“Gentlemen, looking forward to the start of the new term?” he asked.
“Of course. It always brings new and exciting things,” Louis said.
“Yes, it should be a year full of growth,” I answered.
“Finn and Ryder are in excellent hands,” Kaleb said and then smiled.
“Thank you, Kaleb,” I said as Louis replied with something similar.
Kaleb didn’t chitchat long. It was only polite for him to roam about the room and say something to each mentor. He also made a point to mention each of the students by name. I knew Kaleb had reservations about Ryder, but he trusted me and allowed Ryder to be invited.
Louis and I sat at a small antique table in the corner of the lounge near the window. We talked about meeting up later for lunch with Ryder and Finn. Ryder hadn’t mentioned that he felt uncomfortable around Finn, and I hoped that was really the case.
Quietly, we watched as a silver Mercedes pulled up to the gates. A driver got out and hurried to open the three doors. A young man got out of the back along with whom I presumed was his mother. I believed it was the father who got out of the front seat. The parents hugged their son, and before they parted, the father and son shook hands.
“I think that’s Finn,” Louis said as he squinted to try to get a better look at the student.
The student approached the council at the gates while his parents got into the back seat of the Mercedes. As one of the council members pointed to the main building, the phone rang in the lounge.
“Now that is a fine-looking Omnia,” Viktor said loudly, to no one in particular. “Tall and strapping.”
Each time a student arrived, Viktor made some positive comment about him. The comments had all been loud enough for me to hear, just to try to get under my skin because Ryder didn’t fit the general parameters of the student body. Quite frankly, I’d grown entirely sick of it.
“Omnia Finn Kessler has arrived,” the council member manning the phone announced.
“Louis, go get your boy,” Viktor said as he smiled.
Louis looked at me as he stood. He clasped his hand down on my shoulder as he leaned over and quietly said, “Try not to kill Viktor while I’m gone.” I huffed out a laugh. “I’ll catch up with you later, Atlas.” I nodded and returned my gaze to the window.
Most of the students arrived in quick succession after Finn. There must have been a lineup of cars waiting to deliver the students to the gate. Car after car pulled up and stopped along the curb. Each student got out of the car and said their goodbyes to their parents. Hugs were shared, multiple times in some cases.
It was ten minutes before nine, and nineteen of the twenty first-year Omnia students had arrived. I remained in the lounge with Kaleb, Hugo, and Viktor.
“There’s probably a lot of traffic,” Hugo offered as our eyes connected.
“Yes, lots of people out and about today,” Kaleb agreed.
“Nineteen perfectly fine Omnias have arrived. So it wouldn’t be any loss if the last one didn’t show up,” Viktor said as he shrugged.
“There have always been twenty new students every year. It’s tradition. We’re still missing one,” Kaleb reminded Viktor.
An important one. If notthemostimportant one. The one the head of the Reges Dei wanted.
“I’m sure we could find a perfectly fine candidate at one of the local universities who would assuredly be better suited as an Omnia,” Viktor snidely added.
“Viktor, enough!” Hugo declared.
“If you two want to continue the charade of that kid actually belonging here, then fine. I think Christos’ reputation will be damaged by bringing this boy in. I’ll play along, but I won’t give him an inch.”
“All Omnias will be treated equally. That’s been carved in stone since the beginning,” Kaleb firmly said.
“Ryder Smithwillbe treated as any other Omnia student is treated,” Hugo told Viktor.
I stepped away from the three of them and looked outside. The curb by the front gate was still empty. I pulled my phone out of my pocket when I felt the slightest vibration and looked at the screen. Will Stone’s name stared back at me.Fuck.
While Kaleb, Hugo, and Viktor bickered a short distance away, I brought the phone to my ear and said, “Hello.” I couldn’t let on as to whom I was speaking to. Too many questions would come of that.
“Has my boy arrived?”
