NEAR THE END of first period, I was so over it. I couldn’t concentrate. The Lord of Shadows was in the library, protected in a cocoon, and the Dark was bleeding across the books and periodicals. With the other wounds in the veil closed, Papa and the rest of the celestials had returned. Yemoja had glamoured the whole east wing of the school so no one—godling or human—could enter it by accident. With their magic, they’d whipped up a replica of the library, teachers’ lounge, and classrooms. But I knew the truth, and so did the other godlings: the celestials’ greatest, most dangerous enemy was only a few steps away.

I watched the clock and counted down the minutes. I hated waiting around to see what would happen next. Most of the godlings were sneaking their hands under their tables and glancing down at their phones. All anyone could talk about were the darkbringers and the Lord of Shadows. I was surprised that school wasn’t canceled yet, but then again, it sounded like the Lord of Shadows was contained for now. That didn’t make me any less jumpy.

Our English teacher, Ms. Taylor, had her back to the classroom as she drew a graphical representation of the parts of a story. She and the human kids were completely oblivious to the chatter, which had to be the celestials’ doing. “The events leading up to the conclusion of the story represent the rising action. Think of it as the calm before the storm. It should be full of tension and anticipation.”

“My brother says another celestial arrived today,” Naomi Reynolds blurted out, swiping her finger across her phone screen. “He wasn’t sure which one, but he says the celestial was ten feet tall. He came right before the Lord of Shadows ripped a hole in the library.”

Maurice Miller, who always slept in class, raised his head from his desk and yawned. “It doesn’t matter who comes. We’re doomed, and the celestials are too stubborn to admit it.”

“If you keep talking like that, we might as well be.” I added my two cents.

“Why haven’t the celestials canceled classes already?” Tay grumbled. “I want to be far away from that maniac.”

Candace leaned forward with her elbows propped on her table. “If Principal Ollie were here, they would’ve already sent us home by now.”

“We’re not going to let the Lord of Shadows run us out of JMS.” Winston crossed his arms. “If he wants a fight, he’ll get one.”

For once, I agreed with Winston. I didn’t want the celestials to shut down the school. But knowing them, they hadn’t decided what to do yet. They always took so long to deliberate on their decisions, but sometimes you needed to act quickly. “We’ll find a way to stop him.”