I look at Cleo, who is holding Tabby’s hand, almost in tears. I forgot Cleo had come to the academy from Plethora. That must be her home where the attack happened.
“Cleo, I’m sure everything is okay with your family,” Holly says on her other side.
Dean Bellows continues her speech. “You will see increased guard presence around the borders of the Academy, outside the Wards and on the way to Academy Hollow. Do not worry. This is for our protection.”
I look at Brix as he shrugs in response. We don’t get to go off campus, so I didn’t know there was a guard to begin with.
“As you know, we vet the students who attend this academy diligently… That being said… If you have any information or suspicions related to this attack, we urge you to inform a staff member. We are all in this together. "
She ends her brief announcement, and we all file out and back to the dorms. “Hey, want to come to our room for a bit?” Holly asks a teary-eyed Cleo.
“Yeah, I think I need a distraction to keep my mind off of this.” She sniffles.
Cleo sits cross-legged on my bed, her hands twisted together in her lap. She hasn’t said much since the announcement, but she has worry written all over her face. Holly perches beside her, rubbing her back in soft, steady circles.
“If something happened to your parents, you’d know. They’d make sure you were told first.” Holly says.
“Exactly,” Brix adds, leaning against the desk. “No news is good news. They’re probably holed up safe somewhere.”
Cleo’s lips try to curve into a smile, but her eyes stay cold, distant, like someone flipped a switch off inside her.
Tabby flops dramatically onto the floor. “I mean, can we talk about how screwed up it is that any of this even happens? That innocent people get caught in the middle of a fight every time one faction decides they’re owed something?”
Sly shushes her, darting a look at the door. “Careful.”
Tabby rolls her eyes.
“Still,” Holly warns, “walls have ears. You must be careful talking like that. I’m sure the councilors have everything under control.”
“Hmph.” I respond. “The same Councilors who wanted to exile a teenager to her death simply because she hadn’t developed a sin power? Yes, I’m sure they have our best interests at heart.”
The room falls into a heavy silence. I shift on the bed beside Cleo, the words pressing against my tongue. Brix is the first to speak up and voice our very private, very treasonous thoughts. “She’s not wrong, though. Pride eats first, Greed eats second, and the rest of us fight over scraps. You’ve seen it. People in Wrath or Sloth or even Lust—” he stops, lowering his voice, “—they barely survive. But the rules are made by people who never go hungry. How is that fair?”
“It isn’t,” Sly mutters. “But you won’t hear that from anyone with power. Even those in power in our own factions. They’re too busy living in more luxury than the rest of us and taking what they can get.”
Cleo exhales, her shoulders trembling. “That’s what I hate most. They play their games, and people like us pay the price.”
We all look at her. She’s staring at the blanket, fists clenched. And then she lifts her head.
“There’s something I haven’t told you,” she whispers, like the words might shatter if she says them too loud. “About why I’m really here.”
Everything in the room seems to pause.
“You can tell us,” I say, careful, careful not to make it sound like I’m holding my breath.
Holly leans in, unwavering. “We’ve got your back.”
“My family’s not important. We’re not one of the old Gluttony bloodlines, we aren’t involved in any of the big casinos or businesses and we definitely aren’t involved with any of the Gangs who hold all the power. We never had much money, never had pull. But our family was happy. Being out of the spotlight has its perks too, and we loved each other and had a good life. I was good at tech. Always have been. Too good, apparently. I guess word spread. One day this man—well, he wasn’t really a man, more a messenger—showed up at our door. Said he was with one of the mafia families.”
Sly sits up straighter. “The gangs?”
Cleo nods. “He told my parents they had a problem that needed taken care of and they required a hacker. That they’d heard about me from the school. He wanted me to dig into another gang’s records. My parents said no, of course. They wanted me far, far away from that world.”
Her voice shakes, but she keeps going. “The man left. But he came back with others. Muscle and weapons. They made it clear that it wasn’t a request. There was… some violence. My dad still walks with a limp.” Her hands twist tighter. “So I did it. I hacked into the other family’s accounts. I didn’t go looking for anything, just got in and handed control over. And when I finished, they handed us more money than we’d ever seen. Enough to fix things for a while, more food, more supplies for my parents’ store. Medicine in case we got sick.”
Cleo swallows hard. “I thought that was it. One job. I was a high school student after all. But a year later, he came back. He said he’d made arrangements for my career after school. I’d be working for them full time. After I graduated from SinVail Academy.”
My stomach drops. “What?”
