“I’m going to get lost in this place.” I look around at all the books, excited to come back here and start reading. Cass would love it, and I hope she decides to pop in during breakfast, though I have a feeling she’s still having fun wandering the halls.
“Everyone does at least once,” Kaia tells me. “Though it’s usually in your first or second year. Once you can perform a simple locator spell, you can find your way back to the common room.”
“So I guess I’ll be wandering around with the first years. I’ve never cast a spell in my life.”
“You killed three demons without even knowing that demons or reapers exist. Spell casting will come easily to you too, I’m sure of it.”
A short while later, we enter the mess hall. I’ve already forgotten how we got there from the library. I’m going to have Kaia walk me back to the dorm so I can retrace our steps and hopefully remember this all.
The mess hall is loud and full of students, all talking and going about business as usual as they eat their food. It smells delicious in here, like bacon and eggs and coffee and sugary pastries.
The food is on the table already, and each chair has a place setting. Kaia goes to the table in the middle of the hall, the one I sat at last night.
“We don’t have assigned seats, but people usually tend to sit in the same spot. And you always sit with your house.”
“Got it.” I sink down into the chair next to Kaia. Each table seats eight people, and three others were already here when we arrived.
“Dig in,” Kaia tells me, and starts to fill her plate. Maxon, Blaze, and Celeste join us a few minutes later, proving that Kaia’s shortcut was much, much faster.
“So,” Blaze says as I load my plate up with bacon and eggs. “Anyone hear from Terrence?”
Celeste rolls her eyes. “That cowardly fifth year who ran away? No.”
“We don’t know that he ran away,” Maxon says sharply, and I glance at him. “There’s no proof of that.”
“Then what, he fell into a broom closet and never came back out again?” Celeste’s upper lip curls into a sneer. “Please, Max. We’re better off without him. He was always losing points for my house, skiving off classes and visiting that disgusting brothel down in Grimsby all the time. I’m glad he’s gone.”
Maxon frowns. “It’s true he was a troublemaker, but—"
“You think the brothel is disgusting?” Blaze interrupts, waggling his eyebrows. “You wouldn’t say that if you saw the women there. There’s this one girl who does this amazing thing with her tongue piercing—”
Kaia makes a gagging noise, and Celeste pushes away her half-eaten bowl of porridge. “I think I’ve lost my appetite,” she says haughtily, standing up. “I’m going to get an early start on my classes. See you later, Max?”
She makes a big deal about kissing Maxon goodbye, and even though she hasn’t deigned to look at me I get the distinct feeling this show is for my benefit. A few of the younger reapers ohhh and awww before erupting into giggles. Maxon, for his part, extricates himself as quickly as possible, and as Celeste walks off, I can’t help but stare at her retreating back. For a couple that’s engaged, they don’t seem to like each other very much.
“What’s the deal with Terrence?” I ask Kaia under my breath as we eat.
Her eyes fill with sadness. “He’s a fifth year who disappeared last week. Went down to Grimsby and hasn’t come back. The teachers thought he’d just decided to play hooky the next day, but he hasn’t been seen since. It’s a bit weird, honestly, because even though he didn’t take classes seriously, he’s never expressed any sign of wanting to desert before.”
“That’s terrible,” I say. “Is it usual for students to go missing? Also, what’s Grimsby?”
“It’s extremely unusual,” Kaia says. “And Grimsby is a nearby village that fifth years and older get to visit on the weekends. It’s got cute little shops and restaurants to visit, and of course the brothel Terrence was so fond of.” She makes another face.
“Excuse me.” A girl’s voice issues from my right before I can ask any more questions, and I turn to see a rather nervous-looking young reaper standing with her friend. I’d guess them to be around thirteen or so. They’re both wearing red-and-black plaid shirts. Is it too soon to start feeling the Proeliator pride?
“I am. I’m Addy.”
The girl beams, blushes, and turns to her friend. “We heard about you and how you fought off a horde of demons, and wanted to tell you we think you’re really cool.”
They weren’t sent here to mess with me, were they? My face blanks, and for a second, the girls think they insulted me. Then I smile.
“Thank you so much.”
They smile, giggle, and scurry away.
“You’re going to get that a lot. You’re already famous around here,” Kaia starts, reaching for a bowl of scrambled eggs. “Want some more?”
“Yeah, thanks.” For some reason I’m starving, even though I’ve cleaned my plate.
