Page 144 of Spark of Sorcery
“Then they must have scrubbed this from the book almost as soon as it was written,” Fly suggests. “I wonder what it said.”
“I’m going to find out.” I grip the page and rip it from the book.
Clare squeals, her hands rushing to her face. “I can’t believe you just did that.”
“It’s easier than lugging that book around.”
“But the library is going to hate you even more than she already does.”
“What you just said made no sense at all!” Fly says.
I fold the page up and stuff it in my pocket. I have a good idea who can help me with this. I’m tempted to go see him right now, but I promised I’d hang out with my friends tonight.
“So,” I say, passing around the chocolates again because I’m not sure how my friends are going to handle the next piece of news, “I have news of my own.”
“More news?” Fly says, rolling his eyes. “Nearly being murdered and then getting the academy’s worst bully expelled not enough for you?”
“I still can’t believe they expelled her!” Clare says, shaking her head.
“Well, this might be even more shocking,” I warn them. I inhale. Then exhale. “Professor Tudor is a vampire.”
“Ahhh,” Clare says, “that makes sense.”
“It does?” I say, confused. That was … not the reaction I was expecting.
“Yes,” Clare says, “totally makes sense.”
I turn to Fly who seems more interested in his next chocolate than this piece of news. “You’re not shocked either?” I ask.
“He’s a shadow weaver. They are all peculiar in their own way. And Clare’s right – now you’ve said it, it’s really damn obvious. Pale skin, glowing eyes, loves to hang out in the dark.”
“I guess … I didn’t even know vampires existed.”
“They aren’t exactly the most well-loved of the different types of shadow weavers,” Fly says.
“On account of their feeding habits.” Clare licks at herfingertips. “But they have been highly restricted and regulated for the last couple of centuries.”
“What does that mean?”
“They can’t go around draining people of their blood,” Fly explains.
“There’s more,” I say. “I was right about Fox – I mean Professor Tudor not being born a shadow weaver–”
“But you just said.”
“He was turned into a vampire by another vampire.”
This news does seem to shock my friends – and I haven’t even gotten to the truly shocking part yet.
“Shit … I didn’t know that was possible,” Fly says, pushing a chocolate around his mouth – first one cheek bulging, then the other. “They kept that quiet.”
“Understandable,” Clare says, adjusting her glasses.
“Why?” I say.
“Because if there’s a way to be turned into a shadow weaver, don’t you think every commoner in this academy would take it?”
“Fox didn’t seem so happy about his life choices.”
