"She, um..." I grunted, trying to find the words. "She said when the Huntsman grabbed her, she thought she'd die. And Torian thought she'd die. So they'd been reassuring each other, because they just found each other again - "
"For the first time," Ms. Rhodes corrected.
I paused because it wasn't how the story had been told to me. Everyone made it sound like they'd been reunited, but was it my own imagination, or had theysaidthat? Didn't really matter, though.
"Well, she's been trying to put her power into plants," I said. "Um, my room kinda has a lot."
"She made a jungle again?" Ms. Rhodes groaned.
"No, more like pots and stuff, but they're cool. I like them. It also smells really good in our suite, and Spike watches the door, Glow lights the room, and things like that. They're all nice to have around."
"Which is why we keep the atrium, because they are."
"But I came home the other day from class and she was making plants, and she said she had too much magic, so she kinda, um, poured it into me."
That made Ms. Rhodes sit up. "How?"
"Like, she touched me?" I glanced at Jack to see if I was screwing up.
"Morrigan!" he insisted. "Shadow!"
"Right!" I remembered. "My shadow grabbed her too."
"Jack!" he huffed.
"And Jack was on her shoulder. Well, like hugging her."
Ms. Rhodes looked at Jack. "Pulling magic from her?"
He shook his head, stood as tall as he could, then pulled in a big breath. It made his breast stick out noticeably. Then he exhaled and ruffled hisfeathers.
"So you caught the spill-over?" Ms. Rhodes asked next.
"Jack!" he agreed. "Shadow." He shook his head.
Yet on the wall behind him my shadow started moving. Instead of sitting like I was, it stood, making it both taller and more noticeable. The thing lifted its hands like it was frustrated, both palms up and the fingers spread. Jack merely turned and rattled at it.
Ms. Rhodes was staring at the thing. "What do you mean when you say your shadow grabbed her?"
"Like it held her hand."
"Her shadow's?"
"No, hers," I insisted. "It stands up sometimes, or can be like, um... three-dimensional? Normally, it's just like that." I gestured to the wall. "But even when the Hunt was here, it blocked the Huntsman's sword for me. The thing just solidified, grabbed the blade, and smiled like it was having the time of its life!"
"Smiled?" she asked.
I nodded. "Sometimes, the eyes appear. Well, it's more a lack of shadow where the eyes should be, and it can evidently smile too. Same way, but like, its face is more of an emoji, you know? Just holes for the eyes and a curve for the mouth."
Across from me, Ms. Rhodes licked her lips slowly. "So it protects you?"
"Shadow!" Jack declared.
The dark form swatted at him, but it was still flat. Still, when my shadow connected with Jack's, the bird rocked on his perch. Turning his head, Jack cawed in annoyance, then followed that up with a litany of sounds which came across as angry.
"Jack?" Ms. Rhodes begged. "Excuse me. Um..." She looked back at me. "Rain, is it acting out on your urges? Teasing or annoyance? Anything you maybe wish you could do, but know you shouldn't?"
"Um, sometimes?" I guessed. "Mostly it just does its own thing. I mean, it's the one who came up with the idea to call Bracken Zez."
