Mom wasn't about to let me off so easy. I'd just stepped outside the front doors of University Hall, preparing to find a quiet place to tear open the veil and just go the hell home when her mind latched onto mine.

Not gently. Not kindly. With force.

My office, she sent. Snarled, really. Now.

First impulse? Smartass answer.

Second impulse? Ignore her and get the hell out.

Third impulse won. I trudged across the Yard, the frayed edges of my give a ...