Page 17

T he meeting with Tarquinius went pretty much as expected. He chewed me out for twenty minutes about cutting out of detention and missing lunch and my next class. Then, he chewed me out some more for leaving the school and heading to the pub.

“Given your advanced age in comparison to your schoolmates, one would think you’d want to set an example for the other students, Ms. Daygon,” Tarquinius had said, his wiry eyebrows furrowing like a pair of silvery caterpillars.

He was wiry across the board, his hair, his frame, his glasses.

Like someone had taken pipe cleaners and created a stick figure out of them, and then draped it in a dark-blue curtain.

The color did nothing for his pale complexion, making him look like his head was detached from the rest of his body. As for how I felt after being scolded by him? Mostly just annoyed. He wasn’t nearly as scary as I’d have thought a Sage should be.

I bowed my head in false contrition. I had no choice but to keep my mouth shut about my reasons for leaving Neverthorn.

Facts were facts, and he wasn’t wrong. I’d broken more than one rule, which had caused this whole mess.

What he didn’t know was that I was pretty sure I’d unwittingly lured Nocta to me.

In fact, the more I thought about it, I was almost certain of it.

He’d taught me a rune he’d created for me when I was a child.

One he could track. I’d all but flung the door open and put out the welcome mat for him and those creatures to find me.

I glared at the back of Typhon’s head as he led me toward the large auditorium.

“Stop glaring at me. It’s not my fault you don’t know how to follow directions.”

“I don’t get why you can’t bring me to talk to Opie.

Just for a little while.” What I’d overheard in the bathroom had me certain the girls she thought were friends were anything but.

“I need to see that she’s alright with my own two eyes, then I promise to sit through your stupid assembly, quiet as a mouse. ”

He stopped so fast, I nearly ran straight into his broad back before stopping short. The motion made my ribs ache.

“Ophelia will be at the assembly with her housemates. Talk to her then.” He paused and shot a look at me. “While I encourage the silence of a mouse, I doubt you’re capable.”

He turned away abruptly and continued down the hall, leaving me to hurry after him again.

I wasn’t sure if it was just the shock of the day finally wearing off or the exhaustion from all that had happened, but the words struck a nerve, and hot tears sprang to my eyes.

I threw up my hands in frustration. “I talk too much, I’m a magnet for trouble. It’s super annoying ... Which is why it’s in everyone’s best interest to let me leave.”

Why couldn’t he see that? I’d grab Opie, we’d get off this godforsaken island, and head back home to my little bed and breakfast for runaways. I’d never do that stupid spell Nocta had shown me again, and we’d be safe. Just the two of us.

And this time, I’d actually appreciate it. No more taking the important things for granted.

We’d just reached the auditorium where a handful of students still trickled in. Typhon turned to face me once more, his firm lips twisted into a frown.

“You can leave, but the girl stays. As always, your choice.”

I was about to lay into him when I felt a set of arms wrap around my middle in a vice-like grip that had my ribs groaning.

“Lo-lo! I’m so glad to see you!” Opie squealed, skirting around until we were face to face.

Her cheeks were pink with delight and her eyes were bright with excitement.

“This place is ahhhmazing. A thousand times better than I’d ever imagined.

I’m in House Unicorna. I love my classes so far, and I’ve already got some new friends, Krishna and Phoebe. ”

She jerked her head toward the two girls standing a few yards behind her, whispering behind their hands, snickering as they watched us. As soon as they realized I was looking at them, they stopped talking and offered smiles and a wave.

Friends. The ones put in place to pretend to be her friends. But I couldn’t say that to her. I lurched toward her and passed her the note I’d written during the plane ride over.

Sure, everyone knew that House Wolven was known for their prowess in physical combat. But she needed to know that they also acted as a unit, like a little army of their own. If you messed with one, you messed with them all.

And House Kelpish might go with the flow most days, like the harmless seahorse depicted on their crest, but I pitied the fool who didn’t realize how stormy those seas could get when angry.

She needed to know that the kids in House Kirinash were pretty to look at, but that wasn’t the only reason so many of them wound up becoming movie stars.

They were almost as strong as the students in Draconell, but wily.

The greatest of pretenders. They could fool you into believing almost anything.

I probably should’ve written more about Draconell.

I’d told her how some had a mean streak a mile long, and how strong their leadership skills were, but I forgot to explain how that made them bad team players.

Draconells might put up a good front, but at the end of the day, they had only one person’s back.

Their own.

Something I needed to keep in mind myself when it came to Typhon.

“I’ll catch you later on. Maybe at dinner?” Opie called as she backed away, tucking the note in her pocket without even glancing at it.

“Sure thing. We can eat together if you want. I have a few more things I want to t–”

But I was talking to myself, because she’d already rejoined Krishna and Phoebe, and the three were walking arm in arm to find empty seats next to one another.

Something else I should’ve mentioned. Students of House Unicorna were a tricky bunch.

While some I’d met in my short stint here had been outwardly friendly, and they loathed confrontation, they could also be two-faced – and what I’d heard in the bathroom only confirmed that truth. She needed to keep her guard up ...

“She wants to be here, Harlow. And if you interfere with her finding her place, it’s only going to drive a wedge between you. Let her figure out the truth on her own,” Typhon’s voice was right at my ear, low and serious.

I knew he was right, but I didn’t have to like it.

“You do you, and I’m going to do me.”

Something about the way his gaze narrowed on my mouth again made my cheeks blaze, and I backed away. No more talk about anybody doing anybody else. It was time to get the hell away from Typhon. The more time I spent around him, the more space he seemed to take up.

I was still catching my breath when I sidled up next to Fable who was just about to take one of two empty seats next to Zeed and the rest of our house members.

“Hey,” I said, forcing a smile.

“Hey! Are you okay?” she demanded, looking me up and down. “People are saying that we’re here to talk about some sort of attack over at the Nevershoppes, and you were there? Is that true?”

The rumor mill still churned as efficiently as ever here, apparently. “Yeah ... I’m totally fine.”

Fable let out a squeak as she caught sight of Bandit, who had apparently snuck in behind me in stealth-mode.

“What is that?” Fable asked, eyes wide.

“That is Bandit,” I said, matter of factly. “He’s my ...”

What was he? Not a pet, per se. I knew instinctively that he wasn’t mine to command or “keep”. But he had been as loyal as any retriever when my life was in danger. “My new friend.”

“Right ...” she said, cocking her head. “You know you can have a familiar, but they’re seriously old school. Totally out of style.” She cleared her throat. “Usually it’s a cat.”

“What can I say? I like to be different.”

I sat and he climbed up onto my lap and settled in without a word, so I didn’t have to get into the whole talking-raccoon part, which was good. There’d already been enough excitement for the day.

His steady warmth gave me something to focus on, and the anxiety of being in a crowd this big, this packed, eased some with his presence. I laid my hand over his middle and he let out a low rumbling purr.

Calm, I just needed to stay calm.

As people trickled in, I took in my new housemates. I’d met Fable, Ross, Marina, Zeed, and, of course, Phyllis at the library.

A girl with short black hair in a stylish pixie cut leaned forward. Her light brown eyes were soft, like a deer’s. “I’m Ellie. I think we were in school together; you were a year ahead of me.”

I winced. “Were we?”

“House Felinita. I was quiet ... I don’t think we ever spoke.” She bobbed her head.

Zeed tapped the table. “We were all House Felinita, then. Why is that?” An excellent question. “I mean, Felinita is known for their smarts and ability to strategize, but rune crafting ...”

Our group cringed in unison at the reminder. “Me and Fable, Ross and Caterina kind of overlapped in school,” said the only other guy at the table.

Caterina nodded toward him, her brilliant red hair wildly out of control. She reminded me of a Disney princess with the way it flowed around her. “I didn’t go when Gary was here, but yeah. There is overlap between most of us. Ellie and Marina and I were all in Felinita at the same time.”

Typhon hadn’t said we’d all come from the same house. Surely, that was no coincidence, and it only made me trust him less.

Zeed’s jaw tightened. “There is something strange going on. We need to find out what it is. It doesn’t make sense that we’d all be pulled from the same house.”

They all turned to me.

“What?” I demanded.

Marina tapped the table. “You seem to have some street smarts. What do you think?”

I shrugged and let my mind tick through the possibilities. “Off the cuff? I’m thinking they stuffed all the kids who were supposed to be in House Phoenix into House Felinita because they had nowhere else to put us. Who would look hard at kids in the weakest house? Nobody.”