Chapter 13

When Jak reached the school the next morning, he was still wondering how he’d find his classes, but he needn’t have worried. Headmaster Serling met him at the door with a class list and the directions and combination for a locker. “Welcome to Worthington Academy, Jak,” he said with a hesitant smile. While the headmaster told him about his classes and what would be expected of him, Jak noticed that the man kept looking behind him and seemed awfully skittish.

“Are you all right, sir?” Jak finally asked.

Even the question made the headmaster jump. “Don’t I look all right? Because I assure you, I am. Everything is all right and you can tell your uncle Bert that I said so. Everything is great, in fact. Here,” he said, thrusting the list into Jak’s hand. “Have a wonderful day. Don’t hesitate to come see me if you have any questions or concerns.”

“Thank you, sir!” Jak called after the headmaster as the man scurried down the hall.

“Hey, kid! Who are you?” called one of the boys who had watched the whole exchange.

“I’m Jak,” he replied. “I’m new here.”

Jak was already walking down the hall in search of his locker when he heard the boys talking behind him. “Did you see the way Serling was looking at that kid?” said the boy who had spoken to Jak. “His old man must be really loaded. My dad owns a string of banks and Serling doesn’t even say hello to me.”

“Yeah,” said a girl who had joined them. “It’s only the superrich who can afford to be as eccentric as that. Did you see what he was wearing?”

Jak blanched. True, he hadn’t taken as much time making over his clothes as he could have, but he’d thought they were pretty good. Reading the words on the doors, Jak slipped into the first one marked BOYS and locked the door behind him. His clothes were the same style as the khaki pants and blue shirt he’d worn for the meeting the day before—only the colors were different. As someone banged on the locked boys’ room door, Jak thought about what he wanted his clothes to look like. A moment later both the electric blue shirt and metallic green pants became the matte black that he had favored in the goblin world. He even turned a loose thread into a shiny white string, tucking one end in his ear and the other in his pocket, just like the other students he’d seen.

A bell rang, startling Jak and making him look around in dismay. He saw that the other students were going into the classrooms, so he headed for algebra, the first class on his list. The day went by quickly as Jak discovered just how much of the subjects he already knew. French class was the easiest because no one had to teach goblins new languages. Goblins had to hear them only once in order to pick them up. The teacher thought she was being kind when she lent Jak the CD that went with the textbook and told him to listen to the first three chapters. She said that if he needed any help she’d see about getting him a tutor, but he had already learned most of what she had to teach.

As Jak went from class to class, it occurred to him that any of the blond girls might be the one he had been sent to find. Although he had been given a picture of the girl, drawn by a nymph who had spoken with the goblins who had followed the girl on Halloween, the picture was vague with nothing really distinguishing the girl aside from her blond hair. He tried to picture the girls in his class aiming lightning bolts, but none of them seemed fierce enough to handle it.

Jak went home that night wondering how he’d ever find the girl. It wasn’t going to be as easy as when the headmaster handed him his list of classes; no one was going to give him her name and address. Jak knew he’d just have to watch for something unusual.

The next morning Jak walked in the front door of the academy and noticed a group of girls clustered around a paper attached to the wall. Some were excited and some were crying, so he stuck around, listening for the rumble of thunder in case the girl he was looking for got upset enough to throw lightning bolts. When nothing happened and the girls looked as if they were about to leave, he hurried down the hall to his locker. He was still there when a girl came running around the corner and slammed into him, sending them both sprawling on the floor.

Jak jumped to his feet. When he reached for her backpack, the girl got up without taking her eyes off him. “Sorry,” she said. “I’m not usually this clumsy.”

“Neither am I,” he replied. “I’m Jak, and you are…”

“Tamisin,” she said, gazing at him with eyes that were an amazing shade of turquoise. Hair the color of sunlight and gold framed her heart-shaped face, which he thought was covered with far too much makeup. Although she was about the same height as Jak, she looked fragile enough that a strong wind could carry her away.

“Are you all right?” Jak asked when she just stood there, staring at him.

She looked flustered as if she suddenly realized what she’d been doing. “Sure, uh … yes. But I should be asking you that. I ran into you, remember?”

Jak suddenly felt the need to protect this delicate creature, even if it was only from taking the blame. “I was in your way,” he said.

A bell rang, and Tamisin glanced at the clock. “Darn!” she said. “I’m late!”

Jak turned to look both ways at the now-empty halls. “I guess that means I am, too. I’m not used to the bell system yet. I just started yesterday.”

Tamisin turned away and started down the hall, but she slowed long enough to look back at him and say, “Go to class, unless you want to get into trouble.”

“Too late,” murmured Jak, wishing he had an excuse to stay with her as he watched her disappear into a room.