Professor de Spina cleared his throat, and the few people who had chuckled fell quiet. “Most demons that are capable of possession use their teeth and claws to dig their way into humans. Hence, having more teeth would make it easier.”
My lips formed the shape of an “O,” and the professor stopped.
His eyebrows furrowed. “I’m sorry . . . have I confused you?”
A few people sniggered, and I blushed. Did they already know all this?
“No! I just . . . please continue. This is fascinating.”
Professor de Spina nodded and moved on. Slowly, those in front turned back around to give the professor their full attention, but the burn in my cheeks lingered for much longer.
My head spun. I’d learned more in a single hour of Demonology than I’d learned in four years of high school. And that wasn’t even including thesixother classes I had that day, including one I was dreading more than all the others—Physical Conditioning.
We had Physical Conditioning every day of the week and forthree consecutive hoursevery other Saturday. Thinking about it made me cringe. I mean, I understood that spies needed to be fit, but wasn’t that a little much? If my brain didn’t explode, my body was probably just going to give out.
“It looks like Battle Magic is next,” Eva said, reading the schedule that all the first years had received. “On the lower level.”
I snapped to attention. The lower levels? Like a dungeon? I gulped and allowed Eva to lead the way. She seemed to be a natural with directions, unlike me. Even in L.A., where I’d lived all my life, I’d needed GPS.
We rushed back toward the entry hall. Having only fifteen minutes between classes meant that students had to scramble from class to class. Even though it was annoying, I understood why Spellcasters ran such a tight ship. We had a lot to learn in three years; they had to pack it all in somehow.
Speaking of packing it all in, where’s the rest of our class? Shouldn’t we be traveling in a herd?I glanced around and saw that a few first years trailed behind us, but not everyone. Or at least, I couldn’t see them all. Now that the second and third years weren’t actively training and were attending classes too, the halls were actually kind of crowded.
“What are you looking for?” Eva asked, striding between the two staircases that spiraled up the three levels.
“Our classmates. I thought we had every subject together.”
“Usually,” Eva replied. “There’s a note that until after Samhain, the Physical Conditioning professor and Battle Magic professor split us up. I guess dividing newbies into smaller groups makes us more teachable.” She shrugged. “It makes sense. These classes are more hands-on, and they have to keep us safe.”
“Oh! Crap!” My hand plunged into my bag, searching for my schedule.
“You’re on the same rotation as me,” Eva assured me. “I checked when we swapped at breakfast.”
Thank goodness my new friend was on top of her shit because clearly, I wasn’t. The thought was driven home a second later when Eva gripped a light fixture on the wall between the two massive staircases and pulled it down. Right in front of me, a hidden door opened with a groan.
“Whoa,” I breathed, my eyes widening at the passage that wound down into the darkness.
Eva grinned. “My parents pointed out the entrance before they left. There’s a more mundane route too, but I wanted to show you this one.”
I beamed. My new friend was the coolest.
“Wonderful, I see we’re on the same schedule,” a stern voice snapped behind us. “Now, if you wouldn’t mind moving out of the way while you gawk, Professor Thrax doesnotsuffer tardy fools.” Diana Wake pushed past me and bolted down the staircase. Phoebe Pudeator and Tabitha Goode trailed behind her, both wearing amused smiles.
I huffed.Great, a girl gang has already formed.
“Don’t let her get to you.” Eva rolled her eyes. “Diana’s just upset that you’re an unknown. My family’s table was near hers last night, and I overheard her complaining to her father that life wasn’t fair.”
I quirked an eyebrow. “What do you mean?”
“You didn’t test in, right?”
My cheeks colored, and I shook my head. I hadn’t even been here a full day, and I was already regretting my decision to claim the legacy route.
“I don’t think it’s a bad thing,” Eva reassured me. “It’s just that most families, even legacy families, make their kids take the test. Mine did. That way they know where their child stands before entering and can work on weaknesses.”
“But I still don’t understand why Diana would care.”
“They share the test results of those students who are admitted into Spellcasters. Diana tested as one of the top students for our year. But because you opted out, you’re a mystery. She can’t claim she’s better than you, and I bet you she hates that.” Eva arched an eyebrow.
