Nine

Even though Thalia knew Priyanka wouldn't be at dinner that evening, she couldn't stop the worry gnawing in her gut. The other girls seemed unfazed by the absence of their friend and were happily chatting to each other. Even Jennifer had made an appearance and seemed in a much better mood even if she kept her distance from Thalia.

However, when almost a week had passed and Priyanka still hadn't been seen by any of the girls, Thalia knew something was going on. Whenever Thalia questioned Ms Thorton or Dante, they had merely changed the subject or made some vague excuses. Dante was certainly more convincing than his assistant. It seemed that he just had to utter the words don't worry about it. She is fine and Thalia would forget about the matter until late that evening and when there was no one to ask. 

Thalia was also no closer to working out anything about her master or this strange place he called a home. The more she tried to