"He burned the school down for her."
Dani made a sound halfway between a snort and a giggle. Then she straightened out her face quickly. "Sorry, not funny. For her?"
Thea leaned against the wrought-iron stair railing.
"That's what Blaise likes," she said bleakly. "Having power over guys, messing with their minds. Getting them to do things they would never ordinarily do. To prove their love, you know. But the thing is, she's never satisfied until they're completely destroyed...." She shook her head. "You should have seen Randy at the end. He'd lost his mind. I don't think he'll ever get it back."
Dani wasn't smiling anymore. "Power like that... she sounds like Aphrodite," she said softly.
And that's right, Thea thought. Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love who could turn passion into a weapon that brought the whole world to its knees.
"Remind me sometime to tell you what she's done to the other guys she's played. In a way. Randy was lucky...."
Thea took a breath. "So, anyway, we got shipped back here to Grandma Harman because there weren't any other relatives willing to take us. They figured if Gran couldn't straighten us up, nobody could."
"But that must be wonderful," Dani said. "I mean, living with the Crone. Part of the reason my mom moved us here was that she wanted to study with your grandmother."
Thea nodded. "Yeah, people come from all over to take her classes, or to buy her amulets and things. She's not always easy to live with, though," Thea added wryly. "She goes through a couple of apprentices a year."
"So is she going to straighten Blaise up?"
"I don't think anybody can. What Blaise does-it's just her nature, the way it's a cat's nature to play
with mice. And if we get in trouble again, Gran says she's going to send us to our aunt Ursula at the Connecticut enclave."
"The Convent?"
"Yeah."
"Then you'd better stay out of trouble."
"I know. Dani, what's this school like? I mean, is it the kind of place where Blaise can keep out of trouble?"
"Well..." Dani looked dismayed. "Well-I told you before, there's only two other witches in our class, and they're both Circle Midnight. Maybe you know them... Vivienne Morrigan and Selene Lucna?"
Thea's heart sank. Vivienne and Selene-she'd seen them going to summer Circles, wearing the darkest robes of any of the Circle Midnight girls. The two of them plus Blaise would make... well, a lethal combination.
"Maybe if you explain to them how important it is, they might help you keep Blaise under control," Dani said. "You want to go talk to them now? They'll be on the patio by the cafeteria-I usually eat with them there."
"Um..." Thea hesitated. Talking to those two- well, she doubted it would help. But on the other hand, she didn't have a better idea. "Why not?"
On the way to the cafeteria, she saw something that made her stop dead. Taped to the stucco wall was a giant piece of butcher paper, painted orange and black at the margins. In the center was a grotesque figure: an old woman with a black dress, disheveled white hair, and a wart-covered, haglike face. She was straddling a broom and wearing a pointy hat. Lettering under the picture said coming
OCTOBER 31 ... THE ULTIMATE HALLOWEEN PARTY.
Hands on hips, Thea said, "When will they learn that witches never wore pointy hats?"
Dani snorted, her heart-shaped face surprisingly dangerous. "You know, maybe your cousin has the right idea after all."
Thea looked at her, startled.
"Well, they are an inferior species. You have to admit that. And maybe it sounds prejudiced, but then they're so prejudiced themselves." She leaned closer to Thea. "You know, they even have prejudices against skin."
She held out her arm. Thea looked at the flawless skin, which was a deep, clear brown. "They'd think we were two different races," Dani said, pressing her arm against Thea's tan one. "And that maybe one was better than the other one."
Thea couldn't deny it. All she could say, feebly, was, "Well, two wrongs don't make a right...."
"But three lefts do!" Dani burst out, finishing the old witch carol. Then she dissolved into laughter and led Thea to the patio.
"Let's see, they should be over there.... Oh. Oops."
Oops, Thea thought.
Vivienne and Selene were at a secluded table on the far side. Blaise was with them.
"I should have known she'd find them first thing," Thea muttered. From the way the three girls had their heads together, it looked as if trouble were brewing already.
As Thea and Dani approached the table, Blaise looked up. "Where've you been?" she said, waving a finger reproachfully. "I've been waiting to introduce you."
Everybody said hello. Then Thea sat down and studied the other two girls.
Vivienne had fox-red hair and looked tall even sitting down. Her face was animated; she seemed sparkling with energy. Selene was a platinum blond with sleepy blue eyes. She was smaller, and moved with languid grace.
Now, how do I politely say, "Please help me suppress my cousin?" Thea wondered. She could already tell it wouldn't be much use. Viv and Selene seemed to be under Blaise's spell already-they turned to her every other second as if checking for approval. Even Dani was watching Blaise with something like fascinated awe.
Blaise had that effect on people.
"So we were just talking about guys," Selene said, twirling a straw languorously in her bottle of Snapple iced tea. Thea's heart plummeted.
"Toyboys," Vivienne clarified in a lovely melodious voice. Thea felt the beginnings of a bad headache.