3 Conjuring by Amanda M. Lee Page B

warned.
    “Fine,” I sighed. “That was a cheap shot. I don’t understand why you’re all worked up about this, though. As annoying as I find Jessica – and she is the devil – it was a sorority party. Do you think they’re going to try to take over the world with nail polish and lip gloss?”
    “No,” Aric said. “I just ... I just think you need to direc t them to other people to hang out with. If they want to rush a sorority, I can give you a list of better ones.”
    He was hiding something from me. “Fi rst, that’s an oxymoron. Second, … .”
    “What’s an oxymoron?” Aric interrupted what was sure to be a righteous diatribe.
    “Better sorority,” I grumbled.
    “You need to get over your Greek hate. It’s a part of college life.”
    “You don’t seem to like the Greek life any more than I do,” I pointed out.
    “That’s not true ... well, that’s not entirely true. How did we get on this subject?” Aric looked frustrated.
    “You were telling me why this sorority is evil but others aren’t.”
    “Can’t you just take my word for it?” Aric asked, exasperated.
    “Why don’t you just tell me what’s really going on,” I pressed.
    “I just don’t like that sorority.”
    “Why?”
    “You’ve met Jessica,” Aric said. “They’re all like that.”
    “They’re all evil?”
    “Yes,” Aric said. “Just try to keep them away from Delta Omicron.”
    This argument was getting me nowhere. “Fine.”
    Aric blew out a frustrated sigh and then pulled me toward him, planting a heavy kiss on my mouth. “I’ll call you in a couple of hours.”
    “Okay.” I had to think of a better way to trick the truth out of him. He wasn’t going to tell me now, so it was better to just agree with him and move on – for the time being, at least.
    Once he was gone, I headed toward Paris’ room. I wa s happy to find her sitting on the couch alone in her common room and watching television. “Hey, you’re up early.”
    “I was just saying goodbye to Aric.”
    “How was last night?”
    “He was right, the bed was too small for the both of us.”
    “No more dorm sleepovers?” Paris clucked sympathetically.
    “I wouldn’t say never,” I said, sitting in one of the small chairs adjacent to the couch.
    “Probably not often, though.”
    “So, what’s up?” Paris could read me so well.
    “I um, I saw something weird a few minutes ago.”
    “Like a monster?” Paris looked alarmed.
    “No. At least I don’t think so.” I told Paris about Laura and Matilda’s all-night party excursion, including the part about the strange shadows. I had considered telling
    Aric about what I saw, but our conversation had taken a weird turn. When I was done, I waited for Paris to freak out. She didn’t.
    “It sounds like you saw their auras,” she said after a beat.
    “Their what? Their auras? I didn’t think that was a real thing.”
    “Well, it is,” Paris said. “There are actually quite a few people who can see them. It’s not a rare gift. In fact, people can actually train themse lves to see them. I know a lot of energy witches who do it.”
    “Why would it happen now, though?” I didn’t real ly question Paris on her witch knowledge. She hadn’t been wrong on any of this stuff since I’d met her. I doubted this would be the first time.
    “Maybe you were meant to see it now,” Paris said.
    “Meaning?”
    “You have some other gifts,” Paris reminded me . “We know you’re some sort of mage. This just could be part of your development.”
    “But why now?”
    “Maybe you have always been able to see people’s auras,” Paris suggested. “Maybe you only noticed it now because there was something wrong with their auras.”
    “Like what?”
    “You said they were surrounded by dark shadows,” Paris mused. “It sounds like a drained aura.”
    “Wait, can you see auras?”
    “No, but my aunt can. She told me about them.”
    “So what would a dark aura mean? Are they evil