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us all a big smile. “I’m grateful to be back at Pendrell Academy. This school shaped me into the man that I am, the man my father wanted me to be. I won’t take too much time up here. I’m not a very good speaker and I don’t want you get any ideas with the tomato appetizers I saw being carried around. I never looked good in red.” He laughed a little, the rest of the crowd chuckling along with him. His little joke fell flat to me. The man was polished and comfortable in front of a crowd, and I didn’t buy the humble, self-deprecating act.
    “I’m happy to be able to work with the seniors this year and head up the Alumni Internships. We have a talented group of students here. I hope that through the year those talents grow and flourish.”
    More applause. Mr. Crosby waited until it died down before he spoke again, going on to the importance of the internship program. When he was done, Mr. Crosby bestowed on us a toothy smile, one that could charm a snake. The man had a great career ahead of him in Washington. At the end, Crosby and Pendrell shook hands for the cameras, and then exchanged a look that seemed to communicate a mutual feeling of loathing.
    I was going to comment on it but Brent spoke first. “There’s Steve and Cherie. Let’s go.” I gave our assistant headmaster and school CEO one last look before following behind Brent.
    v
    A half hour later, Brent and I sat at a booth at Miguel’s Jr., my favorite fast food restaurant, bringing Steve and Cherie up to speed on the Sophia attack.
    “Another year, another ghost,” Cherie said, her blue eyes twinkling. She rested her elbows on the gray-flecked table holding tight to her burrito. “I can’t believe I was downstairs and didn’t hear a thing? Did anyone notice?”
    “A couple of people came upstairs, but Brent blamed it on an air-conditioning vent.”
    “And they bought that?” Steve asked.
    I took a drink of my horchata . “It’s more believable than a ghost attack.”
    “I guess that’s true.” Cherie took a huge bite of her burrito, a determined glint in her eye. “Just so you know,” she insisted, once she had swallowed, “I’m not going to get left out of the adventure this time.”
    Despite her brave words, they weren’t as forceful as they would have been a year ago. Our encounter with Thomas and Pendrell’s curse had slightly tarnished her love for the paranormal. She still thrived on it, but a hint of caution had bled into her enthusiasm.
    “Forget the ghost, who’s the guy?” Steve asked. “What’s-his-name, how did he get those pictures?”
    Brent pointed his taquito at Steve. “That’s what I’d like to know. Ghosts are Yara’s territory and the rest of us aren’t much use there, but we can do something about the flesh and blood problems.”
    “Let’s not talk about any of this.” I lifted my hands together and begged.
    The guys nodded, but Cherie said, “I’ll give you twenty-four hours. After that, ghost talk is fair game.”
    “Deal.” I poured salsa onto my bean and cheese burrito.
    “Man, this is good!” Cherie said, taking another bite of her food. “I only had a cheap salad from the vending machine at lunch.”
    “Too busy making out with Steve to get a real lunch, huh?” I teased, laughing at her unapologetic expression.
    “You bet she was,” Steve answered. He bit into a salsa-laden chip with a loud crunch.
    “And I should have eaten instead.” She smirked at Steve who placed his hand over his heart pretending he had just been stabbed. “You know, being a senior will have some definite advantages. Specifically, being allowed to have a car. It means we won’t be stuck on campus nearly as much as we were last year.”
    “You’re supposed to use the cars for internships, not for late night candy runs,” Steve said. “I know you. That’s what you’re planning, isn’t it?”
    “It might be.” Cherie pouted her lips and gazed upward as though pondering her one great love. “I have a