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"I don’t know, but I’ood reason" If he didn’t, I was going to kill hi looked at the desks around the room, took one look at how tall I was, and shook his head "There’s an empty classroom just down the hall with adult desks"

I thanked hiet desk in the back row to make room By the ti with chatter I saw Morgana sitting in her usual back corner She see, and Zagg closed the classroom door "Who’s the founder?" he said in a loud, exuberant voice

"Ezzek Moore!" everyone shouted

"What was his favorite color?"

Shouts ranging frohed "Did he like chocolate?"

Kids giggled and looked around at each other, obviously unsure of the answer

Zagg regarded them with an amused look for a moment and then said, "Of course he loved chocolate Who doesn’t?"

What did chocolate have to do with anything? Screw this elementary education What was next on the ripped in his hand "Today you’re going to hear about Ezzek’s fight with Giuseppe Garibaldi Can anyone tell me who Giuseppe was?"

A boy in front shot his hand up ahead of several other class nodded "He was a bad man who didn’t want Ezzek to ’s staff bloo I knew, Zagg was playing both sides of an epic battle between Moore and Garibaldi, har back and forth while students watched in rapt attention Before I knew it, class was over, and Zagg left us hanging on the outco, "Ahen he told us we’d find out what happened next to that Michael was looking into Kayla’s case

Relief swept into his eyes, and he gripped orously "Thank you soa happy outcome," I warned him

"I know I know" He releasedaway in prison with no hope at all" Zagg dropped onto a stool and wiped sweat fro y "Sometimes, hope is all we have, you know?"

His little truth hit close to home I nodded "Yeah So to my schedule I left the classrooave me to the cafeteria The delicious odor of roasted chicken drifted into ht be better than the slop served at rand dining hall with rows of wooden tables lining the rooes occupied the tables, though I noticed the age groups didn’t seele I looked around the roo lunchroolanced at a nearby table and noticed everyone had a plate with fresh veggies and a juicy chicken leg My mouth watered

As I cast about the roo alone at one of the tables In fact, even the tables near her were e at her, some of them hat looked like fear

"Ivy?"

"Justin!" she said, eyes lighting up

"I didn’t knoe had lunch at the sarin "They don’t usually let hed "I don’t like being alone"

I took a seat A golem appeared a moment later, a covered plate in hand The creator had painted a face and clothes onto the server, giving it an ales of a fairy tale and ended up with a rather mundane job in a school cafeteria With a flourish, it set the plate on the table, uncovered it, and departed

"It’s good," Ivy said, picking at her food

I resisted the urge to pepper her with questions about the Conroys, Daelissa, or the is away from business If I can becoh that wasn’t my only motivation "Don’t you have friends you could sit with?" I asked, digging into the roasted chicken

Her eyes looked sad "I don’t make a lot of friends I think they’re jealous of how strong I a to anyone?"

She took a carving knife and jabbed it into the chicken, as if killing it "I tried But they call me nary when they do that" She stared intently at the chicken, lips pursed, eyebrows pinched

"Are you okay?" I asked

Ivy jerked as if woken from a dream "Yeah" She took a bite of the chicken, but it didn’t look like she was enjoying it

I spotted a flash of bright silver hair and saw Morgana sitting alone at a table "I’ll be right back," I said, and walked over to the other girl She looked up at nation "Would you like to joinmy head toward Ivy

"Really?" she asked, her face masked with disbelief "That’s your sister?"

I smiled "Yes, really"

"And you want me to sit with you?"