know what it was! It was just a voice, and it was creepy.”

“Well what did it say?”

“It said it heard me calling and it could…” Hailey pauses uneasily before continuing in a low whisper, “give me power. Which is weird because I already have power, as in like, magic.”

Ginny shoves her last textbook into her locker and turns to face Hailey. Slinging her bag over her shoulder, she starts walking as Hailey, surprised by her sudden transition, struggles to keep up.

“Well who cares? It’s just some dumb voice, aren’t you used to hearing voices in your head?”

Hailey stops walking, hurt by Ginny’s words.

Pausing, Ginny turns and, somewhat contritely, says, “Alright. Sorry. That was unfair.”

“Yeah,” murmurs Hailey, crossing her arms across her chest and looking away.

Ginny pauses, struggling to find the right reply as an expression of irritation flashes across her face. “Look, you quit. You said it was up to me now, that I’m nobody’s sidekick. Well you know what? The city out there is burning. Every villain knows the only hero left is a former sidekick so everyone thinks it gives them a free pass. That means I’m busy all. the. time. trying to keep up. I don’t have time for some stupid whispers you’re hearing, I have to take care of the real villains.”

Hailey refuses to meet Ginny’s eyes. Wounded by the accusation in her words, she stops walking and watches as Ginny heads down the hall until she turns the corner. Troubled, she stays rooted in place, lost in her thoughts until a hand gently shakes her shoulder.

“Hey,” says Missy, “are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Hailey quickly replies. “I’m fine.”

“Okay.” Missy’s tone conveys her disbelief. “Well, school is over, you know? Why are you standing in the hallway?”

Unthinking, Hailey answers, “I have to study with Bel-”

“Bella,” Missy finishes.

Hailey swallows the sudden lump in her throat as she flashes a fake smile and says, “Oh. No I mean I-”

“I get it.” Missy cuts her off with a comforting pat on the back. “You don’t have to apologize, especially to me.”

“Right. Thanks.”

An awkward silence mounts between the two for a few minutes as they walk through the school to the front doors. Before they join the bustle of students queuing up for busses, navigating the parking lot for cars, and parents here to pick them up Missy stops walking and asks, “Hey. So, um, Theo was over again last night.”

Hailey winces slightly at the mention of his name before looking away with a guilty expression.

“He’s pretty broken up. Still,” Missy says uncertainly. “Look, I get that you don’t want to date him or anybody else but can you at least talk to him? He feels like he did something wrong and its eating him up inside. If you can just talk to him, maybe give him a reason? Maybe give any of us a reason?” Missy trails off.

“This is… it’s better this way. We can’t be together. Talking will just make it more complicated.”

Missy bites her lip for a second before blurting out in a frustrated tone, “I get it! I know you’re hurting and I know you’re worried about something happening to him but please, please, just have a conversation, okay? My mom and I went through this same stuff when my dad got shot. Being afraid of what might happen isn’t going to prevent anything. All it does is get in the way of experiencing what’s happening now. If you just talk to him about your fear, I’m sure you two can find a way to move forward and figure this whole thing out but if you just keep running it’s just going to hurt both of you!”

Hailey adjusts her backpack, letting her hair fall across her face as she mumbles, “You don’t get it.” Then she shuffles away, walking back into the school in a blatant attempt to avoid her friend as she offers a transparent excuse, “I forgot something in my locker.”

Watching her walk away, Missy murmurs, “Nobody does.” Then, with a sigh, she leaves the school.

Wandering aimlessly back through the suddenly deserted hallways, Hailey lets her mind wander for a few minutes. Caught up in memories of her lost friends, she almost misses the sound of her phone ringing. On the fifth ring, however, she finally hears the noise and, confused, grabs the device out of her pocket.

Lifting it up, she answers the call by saying, “I thought I said I was done? Why are you calling me?”

On the other end of the line, Eldritch Maiden’s lawyer, Erika replies, “Did you know a,” papers shuffle in the background, “Melinda Athow? Because she left you some money and a box of photographs. I’ll pass them along if you can verify that this isn’t some kind of villain plot.”

Taken aback, Hailey stammers out, “Y-yes. Well, actually no I didn’t know her personally but I know who she is.” Exhaling, she adds, “The stuff is safe. Photographs and money?”

“Don’t get too excited. It’s not a lot of money. The photographs I assume have some sentimental value to you so... Oh! Sorry I almost missed this, there’s a phone number in here too, doesn’t say who it belongs to.”

“A phone number?”

“Looks like an international number. I can try to track it down if you’d like?”

“Sure, whatever.”

Hailey doesn’t bother to wait for a reply. In a swift motion, she hands up on the call and slips the phone back into her pocket.

Alone at last, Hailey lets out a sigh. “Alright. Finally alone.”

As though mocking her, a voice snakes down the hallway, echoing off the abandoned lockers. “Iiiii hhheeaaaarr yyyyyyouuu.”

Unnerved, Hailey whirls around shouting, “Who’s there?!”

“Ahem,” Mr. Rutter, the school’s elderly guidance counselor, replies. “Sorry my dear, I couldn’t help but overhear. Are you alright?”

Relaxing at the sight of the old man in his tweed jacket Hailey murmurs, “Oh, it’s just you.”

Chuckling lightly, Mr. Rutter turns and closes the door to his office behind him. As he locks it, he says, “Yep, just me. Are you waiting for your ride home?”

“Uh, yeah, my mom was supposed to pick me up but I think she’s running late.” Hailey glances down at her phone nervously.

“Well,” Mr. Rutter replies, “would you care to walk with me? I’m sure together we can find your mother.”

Hailey rolls her eyes and crosses her arms over her chest. “I’m not a lost kid, Mr. Rutter. I don’t need you to hold my hand.”

Mr. Rutter smiles, suppressing a laugh. “No need for any hand holding,” he offers in a conciliatory manner. “I just enjoy the company. Besides, you’ve been skipping our meetings.”

Hailey looks away, avoiding his eyes. “Yeah, I don’t need them.”

Mr. Rutter beckons her to join him as he starts to shuffle down the hall.

“Well if you don’t want to talk, you can always use them as a way to get out of class.”

Surprised, Hailey stops abruptly. “What?”

This time Mr. Rutter cannot suppress his laugh. “I keep a pack of cards in my desk, if you’re interested."

Hailey smiles for the first time in a long while. “I might take you up on that offer.”

“Good,” Mr. Rutter replies assertively. “Now walk with me, I’m three times your age and still twice as fast.”

Grinning, Hailey shrugs and says, “Alright,” as she hurries to catch up with the surprisingly spry older Mr. Rutter.

The pair makes friendly conversation as they pass through the main doors and enter the parking lot. With the post-school rush over by now and the busses departed the only thing that remains are a few cars and one bored man in a business suit.

Upon seeing him, Hailey exclaims, “Dad?”

Seeing her, he smiles and nods to Mr. Rutter. “I’m here to pick you up. Didn’t you see my text?”

Guiltily, Hailey pulls out her phone and unlocks it, seeing a message that arrived a few minutes ago from her father informing her of the swap and his impending arrival.

“Sorry, I was talking to Mr. Rutter here.”

Mr. Rutter walks up to her father and shakes his hand. “I suppose it is my fault,” he admits, “I saw one of my favorite students and I had to say hello.”

Grinning with pride at the praise of his daughter, Hailey’s father replies, “Good to hear! I’m glad she’s doing well.”

Tipping his hat, Mr. Rutter continues walking in the direction of his car as he adds, “Talking. That’s the first step.”

As Mr. Rutter walks out of earshot, Hailey’s father opens the car door for her and says, “A package came for you today.”

“What is it?”

“We didn’t open it.” The car starts and the pair begin peeling out of the school parking lot. “It’s your mail.”

“So how come mom couldn’t make it?” Hailey asks.

“We thought it might be a good idea to switch things up for a bit. I’m going to be around more.”

“Really?” Hailey asks, perking up. “Why? I mean, not that I’m upset but don’t you have ‘business’ or whatever?”

“We talked about it and we agreed that I’ve been out of your life too much. Things haven’t been easy for you recently and your mother and I felt you could use more parental support.”

“Oh,” Hailey says, slumping back in her seat. “So it’s just because I’m fragile and stuff.”

As if summoned by her negative thoughts, a whisper sounds in her ear, “Heeaarrr yyoouuuuuu.”

Brushing away the voice with a wave of her hand and an irritated look, Hailey asks her father, “How did you manage to arrange more time at home? I thought your job was too demanding.”

“It is. But I’ve put in a lot of work over these years so the company understood when I asked for a few years at home.”

“Years?”

“Until you graduate,” he replies, distracted by his driving. “After that it won’t matter.”

“Won’t matter?” Hailey asks.

“Ah,” her father vacillates for a few seconds, clearing his throat. “Well you know, with you being off at college and all. It won’t matter. Because you won’t be home.”

“Great,” mumbles Hailey, “more secrets.”

As they pull into their driveway, her father answers her. “Yes,” he says, surprising Hailey. “It does look like that, doesn’t it?”

As the car turns off, Hailey responds with a question. “Why are you covering for mom? She’s the one that won’t tell me the truth.”

Surprise flits across her father’s face for a moment. Taken aback, he turns to his daughter and asks, “Is that what you think?”

“Isn’t it? Every time I ask her about stuff she just brushes me off or tells some lie.”

“And you think I’ll tell you the truth?” he asks, clearly humoring her for the time being.

Uncertain, Hailey shifts a little in the seat. “I… yes… wouldn’t you?”

Hailey’s father regards his daughter. Finally, he replies, “No. I love you, as does your mother, but you aren’t old enough to hear this yet.”

Huffing and throwing her arms across her chest, Hailey grunts, “Right. Not old enough. Sure, whatever.”

“We do love you,” her father says quietly. “And I know you’re growing up fast. But,” he hesitates, “please, give us this time. Your mother has earned it.”

Hailey shoots him an angry expression and throws open her car door, grabs her backpack, slings it over her shoulder, and marches off toward the house. Something, however, some current beyond the ken of mortal minds forces her to pause for an instant. Before she closes the car door some primal magical signal prompts her to put her hand up and push a stray lock behind her ear, tracing the edge of her ear as she does and enhancing her hearing using magic.

It is just strong enough for her to make out her father’s voice as he whispers, tired and defeated, “I wish I could tell you honey, but your mom… Well, I won’t hurt her like that, not after all she’s sacrificed for you.”

The mystery of Hailey’s parents continues to unfold, dear reader! And what of the package waiting for her at home? Find out next week as the story continues in… “Inheritance!”