"What's going on here?" a familiar voice brayed. Great. Like this night didn't suck out loud enough already. The Vandy-who had been a cross between school matron and prison guard at Hex Hall -shoved her way through the crowd, breathing hard. Her purple tattoos, marks of the Removal, were nearly black against her red face. "Downstairs, now!" As the group began moving again, she glared at Jenna and me. "Show your fangs again, Miss Talbot, and I'll wear them as earrings. Is that understood?" Jenna may have muttered, "Yes, ma'am," but her tone said something totally different. We jogged down the stairs to join the rest of the students lining up to go into the ball room. "At least one thing at Hex Hall hasn't changed," Jenna said.
"Yeah, apparently the Vandy's powers of bitchery are a constant. I find that comforting." Less comforting was the creeptasticness of the school at night. During the day, it had just been depressing. Now that it was dark, it was full-on sinister. The old-fashioned gas lamps on the walls had once burned with a cozy, golden light. Now, a noxious green glow sputtered inside the milky glass, throwing crazy shadows all over the place.
As we moved down the hall, I stopped by one of the parlors. The big window that had looked out over the pond (and Cal's cabin) was broken.
More of that terrifying fog spilled inside through the jagged window frame, swirling around the floor. I noticed that several of the photographs that lined the walls were now lying on the carpet.
"I know 'What's Going On?' has practically become a catchphrase around here," I said to Jenna, "but seriously. What is going on?" Jenna studied the fog and shook her head. "It's like the house is sick," she said. "Or poisoned. The island, too."
"Maybe. I mean, the Casnoffs have a giant pit they use for raising demons." Archer and I had found that pit over the summer, and I still had nightmares about the ghouls who had guarded it. "Magic that dark-that evil...Do you think it could actually infect a place?" Her expression troubled, Jenna murmured, "Wouldn't surprise me."
"Are broken windows a new decorating theme around here?" Archer asked, coming up behind Jenna and me and poking his head into the parlor.
"So it would seem," I said. I was still looking outside when a faint light appeared in the gloom. It took me a minute to realize that it was from Cal's cabin. Was someone out there? Was Call out there?
But just as quickly as it had appeared, the light went out again. Frowning, I turned from the doorway, and I went to slip my arm through Archer's.
Then I remembered what Nausicaa had said earlier. Now wasn't exactly the best time for PDA, probably.
The three of us trailed behind everyone else into the ball room. Here, at least, things looked more or less the same. Of course, the ball room had always been one of the more bizarre rooms at Hex Hall, so that didn't say much. Still. I was relieved to see the familiar jumble of tables and chairs and not, like, tree stumps or whatever.
But then I looked at the front of the room, and any relief I might've been feeling evaporated. Mrs. Casnoff was slumping in her usual chair, staring off into the distance. Her hair was up now, but it was still unkempt. The Vandy was also sitting at the table, but the other three teachers we'd had at Hex Hall -Ms. East, Mr. Ferguson, and Byron, of course-were missing.
And sitting at the other end of the table, dressed in a bright blue suit, smiling like she was at a freaking tea party, was Lara Casnoff.
CHAPTER 16
Somehow, I got through dinner. Well, I pushed food around on my plate. Jenna and Archer did the same. In fact, as I looked around, all I saw were full plates. Maybe it was fear or nervousness keeping everyone else from eating, but for me, it was this weird mixture of rage and elation. Lara Casnoff had taken so much away from me, and my powers ached to do some serious smiting. But at the same time, the fact that she was here meant that it was very likely the grimoire was here, too. I was lost in thoughts of where the book could be when Lara stood up, clapped her hands, and announced, "If you're all finished eating, we can get on with the presentation."
"Do you think there's going to be a dance number?" Jenna muttered as we shifted our chairs to face the front of the room. I always appreciated a good dance number joke, but it was hard to chuckle as I stared at the woman who had tried to kill me more than once. I willed her to meet my eyes, for some kind of acknowledgment of what had happened this summer. But she never did.
I felt an almost overpowering sense of deja vu as I sat in my chair, Archer next to me, and watched Lara Casnoff stand in front of the room. Had it really been only a year ago that Archer and I had sat in this same room, practically strangers? Back when I'd thought I was just a regular witch.
Back when Hex Hall had been a school and not some kind of prison.
Lara raised her hands in welcome. "I'm sure you're all wondering why you're here," she said, her voice ringing out loud and clear in the silent room. All of the students were very still. There was none of the unrest and anger that had filled us earlier today. Maybe it's because we all wanted answers. Or maybe we were just afraid we'd get eaten, too.
"First of all, let me apologize for your current accommodations," Lara continued, pacing the front of the room. Her heels reverberated as loudly as gunshots. "We're funneling a great deal of magic into your protection here at Hecate Hall, and I'm afraid that's affected the house itself. But then, this school was never meant to be a five-star hotel, was it?" She was still smiling, but there was hardness in her eyes now. "In any case, I'm Lara Casnoff, and I will be working with Anastasia Casnoff as headmistress for this year. Now, I'm sure you have many questions. But first, I think it's time we tell you the truth about events that occurred this summer."
A glimmering speck appeared beside her hip, and I knew what was coming next. Sure enough, the speck grew until it was a huge, shimmering screen. And then we were all shading our eyes as fire raced across the screen. "This is Council Headquarters in London," Lara said over the sound of the flames. "Several months ago, ll'Occhio di Dio, along with a large group of Brannicks, attacked. Over half of the Council was killed, and this was the result." She gestured to the burning building.