The rest of the period went peacefully, mostly because Manfred was stunned into not asking questions. He was fidgety and didn't talk or look at anyone. Later that night, as she lay in her creaky, hard bed, Eliza leaned over and poked Vedee, "Do you think that anyone suspects me?" she whispered.
"It's not likely." Vedee responded in the same whispered tone.
"Hey! Shut up and go to sleep, or Matron'll throttle us." Someone from across the room told them. Pulling the blankets tighter around her, Eliza turned over and tried to go to sleep.
Later, around midnight, Manfred sat up in a tall wooden chair with intricate carvings, waiting. A brown haired girl of about seventeen walked into his room, footsteps thudding in a threatening echo, her blue eyes pointed coldly at him.
"Well?" Her voice was like ice, seeping, penetrating, and freezing him down to his bones. He shivered and looked down at his feet, clad in red plaid slippers.
"She's here. I don't know how to get her alone, though. That shadow creep hangs around her too much." Manfred said, sulkily.
"TRY HARDER, THEN!" She shouted, then said in a quieter, more dangerous tone, "Get her alone, or I'll use you for our experiments, and I guarantee that you will not enjoy it." A wicked grin played upon her face. Manfred slipped farther down in his chair.
"Yes, Laramie. I'll try harder." He said softly, a slight whimper in his voice.
"You better." She said, gruffly, and in a puff of smoke and sparks, she was gone. Manfred didn't notice an ugly brown dog slip away from the partly ajar door.
Billy had gotten up to use the bathroom, when Blessed hobbled up to him, reeking like week-old eggs as always. Billy crouched down to the old dog's eye level, his white hair reflecting the tiny ray of moonlight that had found it's way in through the crack in the curtians. "Hello, Blessed. How are you?" he asked.
"Manfred have visitor. Smells like evil and bad magic. Called Laramie." The dog stated, sniffing Billy's hand. "No good." He licked the tips of Billy's fingers with his slimey tongue, then hobbled away toward the kitchens. Billy straightened up and went to the bathroom, before going back to the dorm, a troubled look on his young face.
The next morning, Eliza and Vedee ran down to breakfast, and were joined by Emma, Lysander, and Tancred.
"Hey, Lizza! Hey, Vee!" Emma called, waving her hand around in the air. Tancred started chattering about the recent change in the weather to anyone who would listen, before Lysander kindly asked him to, please, shut up.
When they had sat down at a table, Tancred said, "That thing in the King's room was really cool! What did you do?"
Vedee paused a moment, looked around to make sure the coast was clear, then said, "I'm a Shadow Bender. I can manipulate and create shadows, which basically means that I can banish light. Ticks Lizza off. I can also walk into a shadow, either previously excising of made by me, and go somewhere else." Lysander's jaw dropped. "I also have recently discovered," she went on, "that I can make a solid ball made out of shadows. It's fun to hit people with!"
"What do you guys do?" Eliza asked, gesturing to the three people that were sitting across the table. Tancred spoke up first. He had a malicious grin on his face.
"I control the Weather. I can make wind, rain, hail, sleet... stuff like that."
Eliza blinked, then looked at Lysander.
"I can call up my ancient ancestors."
Vedee smiled. "What are they like? Do they kill people?"
"Sometimes." Lysander admitted, "Though they usually appear as pairs of hands wielding spears."
Eliza looked at Emma, prompting her to talk.
"I can turn into a bird." Emma blushed. "I can actually become a fictional bird, also, like my Talroc."
"So, what do you do?" Tancred asked, looking at Eliza.