Mrs. Santos nodded. "I was born and raised here."
"I'm interested in nontraditional architecture in the Los Angeles area," I told her, the lie rolling easily off my lips. I'd thought about this in advance. "That is, non-Southwest styles. Do you know any neighborhoods like that? I'd heard there were some Victorian ones."
She brightened. "Oh, yes. Absolutely. Fascinating subject. Victorian, Cape Cod, Colonial . . . there are all sorts. I don't have all the information on me, but I could email you when I get home tonight. There are several I know off the top of my head, and I know a historian who could help you with others."
"That'd be great, ma'am. Thank you so much."
"Always happy to help a star pupil." She winked as she started to walk away. "Maybe next semester you'll do an independent study with me. Provided you can tear yourself away from Ms. Terwilliger."
"I'll keep it in mind," I said.
As soon as she was gone, I texted Ms. Terwilliger. Mrs. Santos is going to tell me about historical neighborhoods. The response came quickly: Excellent. Come over right now. I scowled as I typed back: I just got here. Haven't even been in my room. To which she replied: Then you can get here that much faster.
Maybe that was true, but I still took the time to put my suitcase back in my room and change out of my travel clothes. Ms. Terwilliger lived pretty close to the school and looked as though she'd been pacing in circles when I arrived at her house.
"Finally," she said.
I glanced at the time. "It's only been fifteen minutes."
She shook her head and again wore the same grim expression she'd had out in the desert. "Even that might be too much. Follow me."
Ms. Terwilliger's home was a little bungalow that could have doubled as a New Age store or possibly a cat shelter. The level of clutter set my teeth on edge. Spell books, incense, statues, crystals, and all sorts of other magical items sat in piles in all rooms of the house. Only her workshop, the room she led me to, was neat and orderly - even to levels I approved of. Everything was clean and organized, to the point of being labeled and alphabetized. A large worktable sat in the center of the room, completely cleared off, save for a stunning necklace I'd never seen before. The chain was made of intricate gold loops, and the pendant was a deep red cabochon stone in a lacy gold setting.
"Garnet?" I asked.
"Very good," she said, lifting the necklace. The candlelight in the room seemed to make every part of it glitter.
"It's lovely," I said.
She held it out to me. "It's for you."
I stepped back uneasily. "For . . . me? I . . . I mean, thank you, but I can't accept a gift like that."
"It's not a gift," she said. "It's a necessity. One that might save your life. Take it and put it on."
I refused to touch it. "It's magical, isn't it?"
"Yes," she said. "And don't give me that look. It's no different from any of the charms you've made for yourself."
"Except that anything you'd make . . ." I swallowed as I stared into the depths of that bloodred jewel. "It's going to be a lot more powerful than anything I can create."
"That's exactly the point. Now here." She thrust it so close to me that it nearly swung out and hit me in the face.
Steeling myself, I reached out and took it from her. Nothing happened. No smoke or sparks. No searing pain. Seeing her expectant look, I fastened it around my neck, letting the garnet lie next to my cross.
She sighed, her relief nearly palpable. "Just as I'd hoped."
"What?" I asked. Even if I sensed nothing special about it, the garnet felt heavy around my neck.
"It's masking your magical ability," she said. "No one who meets you should be able to tell that you're a magic user."
"I'm not a magic user," I reminded her sharply. "I'm an Alchemist."
A small flicker of a smile played over her lips. "Of course you are - one who uses magic. And to a particularly powerful person, that would be obvious. Magic leaves a mark on your blood that permeates your whole body."
"What?" I couldn't have been more shocked if she'd said I'd just contracted a deadly disease. "You never told me that before!"
"It wasn't important," she said with a small shrug. "Until now. I need you hidden. Do not take that off. Ever."
I put my hands on my hips. "Ma'am, I don't understand."
"All will be revealed in time - "
"No," I said. At that moment, I could have been talking to Stanton or any of the countless others who'd used me and fed me pieces of information throughout my life. "It will be revealed now. If you've gotten me into something dangerous, then you either need to get me out of it or tell me how to."