? But the fourth classwas coming up--a study hall that we both had together.? I especially hated this study hall, becausethe teacher was never there, ...so I could never get any work done.? I was already sitting down when Trisha walkedin.? She sat right beside me. ????? "Hey Joey," she said to the guyin front of me, "Guess what?"?Great.? Joey was her friend, andprobably one of the biggest pervs in school.?I had a bad feeling about this.?"I got some really great blackmail pictures on. I looked around the room, trying to figure out what wasmissing."But she took none of her clothes or makeup?" None at all." Mrs. Thaylor was a striking woman in her mid-forties,with a strong chin and well-styled dark hair. She spoke with a barelyperceptible tremor in her soft voice. "I'm afraid I really don't havemuch idea what all is usually in here. After all, Robyn is almostEighteen, and I've been trying to give her a certain amount of privacy,hoping to nurture the maturity which she so sadly. Several times he stopped and asked my opinion as though I was an art critic instead of a lowly servant. Seeing my interest, he offered me a lead pencil and a small book of paper and, after a few hints, set me to drawing some of the wild flowers growing in the meadow. Much to my amazement, I produced some very passable and recognisable sketches. Master Leonard praised them and I felt very proud.I was up in the clouds with pleasure until I went to collect my dress from the line. Someone had. First it was the blood coming out of his wrist, binding on itself, turning into bone, into muscle, into tendons, ligaments, and skin. But Triss couldn’t help but stare at the bowl of blood instead, at how the bubbling was getting worse, at how it churned, writhed, and breathed.He was going to teach her crúac rituals, blood magic, and he’d said the way to do that was pain, because with pain, you could tap into the beast. Hurt someone enough, really hurt them, and the pain turned the ego off.