Page 36 of Depraved Boys

“Oh.” I stared at the parquet floor. It seemed a little macabre to fill a dead girl’s shoes and become the companion to the dead girl’s twin brother. Part of me wondered if Cormac also thought of me as a replacement for Corrine. “How are you coping?”

“Ups and downs,” he said. “And you?”

“Same,” I replied.

We walked through the hallways and down the stairs in silence. Oddly, Sebastian had been much easier to talk to about bereavement. Cormac always clammed up. But then, he’d lost Corrine at the end of the summer and likely hadn’t gotten help in dealing with the grief.

Sebastian’s grandfather had put him through counseling, and his family had died over four years ago. Not that the passage of time could heal such a devastating wound, but the two boys were opposites when it came to coping with loss.

Michelle sat at our usual table. She had styled her hair into two cute puffs instead of the usual one at the back of her head. After we collected our food and sat, she asked, “What was all that about in English?”

“What’s this?” asked Cormac.

“Excuse me!” A first year with freckles and red pigtails stood at my side.

“Hello?”

“Are you Willow Evergreen?” she asked with a giggle.

“Yes.”

“I have a message from Leopold.” She picked up the jug of water and poured its contents into my plate of shepherd’s pie. Mashed potato, gravy, and minced lamb spilled out onto the table.

“What the hell?” I shrieked.

“Not sorry!” she sprinted across the room and slapped her tiny hand into Leopold’s in a high-five.

“You—” Cormac rushed to his feet and ran after the little girl through the dining room and out of the double doors. “Detention!”

“What was that about?” asked Michelle. “Those three have been staring at you all day.”

I shot the kings a dirty look to match their malevolent glares. “There was a bit of trouble last night at the swimming block. I think this is their way of getting back at me.”

She winced. “I heard whispers at dinner, but I didn’t think they were true. Sorry.”

“How about next time, you go out and investigate. I really could have used a friend last night.” To soften my rebuke, I added. “And if I hear anything about you, I’ll watch your back.”

“Sure.” She returned my smile and cut a slice of her gammon steak. “We scholars need to look after ourselves. If I’d paid more attention to Corrine instead of spending every evening in my books, she might be alive now.”

I pushed my plate to the side. “What happened to her?”

Michelle raised her head as though checking for signs of Cormac. “She committed suicide in the summer term. Right on the summer solstice. Some people say she got heavily involved with witchcraft.”

I reared back. “Why would an intelligent girl do a thing like that?”

“Mental illness,” said a girl from another table who had been introduced to me as Cara. “There was something in her eyes that year.”

“Didn’t anyone report it?” I asked.

Cara shook her head. “We thought it was a newfound determination to drag up her averages.”

“They work us really hard.” Michelle’s shoulders sagged. “The pressure to keep up perfect grades is unbelievable.”

The little girl walked back, her face red. “Miss Claymore and Mr. Gibbons say I should apologize for what I did.”

I sat back and waited.

“Blah, blah, blah, blah!” with a lightning-fast movement, she upended the plate on my lap, splashing watery shepherd’s pie all over my skirt, and rushed toward the exit.