Carry On

“There are more people than that in your immediate family, Pe

“I know. It’s a struggle.”

Once, I started listing off all the people that I truly cared about. When I got to number seven, Penelope told me I either needed to whittle down my list or stop making friends immediately. “My mother says you should never have more people in your life than you could defend from a hungry rakshasa.”

“I don’t know what that is,” I told her, “but I’m not worried; I’m good in a fight.”

I like having people. Close ones like Pe

She waves halfheartedly at the boys, then sits between me and them, turning towards me to close off our conversation. “I saw Agatha with her parents,” she says, “earlier, in the Cloisters.”

The Cloisters is the oldest and largest girls’ house, a long low building at the other side of the grounds. It only has one door, and all the windows are made up of tiny panes of glass. (The school must have been mega-paranoid when it started letting girls in back in the 1600s.)

“You saw who?” I ask.

“Agatha.”

“Oh.”

“I can go get her if you want,” she offers.

“Since when do you pass notes for me?”

“I thought you might not want to talk to her for the first time in front of everyone,” she says. “After what happened.”

I shrug. “It’ll be fine. Agatha and I are fine.”

Pe

“Why?”

“‘Why?’ Are you playing dumb today because you think I’ll find it cute?”

“Yes?”

She rolls her eyes. “We need to track down the Mage and make him tell us what’s been going on all summer. What he’s found out about the Humdrum.”

“He hasn’t found out anything. I already talked to him.”

She stops mid-bite. “When?”

“He came to my room this morning.”

“And when were you going to tell me this?”

I shrug again, licking butter off my thumb. “When you gave me a chance.”

Pe

“Not about the Humdrum. He—” I look down at my plate, then quickly around us. “—he says the Old Families are causing trouble.”

She nods. “My mum says they’re trying to organize a vote of no confidence against him.”

“Can they do that?”

“They’re trying. And there’ve been duels all summer. Premal’s friend Sam got into it with one of the Grimm cousins after a wedding, and now he’s on trial.”

“Who is?”

“The Grimm.”

“For what?”

“Forbidden spells,” she says. “Ba

“The Mage thinks I should go,” I say.

“What? Go where?”

“He thinks I should leave Watford.”

Pe

“No.” I shake my head. “To just … go. He thinks I’d be safer somewhere else. He thinks everyone here would be safer if I left.”

Her eyes keep getting bigger. “Where would you go, Simon?”

“He didn’t say. Some secret place.”

“Like a hideout?” she asks.

“I guess.”

“But what about school?”

“He doesn’t think that’s important right now.”

Pe

“Go away. Stay safe. Train.”

She folds her arms. “On a mountain. With ninjas. Like Batman.”

I laugh, but she doesn’t laugh with me. She leans forward. “You can’t just leave, Simon. He can’t stash you in a hole your whole life.”

“I’m not going,” I say. “I told him no.”

She pulls her chin back. “You told him no?”

“I … well, I can’t just leave Watford. It’s our last year, isn’t it.”

“I agree—you told him no?”

“I told him I didn’t want to! I don’t want to hide and wait for the Humdrum to find me. That doesn’t feel like a plan.”

“And what did the Mage say?”

“Not much. I got upset and started to—”

“I knew it. Your room smelled like a campfire. Oh my word! You went off on the Mage?”

“No. I pulled back.”

“Really?” She looks impressed. “Well done, Simon.”

“I think I scared him, though.”

“It’d scare me, too.”

“Pe

“What?”

“Do you think he’s right?”

“I just said I didn’t.”

“No. About … me being a danger to Watford. A danger to—” I look over at the first year tables. They’ve all skipped sandwiches and are eating big bowls of jam roly-poly. “—everyone.”

Pe

“Penelope.”

She sighs. “You pulled back, didn’t you? This morning? When have you ever hurt anyone but yourself?”

“Smoke and mirrors, Pe

“Those were battles, and they don’t count.”

“I think they count.”

She folds her arms again. “They count differently.”

“It’s not even just that,” I say. “It’s … I’m a target, aren’t I? The Humdrum only attacks me when I’m at Watford, and he only attacks Watford when I’m here.”

“That’s not your fault.”

“So?”

“Well, you can’t help that.”

“I can,” I say. “I could go away.”

“No.”

“Compelling argument, Pen.” I spread butter on my third ham and cheese roll. My hands are shaking.

“No. Simon. You can’t just go away. You shouldn’t. Look, if you’re a target, then I’m the most at risk. I spend the most time with you.”

“I know.”

“No, I mean, look at me—I’m fine.”

I look at her.

“I’m fine, Simon. Even Baz is fine, and he’s constantly stuck with you.”

“I feel like you’re glossing over all the times you’ve nearly died just because you were with me. The Humdrum kidnapped me a few months ago, and you got dragged along.”

“Thank Morgana I did.”

She’s looking in my eyes, so I try not look away. Sometimes I’m glad Pe

“I told the Mage no,” I repeat.

“Good.” she says. “Keep telling him.”

“Nan!” A little girl’s shout tears through our conversation, and I’m already whispering the incantation to summon my blade. Across the hall, the girl—a second or third year—is ru

“Oh…,” Penelope says, awed.

The figure fades in and out, like Princess Leia’s hologram. When the girl reaches it—it looks like an older woman in a white trouser suit—it kneels down and catches her. They huddle together in the archway. Then the figure fades out completely. The girl stands, shaking, and a few of her friends run to her, jumping up and down.

“So cool,” Penelope says. She turns to me and sees my blade. “Great snakes, Simon, put that away.”

I keep it up. “What was that?”

“You don’t know?”

“Penelope.”

“She got a Visiting. Lucky kid.”

“What?” I sheathe the blade. “What kind of visiting?”

“Simon, the Veil is lifting. I know you know about this. We studied it in Magickal History.”

I make a face and sit down again, trying to decide whether I’m done with my lunch.

“‘And on the Twentieth Turn,’” Pe

She’s using her quoting voice, so I know it’s from some ancient text or another.