Page 49 of Veil of Night & Flames

“Also, family.” As I volley the lie, I remember how well she knows Uncle Finn. Which means she also knows that he’s my only family. So maybe it wasn’t a lie. I was with him, wasn’t I? Just not in this realm.

“And the Tuesday before that.”

I give up and simply shrug.

She removes her glasses. Folds them. Sets them on the desk. The motions are so precise they make me feel like a mess by comparison. Which, of course, I am.

“Miss Lyte,” she says. “I’d like to offer you a do-over. The same material. Different questions.”

“A do-over?”

“A make-up examination.”

“Professors don’t do that.”

“This one does. Occasionally.”

“Oh.” I frown. “Why?”

She laughs. “Most students take the opportunity and run.”

“I guess most students are smarter than me. That definitely would have been the way to go. So, um, yes, please. I’d love a do-over.”

She nods. I think it’s to hide the hint of a smile.

“As to your question, I believe in giving students the opportunity to demonstrate what they actually know.” A small pause. “Sometimes knowledge gets hidden beneath life’s messiness.”

“Right. Yes. Messy.” I clear my throat. “Thank you. Really.”

“My office hours are Tuesdays and Thursdays. Two to four. The do-over can be at any of those times that work for you.”

“Okay.”

“Miss Lyte?”

“Yes?”

She tilts her head. “Your uncle and I have known each other for many years. Is he well?”

“Oh,” I say, scrambling for a lie, but all that pops into my head is Kali’s smug smile as she tells me he’s fine. “There was a crisis with a close friend of my mom’s. He left to help her.”

“Well, that makes sense. He loved your mother very much.”

I’m not sure what to say to that, so I say nothing.

In the silence, she adds, “He consulted me about her, once. Cassie, I mean.”

My stomach drops to about Australia. “About her dreams?”

“Her sleep issues, yes.” She leans forward in her chair, her elbows on her desk, and her chin tilted up so that our eyes meet. “There wasn’t much I could do for her. Back then, literature on the subject was quite limited. But I made it clear to your uncle that if he ever needed to speak to me again, about anything in the same neighborhood, my door was open.”

She smiles, and the hardened professor disappears, replaced by an almost grandmotherly vibe. “I’m very glad you’re in my class, Cora. I think you have real potential. So does your uncle. When he asked if I would accept you even though this isn’t a freshman class, he told me you were a thoughtful young woman who would benefit from a course in abnormal psychology. I think he was right. You are a unique young woman.”

I stand completely still, wondering if I’m hearing what I think I’m hearing—that this woman has just told me she suspects what I am without using a single word that would let me confirm it or deny it.

And I have no idea if she’s Team Cora or Team Kali. For all I know, she’s Team Valdez, and who the hell knows what that means? Still, I won’t know until I know. So I draw a breath of air and pretend it’s courage.

“If I came to your office hours once in a while, could we talk about dreams and sleep things? It’s, uh, well, a special interest of mine.”