“Go to the mattresses,” I say.
“Exactly.”
“Against the Mage and me? Or the Humdrum?”
“I don’t know,” Penny says. “I always thought the Pitches would just sit back and watch both sides destroy each other.”
“Thanks.”
“You know what I mean, Simon—the Old Families don’t want the Humdrum to win. But they don’t mind him beating the Mage down. They’ll wait to attack when they think the Mage is weak.”
“When they thinkI’mweak.”
“Same difference.”
Agatha is staring over at the table where Baz usually sits. Niall and Dev, another of Baz’s friends—his cousin or something—are sitting next to each other, talking with their heads close.
“I don’t think Baz dropped out,” she says.
Penny, sitting across from us, leans into Agatha’s line of sight. “Do you know something? What did Baz tell you?”
Agatha looks down at her plate. “He didn’t tell me anything.”
“He must have told you something,” Penny says. “You talked to him last.”
I clench my teeth.“Penelope,”I say without unclenching them.
“I don’t care if you two have agreed to move on.” She waves her hand at Agatha and me. “This is important. Agatha, you know Baz better than any of us. What did he tell you?”
“She doesn’t know him better than I do,” I argue. “I live with him.”
“Fine, Simon, what did he tellyou?”
“Nothing to make me think he’d drop out of school and miss a whole year of making me miserable!”
“He doesn’t even have to be here to do that,” Agatha mutters.
This pisses me off, even though I was thinking the same thing myself, just yesterday.
“I’m done,” I say. “I’m going up to my room. To enjoy the solitude.”
Penny sighs. “Calm down, Simon. Don’t punish us just because you’re feeling confused.Wehaven’t done anything.” She glances over at Agatha and tilts her head. “Well,Ihaven’t…”
Agatha stands up, too. “I’ve got homework.”
We walk together to the door, then she turns off for the Cloisters.
“Agatha!” I call out.
But I don’t say it until she’s too far away to hear.
***
I have the room to myself, and I can’t even enjoy it, because Baz’s empty bed just seems sinister now.
I summon the Sword of Mages and practise my form on his side of the room. He hates that.
16
