Page 22

I had a feeling she was marking the boy down for daring to acknowledge his own bodily functions.

And then she was right in front of me, glaring at me. “Well?” Ms. Pirana expelled an impatient sigh, like my entire existence was an unspeakable burden. “Are you even listening to me, Miss Winters?”

Crap. Apparently, I should have been worrying more about myself than about that boy.

“I’m waiting. Do you need me to repeat the question?”

Ms. Pirana’s savage smile promised there would be consequences if I went that route. Yep, the General had definitely told her I was a troublemaker.

“No, that won’t be necessary,” I replied with a smile. Thankfully, I’d at least been kind of listening to her. “The First Expedition began on February 14th, 2029. Earth sent a team of scientists through the first Spirit Tree they discovered on our planet. This team travelled across the Many Realms in search of knowledge and technology. Instead, they brought back the Curse.”

“A simple one-sentence answer is sufficient,” Ms. Pirana snapped. “No need to show off.”

Behind me, one of my fellow Apprentices snorted. I would have seen which one, if only I’d had a spell to put eyes in the back of my head.

“But, yes, let’s see how smart you really are.” Ms. Pirana leaned in closer, so close that I could smell the jasmine-and-apricot perfume she wore to cover her natural stench of pure evil. “Who was the first President of the new Gaian Government?”

“Adrian Flores,” I replied.

“Incorrect.” Something dark and vicious flashed in her eyes. “It was Mia Long.”

“Well, actually, it was Adrian Flores,” I said as Ms. Pirana scanned the crowd for her next victim. Her eyes immediately snapped back to me. “He only held the position for twelve-and-a-half minutes. His reign was cut short when, halfway through his inauguration speech, Cursed Ones attacked the ceremony and infected most of the guests. After that, Mia Long was made President. Her inauguration ceremony was held in a protected underground bunker with minimal guests.”

Ms. Pirana listened to me, her frown deepening with every word that I spoke.

“You can read the full story inGaia: After the Curse. It’s a great book,” I told her with a smile, trying to be helpful.

But rather than accepting the book recommendation, Ms. Pirana glowered at me.

Somewhere in the crowd, I heard Dante sigh.

And I almost did too.Way to go, Savannah! So much for blending in!

Ms. Pirana looked down at the thick tablet in her hands. Her fingers swiped furiously across the screen. She was probably looking for something so obscure that even a bookworm like me hadn’t read about it. She must have found it too because a cruel smile curled her tight lips.

But a noise drew her attention, a low rumble, like the hum of a car engine. Everyone turned toward the sound.

A rattle mixed with the rumble. The iron gates of the Garden slowly slid apart, opening the way for a black SUV. Every Apprentice turned to watch the big and boxy vehicle drive down the narrow road that dead-ended at the center of the Garden.

Nowadays, the only people who rode around in cars were soldiers or important Government officials. We all waited to see whether a VIP would step out of the mysterious black SUV…

…or a bunch of Watchers.

The SUV stopped. The driver-side door creaked open, and a tall man jumped down. He was dressed in a suit, the uniform of someone who worked for the Government. I’d seen them on the news: stiff, important-looking people in stiff, important-looking suits.

But there was something wrong with the suit. It was both wrinkled and stretched, like someone had crinkled it up into a tight ball, then pulled on it until it burst a few seams.

There was something wrong with the man too. His skin was sallow, sweaty. He smelled wet and earthy, like a pile of leaves that had just begun to rot.

And when the man turned around to face us, his eyes flashed bright red.

My whole body went as cold as ice. Time ground to a halt, freezing on one terrible realization: the man was cursed.

He flashed his teeth.

Everyone in the Garden screamed and scattered like mice, fleeing in terror from the Cursed One.

CHAPTER3