Chapter 656: Has a Screw Loose (4)

Chapter 656: Chapter 656: Has a Screw Loose (4)

The moment Vera Xavier heard what Fiona Wright said, she knew Susan Caldwell had been getting into her dormmates’ heads again.

She took a deep breath. "Susan Caldwell and I met once before school started. Things got a little... unpleasant."

She’d mentioned it to them once before when they were eating at a restaurant, but she hadn’t thought the details were worth spreading around, nor did she want to be seen as the type to gossip behind people’s backs.

But now that Susan Caldwell had come and clearly sown some discord, Vera saw no reason to keep her secrets any longer. She let out a soft sigh. "It happened in Trellis. We ran into robbers, and Susan Caldwell nearly got me killed."

The moment she said that, the other three girls in the dorm were stunned. They could understand typical squabbles between girls—a little jealousy, a few arguments, some petty tricks, or badmouthing someone behind their back. But when things escalated to a matter of life and death, it was beyond their comprehension.

’What kind of grudge would drive someone to do something like that!’

It all clicked for Fiona Wright then. When Vera Xavier and Susan Caldwell had come to blows in the cafeteria last time, Shirley Ewing and Laura White hadn’t been there for the whole thing, but Fiona had.

That was why her understanding of Susan Caldwell was much deeper than the others’.

Fiona Wright immediately gritted her teeth. "How can someone like Susan Caldwell even exist? What kind of grudge would make her want to kill someone!"

Shirley Ewing patted her chest. "I feel like Susan Caldwell is really good at getting into your head. She didn’t even say that much when she came to our dorm just now, but she made me feel like she was right. I almost believed Vera had done something truly terrible."

Laura White, who was usually quiet, chimed in, "What can you expect from someone who’s willing to use her own mother’s illness?"

Fiona Wright and Shirley Ewing shivered involuntarily. Fiona looked at Vera Xavier and said, "If Susan Caldwell is that vicious, Vera, you have to be careful. I heard her family has a powerful background."

Shirley Ewing grabbed Vera Xavier’s hand. "Oh, my poor Vera! How did you ever get involved with someone like her? That’s terrifying!"

Laura White glanced at Vera Xavier. "I don’t know... Susan Caldwell might be scary, but I doubt she’s a match for Vera. We live in a society with laws, and we’re in Veridia. No matter how powerful Susan’s family is, she can’t do anything to Vera out in the open."

Seeing their expressions, Vera Xavier gave a small smile and a shrug. "Well, the feud’s already started. From now on, I’ll just deal with whatever she throws at me. It’s nothing to be afraid of. Besides, I’ve never been afraid of Susan Caldwell."

’That was right. She had never been afraid of Susan Caldwell.’

Not even when they first met in Trellis, back when the gulf in their abilities was immense. She hadn’t been afraid then, either.

Still, Vera Xavier was worried about Winter Sullivan. She knew that what Susan Caldwell had said about Winter being sick was most likely true. But it probably wasn’t too serious; if it were, Susan wouldn’t have dared to come here just to probe her.

Even so, Vera Xavier was still worried. She had the phone numbers for Winter Sullivan’s research institute and her home, but Winter didn’t have a cell phone, so there was no way for Vera to call and find out what was going on.