Chapter Eleven- The Bloody Truth

The Next Morning:

"Jez," Jez woke to a rough shaking. "Jez, get up."

Jez shoved the annoying little someone who was trying to awake her away from the bed and burrowed deeper into the blankets. "Go away," she mumbled.

"No, you have to get up," persisted the voice. It was deep, persuasive, and annoyingly familiar.

"Go away, Morgead." Jez said again.

"No," Morgead grasped Jez's arm and dragged her from her cot, gasping when he saw her face. "Have you been crying? Have you slept?"

"Shut up," Jez turned away and climbed back into her bed. "I don't want to talk about it. Go away."

"Jez-" Morgead began.

"Go away!" Jez screamed. "I. Don't. Want. You. Here."

Morgead stood silently, starring at the back of his friend's head. "I'll be back tonight." And with that, he slipped back out the window.

Jez bolted it behind him as well as the door, then sat back down on her bed. "What am I going to do?" She whispered hoarsely, her head dropping into her hands.

She couldn't very well hide in her dorm forever, but she couldn't go on knowing- NO! She didn't know anything.

She would just have to wait until the end of the semester, when her uncle Bracken would appear for the Parent-Teacher event.

Unless she caused enough trouble to summon him before then…

No, Bracken had had enough trouble with Jez as it was. It couldn't have been easy for him-knowing he was raising an abomination. She wouldn't do anything to make his life harder.

She would wait for the meeting, and then grill him for all she was worth.

-0-

Thea's eyes were screwed shut and she lay as still as possible.

The perverted spirit she'd seen the other day was rummaging through her things. And not just any things. The things she used for spells.

"Right here," It muttered to itself. "He'll never know what hit him."

Thea didn't dare breathe, for fear of disturbing the spirits search- Hey! They could be nasty when they wanted to be, it was only rational instinct that made Thea stock stiff.

Something had to be done about this ghost. It was planning something, or it wouldn't be riffling through Thea's things.

Spirits could be tricky, and the ones that lingered were almost always the ones that wanted to make it back to the world of the living.

With the correct incantations, that was completely possible.

He'd need a witch- obviously Gillian. Ingredients- that was why he was here, for sure. And a body… Thea had a dreadful feeling about that.

-0-

Poppy clutched at her stomach and groaned softly. It was that stupid pain again. It shot through her midsection and into her back- it was excruciating.

Poppy, grimacing, hauled herself out from under the quilt and stood, breathing deeply, trying to soothe the pain. It always went away eventually; all she had to do was ignore it until it did.

She hobbled over to the dresser and pulled a crisp white uniform from one of the hangers. She pulled it on slowly, easing the cinched waist as gently as possible over her stomach. Then she combed her hair and washed her face.

The pain was beginning to fade, but not fast enough. She couldn't very well go down to the dinning hall like this, so she sat and waited.

Poppy, on top of the mysterious pain, had James to worry about. More specifically, the arguments she and James had gotten into of late.

The two had always had an easy friendship, but it had seemed to change since they'd returned. At first, Poppy had seen James' sudden interest in her heath good, like he cared about her state of being; but eating as much as James wanted her to made Poppy ache.

She was torn. Be happy about James newfound interest in her safety, or be unhappy because it forced her into uncomfortable eating habits?

Poppy took a deep breath and straightened up slowly, bracing herself for the tears, but they didn't come. She felt fine.

Poppy stood and made her way down the hall.

She was almost to the dinning hall when she heard the first scream.

-0-

Maggie starred at the body with wide eyes, dimly recognizing it as a student.

It wasn't because of the face that Maggie realized it was someone she knew, that aspect of the corpse was too mutilated. It was the fancy ring on the body's pointer finger that gave the identity away.

Bunny Martin.

Maggie vaguely remembered speaking to her once, after she'd been disowned. Bunny had been trolling for the juicy details and Maggie hadn't a nice thought to spare for her.

But looking at that body now…

Maggie felt none of her previous contempt. All she felt now was pity. She hoped the pain had been brief, but from what she saw, the wolves had drawn their torture session out for a long time.

Yes, the wolves had struck again.

No one had actually seen the attack but Jeremy Lovett, a student who was rumored to have been courting Bunny. Maggie supposed they'd gone into the woods for some "action". Little did the young lovers suspect- Bunny Martin would be the next victim.

-0-

The mood was grim all through the rest of the day. Earlier that morning, Jeremy something or other came in the office in a full panic- hyperventilating, his explanation incomprehensible.

No one could decipher what his ramblings were about until he led them to the body.

Rashel knew better than to think the attack was made by wolves, though. Werewolves.

The Cat had been finding and killing abominations since she was twelve, she knew a Night World attack when she saw one.

Rashel dreaded what was coming next- and it was worse than any creature of darkness could be. Worried parents.

Of course, they had a right to be worried. One of Hawthorne's students had just been killed and partially eaten by wolves. What if the same happened to their children?

Oh, but all the paperwork, and the reassuring, and the over emotional mothers…

No matter, Rashel was already sketching the situation in her head. If all went according to her newfound plan, the werewolf would be gone soon enough.

Rashel was careful to touch as little as possible, leaving her scent in a werewolf's territory was not a very good idea.

She searched the desk, scoured the floors, but it wasn't until she got to the drawers that she found anything worthwhile. Tucked in a delicate jewelry box, was a golden stopwatch with a stalk of black foxgloves painted on the face.

Bingo. It was official, Jeremy Lovett was the culprit.

Just when she was about to close the jewelry box and head out, something in the corner of her eye stopped her in her tracks.

Two baby blue glass doll eyes.

-0-

Thea didn't like the idea of using the Bunny tragedy to get to Gillian, but the girl was crying, David nor Eric were anywhere to be seen and if there was one thing Thea was good at, it was comfort.

She went to the witch- whom Thea easily recognized as a Harman- and tentatively slid an arm around her shoulders. "It'll be okay." She murmured.

Gillian, without even looking to see who was holding her, clutched at Thea and sobbed. "She must've been in so much pain; I saw the body as they hauled it out of the woods. So much blood."

"Shhhh," Thea held Gillian tighter.

-0-

Ash ran into Mary-Lynnette on the way back to his dorm.

"Why are you here?" Ash asked. Maids were not allowed in the male dorm hallways after supper.

"Is that any of your business?" Mare cocked an eyebrow, but because her eyes were red and puffy from crying she didn't look quite as intimidating as she usually did.

"Unless you want to be reported, yeah. It is."
Mare rolled her eyes and scowled. "I'm here to comfort Jeremy. He could use a familiar face."

Ash shook his head. "No." She didn't know Jeremy had been the one to kill Bunny (well, there wasn't any proof that Jeremy had done it- but he was the only werewolf on campus. It had to have been him).

Ash had seen the body, and he wouldn't wish that on anyone. Bunny had been okay, she'd given Jeremy what he'd wanted, and look what had happened to her.

Jeremy hated Mary-Lynnette. Ash could only imagine what Jeremy would do to the starry- eyed maid if he was left alone with her.

"What do you mean, no?" Mare demanded.

"Jeremy doesn't want any visitors." Complete lie-but necessary.

"He'll want to see me." She sounded confident. Was she really so clueless as to what he really felt towards her?

"No he won't." Ash grabbed Mare's arm and began to physically drag her away.

"Unhand me!" Mary-Lynnette shrieked. But Ash didn't. Not until she was back in her dorm.

-0-

Hannah was in bed, brushing her hair when it happened.

Mary-Lynnette and Ash Redfern burst in the room.

"Let go of me!" Mare screamed and kicked at Ash's shin. He yelped in pain, but didn't loosen his hold.

"Only of you promise to stay away from him."

"No! He's my friend." Mare aimed another kick, but missed.

"You don't know anything about Jeremy Lovett!" Ash hissed. "He's a psycho who you will avoid at all costs."

"He's just distraught!" Mare clawed at Ash's arm. "His sweetheart was just eaten by wolves, cut him some slack."

"Oh, eaten by wolves?" Ash asked and pinned her against the wall.

Mare's jaw dropped. "Are you accusing him of killing Bunny?"

"I'm just saying-"

"Cut it out, you two." Rashel interrupted. "Ash, go back to your dorm. I'll make sure Mary-Lynnette doesn't leave."

Ash gave Rashel a long, hard look. "You don't understand who he is."

"I understand plenty." Rashel turned to Mare and her expression softened slightly. "Mary-Lynnette-I cleaned his room earlier today, and I don't think he's as mentally sound as he lets on. Maybe you should keep your distance. Just until things settle down."

Mare looked at Rashel in disbelief. "You too? I thought better of you."

"What did you find?" Maggie asked, brow furrowed.

"Doll parts. Slashed up arms, burned tufts of hair, the works." Rashel gauged Mary-Lynnette's reaction carefully.

First came the shock, then disbelief, then dread. "No." Mary-Lynnette whispered. "He said he didn't blame me…" Mary- Lynnette crumpled. "He doesn't. It's Gretel. Gretel must be haunting him too. Poor Jeremy."

"Poor Jeremy?" Ash couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Mary-Lynnette, you don't see the way he looks at you when you're not paying attention. You don't see the things he does."

"He doesn't blame me," was all Mary- Lynnette said.

"Ash," Hannah stood and placed a hand on Mary-Lynnette's back. "I think you should go."

Ash gave one last look at Mary-Lynnette, then turned to Rashel. "Keep her away from him." Then he left.

Well, that's it for this chapter. It wasn't titled 'The Bloody Truth' for nothing!

Man, this story has taken a turn for the dark!

Oh well, I must be doing something right to be getting all of the lovely reviews I do :D

P.S.- I was not my intention to make Mary- Lynnette seem like a wimpy damsel in distress! She is just deeply shocked by what she is hearing, and cannot deal with Bunny's death and Jeremy's true self all at once!

(Same goes for Jez. Not a wimp- just overwhelmed)

Thank you for all of the support! I remember writing the first chapter like it was yesterday- all nervous as to if anyone would like it

Please review?!