Secrets all unfold gallo.., p.17
Secrets All Unfold: Gallows Hill Academy: Year Three, page 17
“There’s one thing I can’t figure out here, Cos.”
“Spill it.” He nodded.
“I get what you’re going for here. This is a ship of ships. But your pairings are off.”
“I don’t think so.” He chuckled. “Not all of them are conventionally romantic.”
“Which ones do you mean?”
“A good artist lets the work speak for itself.”
“I get it. You want to keep your head-canons secret. But you should know people will get the wrong idea about some of these.” I glanced at the image of Hope dipping Saya.
“I’ve made my thoughts on that one well known.” He grinned. “To Saya, at least, since Hope changes the subject every time. Don’t even try denying that Jill and Wyatt are totally canon now.”
I only nodded, turning away from the painting to shake his hand. The last thing I wanted was to discuss any of his pairings further. Because one of them was me with Ed, and we both looked way more powerful than we were. Like heroes out of an epic.
The best kind of art was supposed to invoke emotion and provoke thought. This painting had certainly done the job for me in both directions. Most of it was positively accurate, like how tenderly Kiara and Brandon held each other.
When I looked through Cosmo’s eyes at myself and Ed, I understood he thought we were on another level. Maybe he was right about some of it. I’d cared deeply about Ed since the day we met. All I felt looking at us in the painting was fear.
I discussed it later that day at my appointment with Counselor Goldfarb.
“I don’t grok why loving someone else scares me, and that’s weird. Usually, it’s because I also don’t trust them. But I’ve always trusted—” I cleared my throat. “This person.”
“Maybe these new feelings don’t need a reason. Including the fear.”
“That’s the thing. None of this is new because I’ve cared for this person for years. And loving anyone in my family always came with fear. Even between Crow and me.”
“Maybe if this isn’t new, it’s not entirely weird either.”
“I never felt this afraid about anyone I’m not related to.”
“Maybe you feel like they’re part of your family, then.”
“You could be right, but I don’t know yet.”
“It’s okay if you can’t figure yourself out immediately. Emotions move fast, but processing them doesn’t have to.”
“True story.” I chuckled but hung my head. “Third year is almost half over, so just about everything feels urgent.”
“You’re not alone in that department. I’d like to tell you it gets better, but members of the graduating class always get busier as the year goes by. It’s a challenge to navigate, but that’s why we’re here in the counseling office.”
“Thank you. I know you and the other counselors probably hear this a lot, but this school saved my life.”
“I don’t get many words of thanks, so I’m glad to hear yours on both counts.”
The bell rang.
“It looks like our time’s up.” I sighed.
“If you get any Eureka moments and need to talk, let me know. You can message me on your tablet about it or make another appointment. Or both.”
“Thanks, Counselor Goldfarb.”
I collected my satchel and headed to the auditorium to block the lighting with Kiara for our variety show duet. In Lab, Dr. Aranha gave us time to proofread our project reports. After school, I walked back to the boarding house but decided at the last minute to bring my familiar for a walk downtown. I wanted to clear my head, maybe chase that Eureka moment.
After ambling with Nut up and down Derby Street, Front Street, and Essex Street it still hadn’t hit me. Something else did.
“Ow!” I turned.
“Sorry.” Ben Endor stood staring at his shoes. “Didn’t mean to bump you.”
“It’s okay.” I glanced around the immediate area, looking for Mr. Endor or maybe any other kids his age. He was alone. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, you’re powerful and all, but not very solid to bump into. Like, I’m glad you aren’t Cosmo or Wyatt.”
“Yeah, they’re big guys. I wasn’t only talking about your physical state, Ben.”
“Oh.” He blushed. “Um, I’m having a day, I guess.”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
“Uh, not right now. Thanks, though.”
“I know your apartment is in the building next to ours. You wanna walk back with me?”
“Yeah, that’s okay.”
The walk with Ben turned out to be an exercise in awkwardness. I wasn’t sure why, either. Every time I tried to start a conversation, he answered in a monotone. He’d never been a particularly chatty kid, but considering how much he tagged along after Ed, asking questions, I wondered why he was so closed off today. I knew he wasn’t afraid of me over any Merlini business, either.
I let sleeping dogs lie and walked the rest of the way down Washington Street with him in silence. After half a block, the tension went out of his shoulders. Once we got to his building, I wished him well, but he only waved goodbye. I didn’t notice the flap of my satchel was open until I sat in the lounge with Hope and Saya to get a little homework done.
“Fewmets!” I wrung my hands.
“You look distressed,” Saya said.
“I think I lost our magicpsych fair project while I was out walking Nut.”
“Tiamat’s scales!” She stood. “Let’s go retrace your steps. I’m assuming the last time you saw it was at school when you put it in there.”
“Yeah. We went for a pretty long walk around town.”
“I noticed,” Hope said. “I expected to see you sooner than this.”
“Well, I would’ve come back sooner if I hadn’t bumped into Ben Endor.”
“You bumped into him literally.” Saya narrowed her eyes.
“It was an accident.” I blinked. “Chill out, Say.”
“Your ghost-seeing spectacles are missing, and you think the wannabe medium bumped into you by accident?” She shook her head. “Trusting people is an improvement most of the time. In this case, maybe not so much.”
“Hope, you can’t possibly agree. Ben’s basically a good kid. He wouldn’t nick something that important to three people’s grades.”
“As a rule, I trust dragon instincts when it comes to matters of missing objects.” Hope’s nostrils flared. “Besides, I smell him and middle school pencils all over your satchel. If he’d bumped into you by accident, he shouldn’t have had his hands in there.”
“This sucks.” I shook my head. “I don’t want to rat him out to Mr. Endor.”
“Maybe you don’t have to.” Ed stood in the doorway. “I’ve got Rob and the professor out looking on the streets for the spectacles.”
“How long should we let them stay out there looking?” I asked.
“I sent them at the beginning of this conversation. Give it five more minutes.”
We did. Saya paced the room the entire time. Rob came back to tell us they hadn’t seen anything. I sighed and shook my head. A trip next door confirmed my suspicions. I didn’t have to squeal on Ben. Mr. Endor had already caught him.
Mr. Endor opened the door, holding the case with the spectacles inside. He made Ben come out and apologize, although neither of them gave me a reason for the theft. It didn’t matter, anyway. I had them back in time for the fair.
“No harm, no foul,” I told them. “Ben, if you want to check them out, come to the magispsych fair. They’ll be on display along with loads of other cool stuff.”
Later, I sat at dinner, picking at my food. Ed didn’t chide me for it.
“So, pickpockets. They’re pretty much always the last person you expect.”
“I’m so disappointed.” I sighed. “No wonder he was so cagey the entire time I tried to talk to him.”
“I can’t imagine why he did it, though.”
“Oh, I can.” I looked up at him. “I totally would’ve done the same thing at his age. He wants to see the ghosts, of course. Like everyone else in his family.”
“Oh. Well, now I guess that does make sense. It also worries me.”
“Because of the near-death experience Ben hasn’t had.”
“Bullseye.” Ed closed his eyes.
“Hey, stop finishing Redford’s sentences and eat your sandwiches, Merlini.” Wyatt pointed at my full plate. “Couple of geniuses over here, needing advice from a meathead like me. If you’re worrying about Kid Endor, my dude, march your large medium self next door and talk to his bro.”
“Large medium?” I blinked. “You saved Ed’s joke, Wyatt.”
“Yeah, Big Red to the rescue. I mean it, talk to your teacher about the kid. Nip the issues in the bud.”
“I’ll do that.” Ed gave Wyatt a half-grin. “Only after Mavis finishes her sandwich like you said.”
“If you need backup, I’ll be in my room.” Wyatt held up his hand for a fist bump. Ed obliged.
“Thanks, I’ll let you know.”
After Wyatt left, I tapped Ed on the shoulder.
“I can go over there instead.”
“No, I’m in a better position to discuss this topic with our teacher.”
It turned out he was right. That was an incredibly frequent occurrence ever since he picked up the Chronus sphere. I had my misgivings about it, but only time would tell if they meant anything
We had the magicpsych fair the next day. It was odd, being behind a table instead of walking through and browsing everyone else's projects. At least I’d seen most of my friends during Lab. I’d also been a taste-tester for the upgraded edible snack wrappers Wyatt, Jaxon, and Cosmo made. They came in all different colors now, including prints with different flavors. I stopped thinking about that to focus on presenting our creation.
“Let’s see what we have here.” Dr. Aranha approached our table.
“Ghost detecting spectacles that allow you to communicate as well.” Jill smiled.
After that, the werewolf launched into an explanation of how they worked with all the confidence of a natural saleswoman. I felt a wave of relief because an unexpected case of nerves had stricken me. Being judged for something like an audition piece was one thing. Art, even performance art, was subjective. Science was the opposite.
“Hello again, Horace.” Dr. Aranha waved at my ghostly partner. “Who is this gentleman with you?”
“If you think I’m a gentleman, I’ll do my best to behave like one, Doctor.” Rob bowed to my teacher. It shocked me so much I sat in the chair behind me.
“I know it’s shocking.” Ed elbowed me. “Rob can turn on the charm when he wants to.”
The other three judges took their turn trying the glasses on and chatting with Horace and Rob. Ed did a merge at Dr. Aranha’s request. She looked from him to me to Horace a few times, probably to compare how everything appeared to give us advice for improvements.
The next table over, I saw Hope peering at Ed through her spyglass. She passed it to Cosmo. His mouth dropped open. Then he handed it to Saya. They huddled up, and I was about to go over and ask why when the last judge stepped forward.
Dr. Cormack put the glasses on in time for Rob and Ed to end their merge. Otherwise, he followed the same tests as his peers, with one exception. He stood staring at me for a few moments.
“Do I have something in my teeth?” I asked.
“No.” He shook his head and removed the spectacles. “I think it’s my magic interfering with the device. All in all, it’s a solid offering. I recommend finding a magus with a grounding or blending element and adding an enchantment to mitigate interference.”
“Is water or earth better?” I asked. “Because I know both types of magi.”
“We’ll discuss that in tomorrow’s lab,” Dr. Aranha said. “Excellent project, from initial idea to execution. I can’t wait to see how you improve it for spring.”
We thanked the judges and waited out the rest of the fair at the table. None of us could leave because we got so many visitors. By the end, I was pleased but surprised to see Matron Klein walk toward us with a red second place ribbon.
“Who got first place?” Ed asked.
“Kiara’s team. She’s placed top three in both semesters for the last two years. Good job, you three.”
We didn’t celebrate with pizza because we knew we’d have more than enough of that later in the week. Instead, we got sandwiches and headed out to Koto for Dead Man’s Party. The whole crew went with us.
Hope and Ed walked the entire way in the back of the group. By the time we reached the door, both of them were smiling. Ed had already stepped inside, so I stopped Hope.
“Looks like you got good news,” I said.
“I think we finally have something to tell the monarchs. Something Ed can do in the Under.”
“Oh!” I smiled but didn’t forget we were out on the street in front of a venue Marge had staked out before. “About the thingamabob.”
“The whatchamacallit, yes.” She chuckled.
“So I guess we have more than magiscience to celebrate tonight.”
“Magiscience is enough.” Hope held the door for me. “It makes so many things possible.”
“True story.”
Once inside and dancing, I realized that Cosmo’s painting felt truer than I wanted to admit. I still couldn’t shake the fear I’d started excavating in the counselor’s office. Because of this, I only danced with Ed in a large group, not alone.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Wednesday went by like a breeze up until the Rec period.
Gia had a solo in the chamber music set, and Puck had one in the orchestral arrangement of the title track from Into the Woods. The marching band segment did an entire field formation, showing that they’d expanded their skills.
Dr. Aranha directed it all. The beaming smile my favorite teacher wore the whole time gave me secondhand pride. I suspected that band would be a bigger deal next year and felt almost sorry I wouldn’t be around to see it.
“Wow,” was all Ed said.
“I know, right?” I replied.
“So glad Puck’s my accompaniment.”
“For variety?”
“Thought I told you that part.”
“Nah. But now I can hardly wait to hear it.”
“Heh.” He tilted his head, smirking. “It’s just a surprise.”
“Okay, Gandalf.” I grinned. “Keep your secrets.”
“Good gracious me.” He chuckled. “Don’t even try to tell me that the Merlinis were very well thought of before I came along.”
“Never.” I shook my head. “Anyway, I’m no Frodo.”
“Right.” He nodded. “You’re more like Samwise.”
“I’m not carrying you on my back anymore though, large medium.”
“Fair enough.”
The bleachers were more than half-empty. Cosmo whistled to catch our attention as Saya beckoned us down. Back at the boarding house, everybody took it easy by interspersing homework and practice with self-care. The next two days would take a lot of our time and attention, after all.
Thursday’s Bishop’s Row games went about as I expected. Hope’s team, clad in blue this year, swept the entire thing. We all cheered her on, but none more heartily than Saya.
The songs Saya had dug out of Blaine’s music collection for the cheer routines had a central theme. Weezer’s My Best Friend, Accidentally in Love by Counting Crows, and the Letters to Cleo version of I Want You to Want Me all had a message. One Saya had aimed at our captain.
Hope didn’t notice this at first, which made sense. She directed the team with a precision I hadn’t seen from her since the battle for Key of Crowns.
After the match, Saya refused to let Hope ignore her. She ran up to the captain, hands folded in front of her. The dragon looked almost like she was praying. Whatever she wished for exactly, Hope refused to grant it with a single shake of her head. Then, our captain turned on her heel and strode toward the door to the hallway.
Saya flounced back into the locker room. I almost went after her, but Kiara stopped me.
“Go with Hope. I’m on dragon duty.”
“Okay.”
“If you want backup—” Ed started.
“Nah, bro.” Cosmo put his hand on Ed’s shoulder. “Trust me, I already tried.”
“Think I’m good anyway,” I said.
Hope stopped in the hallway, staring up at Cosmo’s painting. I joined her, recognizing the look on her face immediately even though I hadn’t had a mirror that Monday.
“Lions and their shipping, am I right?”
“No questions, Mavis. I’ve had enough of those to last the rest of the year.”
“Saya asked you out.”
“Now you’re going to tell me I should’ve said yes.”
“No.” I gestured at the pairings in the painting. “I’m saying we can’t let Cosmo’s head-canon get in the way of all the work we still have to do between school and the Quest. Whether we agree with it or not.”
“Thanks, Mavis.” She turned to face me. “For surprising me by understanding that.”
“Shouldn’t be that much of a shocker.” I turned my head and grinned. “All things considered.”
“Not a shocker. More like a relief. I do agree with some of it.”
“Wyatt and Jill.” I nodded. “Diego and Jax.”
“You and Ed.”
“I’m not ready for a conversation about this. Outside of counseling.”
“That’s fair.” She sighed. “I should go see Counselor Amaral.”
“Good idea. Saya might ask you out again.”
“I fully expect her to. She’s nothing if not tenacious. In any event, I’ll see you later.”
As Hope headed toward the office, I silently thanked the gods that Ed wasn’t as driven as Saya. My gratitude turned out to be premature.
At entertainment wrestling on Friday, Cosmo started a chant for the second year troll facing off against Fiona in the ring.
“Baby Shock, do do do do do do!”
“Oh, come on.” Diego rolled his eyes. “That’s corny even for you.”
