Inquest by J. F. Jenkins Page B

to adjust to. Somehow, he'd have to find a way to manage. I only have to worry about that if I get stuck. Positive attitude is everything — that's what Cory and Madison say. He'd miss them as well. So long as he didn't screw up anything involving his parents' relationship, he'd see them again one way or another.
    Teague closed his eyes and tried to get his mind to focus. What he needed to remember was what his father told him only a few months before he left for the past. Focus. Just clear your mind and focus. It's all here. Everything is all here. I just need to fo–
    A knock at the door brought him out of his thoughtful daze. Grumbling, he went over to answer the door. Halyn stood on the other side. She waved and bounced into his dorm. He was pretty sure she was the only one who came over to see him willingly and didn't think his room was a disturbing psychological mess.
    "Hey, T!" She sat down on his couch, making herself right at home.
    "Hi," he said and sat down next to her. "What's up? Can I help you?"
    She laughed. "Oh come on, you know I just come by to hang out and see you. Ever since you got back from the hospital wing, you've been so tense and serious. No fun."
    "Must have a lot on my mind," he confessed.
    "Li-ke? You can tell me," she said. "And I promise, I'll keep it to myself. Nothing you've ever told me has ever been repeated by these lips."
    He gave her a small smile. "I know. I trust you. Most of what I'm thinking about is still getting over what's happened with Denver."
    She scrunched up her nose. "Being attacked by a demon would be pretty traumatizing for anyone. There was this one time the demons tried to take Cheyenne while we were out on a walk, and it scared the snot out of me. They're big and intimidating."
    "These ones were a smaller type," he said. "My thoughts are more along the lines of, I want to help. There's a way I can, and I'm having a hard time coming up with the answer." He tapped his head. "But it's in there. How do you get things to come out that you need when you need them and they're lost?"
    Halyn grabbed the sides of his face and forced him to look at her. "Let's see... I could give you one of my parents’ special remedies? It's easy to make. I do it all the time for tests. Oh, and sometimes doing research on whatever you're in need of finding out helps."
    "What should I research?" he asked, frowning.
    "I don't know. You're the one who wants to figure out how to help with the whole messed-up situation." She shrugged. "Don't get me wrong, I do, too, but I'm just as stumped for ideas. Helplessness has been sinking in since Chey was first taken to the underworld by that monster. Everything got weird after that night. Maybe you shouldn't frustrate yourself with the task. The teachers are on it, and so is the Divine Council."
    But some of the Divine Council want Lucien to succeed. They've been poisoned by his promises of more power. Focus. What am I missing... He scratched his chin. If Denver can send out demons to investigate for him, as an heir, I can too. That was one of the reasons he appointed me, so I could use the Dark to my advantage. I'm going to have to suck it up and just do it, even if the underworld scares me.
    "It's sweet you want to do something, though." She ran her hand up and down his arm.
    His gaze trailed the path of her hand, and he shivered a little from the touch. When she did things like that, he often wondered if perhaps she were performing some kind of spell on him. Did voodoo magic have a love potion of some kind? Or was he that attracted to her that he found everything she did to be seductive, even if he was sure she meant it innocently. Because he didn't believe she was trying to do anything but be his friend.
    Carefully and casually, he shifted so she was no longer rubbing his arm. Unfortunately, with the way he did so, her hand moved from his arm to his chest. For a moment, her hand lingered there before moving. He noticed her cheeks glow a faint