Mr. Brightside—yes, that was his real name—was tall, Black, and looked like a vampire prince reluctantly dragged into the mortal world. And yet even with his penchant for the morbid, his all-black wardrobe, iron rings, dark humor, and unsmiling expressions, Mr. Brightside was somehow married to the round and almost obnoxiously joyful Mayor Ross Grimjoy.
Onny had never seen his husband without a smile. Together, they lived in a Victorian-style house off the town square, where Mr. Brightside supposedly kept a poison garden on the left side of the lawn along with a somewhat morbid lawn “diorama,” and Mayor Grimjoy planted sunflowers on the right side. They were… quite a pair.But,thought Onny as her heart twinged in envy,they wereludicrouslyhappy together.
“In light of both Halloween and the auspicious occasion of the Moon Ridge’s anniversary, let us celebrate with a little pop quiz, shall we?” asked Mr. Brightside as he swept his eyes across the classroom. “First person to answer all ten questions correctly gets five extra points added to their last test.”
Everyone in class groaned, but Byron sat up straighter. Onny wasn’t sure why he bothered. She’dseenhis grade on the last test: 97. And he made sure she saw it, because she’d gotten a 96. Jerk.
“How many bones are in the human body?”
Byron’s hand snapped up. Mr. Brightside nodded to him.
“Two hundred and six in adults, but two hundred and seventyfor children, since some of their bones fuse together as they grow.”
Mr. Brightside’s mouth made a small quirk, which looked almost like a smile. “Correct.”
“Just want you to know that it’s creepy that you know that,” whispered Onny.
“Right, I forgot: intelligence is a detriment to my personality.”
Onny glared. Byron might be at the top of their whole class, but it’s not like Onny was too far behind.
Mr. Brightside continued. “True or false: spiders are insects.”
Byron’s hand shot up. “False; they’re arachnids. All insects have six legs.”
Onny whispered, “How’d you get away with just two? You’re a miracle.”
Byron pretended he hadn’t heard her, but Onny saw a muscle in his jawline tighten.
Poor jawline,she thought.You are utterly wasted on this human.
Mr. Brightside: “What’s the name of the pigment that gives pumpkins an orange color?”
Alexander the Great-Looking raised his hand first. Byron glowered. Onny privately cheered.
“Chlorophyll?” he said.
Mr. Brightside made anEHHHH!!!sound.
“Carotene,” said Byron smoothly.
Byron got all the next questions right, too, and then came the last one.
“What does ‘zodiac’ mean?”
Byron blinked, frowning. “I… I…”
Onny raised her hand, smiling.
“Yes, Ms. Diamante?” asked Mr. Brightside.
“It means ‘circle of little animals,’” said Onny.
“Ms. Diamante is correct,” said Mr. Brightside. “Since no one got all ten right, no one gets the extra points. Alas. Maybe this upsets you, but I have found that bitterness only enhances the sweetness of existence.…”
Mr. Brightside paused to look dramatically out the window.
“Please continue your experiments from yesterday. Lab reports will be due next Monday, and…” Mr. Brightside frowned at a sheet of paper on his desk. “It appears we may have an unexpected visitor toward the end of class, so do not be overly concerned if you are unable to complete today’s assignment in time.”
