Halfway through second period, somebody pulled the fire alarm.

It almost made me panic, but I didn’t smell heat or smoke and this happened all the time. Well, not all the time, but often enough to get eyes rolling as people headed out to the athletics fields.

Somebody probably got bored in class. Outside, I became aware that the fairy was hovering just above my right shoulder.

Okay. Maybe somebody didn’t get bored in class. “Not very original,” I whispered.

There was no response. I had to think of a new prank now, but I was too frustrated and confused to have any good ideas. Maybe Prue would have one. I spotted her not that far away, looking distinctly annoyed. Most around me were just glad for the break from class. I couldn’t see Kanesha or Barry, neither of whom were happy about breaks from class.

I did think I saw Ros, standing by the fence. I was less annoyed by her presence than I had been. I figured she might help if things got bad.

“Just another prank,” one of the teachers called. “When we find out…”

People had been suspended for it before, but nobody would turn anyone in, and this time it hadn’t been a student. I hoped nobody would get blamed for it – anyone who had asked to go to the rest room was a suspect. But as we filed back into the school, I glanced around.

I had this feeling something or someone was following us in, and I didn’t like that feeling, so I ducked to the side, waited until Kanesha showed, and fell in next to her. “Fairy,” I whispered to her.

She giggled a bit.

“But something else is around, not sure what. Something that would normally be kept out by security.”

“Could just be some creep.”

“I don’t think I’d sense that like this.” Maybe. Maybe not. I couldn’t predict what I’d sense and what I wouldn’t sense, an added frustration in a situation that was already pretty frustrating. Probably because I’d forgotten how to use what abilities I had. “But it would have to be something that needs to enter physically.”

“Or be invited. Isn’t that vampires?”

“That’s a TV show,” I snorted. No evidence of vampires anyway.

“It is?”

“An old one. Thea showed me a couple of episodes. Like, before our time old, but she said vampires don’t work like that and are very rare anyway.”

That didn’t mean it wasn’t one, though. Very rare didn’t mean non-existent. And maybe there were other things that needed to be invited in. Or to sneak in. More likely the latter.

“Anyway. Just watch your…”

I didn’t get to finish my sentence before the screaming started.