“Yes, Dean Christie, of course,” Konstantin said, the little suck-up.
“Goodnight,” I said, “and thank you.”
“An attack on one of us is an attack on us all,” she said coldly. I almost felt sorry for the bastard when she found him. Dean Christie was relentless when it came to finding anyone who triedto kill a student. Now, severely injuring a student? That washerspecialty.
I followed her out into the hall in a foolish burst of courage.
“Yes, Miss Morozova?”
“I have to ask,” I said, “this challenge today; the potential for fatalities was so high. Why did you…?” Shifting my feet nervously, I wondered how you asked someone as terrifying as the Dean why she would come up with a challenge with the potential to severely maim half the student body.
“Why did I craft this specific challenge?” she finishes for me. “Sometimes, it is necessary to weed out the weak links.”
“Weak links?”
“Good night Miss Morozova.” Her heels click as she strolls down the hallway. Damn the woman, she’s just left me with more questions.
Lucca and Tatiana slip into the hall the moment the door closes behind her.
“How did that go?” Lucca said, his arm tight around Tatiana.
“She asked a lot of questions about the attack. Someone hit Kon in the back of the head with a rock and then kicked in his broken ribs,” I said.
“It sounds like they wanted to incapacitate him so he’d drown, making it look like an accident,” he said. “That’s how I would approach it as an assassination.”
“Not the time for your spot-on assassination analysis, sweetheart,” Tatiana scowled, linking arms with me.
Lucca’s eyes widen. “Sorry.”
“Let’s go see if Konstantin looks as crappy as I feel,” Tati says, pulling me back down the hall to his room.
“I already used that line,” I snicker, “you need to come up with some new material.”
“There’s just something so enjoyable about tormenting a Russian Mid-dick on his sickbed when he can’t get up to murder you,” she smiles happily.
“Mid-dick?” Lucca asks, clearly offended. “What the hell is that?”
“A Mid-dick, MDE for short, is a self-described badass who struts around campus as if he’s just saved all mankind when in reality, he still has to be reminded to put his sweaty, disgusting clothes in the hamper and eat with his mouth closed,” I add sweetly.
“Dirty clothes? Hamper? Are you talking about me out there?” Konstantin calls out.
Tati and I just howl, leaning against each other for support while Lucca looks equal parts outraged and confused. “Are you sayingI’ma Mid-dick?”
“A Mid what?” Kon shouts.
We push Lucca into the room to keep Kon busy while we attempt to recover. “I needed that laughsomuch,” I wheeze, wiping my eyes. “It’s a lie, of course. Those two radiate BDE like some kind of pheromonal beacon. It’s a miracle they haven’t been attacked by a crowd of women, zombified by lust.”
“Instead of groaning‘braaaains,’the lust zombies are calling‘diiiick’,”Tatiana said, and we both crack up again, cackling like demented witches.
Chapter Seventeen
In which Konstantin is as unbelievable as that six-legged calf.
Chemical - Post Malone
Mariya…
Lucca is telling Kon about the results of the Leader’s Challenge when we finally make it into the room and just like that, my good mood is gone.
