Gothikana

Verenmore eagerly awaits the Black Ball, now only a week away. Most students remain at the castle, despite a month-long break between semesters. Students receive attire for the ball. Corvina is given an outfit that she finds particularly incredible, and is unsurprised when she learns that Vad chose it for her. He doesn’t reveal what he will be wearing, as he wants her to show that she can find him even when he is masked.

Corvina is with her friends when she hears Mo’s voice urging her toward “that house.” She finds Ajax to go with her to the shack in the woods, and doesn’t correct Jade when Jade assumes Ajax is Corvina’s romantic partner. Corvina explains everything she and Troy saw on their last trip to the shack.

This time, when they arrive, the shack is unlocked. Inside, a woman’s body lies burnt. Ajax estimates that she died several months to several years ago. Ajax summons more investigators. Corvina bristles when he implies that Vad might have been involved in the murder. She’s confident of his innocence. Ajax is convinced, but plans to speak to Vad anyway. As she returns to her room, Corvina wonders about the woman’s murder and the silhouette she and Troy saw in the window of the shack weeks prior, since, by Ajax’s calculations, the woman was already dead.