Miss Gonzales looked at Ted, shrugging her shoulders almost imperceptably. She sighed. "You ought to untie her, Ted."

As Ted untied Dhyanna, Marie tried to come up with a plausible excuse for the headmaster's absence. Ted fumbled with the knots and Marie only barely heard Dhyanna's taunting of his efforts. When Dhyanna was finally freed, Marie removed the jacked she'd been wearing and offered it to Dhyanna, who accepted it.

"So? Where's the headmaster?" Dhyanna demanded. Seeing the uneasy glances Ted and Marie exchanged, she repeated her question in a louder voice.

Marie opted for the truth, at least to an extent.

"He's not on the campus right now. He was called away on an emergency. I act as deputy headmistress when he's gone." Ted began to protest, but closed his mouth quickly when Marie glared at him. "Why don't we go to my office, get you showered and in some fresh clothing and get you some food?"

Mollified for the moment, Dhyanna allowed herself to be led out of the old kitchen and through the mercifully empty halls to Marie's office. As she showered, Ted dashed off to the staff lounge for some food.