Contents
Chapter Thirteen
Overview
Holland and Gabe find the Professor’s house thoroughly ransacked, heightening fears for the Professor’s safety. While Gabe searches, Holland discovers January St. James’s business card, suggesting a hidden connection. As Holland examines a family poster for clues, approaching footsteps culminate in Adam Bishop entering, escalating the immediate danger.
Summary
Holland and Gabe enter the Professor’s office to find the entire house ravaged—books flung, drawers emptied, cushions torn, and a clock malfunctioning ominously. Holland insists they find the Professor, while Gabe orders her to stay and goes to search the rest of the house. The dim room hums with a phone off the hook and a toppled lamp.
At the desk, Holland discovers a cream business card for January St. James, implying a connection between January and the Professor that Holland never knew about. This triggers Holland’s memory of their painful fight over her thesis and the Professor, renewing doubts about who knows what regarding the myths and the Alchemical Heart.
Alone, Holland tries to restore a few of the Professor’s ruined treasures and studies a Price of Magic poster from her father, recalling hidden Easter eggs for her and January. She wonders if another clue is concealed there, grasping for a simple truth to tie the chaos together.
The house creaks and soft, stealthy footsteps approach. Expecting Gabe but sensing something off, Holland reaches for the phone as Adam Bishop unexpectedly enters the office, abruptly ending her search and escalating the immediate threat.
Who Appears
- HollandProtagonist; searches the ransacked house, finds January’s card, recalls their rift, and confronts Adam Bishop’s sudden arrival.
- Gabe CabralAlly who insists Holland stay put and searches the house, leaving her alone when Adam enters.
- January St. JamesHolland’s sister; her business card in the Professor’s office implies a secret link to current events.
- The ProfessorAbsent mentor; house is ransacked, raising fears for her safety and what was taken.
- Adam BishopUnexpected intruder who enters the office at the end, intensifying danger and uncertainty.