Usually Mina picked an empty spot and waited for Professor Dano, but today was supposed to be different. Making herself smile in what she hoped was a friendly expression rather than a nervous grimace—​it felt more like a grimace—​Mina joined the others.

“No more Professor Dino!” Jyx crowed. “Vira is going to teach us from now on! This is her beast, Loon.” She introduced the students, too: Zek and Ferro, with their storm beasts, Ragit and Brindle. “Everyone, meet Mina and Pixit.”

No more Professor Dano? At all? She’d hoped they’d have both lectures and practical lessons. She thought of how annoyed he’d seemed when she’d flown—​he hadn’t wanted the lectures to end either. Maybe that’s why he tried to deny that we were ready, she thought. After the lectures, Professor Werrin had said, came “sparking and flying” lessons with textbook assignments from their flying instructor, who was, it appeared, Vira. Maybe I shouldn’t have been so eager.

Vira was not much older than they were. Her hair was shaved into zigzag patterns on her scalp, and her teacher’s robe had been carefully ripped to just above her knees. She was leaning against a lightning beast with a scar across his right eye. She looks like she’d rather be anywhere but here. Mina wondered what her story was, why she was a teacher at Mytris, and where she’d rather be. But of course, she didn’t ask any of that.

Zek and Ferro were both boys, one tall with his hair in a ponytail on the top of his head, which made him extra tall, and the other one short with eyebrows like woolly caterpillars. The tall one, Zek, grinned at her. His teeth looked like a rabbit’s. “Hey.”

The other one, Ferro, leaned toward her and shouted, “Nice to meet you!”

Mina blinked at him, not sure why his nose was so close to hers.

“Um, she can hear you.” Jyx whacked him on the arm.

“Oh. I thought—​since we heard she doesn’t talk . . . Never mind.” His face turned bright red, even to the tips of his ears. It made his caterpillar eyebrows stand out even more.

“Hi,” Mina said.

They both stared at her as if she were a horse that had suddenly spoken.

“She can talk,” Jyx said. “She just doesn’t do it much, which is something you guys should totally try. Mina actually listens to me. First person I’ve ever met who’s done that.” She beamed at Mina as if she’d invented her, which was nice. Still, it was unsettling to have this many people staring at her, as if they expected her to say something clever or do something smart.

Zek elbowed Ferro. “If she were deaf, why would you think shoving your ugly face in hers would help? She can’t read your lips if you’re two inches from her nose.”