Somehow I find Betsy, drive home and stuff my head with Mom’s homemade spaghetti. Throughout dinner, my mother watches my every move with interest.

“How was the pasta?”

I set my plate in the sink. “Yummy, Mom. Thanks.”

Her chocolate eyes narrow. “Can you help me with some robe alterations?”

“Sure.”

We step into her room. I stand on a stool in front of a multi-paneled mirror. Mom slips a ghoul-robe over my head and examines the hem. I stare into the reflective glass, seeing the large brown eyes, high cheekbones, and full mouth that convinced so many human souls that I was harmless.

Mom sits at my feet, a silver push-pin held firmly between her lips. She speaks from one side of her mouth. “Want to talk about it yet?”

I can’t help but smile. Mom noticed I’m upset. She’s done that a lot more lately. “Wow. How long have you known?”

She bobs her head from side to side. “Since you walked through the door, pretty much.”

“Don’t take this the wrong way, but I can’t believe you haven’t asked me a million questions by now.”

“I haven’t, have I?” She leans back on her heels, her gaze lost in thought. “The dreamscapes from Verus have been good for me.” She nods, decisively. “I didn’t realize how much I needed to talk about things.” She pokes my heel with her pointer finger and smiles. “More importantly, they’ve been good for us.”

I return her grin. “Yeah, they have.” Half the time, Mom skips her grueling morning question-and-answer sessions. That alone has been a huge relationship builder. “Maybe we should reach out to Tim, bring the family together.”

She eyes me carefully. “Maybe you should tell me what happened today?”

She’s got me there. I inhale a long breath. “Things have been weird at school for a long time. It started back in September when angels started hanging around our Headmaster and Superintendent. Turns out, they’ve been giving advice on how to protect against demons. That’s why the school started the Ghoul Protection League.”

Mom rolls her eyes. “I remember you telling me about that silly League.”

“I didn’t take it too seriously at first, either.”

Cocking her head to one side, Mom eyes the drape of the robe. Pulling the pin from her mouth, she sets it into the fabric’s hem. “The demons aren’t acting like the good little allies they once were. The rank-and-file ghouls know something’s going on, even if their leaders don’t.”

Rising to her feet, Mom gently grips the robe’s shoulders. “We’re all set. Let me pull this off you.” The fabric slides over my head. “Watch the pins.” She lays the new robe over a nearby chair, then sits at the foot of her bed. “So, strange things were happening, and you didn’t take it seriously. But now you are. Why?”