“That’s unreal,” she says, still smiling. “I only have like three thousand followers—”
“For now,” he says with conviction. “You’re a really good reporter. You come up with great catch lines, and you have a strong on-camera presence—you just need a better filming setup.”
“I use my phone to record,” she says, looking at his camera again. “Is that a Canon EOS?”
He angles it toward her. “R7. Want to see some of the shots I got of this place?”
“Sure,” she says, leaning over as Zach shows her the display screen.
“What’syourname?” Salma asks Curls.
“Trevor,” he says, and I spy flecks of green in his brown eyes.
“Hi, Trevor. This is my best friend, Lorena.” She tips her head in my direction, and I nod in greeting. “I’m Salma.”
“Like Salma Hayek?” he asks.
“I was named after her.” A smile warms her voice. “My mom grew up on her movies.” When she saysmom,the brightness in her gaze crystallizes, and she blinks the emotion away. I squeeze her leg under the table.
“Your attention, please.”
Tiffany and Zach look up from his camera, and we all stare at the staff table. Director Minaro is on her feet.
“Good evening. It is wonderful to see you all in your lovely uniforms.” Her dark eyes seem to suck in all the light as she scans the room, her gaze snagging on Salma. “I suppose you have already found your class schedules in the envelopes we handed you earlier. Please note that all meals will be held in here, beginning with breakfast tomorrow morning, which will be offered from seven thirty to nineAMon weekdays. Curfew is at ninePMevery night, and staff will be monitoring the halls. Anyone caught violating the rules will be written up. Three strikes will lead to expulsion.”
A hand shoots up into the air at another table, and I recognize the blue pompadour. Minaro nods in acknowledgment, and Fran stands up. “What about the Wi-Fi? When will it be fixed?”
There’s a murmur of agreement among the students, and I notice that even the staff members fix their gazes on Minaro, like they’re just as eager for an answer.
“A crew is coming to work on it this week. Until then, you can entertain yourselves with the thousands of books in our grand library on the third story, which is marked on your map. There are computers there that cannot connect to the internet at the moment, but they possess access to various encyclopedic databases. As I said earlier, the renovations to this manor are not yet complete, so we ask you to kindly stick to the labeled locations and not wander off into any forbidden areas.”
She looks right at me as she says, “The signs are there for your safety.”
I don’t know why she would think that out of everyone here, I’m the most likely to act out. Unless…
She saw the video.
Which of course she must have—that’s why the school parted ways with Ma in the first place.
“We now invite you to fill your plates and get to know your classmates!”
Since everyone makes a mad dash for the food, a line forms. Once I reach the buffet table, I partition my plate into four sections: mac and cheese,Caesar salad, chicken wings, and French fries. As I’m heaping on an extra serving of fries, Tiffany leans over my shoulder and says, “Cholesterol isn’t a food group.”
Her plate features a familiar salad: Spinach, tomatoes, and tofu, with a side of fries. Salma’s been vegan for ethical reasons since ninth grade, when she saw a documentary about the meat and dairy industries. This salad plus fries is her go-to meal.
“At least my dinner’s not a knockoff,” I say before joining Salma at the drink station and filling a glass with lemonade.
“Hello, Miss Santos.”
The deep voice makes my blood run cold, and I look up to see Minaro addressing Sal.
“I received your father’s request to excuse you from wearing the uniform. My deepest condolences for your loss.”
“Um, thank you,” says Salma, her gaze on the plate in her hands.
“Unfortunately, I cannot allow you to wear your current wardrobe to class.” My best friend’s head snaps up to meet the director’s eyes in anticipation of a fight. “That skirt is too short, and those stockings are ripped.”
“I will only wear black,” Salma insists, her thick eyebrows nearly touching, and my grip tightens around the glass. I know that when she uses that tone, she’s immovable.
