“I can’t just leave… I need this…” she trailed off as something like a lightbulb went off in her awareness, as if she was remembering what he was. “Oh,” she said, freezing in place. Then she started to gather her things, an anxious sort of look in her eyes. A sudden commotion down front turned Declan’s head in time to see Professor Lilt walk in, her eyes roving the room until they found him, a smile forming on her face.

“Too late,” he said. He pulled his messenger bag off the desk, opened the top, and pulled out a silvery orb, which he set on the seat between them. “Stay back here, no matter what happens. Stay behind this orb. It will protect you,” he whispered, pulling out his own chair and sitting down to take stock of the room.

The same two girls from the first class were in front of him, and Kid No-game was on his right again. Down front, Dr. Lilt had closed the door and turned slowly to look over the class, again settling her gaze on him.

“Today’s class will be different—historic, even,” she said, smiling a tight, unpleasant little smile.

She turned and picked up a piece of white chalk from the wooden tray attached to the front of the vintage chalkboard that was as old as classrooms themselves.

She wrote two words on the board with a plus sign between them: Demons + Witches.

Down front, a hand went up. “Professor Lilt? Is this a joke?”

“No young man, not at all. This is me, the professor, teaching you all, the class, historical perspective,” she said, giving the unfortunate kid a really cold stare. “You are aware, are you not, that demons and witches are real? Or are you a complete moron?”

The kid’s face went bright red. “Ah, I’ve, I’ve seen the videos,” he stammered, looking at his classmates. A few looked as confused as he was, but most just stared straight ahead without reacting. Declan started to get a real bad feeling.

“Well, good for you,” Lilt said, tone biting. “Although I’ve stopped being surprised by any level of human idiocy. Now, where was I? Oh yeah. Demons and witches. Historical partners in crime, so to speak.”

“Ah, Doc Lilt, I gotta disagree,” Declan said loudly.

“Oh, do you now? Ladies and gentlemen, our resident witch is speaking up, giving us the vast wisdom of his long, long years,” Lilt said, tone sarcastic. Most of the class still stared straight ahead, but a few were watching him and her with wide eyes, heads swiveling back and forth.

“Well, I don’t disagree that some witches formed alliances with demons, just that it wasn’t all of them,” Declan said, his tone reasonable and light.

“Oh—the so-called good witches,” Lilt said. “Losers. Weak losers.”