“What happened to you? Did you fall on your food?”
I flashed Eli my middle finger, easily translated in both languages.
He chuckled but sobered quickly. “Seriously. What happened?”
“Ran into some old friends.”
His grim expression said I didn’t have to say more.
Eli chose a good room. There were plenty of couches and a big screen mounted on the wall. He left the ceiling light off and flicked on a few lamps instead, letting a soft light fill the space.
I handed him a plate I begged off the kitchen staff. I wasn’t going back into that party.
Eli lifted his legs so I could sit under them. I sat and got comfy, reading on my tablet while he went back to his book. All in all, the night vastly improved after the first half an hour.
We stayed upstairs until irritated texts poured in from my aunt demanding to know where we got to. Eli and I met the couple at the front entrance. They took one look at me, dropped their angry faces, and went to get the car.
On the drive home, I reached across and took Eli’s hand. Julian said one thing that night that wasn’t complete bullshit. The academy was going to be hell for me.
But I won’t let anyone hurt you, I thought as I tugged him closer and put my arm around him.
Eli and I would survive Raven River Academy. Together.
Chapter Two
“YOU BOTH WILL BE ON your best behavior. I’m a busy man and I don’t have time to be running to the school to deal with nonsense.”
I repeated my uncle’s warning to Eli even though I wanted to ask when we weren’t on our best behavior. We quietly skulked around their house like ghosts for the last month, heeding every one of their restrictive rules.
The three of us were standing next to the driveway as their driver, Monroe, put our bags in the car. He would be dropping us off at the academy since my uncle was too busy with work to make the forty-five-minute drive.
Aunt Violet hadn’t bothered to come down to say goodbye, and my uncle wasn’t giving us much of one.
“Your room and meals are provided by the school and your aunt generously bought you new clothes,” he continued. “You won’t need anything else, so do not ask. Understood?”
“Understood.”
Eli gave him a thumbs-up.
He nodded. “Good. Now get going. You have a meeting with the headmistress about the accommodations for Eli. She’s giving you a personal tour of the school. We can’t have her kept waiting.”
Uncle Harrison made no move to hug us and neither did we.
“Goodbye, Uncle,” I said. “Should we expect to come back for winter break?”
His straight-backed, stiff-lipped expression didn’t waver. “I don’t believe that will be necessary.”
There wasn’t more to say after that. The two of us climbed into the car and Monroe drove away from Bancroft Mansion.
Eli tapped me on the shoulder. “Our uncle is a dick.”
I snorted. “A wrinkly, hairy, veiny one with sores and warts that pulls to the left.”
My brother almost fell off the seat laughing.
Giggling, I signed, “But at least he took us in.”
“Yeah. And then he sent us to school with your old friends. After the party, he can’t pretend he doesn’t know it’s going to be bad for us.”
I touched my temple, and the cut healing under my bandage. “Nothing is going to be bad for you, Eli. I’ll fuck up anyone who messes with you.”
He shot me a lopsided grin. “I know, but you’re a senior and I’m a freshman. You can’t protect me all the time.”
“Who says?”
“I’m more worried about you, sis.” Eli touched my bandage too.
I wanted to tell him something to comfort him, but everything I came up with felt like a lie. I couldn’t say he didn’t have to worry about me. Julian, Pomona, and their friends made it clear that he did.
I reached in my purse and handed Eli my tablet. The most effective conversation-ender was distracting my brother with games and books.
He took it, although he gave me a look like he knew what I was doing.
On the crude town map I drew for Eli, I pointed out the forest and private land on the outskirts. The only private patch bigger than the one my parents got their hands on was Raven River Academy’s. Actually, I couldn’t compare the two. The school founders secured fifty acres across the river and leveled every tree, bush, and twig for dorms, fields, classrooms, and a pool. The Estate spawn were built their own oasis.
I stuck my headphones in and rested my head against the window, lulled by the town falling away as the trees closed in.
At some point I nodded off and was jostled awake at the car rumbling over the bridge. Eyes fluttering open, my vision cleared.
I sucked in a breath.
Raven River Academy rose from the horizon like the sun rising from the sea. And it was magnificent.
Monroe passed through the gates. I pressed myself between the seats to get a better look. Creeping ivy wound up the stone façade passing large windows and reaching to the clock tower. Fifty acres and as far as I could see were stately buildings, flower gardens, spilling fountains, and one or two students strolling across the grass.
Monroe turned into a parking space and hopped out to get our bags. He deposited them on the sidewalk and climbed back in as we shut the doors. Skipping the goodbye, he peeled out and was gone.
Sighing, I gave Eli what I hoped passed for a smile. “The headmistress said she’d meet us at the entrance.”
“Did she seem nice?”
“She did actually. Makes it kind of hard to believe she birthed the likes of Julian Hart.”
Eli and I crossed the parking lot and walked onto campus. Cobblestone paths snaked through the grass and converged into one that led to the main building. There were students around but not that many. Move-in began on Saturday at noon and Mrs. Hart asked us in early.
My brother skipped ahead of me as we neared the double doors. A woman stood beneath the arch in a smart blazer, skirt, and kitten heels. Unsurprisingly, Headmistress Hart did not dye her hair silver like her son but her honey blond hair was striking nonetheless. Every other bit of her resembled Julian. Long lashes, full lips, and beauty that couldn’t be disguised behind thick-framed glasses.
Mr. Hart cheated on a smart, successful woman who looks like this? Is there any hope for the rest of us?
“Good morning, Eli,” she said warmly. “I’m Headmistress Hart. It’s wonderful to meet you. I’m sorry to say my sign language is rusty but your sister tells me you’re comfortable reading lips. I hope you don’t mind if we communicate like this.”
“It’s all good,” I interpreted for Eli.
“Wonderful. Now Ember and I had a great discussion about ways to facilitate your learning here at Raven River. I’ve hired an interpreter and a notetaker to accompany you to your classes.”
“Thank you,” Eli and I said.
“First, let me show you to the dorms so you can drop those bags in your rooms.” She made a clucking noise. “Speaking of, those must be heavy. I’ll take that.”
I let her slip the duffle off my shoulder, too confounded to stop her. It had been that long since someone was nice to me.