Hidden (House of Night #10)(83)

"Colors?" Aphrodite asked her quietly.

"The red's almost gone," Shaylin answered just loud enough for me to hear. "And the sandstorm brown stuff is turning gold. It's really pretty."

"Huh," I said.

"Weird," Aphrodite said.

"Totally dang weird," Stevie Rae whispered from the other side of me. "And I still don't like her."

I was trying to think of something wise to say when Thanatos entered the room. "Merry meet!" she said.

"Merry meet!" we responded.

Thanatos didn't waste any time, and I was super grateful for that because I was seriously sick of time wasting.

"I cannot ask you to turn in your homework, as I would were this an ordinary school. I am not going to pretend that you haven't lost your leader, Neferet, and that your lives haven't been torn asunder."

Damien tapped quickly on his iPad and lifted it so we could all see: TORN ASUNDER = TORN TO PIECES.

"I want to know who's responsible for the fire at the stables." Erin's question from the back of the room surprised more of the kids than just me. I heard whispers from everywhere. Shaunee's face had gone blank and pale, and even Thanatos took more than an appropriate teacher hesitation before she responded.

"It seems that it was an unfortunate accident," Thanatos said.

"Well, I don't know no accidents that are fortunate." Dallas's voice was just short of a sneer.

"Any accidents? Is that what you meant to say?" Thanatos corrected him smoothly.

"Weren't you an accident? I remember you tellin' me your momma and daddy said they were only in Dallas for the weekend, and not for baby makin'," Stevie Rae called back to him.

A bunch of the kids laughed. Thanatos spoke over them. "Sometimes the best things are born from desperate, accidental moments. Wouldn't you agree with me, Dallas?"

He mumbled something no one could understand. I heard Erin's breathy, Marilyn Monroe voice whisper to him before he spoke up again. "So, basically, no one's gonna pay for settin' the stable fire?"

"It wasn't set." Nicole wasn't talking to him. She was looking at Thanatos and sounding like they were alone in the room. "I already told Lenobia. I was there. It was windy and the lantern blew over. It happened real fast. I was walking to the tack room to put up the brushes and stuff I was using to groom one of the mares. I saw it happen. The wind blew a big gust. The lantern fell-right down in the middle of the big mound of hay bales, and they lit up like Roman candles." Nicole turned around then and spoke the rest directly to Dallas. "It was an accident. Period. The end."

"Well, it's a real nice thing you're so trustworthy, or people might think you're lying." Dallas's voice was an insult.

"Yes, it is indeed." Thanatos cut over his sarcasm. "And our Horse Mistress concurs with Nicole's eyewitness. We are all so pleased no one was killed because of the accident."

"The barn is a mess, though," I heard myself filling the awkward silence, doing my best to get us back to some semblance of normal. "So, does that mean our Equestrian Studies classes are cancelled?"

"No, not at all." Thanatos sent me what I was sure was a grateful look. "Continue with your normally schedule classes. If you have an equestrian class, you may be put to work cleaning and clearing debris, rather than riding, though." Then she touched her forehead as if she'd just remembered something. "Except for those of you who I need to help me prepare for the open house on Saturday."

Damien's hand went up.

"Yes, Damien. What is your question?" Thanatos asked.

"It's not so much a question. I was just going to volunteer to help in any way I can."

Thanatos smiled. "I am most appreciative."

"So, are you talking field trip?" Erin's voice sounded so weird coming from the back of the room.

"I suppose some of what I need can be considered a field trip, as it will require you to leave campus. Erin, are you volunteering to help?"

"If it means gettin' out of class, then you have more volunteers than Erin," Dallas said.

I couldn't even shoot Stevie Rae or Aphrodite a sideways look, but from the edge of my vision I was sure I saw Stevie Rae crossing her fingers.

"Dallas, I can use your assistance. I spent many of the sunlight hours today googling charity events in Tulsa. It seems one of the most successful fund-raisers is called An Evening of Wine and Roses. It benefits the Tulsa Garden Center. It seems the Center strings myriads of lights around the Rose Gardens and then has an after-dusk wine tasting and dinner. And that, my interesting young red vampyre, is perfect for you."

"Perfect? I don't like wine much," he said.

I heard Aphrodite snort, but I kept my eyes straight ahead and tried not to even breathe. I knew what Thanatos was setting up, and I hoped like hell it would work.

"No, you mistake me," Thanatos said. "I simply wish to use their lighting template as one for our open house. Dallas, think of how lovely our campus would be if ropes of electric bulbs were wrapped around our ancient oak trees."

"Lots of electricity would be good. I've been sayin' for a while now that this school needs an update on its electricity. It's not, like, 1960. We need real lights here. Our eyes can handle it." Dallas sounded cocky, as per usual.