Why wouldn’t she be nice? If Julian is to be believed, Mom and Dad ripped off and humiliated her cheating ex. She probably wants to give them a medal.
Headmistress Hart stepped around me and went back the way we came. She chose a path that took us around the main building. I took in the grounds as I followed her. The school seemed to go on forever. Just on this side I spotted a tennis court and two gazebos that were perfect for spending the day outside studying.
We rounded the building and more appeared before us. The gym, the swimming pool, the dining hall, and just past all of them, the dorm.
Hart gestured at the building. “Here we are. Hilliard Hall. I believe you’ll be very comfortable here. Each room has an attached bathroom and a cozy book nook by your desk.”
Eli’s face lit up. My excitement was slower.
“Headmistress, about those exceptions...?”
“Oh, yes.” Her cheery smile melted away. “Ember, I’m not blind to the situation you’re in and I want you to know I did consider your request, but the rules are clear in that we don’t allow opposite genders to share a room even if they are siblings. And we also require roommates to be in the same grade. If I make exceptions for you, I’d have to do it for everyone.”
Eli swung around, face screwed up. “You tried to get yourself in my room? Like I want my big sister getting in the way.”
“Getting in the way of what?”
He grinned. “All the drugs and girls I’m going to do.”
I smacked him upside the head, startling a gasp out of Hart. Eli turned big eyes on the headmistress, lips trembling as he pointed at me.
“You little—” I pounced and wrestled him into a headlock. Eli cried out, flailing at me.
“Ember,” Hart began, looking uncomfortable. “You shouldn’t—”
“It’s fine,” I said happily. “This is my divine right as his older sister. So about the rooms, can we at least be next to each other?”
“Well...” Hart gently extracted Eli from my hold. The little gremlin darted behind her and stuck his tongue out at me. “No. Grades are on separate floors. Freshmen on the first and seniors on the fourth. The good news is the senior class has an odd number, so you’ll have your own room.”
“What about Eli?”
“His roommate is a lovely, talented young man. I interviewed him myself. I’m sure the boys will get along well.”
I beckoned for Eli. He slid under my arm, our little scuffle forgotten. “Headmistress, I want to be very clear... I won’t let anyone hurt him.”
She held my gaze steadily. “And I want to be clear that neither will I. Nor you, Ember. The well-being of my students is my top priority.”
Your son and his friends may have other priorities.
“Okay,” I said aloud. “Let’s see this dorm.”
It was no shock that the dorms were pretty sweet. We passed through a small front room with two chaises and a water fountain. Directly in front of us was the elevator and on either side were two heavy doors.
“We house both boys and girls in this dorm but they have their own wing—which is locked and accessible by code.” Hart motioned to the keypad. “Eli, this is your hall. The lock is turned off during move-in weekend but be sure to know the code and have your room key with you by start of class on Monday. All doors lock automatically after they’re closed.”
He nodded and she continued on, leading us two rooms down to a door on the right. Inside, were two full-size beds, soft clean carpet, thick drapes on the window, and two big desks next to the book nooks she promised. On the other side of the desk was a microwave sitting on top of a mini-fridge.
Eli went to check out the bathroom while I placed his bags on the bed near the window.
“I think he’ll be okay here while I show you to your room,” said Hart. “He can start unpacking and we’ll come back for him to start the tour.”
“No, that’s okay,” I said, not pausing to think about it. “We’ll stay together.”
She smiled. “Of course.”
The dorm was half the size of Eli’s old room and would be shared with another person, but he seemed pleased with it. I tugged him away from the book nook and the two of us fell in behind our headmistress.
The elevator carried us up and deposited us on the senior floor. I whistled.
“Wow,” I said. “Who’s your decorator?”
She laughed. “The seniors. As a treat, we allow students to put their own stamp on the floor.”
Their own stamp was a small way of putting it. A roaring, grasping Kraken emerged from the sea to wrap me in its tentacles and drag me to the depths. The detail on the creature was that good. Surging waves, mermaids, and fish glittering with sparkly paint covered the wall and flowed as far down as the emergency exits—which had two cute guppies pointing out the sign.
My lips ticked up in a grin. Whoever painted these was seriously good.
“The last week of the school year,” Hart went on, “following finals, we have events, games, parties, and a fun time getting out the paint and transforming these bland beige walls. It’s a great way to connect and build bonds as a school family.” She leveled me with that killer smile. “That’s why I honestly feel you both will be safe and happy here. Our students are bright, kind, and hard-working. In my time as headmistress, it’s rare that we’ve had a behavior problem that wasn’t addressed by open communication.”
I pressed a hand to my bandage. There’s definitely some open communicating I wanted to do with Pomona.
“This way, Ember.”
Eli slowed down, checking out the artwork as Hart took me to the room at the very end. There wasn’t a soul up here I could see or hear, so I let him stay in the hall and threw my things on a bed. The layout was the same as Eli’s though half of my room would be bare.
I could put the beds and the desks together and make this place my own.
I had no delusions about what this year will be like, but at least at the end of the day, I can come back to a nice, quiet room.
My mood perked up thinking of what I’d do in here. I might even give myself a little makeover. It’d been a while since I dyed my hair. Aunt “Bottle-Brunette” Violet looked at me like I said I wanted to buy her a puppy and then kill it in front of her when I asked to borrow the car to get hair dye. She nearly fainted when I said what color.
“Headmistress, I read in the handbook that we can’t dye our hair but that’s not enforced, right?”
She cocked her head. “What do you mean?”
“I mean... Julian dyes his hair.”
“Ah.” Hart pinched the bridge of her nose. “The rule is enforced. No colors outside of natural ones. Except my darling son made the impassioned speech that silver is a natural hair color or have I never met an elderly person. A smart, spirited boy he is.”
“That’s not all he is,” I muttered under my breath.
“Pardon?”
“That’s too bad,” I said louder. “I was looking forward to some blue streaks.”
Hart laughed like I told a joke. “Come along. There is plenty more campus for you to see.”
She wasn’t kidding. Headmistress Hart took us through the main building and showed us the classrooms, lockers, administration, the nurse’s office, and labs. The school was exceptionally clean. The marble floors waxed to the point of showing our reflections. The lockers dent- and scratch-free. Not so much as a thumbtack on the bulletin boards.