“Cut it out.” The Hulk smacked his friend’s hand away and glared at him. “At least I put some effort into it. One day of the whole year when her regular look makes sense.” He looked back at Cheyenne. “You could’ve told everyone that was your costume.”
Cheyenne smacked the desk. “Shut up and pay attention.”
The kid’s smile faded, and the laughter around him died immediately.
With a deep breath, Cheyenne closed her eyes and gave herself a moment. Just a bunch of undergrads. Definitely not the worst thing you’ve faced in the last few days. Figure it out.
“Sorry I was a little late.”
Her students said nothing.
Okay, think. No lesson plan. No plan at all. What the hell am I even doing here?
“All right, listen up. Today’s a little different. Advanced Programming.” Someone snorted, and Cheyenne stood straight and lifted her chin. Gotta give them something. Or maybe they can get me something. A slow smile spread across her face, making most of her students lean back in their seats. “Any of you heard of a company called ThomasSafe?”
Blank stares and a few shaken heads were the only responses she got.
“Yeah, I didn’t think so.” This is probably breaking a bajillion rules, but I don’t have time for rules. Might as well use the resources I have. “Here’s your assignment.”
The blonde girl’s hand shot into the air, but she didn’t wait for Cheyenne to call on her. “You haven’t gone over our last assignments. Or taught us anything new.”
“You wanna stand up here and teach this class instead?” Cheyenne raised her eyebrows at the girl and mentally kicked herself. Awesome. Now I sound like every other asshole professor I never liked.
“I told you guys this class would be different, and I meant it. So here’s the deal. Between now and Wednesday, I want you guys to research as much as you can about this company and its owner and CEO, Matthew Thomas. And I mean as much as you can. Anything. How ThomasSafe was founded, how it’s structured, what technology they’re using. Hell, pull up familial connections to the man. Bonus points if you can tell me what he ate for breakfast yesterday.”
“Wait, how is this part of Advanced Programming?”
Cheyenne gave the large kid with the beard a pert smile. “Because ThomasSafe is one of the highest-grossing cybersecurity firms in the U.S. If you guys wanna get good at this whole tech thing, you might as well learn from the best.”
“You’re saying this Matthew Thomas guy is the best?” The girl on the end of the front row with half her head shaved folded her arms.
Cheyenne fought back a grin and pointed at her. “That’s not what I said.”
“When we find all this stuff,” another student asked, “what do you want us to do with it?”
“Send it to me.”
The room fell silent.
“Okay.” Cheyenne clapped her hands together. “It’s Halloween. I have places to be too, so I’ll see you Wednesday. Now get out.”
The girl in the front row snorted and slid out of her seat first, her messenger bag slapping her thigh as she headed into the hallway.
Sticking her hands in her pockets, the halfling watched her confused students gather their things to leave the shortest Advanced Programming class all semester. Let’s see which of them has the most promise, huh? If anybody takes me seriously on this one. If not, I’ll find Matthew Thomas’ uncle on my own. Whatever the FRoE’s up to, it stops with him.
Her fingers drummed on her thighs inside her pockets, and she raised her eyebrows at the last student turning around to shoot her a confused glance before he stepped through the doorway. And that’s how you clear a room.
Cheyenne grabbed her backpack, slipped it on, and stalked up the aisle. The lights clicked off, the door shut with a louder bang than she intended, and she marched down the hall toward Maleshi’s current class.
Through the rectangular window in the door, she watched Maleshi, human-looking once again as Professor Mattie Bergmann, gesture with a wide sweep of her arm before clicking the remote at the smartboard behind her. Her students laughed softly, and the woman’s brilliant green eyes flicked toward Cheyenne’s face in the window. Maleshi’s eyes widened, but she continued with her lesson.
Cheyenne folded her arms. Yeah, I’ll wait.
Fifteen minutes later, Maleshi waved at the door, and Cheyenne stepped aside before the first students pushed it open and swarmed into the hall. Most of them gave her appraising looks before heading to their next class. Maleshi followed the last student toward the door and pointed at Cheyenne with a tight smile. “Well, look at you. Went all out on your costume this year, huh?
“Guess Halloween kinda snuck up on me.”
Maleshi chuckled and nodded at the last student slipping past Cheyenne into the hall. Then she grabbed the halfling’s arm and jerked her into the classroom.
Chapter Forty-Nine
“What the hell are you trying to pull, kid?”
The door clicked shut, and a bright burst of silver light from Maleshi’s fingertip blacked out the window.
“It’s Halloween. Nobody cares.”
“I care. So does every other magical who might see you like this. Have you lost it?”
“I forgot about the cuff, okay?” Cheyenne jerked the sleeve of her jacket up to expose the thick silver band on her wrist. “And it was too late to do anything about it when I got here.”
“That’s a dangerous risk to take, Cheyenne.”
“More dangerous or less dangerous than whatever swamp you drove my car through?”
Maleshi blinked. “Your car?”
“You told me you’d take care of it. I guess I assumed that didn’t have the same meaning as when it’s said about people.”
“I didn’t kill your car, kid.”
“You fucked it up.” Cheyenne shook her head. “Anything to say about it?”
“I think a car is the least of our worries right now, don’t you?”
“No. Not the least of mine.” Cheyenne cocked her head. “Maybe the least of yours, though.”
Maleshi hissed at her and glanced at the window in
