Page 38 of The Hunting Moon
“I want a paper,” he says when he isfinallyfinished. He missed a spot near the bottom. Winnie doesn’t point it out. “On the history of the Wednesday Masquerade party. Five pages, single-spaced. You can start at the school library, though Iencourageyou to go more widely.”
Meaning heexpectsher to go more widely.
“Wait,” Winnie says as the actual meaning of Samuel’s words connects in her brain. “I have to write a paper?”
“Five pages, single-spaced.”
“What about the rest of the class? Are they writing one too?”
“No.” He smiles; his glasses shadow even more. “The rest of the class listens during my lecture.”
“I listen!”
“While drawing worms?”
“Chrysomya megacephala,” she counters. “And yes. I can draw and listen at the same time.”
“Excellent. Then everything I taught today should give you a good head start.” He spins toward his desk, a gust of mothballs and old wool wafting off him. Winnie has to fight the urge to grab a marker and start scribbling all over his stupid whiteboard. He wants worms? She’ll show him worms.
“Five pages?” she grits out when he sidles onto the yoga ball he uses instead of a desk chair. “Single-spaced?”
“Precisely.”
“And when is it due?”
His eyes flick up to meet hers, two dark spots behind his glasses. He bares a smile so smug it could give Marcus a run for his money. “Tomorrow will suffice. After all, you said you were listening, so it should be no trouble for you to get it done.”
CHAPTER22
Winnie is positively fuming during nightmare anatomy. It’s like ever since she decided three days ago that she wasdoneputting up with people’s crap and she was going to embrace her low-grade fame… the forest has decided to lift its middle finger and laugh.
Pick your nightmare! Spin the wheel! You sure taste good as a forest meal!
She makes herself pay attention to Professor Il-Hwa—not because she thinks Il-Hwa will do anything to her like Samuel did, but because it’s at least a fun distraction. Possibly eventhething she missed more than anything else when her family got kicked out of the Luminaries.
Well, that and being treated like a worthwhile human.
During a breakout session to dissect a harpy eyeball (powerful eyesight, although they cannot swivel their eyeballs within the sockets), Winnie is forced to partner with Casey and Peter. They spend the entire time rehashing Grayson’s “memorial” party without once mentioning Grayson—as well as confirmingtwicethat Winnie really is sure she doesn’t want to go with them to the Masquerade ball—while Winnie spends the entire time doing the work they don’t want to do.
She makes eye contact with Erica twice. The second time, Erica actually gives her a smile.
When the bell rings marking the end of class, Winnie is all prepared to bolt for the locker room, then bolt around the obstacle course before shehas to encounter Marcus. Except the twins and Fatima move into her path. Well, Emma crutches into her path, rather.
“Hey, you okay?” This is from Fatima, who smooths her rose-pink hijab while she asks.
“Um…” Winnie blinks. There are so many things that have gone wrong lately, she’s not sure where she can begin.Just choose a word that starts withW,my friend! Whisperer, werewolf, witch—I’ve gotta catch ’em all just like a Pokémon!
“I’m fine,” Winnie lies instead. Then, because it doesn’t sound even a little bit convincing and her three friends are now exchanging glances of skepticism, Winnie amends, “I mean, I’m not fine. Professor Samuel just assigned me a five-page paper—single-spaced—due tomorrow on the history of the Wednesday clan’s Nightmare Masquerade party.”
Bretta’s jaw drops so hard her curls bounce. “Are youserious? Due tomorrow?”
Winnie groans out a “Yesssss.I have twenty-four hours.”
“What a dick,” Emma provides, looking as outraged as Winnie feels. She is squeezing her crutches with a violent ferocity Winnie appreciates.
“Why?” Fatima demands.
As Winnie explains what happened, she and the trio head into the hall. They’re all going to be late, and Winnie’s plans of avoiding Marcus are fading fast. It’s nice to vent, though, and it occurs to Winnie as they all shuffle past lockers, the banners of each clan peering down at them with warning over their impending tardiness, that she needs to do this more often.
