I sighed as I closed my laptop. Whatever Evergreen Academy was or had been, its online presence was tiny andunremarkable. Whatever research was going on at the campus today, its leadership certainly didn’t want the public to know about it.
Next, I searched for Professor East and found his bio on the Siskiyous Community College webpage. After a slew of accolades and degrees from well-known universities and publications in academic journals, there was a single-line entry noting that he was a distinguished researcher with the Evergreen Academy.
If Professor East was a biology instructor, with a Ph.D. in Ecology, that had to mean that Evergreen Academy was science connected, didn’t it? Or was it a full-service college like SCC and bigger than I’d been imagining?
I changed tactics once more and did some digging into the property that encompassed Evergreen Academy. After a deep dive into public records on land ownership, I came across something curious. The area registered under the academy’s name was about forty acres, but there was an attached parcel registered to Perennial Farms for another one hundred acres. I recognized the farm name from our local farmers’ market.
Was there a connection, or did the two pieces of land happen to be neighbors? If there was a connection, the academy grounds were sitting at nearly one hundred fifty acres, much larger than I’d anticipated.
I dug around for another hour, finding a very basic website for Perennial Farms, but didn’t manage to uncover anything revealing. Like that of the academy, its digital footprint was incredibly thin. I didn’t know what to make of that for either place, especially now that I knew the academy was active. Itseemed impossible for an individual, let alone an entire academy, to keep such a low profile online these days.
The dark-haired guy from the forest entered my mind again. The whole interaction had been so strange. He’d been there in the middle of the night, all alone. If I hadn’t been about to touch the stone ring, would he have made his presence known at all? I had a thousand questions about the academy, and I knew myself well enough to know that I was going to struggle to relax my curiosity between now and Monday.
I took a break to water the flowers on the tiny balcony of our building, paying special attention to the climbing rose plant—lovingly nicknamed Rosie—that had been in my family for generations. The petals were a vibrant watermelon pink, and my mom had always told me I’d been named Briar Rose after the plant.
Aunt Vera and I had been carefully keeping it alive since my mom passed away, not wanting to let down either my mom or any previous generations of Belroses. As I looked at Rosie climbing a trellis against the siding of the house, I pictured the entrance to Evergreen Academy and the swirling leaves and vines on the logo.
“Stop worrying about it,” I finally said aloud before letting out a deep breath. I put in my headphones, settled into the red Adirondack chair with my sketchbook, and stretched my legs out under the hanging string lights.
My heart rate slowed as I allowed the work with my hands to calm the endless questions. Come Monday morning, one way or another, I’d have answers about Evergreen Academy.
Chapter Six
When I showed up for my Friday morning shift at the bakery, Aunt Vera was already in the back room, rolling out dough for the homemade cookies that flew off the shelves.
“Good morning, B.”
“Hi, Aunt Vera. Sugar cookies today?”
She nodded. I pulled on one of the floral aprons and washed my hands in the sink, the smell of the lemon soap invigorating me. The morning shift at the bakery required rising before the sun. Fortunately, I was an early bird. It was the one superpower I felt I could truly claim.
As I washed and towel-dried my hands, I debated telling my aunt that I would be visiting the Evergreen Academy on Monday. I’d told Maci I would wait until after, but now I felt strange not mentioning it.
My aunt had been my guardian since I was twelve, and we talked about almost everything. Still, she’d always encouragedme to have my independence, and part of that was respecting my personal space. She’d made an even bigger effort to convey that now that I’d turned eighteen.
Aunt Vera spoke before I could. “How was school this week?”
“It was good. Actually…” I steeled myself, deciding I wanted her opinion more than I wanted my privacy. “Something interesting happened in biology class. The professor thinks I might be a good fit for a research project.”
“Really? That’s wonderful. What kind of project?”
“I don’t know the details yet, but”—I turned away from her, hiding my face by sifting through the mixing bowls—“it’s through the Evergreen Academy.”
“The Evergreen Academy?”
“You know, the one off of Highway?—”
“Yes, yes, I know it. I’m just surprised. I didn’t know they invited local college students there.”
“I didn’t either. To be honest, I’m not surewhyI was invited. Professor East said he would explain more once we were out at the campus.”
“And when are you going?”
“Monday. After my classes.”
My aunt finished rolling and began to section the dough with various floral-shaped cookie cutters. “Well, that sounds exciting. You’ll tell me all about it afterward?”
I felt my shoulders relax, relieved that she didn’t seem to have any concerns about my going. “Of course.”
