Fallen - Lauren Kate [83]
At his side Randy stood, legs akimbo in white stockings. She had a lipless smile plastered across her face, and the headmaster was blotting his big forehead with a napkin. Both had their game faces on today, but it seemed to be taking a lot out of them.
“Welcome to Sword & Cross’s one-hundred-and-fifty-ninth annual Parents’ Day,” Headmaster Udell said into a microphone.
“Is he kidding?” Luce whispered to Penn. It was hard to imagine Parents’ Day during the antebellum period.
Penn rolled her eyes. “Surely a typo. I’ve told them to get him new reading glasses.”
“We have a long and fun-filled day of family time scheduled for you, beginning with this leisurely picnic lunch—”
“Usually we only get nineteen minutes,” Penn interrupted in an aside to Luce’s parents, who stiffened.
Luce smiled over Penn’s head and mouthed, “She’s kidding.”
“Next you’ll have your choice of activities. Our very own biologist, Ms. Yolanda Tross, will deliver a fascinating lecture in the library on the local Savannah flora found on campus. Coach Diante will supervise a series of family-friendly races out here on the lawn. And Mr. Stanley Cole will offer a historical guided tour of our prized heroes’ cemetery. It’s going to be a very busy day. And yes,” Headmaster Udell said with a cheesy, toothy grin, “you will be tested on this.”
It was just the right kind of bland and hackneyed joke to earn some canned laughter out of the bunch of visiting family members. Luce rolled her eyes at Penn. This depressing attempt at good-natured chuckling made it all too clear that everyone was here in order to feel better about leaving their children in the hands of the Sword & Cross faculty. The Prices laughed, too, but kept looking at Luce for more cues on how to handle themselves.
After lunch, the other families around the commons packed up their picnics and retreated to various corners. Luce got the feeling that very few people were actually participating in the school-sanctioned events. No one had followed Ms. Tross up to the library, and so far only Gabbe and her grandfather had climbed into a potato sack at the other end of the field.
Luce didn’t know where Molly or Arriane or Roland had sneaked off to with their families, and she still hadn’t seen Daniel. She did know that her own parents would be disappointed if they saw nothing of the campus and didn’t participate in any planned events. Since Mr. Cole’s guided tour seemed like the least of the evils, Luce suggested they pack up their leftovers and join him by the cemetery gates.
As they were on the way over, Arriane swung herself off the top bleacher like a gymnast dismounting a parallel bar. She stuck her landing right in front of Luce’s parents.
“Helloooo,” she crooned, doing her best crazy-girl impression.
“Mom and Dad,” Luce said, squeezing their shoulders, “this is my good friend Arriane.”
“And this”—Arriane pointed at the tall, hot-pink-headed girl who was slowly picking her way down the bleacher stairs, “is my sister, Annabelle.”
Annabelle ignored Luce’s extended hand and swept her into her open arms for an extended, intimate hug. Luce could feel their bones crunching together. The intense hug lasted long enough for Luce to wonder what was up with it, but just as she was starting to feel uncomfortable, Annabelle let her go.
“It’s so good to meet you,” she said, taking Luce’s hand.
“Likewise,” Luce said, giving Arriane a sideways glance.
“Are you two going on Mr. Cole’s tour?” Luce asked Arriane, who was also looking at Annabelle as if she were crazy.
Annabelle opened her mouth, but Arriane quickly cut her off. “Hell no,” she said. “These activities are for absolute lame-o’s.” She glanced at Luce’s parents. “No offense.”
Annabelle shrugged. “Maybe we’ll have a chance to catch up later!” she called to Luce before Arriane tugged her away.
“They seemed nice,” Luce’s mother said in the probing voice she used when she wanted Luce to explain something.
“Um, why was that girl so into you?” Penn asked.
Luce looked at Penn, then at her parents. Did she really have to defend, in front of them,