“Thank you,” I said. As Atlas and I walked slowly toward music and voices, I took a slow sip and instantly hated sparkling water. “Mmm, that was not as refreshing as I thought it was going to be,” I said quietly so only Atlas could hear.
“Sparkling water is a bit of an acquired taste,” he added.
“Do you like it?”
“Not particularly, but it’s drinkable.”
“You had the option of champagne. You should have gone for that. I wonder what he would have done if I had reached for the champagne?”
“He would have looked at me to take care of reminding you that you’re only eighteen.”
“Ah, I see. So everything falls back on you,” I teased while I glanced around at the abstract art on the wall. I’d taken art as a credit in high school, and we’d taken some field trips to art museums in Los Angeles. I tried to see if I recognized any of the artwork on these walls, but so far nothing looked familiar.
“For the most part, nearly everything related to you is my responsibility.” Atlas’ tone sounded as though he was proud of the fact so much hinged on him. He didn’t at all sound annoyed or weighed down by the task.
“You don’t sound like you’re bothered by having to babysit me for four years.”
“Absolutely not. I have the distinct pleasure of guiding you through a transitioning time in your young adult life. It’s not something I take lightly, nor do I find it to be a burden.”
I still found that to be so odd. No one close to me had ever really wanted to help me with anything before. It was hard for me to grasp now.
“Mmm.” Atlas made a brief noise and then pulled the glass away from his mouth. “Here comes the headmaster and dean of the academy.”
I looked in the direction of two men walking toward us. My heart started to pound quicker, and I was suddenly nervous about my tie as I tried to guess which one of the two was Headmaster Hugo Vetter. I remembered he was the one who signed my invitation letter along with Kaleb. One had salt and pepper hair, and the other had gray hair that was cut much shorter than the other man’s, almost like a buzz cut but more stylish. Both were tall and looked to be probably about the same age.
“Evening, Atlas!” the man with the salt and pepper hair said as he held his hand out toward Atlas.
“Hello, Hugo.” Atlas shook his hand.
Got it… Salt and pepper man is the man in charge, and that makes buzz cut the dean.
“Good to see you, Atlas,” the buzz cut man said as they shook hands.
“Hello, Viktor.”
All eyes swung toward me.
“Gentlemen, this is Ryder Smith. Ryder, this is Headmaster Hugo Vetter, and the dean of the academy, Viktor Svendsen.” I paid close attention to how Atlas pronounced Viktor’s last name.
“Hello, Headmaster Vetter,” I said and made sure to look into his eyes while I spoke. I shook hands with the dean and made eye contact with him as well. “Hello, Mr. Svendsen.”
“It’s lovely to meet you in person, Ryder. I trust you’re doing well,” Hugo said as he looked at me and then at Atlas.
“Yes, thank you.” I swallowed hard as I flashed back to when Atlas sent two men to pick me up literally while on the street.
“You’re our mystery student this year,” Viktor said as he studied me.What did that mean? Was that bad?“It’s good to finally be able to put the name with a breathing body.”
I smiled and opened my mouth to speak but Atlas beat me to it.
“In the fall there’s a meet and greet of sorts for incoming students to meet some of the staff. It also gives staff the chance to get to know the students.”
“I see. That sounds nice and like a good opportunity for the student to ask questions,” I said.
“It affords us some time with each student and their family,” Viktor said.
Oh. Yeah, that family thing.
“You can learn a lot about a student by watching their interactions with their family,” he added.Was he trying to be a dick and rub it in my face that I wasn’t here with a family?
