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He doesn’t have to say the next part.
It will buy us more time in case the next ritual fails.
But I can’t think about that, not now, not if I want to get through the day.
Buoyed by the idea of going straight to the police, the three of us leave the building together and walk across the courtyard to where the headless Daniels is lying there in a pool of blood that reflects the hazy morning sun. By now a crowd has formed around him, many students and teachers crying and holding on to each other, like a repeat of when Lotte killed herself. Except now it feels different. Now amongst the tears, there is terror. People are terrified that this is going to happen to them next.
They’re starting to fear the school.
Sister Leona stands at the base of Daniels’ body, with Ana and Margaret right behind her. Sophie is there too, but off to the side a little, as if she doesn’t want to be associated with them, her hood pulled tightly.
“I know you’re all worried about what has happened here,” Leona says, her voice projecting. “But I can assure you that no matter what, we will get to the bottom of this travesty.”
“It’s the headless horseman!” someone in the crowd cries out. “He’s been killing everyone.”
“There is a vengeful spirit known as the Hessian soldier,” Leona concedes with a nod. “And we are aware of what he is capable of. The horseman should not be able to get through our wards, however, so it is hard to say who exactly has committed this crime.”
So many lies.
“What about the other missing teachers?” someone else says.
“We are still investigating what has happened to them,” Leona goes on. “It is too early to tell. But for now, I can promise you that we will solve these mysteries, and we will do our best to keep you all safe.”
She looks around at everyone in the crowd, then focuses on me, on Brom, on Crane.
“As of this moment forward, the wards have been activated to full power, and the school is on lockdown,” she announces. “Until we solve this, no one is coming in. And no one is going out.”
Chapter 30
Kat
We’ve been under lockdown for nearly one week so far and, surprisingly, the school doesn’t feel that different from normal, other than the tension that seems to wrap around the campus and the fear and strain on everyone’s faces. Those things were always there, I just don’t think anyone was aware of it until now.
Normally I wouldn’t have felt the urge to leave at all—I wasn’t about to have supper at my mother’s again—but I had wanted to head into Sleepy Hollow, Pleasantville, and Tarrytown to talk to the police. I think Leona suspected that’s what Daniels had wanted to do (and anyone else who started to think that there was more to the institute than what meets the eye).
But even if the students and teachers could leave, they wouldn’t remember why they were fleeing from the school. They wouldn’t remember any of the deaths, or the missing teachers, or strange goings on. Though, I suppose the Sisters don’t want to take that chance. If me, Brom, and Crane can recall, there’s a chance others can too.
“Are you alright? Have you eaten?” Crane asks, putting his hand on my cheek. Despite the lockdown, service at the dining hall has remained the same, and the school’s food supplies haven’t been cut off—yet.
I close my eyes and press against his palm for comfort. “I haven’t been hungry,” I tell him. “And I have a feeling that I shouldn’t eat before the ritual.”
It’s the late afternoon of the full moon, and we’re sitting in the library with Brom, trying to do some last-minute preparations. We’re the only ones in here. Even the librarian is gone, though we don’t know if she’s disappeared or if she’s just given up. Everyone is acting like they’re walking on a tightrope. I’m amazed that classes are still in session during the lockdown, especially as no one is paying attention in them.
Unless they’re in Crane’s class, of course. This last week he has been turning every one of his classes into seminars on self-defense. All of us students have learned how to take someone else’s power from them and use it for our own, how to block our magic and energy from being used by others, and how to deepen the skills we already have.
For me, I was able to dive deeper into shadow magic, rendering myself invisible when in the dark, and I was also able to turn my ability to conjure flames into a weapon I can throw, which was quite fun, and resulted in setting one student’s homework on fire. Even Brom, with his lack of magical ability, was able to borrow Crane’s voice, just for a moment.
