“They are on the city council together,” Dean Bauer notes, like he thinks any of the current patriarchs of Fury Hill’s founding families might be able to hear him kissing their ass. “I’d find the will to face them no matter how bad I was feeling as well.”
Mother’s expression remains unimpressed. “Yes, you do enjoy bending over for them, don’t you, Justin?”
Beckett snorts, earning a dirty look from her. He groans, dropping his head over the back of the couch and running a hand through his black locks.
“Can we get on with things?” I say, checking the ornate gold analog clock mounted above the ebony fireplace across the room. “Some of us have classes to prepare for.”
“Right. Speaking of which, this concerns your brother’s expulsion,” the dean replies.
“I thought his board hearing wasn’t for another few weeks.”
“It was, but we had an emergency session tonight, and that’s what brings us here.”
My gaze snaps to Beckett’s.Did he know about this when he called?
“Normally, I’d say no to allowing a…troubled pupil back on campus so soon,” Dean Bauer continues, glancing at my brotheras he tugs on his tie. “But Avernia’s board has reversed their initial decision.”
My brows knit together, and I cross one ankle over the other. “How is that possible? They are aware ofwhyhe was expelled, right?”
“Thanks for having my back,” Beckett mutters.
Dean Bauer clears his throat, taking a drink of the water on the polished end table next to him. “Indeed, the board is intimately familiar with the…incidentthat occurred in the Tenarus cave last semester. However, in the short time we’ve employed you as an adjunct, you’ve proven to be more than trustworthy. No codes of conduct have ever been broken—despite several students’ attempts to sway you, that is.”
He laughs as if it’s some big joke. I roll my eyes.
Like I’d ever be so fickle as to be tempted by astudent. I was one not long ago.
They do not interest me.
“So in respecting you as a professor at Avernia, not to mention your family’s influence, the board is willing to release Beckett from his punishment. After all, I’m certain he’s had time to learn his lesson, and we’d hate to lose such a bright young mind for good.”
Beckett stretches out, hooking his long legs over the couch’s arm as he stares up at the vaulted ceiling. His index finger taps a rhythm on the sleeve of the blackCuratorblazer he wears.
Being president of the most prestigious student organization on campus had been his greatest accomplishment. It was his pride and joy, which is why it pained me so much to watch him throw it away all for some bullshit curse our father convinced him to believe in.
“That’s wonderful to hear,” Mother says, offering a small smile to my brother. “Don’t you think, darling?”
“I’m waiting for the catch.”
“No catch. Though I do think it’s important we set some ground rules.” Bauer sweeps a hand over his forehead, wiping off the sweat collecting on his pale skin. “For instance, Beckett’s previous residence in the Curator clubhouse will be revoked. He’ll be expected to live in Cadmus Hall.”
I nod. “Seems fair.”
Beckett makes a noise of disapproval. “Cadmus? Why don’t you just take me behind the Lyceum and shoot me?”
“Darling,” Mother chides. “Dean Bauer is doing you a favor here.”
“A favor,” he repeats, laughing humorlessly. “Wait til Father finds out. Cadmus is theworst-kept dorm on campus. I’d rather be stuck in Erebus with the social rejects.”
“Cadmus Hall is our newest dorm,” Dean Bauer says. “The accommodations might be sparse compared to what you’re used to at the clubhouse, but I assure you, each residence hall is safe and adequate as far as housing for college students goes.”
The dean cuts me a quick look, as if to challenge that claim. We both know the dorms are frequent targets for trouble.
Of the four acknowledged student organizations, Death’s Teeth and the Curators have the vilest histories, but only one of those is school-sponsored and on the books. After last semester, I imagine the Curator presence itself will be much less intense going forward.
At least until things die down enough that the group—which thrives on important networking opportunities to maintain their reputation—can operate without question again.
Avernia’s attention span for controversy is low despite supposedly being a university for the best and brightest. I guess not even intelligence can save you entirely from your personal biases and desires.
