“But Cyrus has his hands full in Slatehollow, especially being partnered with Black. And I doubt he would appreciate us giving him even more to do,” Wren said.
“Then who would you suggest?”
Wren fell silent, thinking about who he trusted enough to keep the kids safe while also not dismantling the entire operation the way he would have given half the chance. He knew he had no grounds to just ask for it to be shut down until they could fix everything. He knew Hart was right when he said baby steps were always the best way to approach change.
He had a chance now to make a difference in a way that wouldn’t get the door shut in his face at the first uncomfortable thing he said. He had a chance to fix things while still letting the other side keep enough to not look like an enemy. Not that he cared, but…appearances mattered, apparently.
He looked at Teddy, silently communicating. Who did they trust to give both sides some of what they asked for without pandering?
Teddy smiled and the answer was clear.
“Fix,” he said finally. “He loves Nexus. He respects it and thinks of it as a home. But he also loves the kids here and hewould do anything and everything to keep them safe. He would want to be a part of this.”
Gwen smiled genuinely for the first time since they’d started talking, then nodded. “Fix is a good choice. I always wanted him more heavily involved with Nexus.”
“But not Fix alone,” Wren said. “While I trust him to protect the kids, he will act on emotion first. So Hart as well.”
“Hart?”
“Hart is a rule abider to a fault. He won’t care who he’s looking at if they’re breaking the rules. I trust him to hold the instructors, and you, accountable.”
“Interesting.” She twirled her pen. “But I do see your point. If they agree, I will—”
“I have one more person,” Wren said, throwing a cheeky look at Teddy, who hadn’t expected this last one. “Eerie.”
Gwen visibly recoiled and dropped the pen. It clattered and rolled off the desk.
“Eerie,” she repeated. “Saint’s twin brother.”
“The one and only,” Wren said.
“Wren?” Teddy asked. “Why Eerie?”
“He is…unhinged,” Gwen said, coughing. “For lack of a better word.”
“Exactly,” Wren said. “We picked the judge and the jury. They need an executioner.”
“Oh, he’s gonna love this.” Teddy chuckled.
Wren grinned. “Counting on it.”
Gwen looked him in the eye and narrowed her own. “I feel like you both might be taking a bit too much pleasure in this,” she said, but it didn’t sound malicious.
“We might be.” Wren shrugged. “But I figure we’ve earned it. All things considered.”
“All things considered,” she agreed dryly. “Okay. Fix, Hart, and Eerie will be contacted and offered the new positions.Should they accept we can all sit together and decide what that would mean for Nexus.”
“Oh, with all due respect, I do not want to be involved beyond this point,” Wren said.
“But—”
“I’m not impartial. I see so many faults here it wouldn’t be productive keeping me on board. I just want things to be better, and I know people who can make it so.”
“And what about you?” Gwen asked Teddy. “You’re more than qualified for the position and you have excellent leadership skills—”
Teddy cut her off quickly. “I only want to make decisions for me for a while.”
Wren had never felt more proud.
