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Moave me a weird look, so I quickly a real, but soht of theher head "You won't need to write that essay"

I loweredher plate away, Mootten, had you?"

Of course I hadn't I just Ideal so soon after the banishing was done Which was stupid If Mary's ghost was put to bed, what reason did we have to stay?

Mo her plate to the sink "In any case, tonight's the night I picked up a few canisters of salt at the grocery store They're in the pantry"

Dishes clattered, and Moood job," she said, her back to host was, and now you'll banish her, and no one's gotten hurt No one except that boy in your PE class, at least You wantso how petulant I sounded

Mohed and turned to face la a feords Moving on"

"I guess," I replied In the silence that followed, I could hear the steady plink-plink of water dripping from the sink

Mom turned around "Have you liked school?"

Surprised, I lifted"Kind of," I told her "I mean, I've only been there a month, and it hasn't exactly been a thrill a h schools sodull?"

Moht have been a shetti "You went to high school? Like, a regular one?" As far as I knew, no Brannick ever spentand fighting and saving everyone from unholy evil

"For a little while," Mo a job in California that ended up taking a lot of tiood idea for us to at least try school while ere there"

"Did you like it?"

"That's like asking if I liked all h h, that sounded so ht "So that's a no, then," I finally ave a dry chuckle

"It wasn't all bad I liked history, and there was souess It wasn't for rateful for the experience Eventually" She hesitated again, like she couldn't decide if she should say anything else Then she said, "It let me knohat I didn't want"

Her eyes met mine across the kitchen "And I'm sorry, Iz For you and Finn I should've let the two of you have a choice, too Before now"

"You would let uschoose not to be Brannicks?" I asked It see in the world This e were, ere born to do You didn't just get to reject your entire bloodline and sacred calling

But Mo between us until finally Mo And soul sucking But everyone should go through it, even if it's only for a little while"

"So what now?" I asked then, pushing my plate away "I pour some salt and we pack up and leave?" The idea should've filled h school was et back to our house And sure, I'd ht; we didn't have room for friends in our lives

Of course, there was one ht keep us in Ideal a little longer "But if sohosts, what's to stop hirave?"

Moe of her nose between her thuer "Good point"

I sed Now or never "Also, u He's Prodigium"

When Mom's brows shot up, I faltered a little "Or at least I think he is"

"Think?" Moium You even knohat type"

"Usually, yeah," I said, tucking uyI can't tell I didn't even knoas Prodigiuher, and I quickly added, "On the hand In a handshake No bathing suit areas involved"

She studied ic you felt, and notother things?"

"Yes!" I exclai that?"

Hand on one hip, Mom stared me down "Who is everyone?"

I sed "Justjust Torin"

"So you told Torin about this boy being Prodigium, but not me?"