Chapter 106 - Mean Girls

Morrigan found herself picking at her food that night at the dinner table. She couldn’t shake the feeling that every eye was on her, except maybe Beth, who was more focused on her meal or trying to remind Cersi to stop talking and eat once in a while. Pepper watched her with concern, the trio of girls gave her occasional glances, and the three counselors—Sarah, Cheyenne, and Alexa (the younger blonde one)—kept checking if she was eating.

She usually had no trouble eating, but tonight, her anxiety gnawed at her more than it had in a while, and she couldn’t pinpoint why. A few weeks ago, things had been much worse. Her mom had just attempted suicide, Alice was threatening to send her to limbo, and being stuck at this shelter was still new. Now, her mom was doing better, Morrigan was getting into the rhythm of life here, and she hadn’t heard a word from Death’s hostile ex-apprentice in weeks.

So why did she feel so on edge now?

A sudden burst of laughter from Cersi pulled Morrigan out of her thoughts. She glanced up to see Cersi animatedly waving her fork as she launched into one of her rambling tangents.

“…And then I thought, what if I used garlic butter instead of just regular butter? Like, think about how much flavor that would add to the potatoes. Granted, using too much butter can cause cholesterol problems, but I don’t think you really need to worry about it unless you’re older or already overweight. Fat-free options don’t taste as good, and you only live once—oh yeah, and why not add some fresh herbs too? Like rosemary! Everyone just does mashed potatoes with butter and milk, but you could get so much more creative with a few—”

“Cersi,” Beth interrupted calmly, tapping the edge of Cersi’s plate with her fork. “The potatoes are really good, but you haven’t eaten anything yourself yet. Focus.”

Cersi blinked, looking surprised, then grinned sheepishly. “Oh, right! Sorry!” She popped a bite of food into her mouth and immediately resumed her explanation about her culinary experiments, causing Beth to sigh and quietly return to her own meal.

As Cersi rambled on about garlic-related facts, Morrigan tuned her out, her gaze drifting to the scar on Cersi's temple. It was hard not to notice, but Morrigan tried not to stare. The scar was a thin, clean white line that ended at the corner of her eyebrow. She knew better than to ask about it directly, but she figured it must have been a knife and could only imagine the story behind it. Morrigan suspected that Cersi’s energy and distracted nature might have some underlying medical cause, but like the scar, she knew it would be rude to inquire.

Morrigan noticed Sarah glance her way and then whisper to Cheyenne, no doubt discussing her progress with her meal. So, Morrigan forced a bite of chicken into her mouth to satisfy their scrutiny, though she barely tasted it.

By the end of dinner, Morrigan hadn’t quite finished her plate, which was normal, but it felt like a bigger deal now. Screw it, why should I force myself to eat more just because of some stupid rumor? Let them think what they want.

Morrigan pushed her chair back from the table, ignoring the looks from the counselors as she stood up. She left her unfinished plate behind as she headed toward the hallway, not wanting to stick around for clean-up duty just to suffer more scrutiny. She just wanted to get back to her room and be left alone until she could sneak out. For once, she was looking forward to reaping—it would give her a chance to see Emma, even if it was just a short meet-up.

She had just reached the staircase when she heard familiar footsteps behind her. Before she could react, Jenna’s voice, smooth as ever, broke the stillness.

“Morrigan, wait up!”

Morrigan stiffened but didn’t turn around. “Yeah?” she muttered, glancing over her shoulder.

Jenna smiled, that same faux concern plastered on her face as if they were still sitting at the dinner table. “We just wanted to check in on you. You seemed… off during dinner.”

“Gee, wonder why,” Morrigan replied dryly.

Jenna’s mask dropped almost as if a flip had been switched as her tone took on that infuriating edge of cruel superiority. “Cute. But why don’t you watch your attitude and just walk for a minute.” Morrigan noticed Tyler lingering back, keeping an eye on the dining room, ready to alert them to any prying ears and allowing Jenna to feel safe to show her true colors.

“Yeah. You sneaking out again tonight?” Livy asked. “Don’t forget what we told you to get for us.”

Morrigan continued up the stairs at a casual pace, refusing to let them think they were affecting her. “Cigarettes? How do you expect me to get something like that? I don’t have money, and I’m underage.”

Jenna’s smirk widened. “Oh, but you’re resourceful. I’m sure you’ll figure it out.”

Livy snorted, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “You could always ask that ‘older guy’ you’re sneaking out to see. I’m sure he’d be happy to help his little girlfriend out.”

Morrigan kept her tone steady. “You really think that’s what’s going on, huh?”

Jenna’s grin widened. “Well, what else could it be? I'm sure you aren’t just going out for a midnight stroll.

“Yeah, if you were really smart, you’d extort him,” Livy added. “Think about it. Get evidence, like a video or even a picture or record a conversation then you’ll have him wrapped around your finger.” She snickered. “Think about it. It's a little carrot and stick. He can have a cute girlfriend or just go to jail. You could get him to do anything for you.”

Tyler moved up the steps behind them, apparently satisfied they were safe. “I bet Morrigan’s already doing something like that. Why else would she go through so much trouble to get out every night?”

“Actually, I have a part-time job,” Morrigan said with a smirk.

“Funny, but we’re not playing with you here,” Livy snapped, raising her tone.

Morrigan reached her room but turned around in the hallway without going in. She’d rather finish this out here, where someone might interrupt. “So tell me, why is it that sex and drugs are always where your mind goes? Sure shows where your head’s at.”

Stolen novel; please report.

It was worth it to see the look on Livy’s face. She clenched a fist and stepped forward, but Morrigan just stared her down with a smirk.

“You know,” Jenna said more calmly, “things don’t have to be this way, Morrigan. We could be friends.”

“Friends?” Morrigan shrugged a shoulder. “Nah, not interested.” She hated how tall Jenna was; it was hard to maintain any intimidation when the person you were talking to was nearly two heads taller and you had to look up to keep eye contact with them.

But Jenna kept her tone light. “Look, we got off on the wrong foot, but think about it. We could be useful to you, and you could be useful to us. This place isn’t so bad when you have free rein. We can help you with that.”

“Gee, how generous of you.”

Jenna smirked. “It’s not exactly generosity. Look, everyone is here because we got screwed over one way or another, right? Shit parents, bad breaks, a broken system, whatever. We didn’t get a fair shot, and this damn shelter is just another hoop they make us jump through. But if we’re smart, we can make our own rules. You seem like someone who gets that.”

Morrigan narrowed her eyes. “So where does bullying Pepper fit into your little motto?”

Jenna chuckled and shook her head softly. Morrigan really wanted to punch her or at least give her a nice, hard, open-palmed slap to the face. “Morrigan, I actually do like you. You’ve got a rare edge, and you seem… hmm, reliable. See, Pepper would cause problems if she wasn’t kept in line. She’s not the type to understand certain… unspoken rules. But listen, since you’re on her good side, here’s a deal—we’ll leave Pepper alone, and just let you handle her.”

“Handle her?” Morrigan growled, glaring at Jenna. Jenna found something about that funny, which made Morrigan’s temper flare even more.

Jenna shrugged. “She listens to you. She won’t tell the counselors anything she shouldn’t as long as you’re involved.”

“Maybe you pick your friends based on who you can control, but I don’t do that shit.” Morrigan made sure to glance at Livy and Tyler so there was no mistaking who she was referring to.

Jenna’s eyes narrowed, her mask slipping. Morrigan could easily see the truth about her—Jenna was just plain mean, no matter how she tried to justify herself. “Fine, have it your way,” Jenna said, her tone hardening. “Since you don't want to play nice, here’s the new deal. Do what we told you, or I’ll make sure you regret it. If you’re not going to be a team player, then I don’t need you hanging around and messing things up for me. Think about it—I’ve already got them convinced you’re mentally ill. I can blackmail you, or even worse, make sure you’re found with something that’ll get you sent somewhere far worse than Tiffany’s Youth Shelter.”

Livy’s smile spread wickedly across her face. “Yeah, this place is a cakewalk compared to juvie. You think you’re so tough? You wouldn’t survive two days in there! Definitely wouldn’t be sneaking out to see your sugar daddy or whatever you’ve got going on.”

Before Morrigan could respond, Tyler, who had been keeping an eye out at the end of the hall, suddenly raised her voice. "Counselors coming," she hissed.

Jenna quickly leaned in for one last threat. “Listen, bitch, this is your last warning. Prove you’re a team player, or I’m taking you out. Got that?”

“We’ll see.”

“Anyway, have a good night,” Jenna said cheerily, while Morrigan only rolled her eyes and slipped into her room, just in time to see Miss Cheyenne preparing for her night shift.

Morrigan pulled out her phone as she flopped down on the bed. She wished she’d thought of it sooner—if she had started the recorder before leaving the dining room, she would have had them dead to rights. Still, she figured there would be another chance, as long as Jenna didn’t make good on her threat.

Morrigan saw a message from Emma, and just seeing the notification brought a smile to her face. But Emma’s dorky message pulled an actual laugh out of her:

“Agent M, this is HQ. Operation Shadow Stroll is a go. Rendezvous with Contact H at zero-one-hundred-hours.”

Despite her rough day, Emma somehow managed to lift her spirits. Grinning, Morrigan replied, “It’s just military time, write it like this: 01:00.”

“Then I wouldn't know if you read it right or not.”

“Just make sure you’re deleting messages. Anyone can read through that code.”

“Someone’s in a mood tonight.”

“Sorry, just having some issues with some other residents here.”

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah, nothing I can’t handle.” Morrigan didn’t want Emma to worry so didn't plan to expand on that.

“Oh, by the way, I heard from Hilda that your mom’s getting out of the hospital tomorrow.”

“Really? How does Hilda know that?”

“Oh, she’s been in contact with her. She just figured your mom could use someone making sure she’s alright.”

Morrigan smiled slightly at that. Come to think of it, Hilda and her mom would probably get along pretty well. They both had that edge to their personalities.

“Thanks,” Morrigan sent. “I owe you guys a lot.”

“Yeah. Hilda wants to talk to you about the foster stuff too. Her lawyer friend said expunging her records is looking good, and that’s the main thing he’s worried about. Your mom’s on board with the plan too.”

Morrigan stared at the message for a while. More than anything, she was just glad her mom wasn’t being left alone through all of this. But, as for the whole foster thing, Morrigan didn’t really know how to respond or what to say. Thinking about it just made that tug of anxiety rear its ugly head, and the fear of the changeling rearing its even uglier head forced her to put it out of her mind for now.

So, she changed the subject with a message she didn’t think much about before sending.

“If you could live anywhere, where would you want to go?”

“Anywhere, huh? Agent E suggests a top-secret hideout in the mountains. Remote, secure, with plenty of space for witchcraft and espionage.”

“Be serious.”

“You’re serious enough for both of us.” After a moment, Emma added, “Really, though, just somewhere in the mountains. But honestly, I don’t think I’d want to settle down anywhere. I’d rather travel for a while like Aunt Claire did before she had Hilda.”

“Really?

“Yeah, Hilda’s dad was a ghost hunter and she’d go around with him. I guess they settled down eventually before… Well, you know how the story ends. But yeah I just want to travel.”

Morrigan rolled onto her side. “Travel, huh?”

“Yeah. I think I'd really like to get into archaeology. Go discover things about the world that nobody else knows about yet. Could even find some supernatural stuff.”

Morrigan grinned. “So basically, you want to be a paranormal Indiana Jones?”

“Yup, all I need is a hat and a whip.”

“Just don’t get crushed by any boulders.”

They bantered back and forth for a while longer. Pepper eventually came in, but just went to reading her book. Morrigan glanced at the clock and figured she should try to close her eyes until Noir came to signal her that it was reaping time.

She pulled the covers over herself and texted, “I’m going to try to get a little sleep before the rendezvous.”

“Alright, goodnight, Agent M.”

Morrigan grinned. “Goodnight, Agent E.” She scrolled back through their messages and deleted any that might be problematic, then set her phone aside and closed her eyes. She wasn’t sure what to do about Jenna yet, but she figured she’d have to explain the situation to Noir and see what he thought about stealing Jenna’s phone. That would put an end to this whole blackmailing situation. As for Jenna’s other threats, Morrigan just figured she’d stay on guard—but she imagined they would really be all bark and no bite as long as they didn't think they had something on her.

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