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“Hey! Are
you … ?”
    “Listen. I n-need to talk to you.” The boy
looked up and down the path, mopping sweat from his forehead with the sleeve of
his sweatshirt.
    “I'd really like to talk to you,” Seph
said, unable to believe he'd met two wizards in the space of a few weeks.
“But I have to get to swimming. Could we meet later, maybe at
dinner?”
    “No. I c-can't … That won't …”
    “Hello, gentlemen.” Seph looked up to see a
handsome young man in a tweed sport coat with leather patches on the elbows,
carrying a battered leather briefcase.
    “H-hello, Aar … M-Mr. Hanlon.” The other
student looked petrified, like he was about to wet himself. Or have another
asthma attack.
    “Joseph. Aren't you supposed to be at
swimming?” Mr. Hanlon asked, smiling.
    “I was just on my way.”
    “Good. Best be going. Dr. Leicester doesn't like
it if you're late.” Hanlon placed a hand on the boy's shoulder and
propelled him down the path the other way.
    “I didn't get your name!” Seph called after
him. But the boy only hunched his shoulders and kept walking.
    That guy has issues, Seph thought, continuing down the
path. I don't know how much help he'll be. But I'll try to find him at dinner.
    Eventually, the path broke out of the trees at a place
where the ocean cut back into the shoreline, creating a protected inlet, lined
with stones, out of sight of the school buildings.
    There must have been sixty boys in the water, their
heads sleek and dark against the gray surface. A few more were stripping off
their sweatshirts on the shore. All of them looked miserably cold. Seph spotted
Trevor treading water ten yards out.
    Dr. Leicester stood on the shoreline, dressed in a
heavy sweatshirt, jeans, and windbreaker. When he saw Seph, he blew sharply on
a whistle to get everyone's attention. “Boys, meet Joseph McCauley. This
is his first day at the Havens, and he is late for swimming.”
    The reaction to this was remarkable. The other boys
all looked away or looked down, as if they wanted to avoid any connection to
his transgression. Some of them peered back toward him, when they thought
Leicester wasn't looking.
    Seph smiled, lifting his hands in apology.
“Sorry. I got confused. I was waiting for everybody at the spa.”
    Laughter floated across the water, then quickly
dwindled under Leicester's disapproving gaze. The headmaster didn't seem
susceptible to Seph's legendary charm.
    Seph left his clothes on a pile of rocks some distance
from the water's edge, and hobbled over the stony beach to the water. He'd
hoped that the water would be warmer than the air, but was disappointed. It was
like stepping into snowmelt. His feet went numb immediately. He waded out to
his knees, then to his waist, gasping.
    The water was murky and unpleasant. The rocks along
the bottom were slippery and invisible, so that even in the cove the waves
threatened to knock him over. Something squirmed under his left foot and he
thrashed backward, into unexpectedly deep water. His head went under, and he
swallowed a mouthful. He came up like a sounding whale, spraying water
everywhere.
    He'd had enough. A few quick strokes took him back to
the shallows. Shivering, teeth chattering, he hauled himself onto the shore.
He'd almost made it back to his muddle of clothes when someone gripped his arm.
    It was Trevor, covered in gooseflesh, lips pale with
cold, water sliding off his dark body onto the rocks. “Get back in the
water, Seph,” he said, without meeting Seph's eyes. “Just do it. Come
on.” He put a cold hand on Seph's shoulder as if to urge him along.
    Seph blinked at him. He looked over his shoulder at
Dr. Leicester, who stood expressionless, watching. All right, he thought. If he
was going to try to stay here two years, it was best not to get into a battle
of wills on his first day. Gritting his teeth, he picked his way back across
the beach and waded out into the water, not looking back to see if Trevor was
following.
    This time the