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Despite all that, Alex was still curious about her, so she asked, “What are you reading?”

“A book.”

Right. That was helpful.

“Is it good?” Alex tried again.

“Would I be reading it if it wasn’t?” came the response.

“It could be a textbook.”

“It’s not.”

“So, it’s a novel?” Alex guessed.

D.C. sighed and put the book on the table, marking her place. “No, it’s not a novel,” she said, her voice tight with irritation. “If I answer your question, will you shut up?”

Alex took another bite while she pretended to think about it. “Maybe.”

D.C. made an annoyed sound and pushed her chair back, ready to leave.

“Hey, don’t go!” Alex still needed her people-repelling buffer around until she finished eating. “I promise I’ll be quiet.”

The other girl eyed her warily before slowly taking her seat again. She then did something totally unexpected and slid her book over so that Alex could see the cover.The Lost City: What Really Happenedby A. N. Onymous.

Alex snorted at the author’s name, but then she focused on the title again. “The Lost City?” she asked, handing the book back. “What lost city?”

D.C. looked at her strangely. “Meya, of course. What other cities have just disappeared?”

“Oh, right,” Alex said. “Meya.”

Alex remembered what Darrius had told her about the missing city. She would never forget the image of the enchantingly beautiful Meyarins, but she was pretty sure he’d said they were kind of a taboo subject. She wondered how her roommate, of all people, had managed to get her hands on such a book.

“What does it say really happened?” Alex asked, curious.

“I thought we agreed you’d shut up once I told you what I was reading?” D.C. said, opening the book to start reading again.

“Right,” Alex murmured. Conversation over.

She picked at her salad and gulped the rest of her water before standing and saying, “I guess I’ll see you later?”

“You’re deductive skills are astounding,” D.C. replied, not looking up from her book.

Alex clenched her teeth and walked away before she could say anything she would regret. She headed straight for her dormitory and, after a much-needed shower, she ventured down to the Rec Room in search of Jordan and Bear.

“Finally!” Jordan greeted Alex when she found both her friends hanging out with Connor and Mel. “Where have you been?”

“Karter decided it was time for me to start pulling my weight,” she said, collapsing onto a beanbag in front of the fire. “He kept me back late and I had to visit Fletcher afterwards.”

“That sucks,” Connor said. “I’m only Gamma for Combat, but I don’t think that matters to Karter. It’s almost like he can smell weakness.”

Alex wasn’t sure how to take his comment, so she just smiled at him and gave what she hoped was a supportive look. “Yeah,” she agreed. “Listen guys, sorry to be lame, but I’m wrecked. I pretty much just came here to find out what’s happening tomorrow.” She addressed her comment to Bear and Jordan since she was leaving with them in the morning.

“Mum sent over a Bubbler earlier in the week so we can take off whenever we want,” Bear told her, referring to the vial of liquid that, when smashed on the ground, opened a Bubbledoor. “The sooner we’re out of here, the sooner our holiday starts, so I say we aim to leave early-ish.”

“What about the wards?” Alex asked, confused.

“They’ll be deactivated tomorrow so students can leave,” Jordan explained, “and they’ll be taken down again at the end of the holiday when we all come back. It happens at the beginning and end of every break so we can come and go easier.”