Chapter 19: Moving Things Around
"I think you did really well," Teddy said as he looked at the test paper that Matthew had just finished.
Matthew sat back in the library chair, pencil tapping against the table as Teddy looked over his finished test paper.
"This one is correct, well, most of it," Teddy said, glancing at the page, then back at Matthew. "You actually remembered most of this."
Matthew leaned back with a slight grin. "It’s weird. I didn’t even study that part much, but the answers just came to me."
Teddy nodded. "That’s the idea. It means the repetition is working." He flipped through the questions. "Still, you nailed the essay portion. You even quoted the passage word for word."
Matthew crossed his arms. "That part... it just popped into my head. Like I saw the page in front of me."
He didn’t say it out loud, but he knew it wasn’t just because of studying. His thoughts were sharper. His focus is stronger. There was a low hum of energy under his skin, and it wasn’t from caffeine. It was the ghost. The one from earlier. He could still feel the lingering warmth, faint but present. It hadn’t faded.
For some unknown reason, he has now become a creature that can absorb ghosts. That— That is strange, but it might just be the truth.
They spent the rest of the afternoon going over the materials for the upcoming test. Teddy seemed pleased—actually proud—at how easily Matthew grasped the lessons.
Even the more complex math problems, and the historical references, all felt natural to him. When they finished just past eight in the evening, Matthew stretched and packed up his notes.
They stepped out of the library. Matthew wasn’t surprised to see the lights still on downstairs. From the second floor, he could hear chatter and clinking cutlery. Cristoff had mentioned earlier that Lenox invited Catherine and her friends over to study. Since Matthew had been occupying the library, they were using Lenox’s room instead.