Phoebe's POV
My presence commanded absolute silence from the students who had been murmuring moments before. I fixed my gaze on Winnie and her little gang, watching them squirm under my stare.
Ariel stood nearest to me, practically shrinking into herself as waves of my icy demeanor washed over her. She kept shooting desperate glances at Orion by the door, but he remained frozen, too terrified to utter a word.
Smart man. Orion knew better than to defend Ariel right now. They were caught red-handed, and clearly hadn't anticipated that the student they'd dismissed as powerless would have someone like me in her corner.
I could see Orion's wheels turning—he wanted this Harriet situation buried quietly. With Ariel taking the fall, he wasn't about to stick his neck out and make things worse for himself.
