Part of Ellie wondered if his expression was something to be concerned about, but she was also selfishly relieved she’d missed having to listen to Lottie recount their meeting with her family. She wasn’t sure she could keep a level head if she had to live through it again.

‘Perhaps it was a freak weather event?’ Binah offered, snapping Ellie out of her thoughts. ‘Sometimes rain-cooled air can produce descending columns of wind with destructive damage comparable to the high-velocity gales of a tornado. Although the two are not to be mistaken for the same thing.’

Ellie was sure she’d be the last one there after her accident at lunch, and she was itching to explain to Lottie why she hadn’t been able to find her in the dining hall, so she was more than a little surprised to find Saskia and Anastacia were nowhere to be seen.

‘Is that going to be on the chemistry exam?’ Raphael asked, jotting it down in his notebook that was supposed to be for Leviathan information.

‘Yes, it’s on page fifty-six. I read ahead.’ Binah turned to the side, her canary-yellow prefect cloak fanning out around her shoulders. ‘You can borrow my notes if you like.’ She signed to Percy and he nodded, then the two of them huddled together to copy Binah’s meticulous notes.

Ellie watched the scene like she was peering into a snow globe. Surrounded by twinkling fairy lights and the delicate star ornaments that hung from the ceiling above, everyone on the other side of the glass looked like they were floating in a dream.

They could just be normal students. They would be happier without you, that same voice sneered again, and before she could stop herself she let out a grunt of frustration.

‘Ellie, thank God.’ Lottie almost jumped on her, and the deep indent of worry on her brow made Ellie want to curl up and die. She hated that she was the cause. ‘Where were you? Why are you wearing a pinafore?’

They all stared at her as if hell had frozen over.

‘Bad day?’ Percy signed, and she hated how obvious it was.

‘Sorry I’m late – I had to drop my regular uniform in the laundry room.’ She scratched at the back of her head. ‘Someone spilled coffee all over me just as lunch started.’

Jamie lifted an eyebrow, but she shook her head, letting him know she was fine.

Ellie coughed, trying to hide how she was feeling and move the conversation along. ‘Have you made any progress?’

Binah sighed, tapping her jaw in thought where she stood by the blackboard. ‘I’m afraid the information is unsatisfactory. Nothing the royal family said during the meeting takes us any closer to understanding Claude’s motivation, nor his ultimate goal.’