Page 41 of Demon of Dreams

“It used to be the potion cellar,” Ash said as we grabbed trays and headed for the line that snaked past all the food options. “They say it’s haunted.”

“Just a regular cellar,” Felix said, grabbing a salad with a seared salmon filet from the case in front of us. “And no, they don’t.”

“You’re no fun.” Ash elbowed him in the side. “We have to trick Cory into thinking Vesperwood’s cool, or he might not want to stay.” He grabbed a plate of French fries and ten little cartons of barbecue sauce as we continued down the line.

“Wouldn’t tricking me work better if you didn’t tell me that was what you were trying to do?” I said.

“Maybe.” Ash grinned. “Or maybe I’m a master of reverse psychology.”

He wiggled his fingers at me. I laughed and grabbed a plate of chicken strips and some fries of my own. I probably should have gone for something leafy and green like Felix, but I could always go back for more. I was pretty sure I could eat about ten salmon filets right now, actually.

I had a brief moment of panic as we wound our way to an open table in the main hall, wondering whether there was a meal plan here, and if I could afford it, before sternly telling myself to eat now and worry about that later. It wasn’t like I had money for tuition either. If I was going to get kicked out of Vesperwood for not being able to pay, I was at least going to enjoy lunch first.

Felix came out of his shell a little more as we ate, and I found myself charmed by the repartee between him and Ash. They were so different, but they complemented each other well and made a good pair. I felt a rush of gratitude that they were the two people helping me to adjust to life here.

I finished my first plate of food, and since they insisted there was still time for more, I stood up to get a second plate of fries.Sorry, salmon filet, maybe next time. I’d just made it to the end of the food line when the tall, blond guy from Spellwork and Environmental Magic stepped in front of me.

“Cory, is it?” he said smoothly.

My brow furrowed. Did he not realize he was blocking me? I stepped to the left, trying to get around him, but he moved over with me. I tried for the right, but the guy not only cut me off, he stepped forward, forcing me to back up or get run over. There was an alcove on the far side of the food line, filled with shelves of extra trays and napkins, and in just a few steps, he’d backed me into it.

My heartbeat sped up, and sweat broke out on my face. I told myself to stop being ridiculous, that we were in a crowded room full of people, but I felt surprisingly isolated in that little alcove. Besides, this guy had been staring at me all morning, and not in a friendly way.

Just calm down and stop being so dramatic, I told myself. He’s not going to try anything here, and even if he did, people would hear if you yelled. He doesn’t mean any harm.

Probably.

I craned my neck, looking out towards the main dining area, but a pillar blocked my sightline to Ash and Felix.

“Come on now, I know you can talk,” the blond guy said. “I saw you sucking up to the professors today. You clearly have a voice.”

Sucking up? Had he missed the part where Gallo had chewed me out? I frowned.

Something about his tone got under my skin. I’d been expecting aggression, maybe even violence. But I hadn’t prepared for condescension. Who did this guy think he was, anyway?

“Maybe I just don’t feel like using it to talk to you,” I said, letting my annoyance show.

“Touched a nerve, did I?” He smiled. It looked arrogant. Then again, that might just have been the set of his face. He probably looked arrogant in his sleep.

“What do you want?” I asked, even more irritated.

“Just to talk for a moment,” the guy said, spreading his hands in a gesture of innocence. “Am I interrupting something?”

I wanted to snap that yes, there was a plate of chicken strips with my name on it. But that would probably come off more stupid than snarky, and come to think of it, maybe I didn’t want him to know that he could rile me that much.

“No, not at all,” I said, making my voice as neutral as possible.

“Excellent. So. Are you, or aren’t you?”

“What?” I wondered if I’d misheard. It was kind of loud in the refectory.

“Are you, or aren’t you,” he repeated, as if that made it any clearer.

“Am I, or am I notwhat?”

“Oh. I thought that was obvious.” The guy smiled again. It didn’t reach his eyes. “Human, of course.”

“Am I human? Of course I’m—” but I cut myself short before finishing. I was no longer sure I could answer that affirmatively, but more importantly, I wasn’t sure I wanted to. After everything Ash had said this morning, it was a more loaded question than I’d realized.

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