Rogers shouted, his whole body shaking so hard he could barely stand still.
A hairpin rolled right to his feet, and he bent to pick it up slowly.
It was the strawberry-shaped hairpin he'd once given Sarah.
A cold, sinking dread coiled in his chest.
He was just about to shove through the crowd of onlookers to see what had happened, when the hem of his coat was wrenched hard from behind by Amira, who'd followed him.
The girl tucked an empty vial out of sight, one hand clamped over her chest, her face twisted in agony.
"Professor Lake, help me! I feel so awful all of a sudden... Is it that reagent I accidentally swallowed last time? Is it still in my system? Professor Lake... am I going to die?"
Staring at the helpless, trembling girl before him, for the first time ever, genuine irri
