Silent tension brewed between us.
I stayed calm and composed, meeting Veronicaâs inquisitive gaze with steady confidence.
No matter how she probed, my face stayed the same, showing no fear or weakness.
But Ivy couldnât keep quiet any Longer, whispering a cautious warning.
âDear, watch out.
If Shirleyâs mean, her mom might be too.
Itâs smart to be careful.
â
I didnât argue with Ivy; her worries made sense.
Shirley was full of herself and mean, always looking down on others.
It was only logical to assume her mother, Veronica, was similar.
It was always smart to be careful.
Veronica, as the clan leader, should be more careful than her daughter.
Even if she didnât like me, she probably wouldnât do something as terrible as attacking someone in public, like Shirley would.
As expected, Veronica stopped staring at me and asked calmly, âAre you the mixed-blood witch that Andrew saved?â
âYes,â I replied confidently.
âIâm Debra Clarkson.
â
Veronica looked at me for a moment, then smiled slightly.
âDebra, you seem different from other mixed-blood witches Iâve met.
Youâre not like them.
â
I frowned but didnât say anything right away.
Different?
What did she mean by that?
Even though Veronicaâs words sounded friendly and she didnât seem mean, something didnât feel right.
Was she trying to find out something about me?
I thought quickly, but I couldnât figure out what she was getting at.
She couldnât be praising me just because I had argued with her daughter, could she?
Deciding to stay quiet, remembering that talking too much Leads to more mistakes, I didnât confirm or deny anything.
âWhat do you think youâre doing, Mom!â Shirley saw her mother being too friendly with me and got annoyed immediately.
âMom, shouldnât you be punishing this awful half-blood witch and standing up for me? Why are you being nice to her?â
Veronica glanced at Shirley, frowning slightly.
âShirley, as long as sheâs here, sheâs our guest.
You shouldnât cause any more trouble.
â
It was clear she didnât want Shirley to cause me any more problems.
Ivy whispered, âDear, Veronica sees more than Shirley does.
She knows continuing this would only make things worse for them.
â