Cave of Nightmares (42 page)

Alarmed, Hayden asked, “What do you mean?”

The Prism Master gave him a knowing smile and said, “You’ll see.” He walked off without another word, sitting by—surprisingly—Oliver and his friends.

Hayden decided there was no point in trying to puzzle out what was coming his way next year. He would deal with it when it happened, just like always.

He took a seat beside
Zane, and Bonk immediately flew to the center of the table, grabbed their pot roast in his claws, and carried it off over their heads while Hayden shouted at him to come back with their food.

Most of the
students at nearby tables were laughing at them, and Hayden was nominated by his peers to ask the cooks for another pot roast to replace the one Bonk had stolen. The steely glint in the cook’s eye made him glad that no one knew what his least-favorite foods were or he was certain they’d be served every day after this.

The cook
told him he’d have another roast out in a few minutes and sent Hayden on his way, though not before giving him a brown paper bag and making him promise to deliver it to the Prism Master.

Hayden made his way back across the dining room, unable to resist the temptation to peek into the paper sack as he went. He barely stifled a laugh at the reminder that he wasn’t the only person
here who’d ever gotten on the cooks’ bad sides.

The bag contained a tuna fish sandwich.