“That’s good.” Benjamin sounded relieved. “That’s really good. I thought I saw you running down the hall. But it couldn’t have been you, since you were here. Maybe it was a curiosity-seeker or something.” He gave me a Significant Glance, as if I was supposed to help him out with this.

Yeah, that really makes sense. “I dunno.” I closed my mouth after that. Anna was supposed to be a secret, but she sure didn’t act like it. And would she be a secret here at the Schola Prima, among all the djamphir? She’d walked right past Graves and Benjamin and them to get into the Council room, right?

Still, just because she was all over the place didn’t mean I had to hand out information like cupcakes. Besides she predated me here and was the head of the Council.

“Oh, come on.” Leon actually snorted. “It was the Red Queen.”

“Isn’t she a myth?” Thomas noticed I was looking at the gun and actually flushed. It went into a holster under his left armpit, and I relaxed a little. “Oh, sorry.”

I shrugged. Again. I was getting good with the shrugging. I could practice in front of the mirror and have a different one for each occasion.

Benjamin was watching my face, too. “No, she is not a myth. She’s just kept from the hoi polloi like us. And very busy with her duties. You saw her this morning.”

Thomas absorbed this. “I thought she’d be taller.”

Sockfoot George asked the question I wanted answered most. “What was she doing here, then? And without bodyguards? Unless they were here in Shadow.”

Oh, great. All eyes on you, Dru. “I don’t have a clue.” And I didn’t.

They all stood there for a couple seconds just looking at each other. And I jumped—Graves was right behind me. He did something odd, then—he put his arms around my waist and hugged me. We’re both tall, but he seemed to have gotten taller. Back in the Dakotas we were almost eye to eye. Or maybe it just seemed that way because he hunched over all the time, his body shutting itself away from a world it wanted no part of.

And the djamphir boys stared at me again. I blushed for no discernible reason. I was turning red an embarrassing amount of the time lately.

So first Graves liked me too much, but then he would hug me in front of other boys?

“Yes. Well.” Benjamin cleared his throat. “Twenty-four-hour guard. Posted at the door. Someone with her at all times.”

“It will likely be me, since you don’t have waivers yet. Damn paperwork.” Leon shrugged. “No worries. This is interesting.” As if he was watching a TV show or something, settled on the couch with a beer in hand. Though I couldn’t imagine any of them kicking back with a brew. They just seemed too . . . old. Or too serious.

Fighting vampires is serious business, yeah. But that seriousness on those unlined faces was oddly, well, obscene. It wasn’t what they were supposed to look like.

“Terrifying is more like it,” Thomas muttered. “The Red Queen.”

“Second thoughts, Tommy?” Leon’s smile couldn’t have been called nice.

The blond djamphir grinned back, a wide white showing of teeth. “Not on your life, Fritz.” A rumble ran beneath the words, almost like a werwulf’s warning growl.

Oh, hold up. “Wait. Wait a second. You guys know about her?”

“The first-years think she’s a myth. You don’t even learn of her existence until you pass your third-year boards.” George looked worried. “Before we got this job a frontline grunt like me would never even see a svetocha. Now they’re coming out of the woodwork. Even mythical ones.”

“She’s not that old; I remember when she was rescued. She doesn’t qualify as a myth.” Leon sighed. “There’s no point in sleeping more. Not with orientation and classes.”

“Orientation?” I swear to God my knees almost buckled. I was glad Graves was standing right there. “Classes?”

“Both for you, classes for us. Except Leon.” Benjamin effectively shut down further discussion by turning away. “And tomorrow, Dru, I suggest we go clothes shopping.”

I already did. But I didn’t say it. Because getting out and away from the Schola was seeming like a good idea. A fabulous idea. “Okay.”

“I’ll take you down to the cafeteria first thing.” Now Leon’s unsettling grin was directed at me. “Food and a bunch of staring eyes. Best just to get it over with, right?”

“Right,” I said grimly and shoved Graves back by the simple expedient of stepping back myself. How we did that without getting our legs tangled, I don’t know. But we managed it, and I was happy about that. “Sure. Give me fifteen.”

“You don’t need to hurry. An hour will do.”

But I was already closing the door. Graves let go of me, and after I locked everything, I turned halfway and we sized each other up.

He was blushing furiously. So was I. We stood there, crimson-cheeked, and just looked at each other.

“Graves—” I began, but he spoke at the same time.

“Dru—” His eyes were so green; ever since he got bit, they’d been getting lighter and more intense.

We both laughed. It was crazy, hysterical laughter, but that was okay. I leaned against the door, chuckling until tears squirted out my eyes. He bent over and hugged his midriff and made little ah-ah-ah sounds because he couldn’t get enough air in.

Sometimes you’ve just got to let off a little steam. Especially when you’ve been running on nerves and adrenaline for weeks.

It was over all too quickly, though. I wiped at my cheeks, he finally got some air in, and we were left where we were before, staring awkwardly at each other.

“What was that?” he finally asked, running his fingers back through his hair. It stood up in black spikes, but the effect was softer now since it was growing out. “I didn’t even hear you get up.”

“I was on the computer. Getting clothes and stuff.” Do you need a cup, dude? I swallowed the question and a stray laugh at the same time. “I, um, I guess we should talk.”

“After I brush my teeth.” But he made no move to step away. “Jesus, can’t get clothes soon enough. I’m getting sick of wearing the same thing all the time.”

I hear you. A thin spike of guilt went through me—this was twice that everything he owned got taken away because of me. “I got you some stuff. And it sounds like they’re taking us shopping tomorrow.”

“They’re taking you shopping tomorrow.” He didn’t mean it the way it sounded. Or maybe he did because right after the words left his mouth he looked faintly ashamed of them. His earring swung as he ducked his head, running his fingers through his shaggy hair.

“Us. Or I’m not going.” I folded my arms and looked at the blue carpet. “So, can I ask you something? About . . . that.”

“About what?”

What the hell did he think I was talking about? But he was a boy, and therefore oblivious. Still, I’d pretty much used up all my brass for today and was going to have to use up tomorrow’s in about an hour. So I studied the carpet like it would give me an idea. Said nothing.

He lasted about five seconds, then coughed a little. “I, uh, I mean, jeez. Did I, you know, offend or something?”

“No, no.” I shook my head. Goddammit, my cheeks were burning again. My mother’s locket was warm, and I shot a little glance up at him, just to gauge where we were.

He was looking at me like I had something on my face. I found out I had enough brass left, after all. Or maybe I could borrow some.

“I just, well, wanted to know where we stand. That’s all.” There. It was out. If I’d been misreading everything, I wanted to know.

“Oh.” Then he was quiet for so long I thought I’d scream. “I, uh. Jeez. Well.”

Screaming was definitely an option. Okay, so I had misjudged. I mean, I didn’t think you could misjudge, what with sticking your tongue in a boy’s mouth. But I guess I did. He either liked me or he didn’t, or maybe he did but I wasn’t worth the trouble, or . . .