Novel - Arcanum 101 (with Rosemary Edghill) (25 page)

Now Tomas stood beside VeeVee on the steps of the Main Building watching one of the school cars head down the drive. His mother and Rosalita were in it. They were going back to New York, but in a few weeks, Rosalita would be returning to St. Rhia’s, this time as a student. Ms. Llewellyn had put something she called “shields” around Rosalita. She’d explained to Tomas and to Mrs. Torres that they were only a temporary measure, but they would hold until Rosalita could return to St. Rhia’s to begin to learn to live with—and use—her powers properly.

Mrs. Torres still wasn’t completely prepared to accept the idea of her children being… not normal… but Rosa’s brush with death had at least convinced her Rosalita would be safer at St. Rhia’s than she would be in a convent. And Ms. Llewellyn had solemnly promised that Rosalita—and Tomas—would attend church every single Sunday that Rosalita remained at St. Rhia’s, which had done much to convince Mrs. Torres that whatever else the school was, it wasn’t a hotbed of brujeria.

“So mi hermana is going to be a student here, just like me,” Tomas said musingly.

“Oh, I don’t think there could ever be anyone just like you,” VeeVee said lightly. “She’ll be just like her. And she’ll learn to control her Talent. That’s the important thing.”

“What if she doesn’t want it?” Tomas asked. Now that he knew Rosalita’s “invisible friends” had been real all along, he could barely imagine what the world she lived in was like. And she was only a baby. Her powers were going only to get stronger.

“Human Talents are given for a reason.” Inigo Moonlight strolled out onto the steps behind them. Tomas jumped at the sound of his voice; the man—Sidhe, rather—moved absolutely silently. “It would be rude indeed to reject a gift without understanding the intentions of the giver.” He spoke reprovingly, as if imparting a much-needed lesson.

“So I can set things on fire for a reason?” Tomas asked. He still wasn’t really convinced about that.

“Sometimes,” Mr. Moonlight answered, “it is more important not to set things on fire.” Before Tomas could think of anything to say to that, the enigmatic headmaster of St. Rhia’s had strolled away again, leaving the two teenagers alone.

“I guess he’s put me in my place,” Tomas said, turning to VeeVee.

“He does that to everybody. You’ll get used to it,” she answered with a smile.

“I guess I will,” Tomas said. “I guess I’ve got a lot of things to get used to around here.”

VeeVee’s smile grew wider. “Here’s one,” she said. And suddenly she leaned forward and kissed him, right on the mouth.

Lalage and Kurt were walking back from the Infirmary. Although he’d protested that it wasn’t a bad bump on the head, Dr. Carter had still insisted on taking X-Rays and then keeping him under observation for most of the afternoon. Lalage had stayed with him, and they’d gotten a lot of things said.

Things she’d always wanted to hear—from someone. And things Kurt had always wanted to say—to her.

“I feel a little bit bad about chasing Tomas around all these weeks,” she said, as they came around the corner of the Main Building. “I know he’s not in love with me, but you know, I think he still kind of has feelings for me. So how do I explain to him that I’m just, well, dropping him?”

Kurt put a hand on her arm to stop her, and pointed. Up ahead they could see Tomas and VeeVee, and it was obvious that neither one of them was aware of anything else at all. Kurt turned to Lalage and smiled.

“I’m pretty sure you’re not going to have to figure out how to tell him much of anything,” Kurt said.