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howling he heard during the night. Bjorn had heard it too, but he echoed Devon’s belief that whatever it was, it wasn’t a demon.
    They dropped Alexander off first, at the new elementary school he’d just started, and then continued on to the high school. “Look,” Devon said, “I’m sorry about Crazy Lady. I don’t want to get you in any trouble.”
    “Let’s hope I can round her up,” Bjorn said as he pulled up in front of the school.
    “If you can’t, I’ll try to catch her when I get home. Maybe we can get her back into the room before Mrs. Crandall even finds out.” He got out of the car. “But in the meantime, maybe we ought to just let her run free for a while. It must feel good after being cooped up for so long.”
    The gnome just shuddered and drove away.
    Devon looked up at his school. The kids were all milling around, talking in their little cliques. It was still cold enough that their breath steamed between them, but there was a hint of spring in the air, too. Devon could smell it. Maybe it was his heightened Nightwing senses that perceived it, but it was there: the smell of a thawing earth. He couldn’t wait for spring, for summer. He wanted this winter over and done with, forgotten.
    “So what’s up between you and Cecily?”
    He turned. It was Natalie, walking up to him, holding her books against her chest. The sunlight caught specks of blue in her jet-black hair and made her deep brown eyes sparkle. Devon smiled.
    “We broke up,” he said simply.
    “She said you claim she’s your sister.”
    Devon sighed. “That seems possible, yeah. Maybe even likely.”
    Devon expected Natalie to make a wisecrack. She and Cecily were friends but also sometimes catty rivals. Devon figured she’d come back with some insensitive quip and he’d just grunt and move on. But Natalie surprised him.
    “I’m really sorry, Devon,” she said. “I told that to Cecily, too. That must be really hard. I know you guys had thought maybe—”
    Devon laughed bitterly. “Yeah. We thought maybe.”
    “I can’t imagine what you must be going through. I’m really sorry.”
    He looked over at her. Maybe he’d never given Natalie enough credit. She was being genuine and compassionate. After all, they’d all been through a lot together: coming close to being slaughtered by a pack of demons had a way of bringing people together. He was grateful to Natalie for her kind words. He definitely felt the need for her friendship right now.
    He put his arm around her shoulders and they walked into school together at the first bell.
    And there, leaning with his forehead against his locker, was the fifth member of their little band of warriors: Marcus.
    “Hey, man, what’s up?” Devon asked, coming around behind his friend.
    Marcus turned his face slowly to look at him. Devon made a little sound as their eyes met. There it was again. The pentagram. The five-pointed star that Devon had seen hovering over Marcus’s face from time to time.
    And as Devon saw it again, he realized something else: that was the sign the ghost had made last night! The ghost he’d seen in the secret passageway. He had made a five-pointed star with his hand!
    “Are you okay, man?” Devon asked, leaning in close to Marcus.
    His friend had deep black circles under his eyes and red, raw scratches on his cheeks and the bridge of his nose.
    “I had a wicked bad night,” Marcus said. “Really bad dreams.”
    “How’d you get so scratched up?” Natalie asked, peering in now herself.
    “I must’ve done it myself. When I woke up, I had dried blood under my fingernails.”
    “What kind of dreams?” Devon asked.
    Marcus shook his head. “I can’t remember. Running … Fighting. I just know I tossed and turned all night.”
    Devon knew something was up. Too many things were happening all at once: the ghost had made the sign of the pentagram, and now Devon saw it on Marcus’s face. Marcus had bad dreams and scratched himself in the night. Could