The feast began.
The children ate and laughed and talked. They told stories about the past semester, about the time Drake had fallen asleep during math and snored so loudly that the whole class heard. About the time Boo had pretended to be stuck in the ceiling and had been exposed by Professor Hobb. About the time Luna had bitten a classmate from Class B, who had deserved it, she insisted.
They talked about plantation day, about the plants they had grown. Kelpie's plant had grown the tallest because he watered it too much. Rocky's plant had the most stones around it. Luna's plant stood the straightest. Sable and Lucien's plants had grown together, their roots tangled. Vlad Jr. had taken care of his plant so well it was the healthiest. Drake's plant had been saved by Kelpie because Drake always forgot to water it, and Kelpie was so happy to water it on behalf of him or anyone who forgot. And Felix's plant was simply better than everyone else's, or so he claimed.
