I follow him to his house as he leads me inside and over to his study. My heart slows as I see his desk. I haven't been here for over a week. He hands me the garment bag and begins shoving his reading chair against the wall.

"Go ahead and get into your dress. We can practice dancing with you in it."

"If you want to see it, I can just unzip the bag for you."

He looks back at me.

"I imagine it looks exactly as I drew it. Now go change, we have a lot of work to do before the gala."

Is he serious? I can't imagine being in the dress would change our lessons, and we would risk getting it dirty or damaged. He isn't stupid, he has to have considered that. Then again, he does keep his floors pristine...

"Elizabeth? What are you waiting for?"

"I'm...I'd rather not wear it until next week. I don't want to ruin it."

His shoulders lower and he finally nods.

"At least put on the shoes."

That I can do.

He sets a record into the gramophone as I slip on the heels. The music fills the room, steady piano keys, violins, and a gentle saxophone push me to stand. Teacher holds out a hand to me.

The smile on his face is familiar. Small and tilted to one side. A grin that reaches his eyes and relaxes his eyebrows. A look I've only seen while sleeping.

I take his hand and tuck my head down as he pulls me closer.

"Sorry we didn't get to celebrate properly," he says quietly.

That word still sounds strange coming from his mouth. It's heavy, and every time he says it, it's as if there's a million reasons behind it instead of just one.

"It's not like it was your fault. What did the council want anyway?"

I look up at him when he doesn't answer.

"They wanted to ask about your classes. I guess Kane gave them all a copy of your class schedule."

He turns, and this time, unlike all the others, I follow his step without crushing his toes.

"Do they usually get this involved?"

He shakes his head no.

"They don't like change and, well, you seem to be a symbol of it."

"Okay, sure, but why does that mean they have to make things difficult for you?"

He steps back from me a moment and looks me up and down. He's about to say it.

"Questions."

And there it is. But he'd only say that if he thought I had enough information to answer it on my own. There are a million of tiny fragments of information floating around in my head, I'm not sure I can piece together something so abstract.

The council doesn't like me because they're scared of change. But what could a strainless student change? Nothing, right? What could they be afraid of changing?

Teacher takes my hand as the next song starts.

Near Elysium is practically at a stand-still, though no one wants to admit it. No graduates in a hundred years is proof enough of that, and yet that wouldn't be the case this year. Why, if it never bothered anyone before?

"Have there been complaints made to the council about the academy not letting anyone graduate?" I ask.

Teacher looks down at me and smiles.

"Keep thinking."

"You could just tell me. I must be giving you a headache right now."

"No, not especially, it's actually nice, hearing you think it through. You'll get there, keep going."

Like I thought, with all the dancing, he can hear my thoughts just as clearly as if I were saying them out loud.

"At least tell me if I'm on the right track."

"Just follow it until you reach a dead end."

I sigh. This is difficult for no reason. He could tell me and we could be finished with this. Whatever, if he thinks I can figure it out, I will.

I imagine something big must've happened for the council to make such a big deal about the graduation list. A complaint or a dozen complaints maybe? But it isn't like there was a big celebration after the names were read aloud, everyone seemed more confused than anything else. And upset that I somehow made it. Even the dean was surprised, and if I remember correctly, he couldn't even bring himself to gripe about it in front of Councilman Kane back when I became a student. Teacher had to speak his thoughts for him.

Everyone is pretty complacent about the whole thing, so no complaints. It wouldn't make sense to complain anyway, considering the council has that broken portal in their castle, mansion, or whatever that place is. Fear of banishment is enough to keep most people in line, so why don't they think that'll be enough now that I'm here?

Teacher swings me into a spin and when I step back with my left foot, I see the shelves of books being illuminated by firelight.

Caiden.

The moment we met he thought the portal was open, and even when I told him it wasn't, he thought at the very least the seal had weakened. It isn't a farfetched theory, and I wouldn't be surprised if the council must have had the same thought: that the seal might be weakening and that's how I appeared here. Still, that wouldn't explain the graduation list or why they're trying to take Teacher's job. There's something else I'm missing. Something they think I'm changing enough for them to try to strip Teacher of his power on campus.

Teacher brings me in again and smiles brightly at me, just enough to show his teeth and make me pause.

It's him. Just like it was before. It's all about him. But there's no way it has anything to do with what Luanne said earlier, right?

He spins me again and when he brings me back, I glance past him and see the whiteboard still listed with my faults. There's hardly a list there anymore and most of the writing is on the good side of the board. The side with compliments.

"Teacher, you..." I let my voice trail off. I can't make a snap assumption like I did last week. It's not important. What actually matters is the council thinks he's changing, and that scares them. But considering what happened with Theron, I can't imagine why.

"Teacher, why is the council so afraid of you?"

"Almost there, Princess."

Damn. Why is he so sure of me being able to figure this out? I take a deep breath as another song starts. I have all of the pieces. I just need to put them together.

Graduation.

Caiden.

The portal.

Teacher.

My heart stops and I step back.

"They don't think you'd seal the portal for them again if it opened."

He crosses the room to remove the needle from the player.

"Idiots should have realized that the day after I did it the first time."

They probably did. They probably never thought it would open again. And they never questioned Teacher's loyalty.

Until I arrived.

Until he became my facilitator.

Until he tried to defend me from Theron.

I suddenly remember what Piper said before we went to play Sardines.

"They're trying to get rid of me...aren't they?"

Teacher turns back to me and gives me a slight smile.

"As long as you follow the rules and stay away from them, they can't banish you. No matter what they may think, they aren't stupid enough to get rid of either of us based on a theory. They'd rather keep me around just in case."

"But why wouldn't they take your advice about announcing the graduation list?"

He pulls a square red package from his jacket.

"I picked you up some chocolate, sorry it isn't the dessert I had planned."

It isn't mochi either...

I shake my head. "Teacher, the list."

He shrugs. "I've seen your grades. They can't manufacture those, you earned that spot. If nothing else, it's just a message to all the other students to quit being lazy."

It can't be that simple.

"Everything is fine. We're perfectly safe and practically untouchable."

"How can you say that when they're trying to take away your job?"

"Their job is to respond to complaints, Elizabeth. It isn't unusual, just annoying." He hands me the red foiled box and taps my cheek. "The dead tend to hold onto grudges pretty strongly, and I haven't had a new Spark on the enforcement team in a while. I imagine Hercules is going through something similar for his assassinations, he just hasn't told you."

It's hard to believe Hercules would be keeping secrets, but then again, he probably doesn't give a damn what the council says. I just knew this was all my fault. Stupid Theron and his damn lackeys.

"Sit and eat the chocolate," Teacher says.

I go over to the chair nearest to the fire, slip off my shoes, sit, and tuck my legs underneath me. I've never received a box of chocolate as a gift from anyone but my grandmother at Christmas time. I pull the gold ribbon and peel away the red foil. The scent of brown sugar, chocolate, and salt hits me all at once. It's a small box, containing just four pieces. Squares of sea salt caramel, fudge, solid dark chocolate, and a chocolate piece embedded with salt crystals. A box of everything I love.

"How did you know?" I ask.

"Intuition," he says.

I smile at the contents of the box. Damn psychic. He takes a seat behind his desk and leans back.

"You did much better with dancing today, as long as you don't think about it too much at the gala, you'll be fine."

I nod. I guess dancing in my dreams helped after all.

"So, let's talk about your strain. How'd it go today? Throw yourself into any furniture?"

I shake my head.

"As long as I don't grab them, I can stay in the same spot. I kept my hands in my pockets, that seemed to work."

He leans forward and rests his head on his hands.

"Interesting...could you give me a visual? What do these things look like?"

"Um...I guess the best way to describe it is like those laser security field things from a spy movie."

He lifts an eyebrow at me.

Oh yeah, I forgot how old he is.

"It's like a spider web."

"Ah, okay." He begins tapping his hand against his desk. "So, if you grab one you...teleport?"

"I guess?"

"Do you see any right now?"

Now that he mentions it, I don't.

"No. I saw some earlier, but not now."

"That'll make it difficult to train," he says. "But maybe it's for the best. Psychic abilities tend to fight back more than other strains."

Right, his headaches. I wonder...

"Teacher, earlier today I touched one of those strings and it...well, fought back like you said."

He perks up in his seat.

"What did it feel like?"

I look down at the chocolate in my lap. I don't know how to say it so he'll understand without me sounding crazy.

"For me, it was like my head was being split in two," he says.

I nod. "It felt like I was being ripped out of my body, does that make sense?"

He shrugs. "It doesn't have to. That sounds bad, are you okay?"

I nod and finally pick up a piece of chocolate. It's more amazing than the stuff back home, and I can't help but smile as I chew past the salt.

"I'm fine, Teacher. Thank you for asking."

He picks up a book and flips it open.

"Of course. Just try to be careful and not force everything all at once, okay?"

"Okay."

"Great." He glances at his watch. "Classes will be ending soon, come on, I'll walk you back to your room."

He's being so nice to me...too nice.

"Teacher, is something else wrong?"

He gets up from his desk.

"I'm a little tired if that's what you mean. But as far as you go, everything is fine, or at least will be as long as you make it back to your room safely."

I put up my hands.

"Don't worry about me...I can make it back on my own."

"Now I'm wondering if something is wrong with you," he says.

"I guess I'm tired too. I'd better go. See you at dinner?"

"See you at dinner."