Emilia didn't have time to scream her best friend's name or make any sort of alarming noise. She quickly herded the children outside the dining room while Madame Dolores checked him out. Then she rushed to his side and crouched.

His face was as white as a sheet and his eyes were closed. Dark, spidery veins creeped over his eyelids, and his eyeballs were moving this way and that, as though he was in a dream state. His breathing was laboured, his mouth open to let in gulps of air.

The bags below his eyes had a greenish tinge to it, which clearly indicated a sort of food poisoning. Emilia...