"You're on there, aren't you?" Evan spoke quietly, reigning in the anger that was starting to bubble low in his belly. His voice was thankfully even, though Camelia started trembling under his arm at his words.
Aria answered, her normally chipper voice low. "Yes, she is." Her dark eyes narrowed, and she said, viciously, "Who the fuck would do something like this?"
It was a question that Evan wanted to know the answer to as well. His immediate urge was to rip the paper down from theboard, and pray that as few people had seen it as possible. The reasonable part of him knew that this was likely bigger than one notice, though, and that doxxing of this sort was something that had been systematically in the works for likely weeks. Maybe months.
"I...I don't..." Camelia's voice was soft and uncertain, and she turned away from Aria to bury her face in Evan's side. She shook even more, though Evan wasn't sure if she was crying or just in shock. "What is happening, Evan?"
Her plaintive words stoked Evan's anger even further, and he set his jaw firmly as he shook his head. "I don't know. But we're going to go find out, you and me."
He tugged her a little, and Aria released her hold on Camelia's other arm without complaint. She watched the two of them carefully, and was apparently satisfied by what she saw because she nodded, taking a step away. "Text me what happens, Lia," she said, glaring at the list one more time before she turned on her heel and marched away. Other students gave her a wide berth, and Evan couldn't stop a tiny, vicious smile from tugging at the corner of his mouth at the anger that followed her around like a cloud.
She was a good friend for Camelia, that one.
Camelia looked up at him, her dark eyes wide as she swallowed. Evan met her gaze, the familiar tug of want and affection in his gut distracting him only a tiny bit from the distress on her face. "Where are we going to go?"
Evan let the smile on his face spread a little more, sharklike, and Camelia's eyes widened slightly. "We're going to go and have a nice little chat with the dean, baby."
The administrative office was quiet this time of day; most of the staff were on lunch or had already gone home for the day, but Evan knew that Dean Anders would likely be in his office for some time yet. It wasn't the first time that he had come to discuss funding for the school on behalf of the Nichols family – his father insisted that rubbing shoulders properly was a skill that he needed to learn, sooner rather than later – and so when Evan walked up to Dean Anders' assistant, her eyes lit up with familiarity as she looked up at him.
"Oh. Mr. Nichols. So nice to see you." Her eyes flicked over to Camelia, who was standing close to Evan's side, and Evan tightened his grip on her hand even as he offered the woman a tight smile.
"Dean Anders in? I need to speak to him. Rather urgently, you see."
His voice was charming and smooth despite the tension that coiled inside of him like a snake, and the woman pressed her lips together as she looked at her computer, clicking around a few times.
"His schedule is fairly busy for the rest of this afternoon, Evan..."
Evan interrupted, the slight catch in Camelia's breath making his stomach twist with anger. "We have a new donation that the Nichols family wanted to discuss giving to the institution. I'm sure he could spare five minutes to speak to me today?"
He offered another smile, though he could feel that the edges of this one were sharp, a little less diplomatic than he usually was in this office. The assistant noticed, her stern expression faltering slightly as she looked up at him. She glanced back at the computer, pressing her lips together tightly for one more second before she turned back to him, pulling her cardigan snugly around her shoulders as she nodded. "He has ten minutes beforehe has to leave for his next meeting. If you make it fast, he can speak to you now."
Evan nodded once. "Thanks." He turned away from the poor assistant without another word, keeping Camelia close to his side as he crossed the waiting area and knocked briskly on the closed door of Dean Anders' office. He didn't wait for the man to invite them in before he opened the door, stepping inside and pulling Camelia along with him.
Dean Anders blinked up from his computer as they entered, his forehead creasing a little in confusion as he glanced at his computer, then back at them. "Evan. I...I don't have a meeting with you today..."
Evan shut the door behind him with a snap, shaking his head. "No, you don't. But we need to talk regardless." He gently nudged Camelia to sit in one of the chairs in front of the Dean's desk, choosing to stand behind her as he gently put his hands on her shoulders comfortingly, supportively. "Are you aware of the doxxing list that was posted on the main bulletin board outside the library?"
Anders' brows furrowed further. "I'm sorry, I'm unaware..."
"A list was posted exposing the status of every Alpha and Omega on campus, by class," Evan interrupted, his voice short and sharp. His temper was boiling hot, and he glared as he gently squeezed Camelia's shoulders. She was surprisingly silent, and a kernel of worry swelled n Evan's chest even as he bit out, "I'm sure that you're aware of the very concerning implications of a list like this, given the assembly that we recently had on national events."
Dean Anders' expression grew somber, and he looked at his computer as an email pinged through. He didn't respond to Evan's words, instead clicking on whatever had come through, and his lips pressed together in a grim line as he read the screen. When he turned back to Evan, his entire frame had sagged alittle, and he suddenly looked about ten years older. "Yes, I'm aware. An email informing me of the list just came through, Evan. I apologize for not knowing sooner, I..."
"Are you going to do anything about this?" Camelia's voice was soft but not weak, and when Evan glanced down at her, she was meeting Dean Anders' gaze resolutely. Her shoulders tensed a little under Evan's hands, and she leaned forward a little as she said, "The list. Are you going to investigate who posted it? What kind of consequences are they going to face? This is such a horrific invasion of privacy, I can't even believe that it happened."
Her words were sharp and biting, but not shrill, and Evan felt a stab of satisfaction at the slightly dumbfounded expression on Dean Anders' face. "I...Yes, Miss..."
"Camelia Meadows." She glared. "Well?"
Dean Anders glanced back at his computer, and a hint of comprehension flashed through his eyes before he turned to look back at the two of them. "I...Yes, of course, we're going to look into this. As I said in the emergency assembly, there's nothing more important to me and the rest of the administration than the safety of students here, but..."
Camelia was already shaking her head as Dean Anders made his way through his canned speech. "That isn't good enough, sir," she said, her voice firm. "What exactly are you going to be doing to ensure mine and other Omega's safety on campus?"
Evan was a little surprised, and proud that she outed herself in such a strong, confident way. While Dean Anders likely already had the list on his computer, it was still a surprising turn that Camelia owned her status in such a way. To make a difference.
Dean Anders shifted a little, clearly uncomfortable with the line of questioning. Evan didn't let him off the hook, though. "I'm sure that he's going to be having a very serious discussion with the department heads and security staff on new measuresto protect students, Camelia," he said, narrowing his eyes as Dean Anders swallowed. "He wouldn't want the appearance of not doing anything in the face of such a public violation of student privacy, I'm sure."
Anders swallowed again, then he nodded. "Of course, Evan. It will be the first topic of discussion on the agenda during the department head meeting later this afternoon."
