Rufus had eased up on the introductions after that, instead showing her his favorite spots in the library. He had an entire shelf cleared out and blanketed, full of pillows like a bunk bed for him to read and study in. While there, she got a glimpse of the ghost twins on tall ladders, shelving books and rearranging the stacks. He talked about the library and all the books he’d read (some of which she’d read also) until it was time for dinner. By the time Rufus was done making sure she’d eaten plenty, she was overstuffed and exhausted. She returned to her room, certain she’d be sleeping like a rock. Eloise, however, was not.

Having replaced her new outfit with last night’s nightgown, Eloise had lied flat on her back for as long as she could. Clasping her hands over her full stomach, she opened her eyes to stare at the ceiling. Blinking slowly, not a lick of sleep on her lashes, she instead sat up. Swinging her legs to the floor, she let her feet carry her across the carpet and out of her room.

Part of Eloise wasn’t sure if she was prepared to step outside. Nights could be cold and bitter, harsh on her unaccustomed skin. The other part of her needed to know she could leave. Even if she wasn’t sure she wanted to stay, she had to assure herself that leaving was a choice she still had. When the double doors in the foyeur opened up for her, Eloise breathed a sigh of relief. Assured she was still in control of her destiny to an extent, she stepped gingerly onto the frosty front porch. Wrapping her arms around herself, she exhaled steam and glanced about the dark wood.

Yesterday, the forest was nothing but looming branches jutting out like fingers, threatening to snag her hair and torn dress. In one fell swoop, Eloise had become Snow White wandering through the horrific howling trees. Tonight, however, the woods did not beckon with ominous talons. The branches were just limbs dancing up and down and side to side in frigid wind. Eloise scanned the yard, finding a sort of solace in the notion that she was alone in the darkness and her heart wasn’t racing. For a few moments, she wasn’t gazing into each dark corner expecting someone to come rushing out toward her.

Thinking back on the events of the day, she couldn’t help but marvel at the array of souls who resided here. Most had seemed friendly. Others were blunt, but hardly registered as more than an inconvenience from a customer service standpoint. Someone who’d demand service now rather than wait in line, at most. Then there were the two terrors she’d happened upon: Saoirse and Renan. It was clear to Eloise that Saoirse was someone she’d need to keep at arm’s length, and that Renan was someone who wanted to keep her at arm’s length. When eloise asked Rufus if there were more like them, he gave a short list of names she had yet to put faces to. Of the twenty-two permanent residents there, only four really stood out as actively anti-social. With such a small number, she shouldn’t be worried.

She wasn’t.

Glaring at the grass lined with white shards, Eloise rubbed her arms with her steadily freezing hands. When light spilled out at her feet, she turned to see the Headmaster’s formidable silhouette. “Everything alright?” he asked after a minute’s pause.

“Yeah.”

“If you’re gonna run, at least take a jacket.” It was like a joke, but his tone lacked the mirth required.

“I’m not gonna run,” she said. Her eyes turned back to the trees, some illuminated by the manor’s light while others seeming darker now that the doors were open. She frowned, suddenly aware of her decision. “I don’t want to.”

Silence. Then the Headmaster asked, “You’ve made your decision?” Eloise turned back to him and nodded. “Even after you met . . . a pair of our worst really?”

“Rufus told you about that, huh?” she asked. She looked down at her feet, appreciating the way she left footprints in the frost. It felt real. All of this felt real.

“He’s not the sort to keep secrets.”

Eloise could see that. “My answer is still yes.”

The Headmaster’s head tilted downward, and she could almost see his brow furrowing. “Then follow me.”