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The teacher’s eyes narrowed, and Cisco thought she might actually yell at him, but after a moment, she relented. “Very well. Two weeks’ detention it is, then.”

“Fine.” Cisco already knew his parents wouldn’t be upset with him.

Mrs. Rio turned to leave, and when the strange man held up a hand in protest, she just shrugged and kept walking. After she was gone, the man looked at Cisco again.

“Who are you?” said Cisco, no longer leaning against the wall.

The man hesitated, then glanced at Dennex, which was enough to confirm Cisco’s suspicion that this person was indeed a servant. “My name is Louis Ferrage. I’ve been ordered by General Lawrence to escort you and your sister to Deynos for your own safety.”

‘Why?’ said Dennex. ‘What is the danger?’

“I’m sorry, but that is all I was told.”

“Well, I can’t just leave with you,” said Cisco, raising his phone. “I’ll call my mother, and if she says it’s okay, then--” His phone was suddenly coated in a silvery-white metal.

“I’m sorry,” Louis said with a raised hand, “but I can’t allow you to do that.” And two more men arrived around the same corner, along with their three accompanying reapers. “Please come quietly.”

Cisco eyed the three pairs. ‘Are there any more of them?’

‘I don’t sense anyone else in the hallways around us,’ Dennex said privately. ‘Seems Louis here was sent to retrieve Emiliana, while those two in the back probably went to your class, thinking you’d be there.’

One of the other men stepped forward now. “My name is Randall Pierce. I know this is sudden, but I assure you, we mean you no harm.”

‘And if we refuse?’ asked Dennex. ‘Are you going to attack us in the middle of a public school? Innocent people might get hurt. Children.’

“That is why you should not refuse,” said Randall.

‘This is ridiculous,’ said Dennex. ‘You call yourselves Vanguard? I want to talk to your superiors. Get them on the phone right now, and then we can sort all this out properly. This is probably just some misunderstanding, actually. I bet if we--’

As the reaper blabbered on, Cisco realized that was his cue. He pocketed his useless phone, took a deep breath, and then hit the fire alarm. Blaring noise filled the hall.