Chapter 14

The police officers stormed up to the hooded figures, handcuffing each one. No one seemed to put up a fight.

The lead man’s big booming voice began to quiver: “Don’t hurt anyone here. We were just trying to help.”

Madame Puant strode over to him and yanked off his mask. Madeleine threw her hands up to her mouth. Staring in wonder, she said, “Mr. Barnes?”

Her heart sank. How could it be Mr. Barnes?

One by one, more masks were taken off. Madame Puant looked livid. The person who had held the knife was Ms. Jamison. Other teachers Madeleine had seen around the halls were also in the mix.

Madame Puant stuttered, dumbstruck. “Wha … ? Why would you … ?”

Mr. Barnes, his hair and eyes wild, began to plead with Madame. “Please, Betsy, you don’t understand. We were trying to save these girls.”

Madame Puant pounded her cane on the ground. “By killing them? By stabbing them with a knife?”

Madeleine shrank from the power in Madame’s voice. As petite as she was, Madame Puant was no one to be messed with. Madeleine hoped she would never be at the end of that yell. Right then, though, there was no one in the world she’d rather have had by her side.

Mr. Barnes flinched but continued to beg: “We weren’t going to kill them, Betsy. Don’t be absurd! We needed their blood for the tokens we took to ward off the bad energy, the curses that plague this academy! That’s what we’ve been doing here. These girls, your other students—they should be grateful! Once they gifted us with their presence, we knew the fates had smiled upon us. Their blood would have sealed off the school from evil, protected it!”

Madame Puant shook her head in disbelief. “I’m the one being absurd?”

“Betsy, you know as well as we do that this school is malevolent,” Ms. Jamison said. “There is something not right about this place—I’m positive it’s haunted, cursed. And you know as well as I do that the best dancers are those who get harmed! What about Giselle? The dancers who have die—”

“Nonsense!” Madame Puant said. “The only curse on this house is the curse of you crazy people. Officers, please escort these lunatics out of here.”

She turned to walk out, then turned back again. “And you will kindly address me as Madame Puant from now on. Rest assured, I will make sure you never work in this state again. Or any other state in which I can wield my influence.”

The officers took the hooded figures away, leaving the girls in the room alone. Tears coursed down Madeleine’s face as she slid out of their group hug. When they stepped back, she saw she wasn’t the only one crying. She took a deep breath, bent down, and picked up her necklace.

“It’s about time I got this back,” she said.

Ophelia grinned and grabbed her ring from the altar, sliding it onto her finger. “I told you I didn’t steal it.”

“True. But you did just involve me in a cult ritual where someone almost sliced me with a knife.”

Ophelia laughed. “So picky. Anyway, you heard him. He picked the tokens from the best dancers. That includes you. Any more finger pointing and I’ll start taking credit for your ballet skills too.”

She grinned at Madeleine, and Madeleine grinned back. “Why didn’t I bring candy?” Kayley said.

A contorted shadow dashed along the wall. The girls shrieked and jumped.

“Come on, girls,” Madame Puant said, twisting her head in from around the corner. “Let’s get you out of these tunnels. I think you may have earned some ice cream. In the infirmary, though, so we can make sure you are OK.”

The five girls linked hands and followed Madame Puant to the stairs and out of the creepy tunnels.