Layla opens her mouth to respond, but Brendan beats her to it. “Because belladonna isn’t and wasn’t only used to kill. Women used to rub it directly into their eyes to make their pupils dilate, which was fashionable at the time. Mixed with morphine, it was called Twilight Sleep and was used as a painkiller for women giving birth. And we still use it in medicines that treat everything from Parkinson’s to bronchitis.”

“Well said,” Hisakawa replies, and Layla looks disappointed she didn’t get an opportunity to answer. “Belladonna is common. And in being so, it often gets missed as a cause of death. Instead, the death gets assigned to an overdose or an overextended use of medication. An illegal sleep aid, even.”

Brendan soaks in the compliment from Hisakawa and I’m reminded of the scrolls in the library that keep record of the best students in each discipline for the past thousand years. Ash told me that if you can’t excel at the Academy, you’re seen as unfit to rule your Family. And that even after you’re admitted here, you’re not done proving yourself.

Hisakawa runs her fingers along the edge of her desk and leans against it. “It’s like I was telling you in our lesson last week. Capitalize on what is already in your environment. Blend. That’s what Giulia Tofana was doing with her husband-killing cosmetics. But this isn’t just about poisoners; it’s also about poison detection. You will be most vulnerable in a situation where everything seems normal and as it should be.” Hisakawa looks at me and I stare back, trying to read her expression and see if maybe she’s telling me something I need to hear. It wouldn’t be the first time she’s gone out of her way to give me a message from Headmaster Blackwood.

As if on cue, the door opens and Blackwood steps through, letting it swing closed behind her. Her hair is pulled back into a severe bun and she wears her uniform, consisting of a white frilled blouse under a black blazer and matching black pants. “Pardon my intrusion, Professor Hisakawa. But there is a matter I would like to settle without delay, if you wouldn’t mind.”

Layla gives me a concerned look.

“By all means,” Hisakawa says, and gestures at the room like she’s offering it to the headmaster.

The heavy wooden door opens with a whine and Nyx comes through, followed by two guards. Oh no. My stomach drops all the way to my toes and I shrink an inch in my seat. Nyx’s curly hair is limp, and even with her permanent eyeliner, the dark circles under her eyes make it seem like she hasn’t slept in weeks. Her face is drawn and her shoulders are slumped.