“So? I smack my brother all the time. It’s therapeutic.”
“Kathryn, I don’t think you have any idea how hard even a beginning Psi Fighter hits. Every time we practice the Lash in class, I remember it.” I closed my eyes. “How the tears ran down her little face. How she opened her mouth to cry, but nothing came out. How she put her tiny hands over her diaper, and started running in place because it hurt so badly. Her whole body shook. I bruised her. Kathryn, I chose a stupid doll over my own sister.”
“You were little,” Kathryn said. “You didn’t know any better.”
“I knew what I was doing,” I growled, hating myself more with every word. “Every time I have to remember it, I want to hug Susie and tell her how sorry I am, and then punch myself in the face for being such a jerk.”
Kathryn touched my hair. My cheeks were soaked with tears. She hugged me, and I buried my face in her shoulder, sobbing silently as she stroked my hair.
“Hey,” Kathryn said softly. “I didn’t do a Memory Lash on you.”
I hiccuped, and we both laughed. “I know. Sorry. I’m okay now.”
“You don’t look okay.”
“I am.” I laughed again. “This is the change The Book of Lore is talking about. This is why I am so protective of Susie. I will never hit her again. I’m not capable of it. And the thought of anyone else touching her terrifies me. That’s why I have to find this apprentice. As long as he’s free, my little sister and the Psi Fighters will never be safe.”
“Back to work, then?”
“Back to work.”
“Okay, your Kilo-dude thinks the masked minion we’re looking for is either a teacher or a student, right?”
“Masked minion?”
“Faceless fiend. Diabolical devil. Bad guy. Don’t you speak Superhero? Now, let’s put our astute little minds together and narrow down the options. Teachers first. After considerable consideration, we conclude it’s not a teacher. End of story. Now, students—”
“Why isn’t it a teacher?”
“The Kilo-dude said it was somebody inexperienced. That means kid.”
I laughed. “He meant inexperienced in the Mental Arts.”
Kathryn puckered her lips and squished her eyebrows together with both hands. “Okay, the problem there is that all of the teachers are inexperienced. Could be anyone. Except Mrs. Bagley. She’s too awesome.”
“True. Or Dr. Captious. He’s too short.”
“Maybe he’s a Knight Light. Get it?”
I buried my face in my hands and moaned. Not even Andy would have tried that line.
“Don’t forget, Rin, he has a connection to Mason.”
“Yeah, but if Captious was a Knight, he’d brag about it along with all his other amazing talents.” I shot my hand in the air. “Ooo, ooo, I know! Miss Jackson!”
“The Diva of Dodgeball? Rinnie, just because you have a personal vendetta against the woman doesn’t qualify her to be a supervillain.”
“Does, too. I can still feel the welts on my liver.”
“Give it up, Rin. You were right all along. The Knight-in-training can’t be a teacher.”
“You said that, not me.”
“Just trying to make you feel good about yourself. Okay, let’s talk students. Tons of them have connections to Mason. Like the Red Team. Too obvious. Tammy loves the spotlight. Not exactly cloak-and-dagger, is she?”
“Art Rubric. Also too obvious. I mean, he has a nasty streak a mile long, but he’s so whacked out on drugs, he could never be a Knight. What about Chuckie Cuff?”
Kathryn’s face went deadpan. “Seriously?”
“Okay, that was a stretch. Leave no turn unstoned, as they say. And Chuckie is rarely unstoned. Wow, we aren’t getting anywhere, are we?”
“Not yet, but riddle me this, Batman—if the apprentice just showed up at school, wouldn’t his alter ego also have just shown up?”
“Not necessarily. The point of having a secret identity is that it’s secret. People who have known me my whole life don’t have a clue.”
“That’s good, because Egon is the only new kid at school.”
Suddenly, the unthinkable hit me. “You said he moved here to train. Oh, Kathryn, you don’t believe—”
Kathryn did a lip curl. “Only one way to find out. Fortunately, I watch plenty of crime dramas. Let’s build a profile.”
“I’m a Psi Fighter, not a profiler.”
“Follow my lead, girl. Profile me your average Knight.”
I shrugged. “Well, Knights are like Psi Fighters. They do what we do.”
“Itemize, please.”
“They’re highly skilled martial artists.”
“Strike one.” Kathryn popped a finger in the air. “Not looking good for Egon.”
“There are plenty of really good martial artists in the world. That doesn’t make them Walpurgis Knights.”
“Rinnie, when you build a profile, you don’t shoot down the facts. Now, item number two.”
“Knights are experts in the art of stealth. They can move without being detected.”
Kathryn popped up two fingers and raised an eyebrow at me.
“What?” I asked.
“Ever notice how Egon just appears out of thin air at assemblies?”