Chapter 40
My entire body is shaking from the adrenaline crash as we make our way to the dining hall next door. The reality has barely sunk in. They really did it. They saved me.
I won’t be getting expelled. I get to stay and keep my magic, my memories, and my connection to my father.
“You okay?” Max asks, grabbing my arm when I stumble over nothing.
“I don't know,” I admit. “I think so. I just can't believe that actually worked. I think I might be a little in shock.
“We weren't about to let them take you without a fight,” Callista states.
I swallow against the knot in my throat. “Thank you.” The words feel insignificant in comparison to the impact of the situation.
Delilah takes my hand and squeezes it twice. “That's what friends do.”
We all grab coffee before reconvening at a table.
“How did you manage to get everyone together like this?” I ask Max. “Especially Alaric.”
“I went to these ladies’ dorm rooms first, and then we may have marched down to Dr. Vale’s house and threatened him slightly.”
“You what?” I laugh.
“Well, it started off with me going off on him about you potentially getting expelled, but when I told him about the expulsion hearing, he was furious. Apparently, nobody had told him.
“I’ll definitely need to talk to him later,” I say. “The last time we spoke, things did not end on a good note.”
“Well, he showed up for you today and gave up his anonymity to the entire board and administration. That has to count for something,” Callista chimes in.
“It does. I didn’t know anything about that. I can’t believe his dad is president of the board.”
“Which means he’s at least half Fae, which totally makes sense in retrospect,” Delilah says. “You’ll have to ask him about that. I’d be interested to know how many traits carry over if someone is only part Fae.”
“I was planning on it.”
“Actually, you should go now,” Max urges. “Otherwise you’ll have to go through two classes thinking about it before even maybe having a chance to talk to him. He’s probably still in the castle talking to his dad. Everyone reconvene at our dorm tonight at six tonight?”
We all agree on meeting up, and I follow Max’s advice and rush back over to the castle.
The door to the meeting room is cracked open, and I pause to listen before I enter. It sounds as if everyone has left aside from Alaric and his father, who are speaking in hushed tones.
I catch fragments of the conversation—“reckless,” “necessary,” “we’ll discuss this later”—but can’t quite make out full sentences.
I don’t want to interrupt, but I’m also desperate to talk to Alaric, so I push the door open.
The voices stop, and I wave awkwardly.
“We’ll speak about this later,” Mr. Escher says in a low tone before striding out of the room, nodding politely at me as he leaves.
Alaric and I stare at each other for a moment. He looks exhausted but relieved,
“Hi,” I say, because I can't think of anything more eloquent.
“Hi.” He smiles, moving toward me until we’re inches apart. Before I can speak, he says, “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you everything sooner. I was desperate to protect my anonymity because it was crucial to my goals here.”
“So you basically just gave up everything you’ve been working toward to protect me?”
He nods, and I blow out a slow breath, realizing that his confession had more levity than I’d originally thought.
“I would do anything for you,” he murmurs, tucking a strand of my wild hair behind my ear. “You're worth every secret, every sacrifice, and every risk. And I’m going to explain everything to you, starting now.”
“Okay,” I whisper.
He glances around, then asks, “Walk with me? I’d like to get outside where there’s less of a chance of being overheard.”
We walk in silence as we make our way down the castle steps and along the winding path through campus until we reach the stairs to the beach near the freshman dorms.
We find a fallen tree trunk to sit on, and I wait patiently for him to explain.
“I’m going to tell you something first that will change everything for us,” he says, “and I’m trusting you to not tell anyone else or use this information for gain.”
“Okay…”
“As I’m sure you deduced, I’m half Fae, which means I inherited a lot of Fae traits. One of those is the inability to lie.”
My brow furrows as I think back on all the previous conversations we’ve had.
“I can misdirect, and I can pretty cleverly avoid questions, but straight-out lying is impossible for me. It’s one of the rather infuriating traits I’ve inherited.
” He laughs bitterly. “My heritage is also why my magic is different from yours. Anyway, I did transfer to Arcadia to get away from my family name, but I also came because I suspected something suspicious was going on here.”
“What kind of something?”
“I'm not entirely sure yet. But there are whispers among the board members, rumors that they're considering shutting down the academy. Nobody will tell me why, and my father either doesn't know or won't say. So, I came here to investigate. My ‘research’ that I’ve been referring to is really just a cover for what I’m really investigating.”
My mind races, connecting dots. “Do you think the mushrooms might be linked to your investigations? Is that why you’ve been so obsessed with them?”
“I think they might be, but it’s difficult to know. I was curious if they were connected to whatever’s causing the board’s concern, considering I’m suspicious they may be influenced by dark magic, but I’m still missing so many pieces. I don’t know how anything ties in yet.”
“And things with Dr. Aldrich?”
“I believe the Chancellor is aware of why the board is trying to shut the academy down and is fighting against it. From everything I’ve heard, she and her daughter are very close, and I thought I might be able to charm the information out of her.
Not one of my better ideas,” he admits with clear regret.
“I also knew who Charles and Melinda were when you first told me about the letter, but I have reason to believe they’re working behind the scenes with the Chancellor.
I was worried you’d seek them out if you learned they were your grandparents, and I let my fear of you getting harmed cloud my judgment. ”
I take his hand and squeeze it tightly. “Well, now that I know, I’ll do everything I can to help you, as long as it doesn’t involve watching you flirt with other women anymore,” I tease.
“Deal. Although, I worry that the Chancellor knowing my identity now will raise some red flags and make the endeavor much harder than I initially thought.”
Between our chaotic classes as finals week approaches, it takes two days for all of us to gather enough evidence to be certain about what happened to Mitchell that night in the forest. Two days of piecing together statements from other students, potential motives of our suspect, and timelines.
AJ is the one who provides the final piece. When I finally work up the courage to tell him what had happened with my expulsion hearing and what we suspect—that his brother was murdered by Clarissa—he goes very still before he explodes in rage.
“She was acting weird that night at the ball,” he seethes.
“She was way friendlier than normal and kept encouraging Mitchell to drink more and more, almost forcing it on him, before she dragged him out to leave. It was weird though, because he had told me earlier that week that they’d been fighting nonstop because she was stressed about making sure she kept her top spot in the class, and he had the gall to make a joke about taking it from her. ”
“Do you think she’d be callous enough to kill him?” I ask gently.
“I don't know, maybe, but if she did this, if she took my brother from me and then tried to frame you for it…” he trails off, burning with rage at the very thought.
“We’re trying to prove it,” I assure him. “And if she did it, she’ll face consequences.”
We bring everything to Alaric that evening, who spreads the evidence across his dining room table. We have written witness statements, timeline reconstructions, and a copy of the toxicology report showing hemlock in Mitchell's system.
“This is solid,” he says after reviewing it all. “But we need to be smart about how we present it. I’d bet anything that the Chancellor will try to protect Clarissa since she's been defending her from the start.”
“Why would she care so much about protecting her?” I ask.
“Clarissa's parents are influential and major donors to the academy. They’re the kind of people the Chancellor can't afford to alienate.” Alaric's expression is grim. “Which is why we need to go around her.”
He uses one of the payphones in the staff housing area to call his father, explaining the situation and emphasizing that the Chancellor can't be informed until the last possible moment. His father listens, asks a handful of questions, and then agrees to arrange another hearing.
The second hearing happens three days later, and unlike my expulsion hearing, this one is kept secret until the last moment.
Clarissa is summoned to the conference room from class with no explanation, and her confusion is evident as she enters the conference room to find the full board seated before her.
The Chancellor is there too, and the flash of surprise on her face when she sees Clarissa tells me she wasn't informed about the details of this meeting either.
“What's going on?” Clarissa asks, maintaining her politeness for now.
“Miss Alder, you've been called to answer questions regarding the death of Mitchell Langley,” Mr. Escher states.
The color drains from her face. “I already gave a statement. I told you, Vivian Harver—”
“We have new evidence,” he interrupts. “Evidence that contradicts your previous testimony.”
What follows is beautifully methodical and devastating.
Alaric presents the timeline, showing that Clarissa had the opportunity to poison Mitchell.
AJ provides testimony about their relationship troubles and Clarissa’s strange behavior the night of the ball.
I re-explain the hostility she'd shown me from day one, establishing her motive to frame me.
Throughout it all, Clarissa grows paler, her denials less confident and less convincing.
Then comes the final blow.
“During a search of your dormitory this morning,” Mr. Escher says, “we recovered this.” He holds up a small, brass key that I instantly recognize.
“Dr. Vale's missing greenhouse key, the one that provides access to the restricted garden where hemlock is cultivated. Can you explain how it came to be in your possession?”
Clarissa's mouth opens and closes, but no words come out. The Chancellor leans forward as if to speak, but Mr. Escher raises a hand to stop her.
“Miss Alder, do you have anything to say in your defense?”
After a long moment of total silence, Clarissa's shoulders slump, and when she speaks, her voice is small. “No.”
Her confession hangs in the air with finality.
“Then this hearing is concluded. Security will escort you to collect your belongings.”
“So she’s getting expelled?” I ask Alaric after Clarissa is taken away by two security guards. Once the meeting had concluded, he’d gone up to talk to his father alone.”
“Unfortunately not. They’re allowing her to transfer to the other magical academy in South America, but she won’t receive any academic honors and won’t be allowed to set foot on this island ever again.”
I stare at him in disbelief. “That's it? She murdered someone, and she gets sent to a different school? That’s not fair at all.”
“Life is never fair when politics and power are involved,” he says solemnly.
Despite my relief that she’s been convicted, white hot anger that flares in my chest. Because she comes from a wealthy, influential family, she’ll receive a slap on the wrist for taking someone’s life.
I want to scream at these people and demand real justice, but I know I need to pick my battles, and this is one I can’t win.