Free Cave of Nightmares by V. St. Clair Page B

Jasper’s face.
    Oliver laughed, but it didn’t sound friendly at all.
    “Of course, there’s no need to ask who you are, though personally I don’t think you look a thing like your father. I’m surprised they even let you in here, knowing what kind of bad blood you carry. Half the kids at Mizzenwald have lost a relative to the Dark Prism; how do you think they’re going to feel about you ?”
    Hayden swallowed with difficulty, hoping that Oliver was lying about how many people had lost loved ones to his fath er. If he was telling the truth, then Hayden was bound to make a lot more enemies before this year was over.
    “I’m not my father, ” he said firmly, fists clenched at his side.
    “We’ll see about th at. They say you’re a prism too,” Oliver gestured to his tool belt, where Hayden saw one wand, half a dozen small bags tied together by drawstring, and three prisms. “Well guess what, so am I. Stay out of my way unless you want your face rearranged.”
    Hayden raised an eyebrow in confusion.
    “I was staying out of your way until you started talking to me. I’m only here to buy clothing,” he pointed out, and Oliver scowled.
    “Watch your back, Frost. You’ve made an enemy of the wrong man.”
    Hayden was still trying to figure out what he had done to make an enemy of Oliver as the three of them walked off. As far as he could tell, the older boys disliked him pretty solidly since the moment they laid eyes on him.
    Trying to shake off the encounter, he went back to shopping for undergarments and socks. He eventually found himself standing in the middle of the shop, trying to decide what he was supposed to use as day wear, when a young woman about Anna’s age approached him. She had a horsy face and frizzy, bright red hair, and a tape measure dangled around her neck.
    “Hi there, can I help you find anything?”
    “Um, yes please.” Hayden felt his cheeks burning. “I’m new to all this, and I’m just trying to find some regular clothes for school.”
    The woman didn’t look like this was a surprise to her, which made him relax slightly.
    “Don’t be embarrassed, plenty of kids come from non-magical families and have the same shell-shock when they first get here,” she smiled encouragingly. “You should stick to ‘casual, day, male’—over there with the orange stickers, you see?” She pointed to the far right corner. “That’s where most students go. Robes are only worn on formal occasions, and even then only certain ranks are permitted to don them. I’d avoid them entirely if I were you, or you’ll risk offending someone.”
    Hayden nodded gratefully.
    “Though you should stop by the ‘formal, junior, casual’ area over here, with the green-and-yellow dots. Everyone should have at least one decent outfit for family visits or semi-formal occasions here at school.”
    Hayden’s head was spinning.
    “There’s a formal casual section? That doesn’t make any sense at all,” he mumbled, and the woman laughed prettily.
    “I know it’s all a bit confusing right now, but you’ll get the hang of it eventually. For now just stick with the basics and let me know if you have any other questions.”
    Hayden thanked her and made his way to the daywear, exhaling in relief when he saw racks of normal pants and shirts. He picked out a week’s worth of clothing, not wanting to be too loose with his allowance, and carried the bundle awkwardly in his arms to be paid for.
    Getting all of his pur chases up to his room on the sixth floor was the most challenging thing he had ever done, and his arms were aching by the time he managed it and shut the door behind him. All of his roommates were in class right now, so he changed into one of his new outfits and loaded up his belt slots with the basic supplies he’d purchased this morning. Only his prism slots remained empty, because he hadn’t been cleared by Master Asher yet to purchase any.
    Looking in the mirror, Hayden was pleasantly surprised