I turn back to her and wrap my arms around her neck. For a long second she just stands there. Then slowly the tension drops from her shoulders and she hugs me back.
There’s a knock on the door and Layla steps away before I get a chance to tell her how much her friendship has meant to me. How I wouldn’t have survived without her. And how selfless she’s been about her brother, her twin, coming with me.
Layla opens the door and standing on the other side are two of Blackwood’s guards with their signature leather armbands and belts. I open my mouth, but Layla shakes her head as though to tell me nothing more can be said.
“Good night, November,” she says, and her words are heavy.
“See you soon, Layla,” I reply.
And just like that I walk away, knowing all too well that this might be the last time I ever see her.
I OPEN THE door to Blackwood’s cozy office and Ash is already there, sitting in one of the armchairs in front of her desk. The fireplace fills the room with the familiar scent of burning wood and there is an abundance of candles in sconces on the walls and in silver candleholders on her desk.
Blackwood gestures for me to sit down and I do, remembering the first day I met her. It was before I knew I was Strategia and way before I had any idea about the deal my dad had made—promising Blackwood I would expose Conner for the killer he was in exchange for my admittance to the Academy.
The guards close the door but remain inside.
“As requested, you two will be flown to the airport you departed from, November,” Blackwood says, and leans back in her chair. Her relaxed posture doesn’t soften her. “You’ll be responsible for yourselves from there.”
“Thank you,” I say, still a little awed that she’s letting us go.
Blackwood looks from me to Ash. “Before you travel, you’ll receive your clothes and personal effects.” She hands us each a thick envelope. “And these.”
I peek inside to find an enormous stack of hundred-dollar bills. “Holy sh—”
Blackwood gives me a look and I swallow the word, fooling no one. Ash’s eyes betray his amusement. Where in the heck did all this money come from? I’m assuming my dad, but this must be half his savings.
“Do you have any logistical questions for me?” Blackwood asks, and I can tell by the way she emphasizes logistical that she’s discouraging the type of conversation we had two nights ago, when we openly discussed her friendship with my dad. And now I’m regretting not asking her more questions about her time in the Academy with my parents—what they were like when they were my age before they ran away from Europe and their Strategia Families to hide in America.
“How do we get in touch with you if we need to?” I ask, suddenly uncertain that I want to walk away from Academy Absconditi for good.
She nods and the faintest hint of a smile appears in the corners of her eyes. “The usual way—through your Family contacts.”
I open my mouth to say that I have no idea who those contacts would be, but since the guards are in the room, I decide against it.
Blackwood looks at Ash, but he makes no effort to ask her anything. He exudes a nonchalant attitude, as though we were doing nothing more than visiting our Families for the holiday.
“Now if that’s all,” Blackwood continues, “these guards will take you to change into your travel clothes and you’ll be off.”
Ash and I stand up.
“Safe journey and I’ll see you both when you return,” Blackwood says, and even though her tone is as cold and distant as always, I get the sense that in her own way she’s wishing us good luck.
“Thanks,” I say, and smile, regretting that I didn’t thank her for the various ways she’s protected me when I had the chance to speak freely. Our conversation two nights ago was in the wake of being attacked by Conner, and my exhaustion, compounded with the realization that my dad left not one scrap of information about how to find him, made me overwhelmed and cloudy.
I take one last look at Blackwood, aware that even if we survive this crazy mission, I cannot imagine a scenario where I would leave my dad alone to come back here. And I almost can’t believe I’m thinking this, but some part of me will miss her severe attitude and her brilliant strategy games. I may never understand everything she tried to teach me, but I know I’m better for it.
Ash and I exit the room, and as the door closes behind me, it feels like the end of another chapter in my life. I didn’t realize when I left my house in Pembrook to come here that nothing would ever be the same, but as I prepare to leave the Academy, I know that once again my world is about to shift.
“They’re going to sedate us again, aren’t they?” I ask Ash as we make our way down the stairwell.
“Oh, definitely,” he says, and flashes me a smile that takes the edge off.
The guards lead us to the ground floor and through a dimly lit hallway. The guard next to Ash stops in front of a door adjacent to the teachers’ lounge and unlocks it.
“See you in America,” Ash says before disappearing into the room.
I follow the second guard to the adjoining door and he, too, unlocks it without explanation. I slip through and it clicks shut behind me. The room is small and cozy, what you might expect if someone transformed a castle into a bed-and-breakfast. It has a colorful tapestry on the wall, a large four-poster canopied bed, and an elegant desk. The fire in the fireplace heats up the room in a pleasant way.
My duffel bag sits by the end of the bed, and the blue plaid pattern and worn straps seem out of place next to the antique furniture. I run my fingers over the familiar textured fabric, and as I undo the black zipper, I realize it still smells like my house.
Inside are bits of home that make my heart ache—my pine tree pillowcase from my bed, an old T-shirt of my dad’s that I stole for pajamas a few years back, and a pair of vegan leather fingerless gloves that Emily and I bought last year, convinced we would start a fashion trend. Turns out they weren’t warm enough for winter and were too hot for summer, making them useful for only about two weeks in the fall when the air was just turning crisp—which caused us to wear them every day so we could get our money’s worth and also caused our friends to make endless remarks about our biker gang. Emily didn’t care, insisting that Pembrook just wasn’t big enough for any original ideas.
My chest lifts at the memory and a zing of anticipation runs through me. I slip out of my wool cloak, white linen Academy shirt, and black leggings, discarding them on the floor. I trade my uniform for my favorite jeans and a comfy sweater. Home. I’m headed home. I sit down on the end of the bed and fish my tall brown boots out of the suitcase.