Chapter Forty

                                    

                                          
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!"