“Yes,” Ruthie said. “I know Eve Denby and Lieutenant Montgomery are concerned about getting the children enrolled in a school this fall.”

“They need schooling now.”

She blinked. “Now? But... it’s summer.”

“Yes. So they should begin learning the things they must for this season, as our young do.”

“The adults need to work, and the children need activities that will help them survive,” Tess said. “Since they are old enough, and independent enough, to cause trouble, they are old enough to do some work, to learn some skills.”

Ruthie looked alarmed. “What kind of skills? I mean, humans have laws about child labor.”

“Human law doesn’t apply in the Courtyard,” Simon growled.

“The point is,” Vlad interrupted, “the human children can receive supervised learning from a human teacher, which is you, or they can be banned from the Courtyard unless they are with a human adult.”

“Or we can let someone like Nathan or Blair teach them about the value of obeying adults.” Henry nodded when Ruthie paled. “You begin to understand. We tolerate much from all the young because they are young. But our young learn as well as play throughout the year. And our young now include any human young who spend time here.”

“But I don’t have any of the books or supplies or—”

“Order a dozen sets of books for all the grades of human schooling,” Simon said. “Order the supplies—the chalkboards and other things a schoolroom needs.”

“Where are they going to school?” Ruthie asked.

Vlad indicated the room. “Here?”

All right, even with the bed removed, it might be a cramped space since there would have to be desks for the children and the teacher.

“Maybe we could make one of the efficiency apartments into the human school,” Henry said. “Lorne does not often stay overnight, and the police pack will soon have their own dens across the street. These rooms could be like... a dormitory? There is a sink and toilet up here. We could put a wave-cooker and small fridge in the social room and move things around.”

“But I’m supposed to help the terra indigene learn human things, and help Meg with The Blood Prophets Guide,” Ruthie protested.

“And you’ll still do those things,” Vlad said. “Perhaps you can teach the children in the morning and work on other tasks later.”

“Lieutenant Montgomery asked me if there was work here for his mother,” Simon said. “Maybe doing things with the children is something she can do since she is going to help look after the Lizzy.”

Ruthie tugged on her hair. Henry wondered why humans did that. He’d tried it once after observing a human do it and didn’t see the point.