I find my friends at dinner and slide into a spot between Ansel and Maude. I’m about to launch into the story of my strange double-Jake sighting, but before I get the chance, a voice booms over the loudspeaker.

“Attention, everyone. I have an important announcement.” I look to my friends, confused. Who’s talking? It doesn’t sound like a teacher. The voice sounds like a student’s. “This is Tessa Leroy. You may have noticed the lack of teachers on campus today.”

It’s true; I don’t think I’ve seen a single teacher today. That’s probably why no one broke up Archer’s autograph session. And didn’t Willa say she was filling in for Coach Young? I figured Fleischer was with Ransom… But where are the others? Dinner is automated—prepared off campus and loaded onto our trays by bots—so it’s not like there’s any cafeteria staff to ask. The more I think about it, the stranger it seems that we haven’t seen anyone over the age of eighteen all day.

“We’re currently looking into it, since we’re as concerned as all of you,” Tessa goes on.

“Who’s we?” I ask Maude. She shakes her head.

“Article ten, section four of the Darkwood handbook stipulates that the oldest person on campus should lead in an emergency situation,” Tessa asserts. “Which means I’ll be taking on an authority role until the teachers return. We’re sure there’s a reasonable explanation for this. Until we find out what that is, please, do not panic. Finish your dinners, return to your dorm rooms, and hopefully by morning, we’ll know what happened to our beloved educators.”

“Tessa forgot one action item,” says a second voice that chimes in over the loudspeaker. It’s Archer. “While we sit tight and wait for our teachers to return, don’t forget to have as much fun as you possibly can.”

The room erupts in laughter and cheers.

“Ansel,” I say, my wheels spinning, “has anything else been posted on Archer’s social media accounts? Since that picture from Bangkok?”

“No,” he says quickly, checking his plum. “Why?”

“I saw something earlier,” I tell my friends under my breath, and they huddle in close to hear me. “It was Jake. Only he was with…another Jake. Ollie, after you and I walked back to the dorms this afternoon,” I go on, “and you left to study, I saw Jake talking to a Jake clone. Someone who looked exactly like him. Only…it wasn’t Jago. Because Jago, you were swimming in the lake, right?”

“Yeah,” Jago says, shooting Maude a look. She shrugs.