The rest of the school day passed by in a blur. We attended a welcome assembly midmorning and got our schedules. Every year the seventh- and eighth-grade classes went on a joint field trip at the end of the first week. Principal Ollie announced that this year, we’d be going to the Field Museum.
After the last bell rang, I dreaded going to Ms. Vanderbilt with my half-finished workbook. I peeped my head in her classroom. She was in the middle of laying out quizzes on empty desks for tomorrow. A new kid I recognized from social studies sat in the front row, doodling. Her pencil scratched across her paper in long, furious strokes.
“Um, hello,” I said.
Ms. Vanderbilt had her usual red ’fro pulled back into a bushy ponytail. She glanced up and smiled. “Maya, have you met our transfer student, Gail Galanis, from upstate New York? She’s going to be joining us for tutoring this year.”
“Hi?” I said, not knowing why it came out as a question.
Gail yawned and slouched in her desk. “Hey.”
“Nice work,” Ms. Vanderbilt said, glancing over at Gail’s paper. “You handled those pre-algebra questions like a pro.”
I did a double take, staring at the drawing. Gail had arranged her answers together to create an unmistakable portrait of herself. Talk about retro selfies. But also, she was really good. My Oya sketches looked amateur compared to her work.
“Ms. Vanderbilt?” I asked, biting my lip. “Would it be okay to skip tutoring today?”
My math teacher shook her head like I’d asked her to stop the earth from spinning. “Skipping the first day of tutoring isn’t a good start to the year, Maya, but if you must, so be it. Turn in your homework assignment, and I’ll begin reviewing your answers.”
“That’s the other thing,” I said, ducking my head. Ms. Vanderbilt pursed her lips, her eyes narrowing. “I need a few more days to finish it. I had a busy summer.”
Ms. Vanderbilt sighed. “What could have possibly kept you from finishing your workbook for the entire summer?” She’d said it like summer was twelve years and a day long.
Um, saving the world, I almost said, but thought better of it. Ms. Vanderbilt wasn’t an orisha or a godling, so she didn’t know anything about the Dark or the Lord of Shadows. It was weird after everything that had happened to keep such a big secret. I didn’t feel right about it, not since Papa said he wouldn’t keep secrets from me about his job as the guardian of the veil. But he’d also said that humans would panic if they knew about the Dark.
Gail Galanis tilted her head to the side like she was waiting for me to answer Ms. Vanderbilt’s question. I took her in for the first time. She was a little taller than me, with pale brown skin and dark eyes. She wore her black hair in a single braid that reached midway down her back. “I finished my workbook and only got it two weeks ago,” she said, turning back to her drawing.
“Says the girl who doodled on her practice sheet,” I said, crossing my arms.
“Maya, don’t be rude,” Ms. Vanderbilt said. “Please turn in your completed workbook by next Monday. That should give you plenty of time to finish it.”
I looked back and forth between Ms. Vanderbilt and the new girl, annoyed. I didn’t know Gail, but I already didn’t trust her. No way she finished her whole workbook in two weeks on her own. She must have had help.
“Yes, ma’am,” I said before rushing from the room. “See you tomorrow!”
I caught up with Eli and Frankie on the sidewalk in front of school.
“You’re cutting it really close,” Eli said, checking the time on his phone. “We need to hurry up, or we’re going to be late for the game.”
“Sorry,” I grumbled as we set off for the park. “Ms. Vanderbilt insisted on introducing me to Gail Galanis—this new girl at school.”
“She’s in my homeroom,” Frankie said, excitedly. “Artist type, always drawing.”
“Yeah, artist type,” I mumbled, rolling my eyes.
“Looks like you have some competition,” Eli teased.
“Ugh,” I groaned. The knot twisting in my belly was most definitely not jealousy.
“Get your mind right, fam,” Eli said, tapping his temple. “We have a game to win.”
The teams were still warming up when we made it to the park. People climbed the bleachers next to the field to get the best spot to see the game. Some stood in long lines in front of the hot dog and snow cone carts. Eli had convinced Frankie and me to join a kickball team when we got back from the Dark. He said it was a good way to stay in shape since we had to be on our A-game if the darkbringers ever got through the veil. Personally, I would’ve preferred lessons at the dojo.
“What the . . .” Eli said, cursing under his breath.
Winston, Tay, and Candace had lined up in our spots.
“Hey, Craig,” I called to the team captain.
He straight up ignored me, so I called his name again. “CRAIG!”
“You’re too late,” he shot back, not even bothering to look at us.
“But the game hasn’t started yet,” Eli argued. “You’re being completely unfair.”
Winston shot me a smug smile over his shoulder. “Too bad.”
I held my breath. The look on his face reminded me of the darkbringer who had pretended to be him earlier this summer. I almost thought that he was going to add “little godling” at the end of his sentence.
“Next time, you’ll be begging us to play on your team,” Eli said, glaring at Craig.
Frankie sighed, turning to go. “Come on.”
We were almost off the field when someone screamed. The hairs stood up on the back of my neck as I whirled around. Kids scattered in every direction. Candace and Tay were backing away from Winston, who was on fire. Angry blue flames climbed up his arms.
“Argh!” he yelled as smoke curled around his body.
He was on fire, yes, but the flames weren’t burning him.
I expected Winston’s skin to turn deep purple or blue, or for him to sprout a barbed tail and wings. I grabbed for my staff, currently disguised as the butterfly clip in my hair. It shimmered with white light and grew into its full length right in front of everyone.
“I didn’t sign up for this,” Craig said, clutching the ball under his arm. He joined the rest of the crowd running away.
I brought the staff into a defensive position in front of me. “You picked the wrong day to mess with us, darkbringer.”
“What?” Winston asked, blinking back tears. “What’s happening to me?” I almost felt sorry for him until he narrowed his eyes and flames shot straight for my head. “You did this!”
I ducked out of the way, and Winston looked quite pleased with himself.
“That’s enough from both of you,” Miss Ida said, stepping around me. The cranky twin wasn’t wearing her pink bonnet. She had her silver hair in braids that swept down her back. She put a hand on Winston’s shoulder and the flames across his skin sputtered once before they disappeared. I glanced around to see Miss Lucille, the other half of the cranky twins. Her blue magic spread across the entire park, stealing away people’s memories.
I remembered what the orisha council told us about the godlings. Except for a couple, no godlings had shown powers for decades until Frankie, Eli, and me. But they also said that the last time before the war with the Dark, things had changed . . . It couldn’t be—no way.
“He’s a godling?” I asked, already knowing the answer before Miss Ida nodded once, a look of worry on her face.
“A bully turned godling,” Eli proclaimed, throwing up his arms in defeat. “There goes the neighborhood!”
Winston was a bully with magical powers, but we were in bigger trouble than that. If more godlings were showing powers, the war with the Dark would come soon.