Epilogue
ELLE
Opening night for Othello somehow goes off without a hitch despite all the lost rehearsal time, the injuries, and the fact that our director doesn’t show.
We consider waiting, but as the amphitheater on the far edge of campus begins filling up with all the people who bought tickets, it becomes clear that a delay will only make us look bad.
The Visio Aternae students step up, guiding everyone through the scene and costume changes, tossing lines as needed, and running around to make sure the production is a massive success.
Which it is, surprisingly. Still, when the curtain’s brought down after the final act, it’s hard not to feel a little disappointed when Sutton doesn’t join the cast onstage.
In the week and a half since his brother’s death—and his father’s, interestingly enough—I’ve barely seen him at all. At the hospital, I said I’d wait, but I had no idea at the time that it meant he’d withdraw from me completely.
I mean, I get it. But that doesn’t mean it doesn’t totally suck.
I’m sulking when my parents come up to congratulate me on the show.
Mom’s long, dark brown hair spills elegantly over her shoulders, even as she’s glued to Dad’s massive side.
Behind them are my aunt Violet and uncle Grayson, his hand around her waist at all times, and Foxe trails the pair with his hands in his pockets.
“You were fabulous, as usual,” Mom says, throwing her arms around me. Luckily, I’ve mostly healed up from the night in Tartarus, so her overcompensation doesn’t hurt anymore. “How in the world did we get so lucky with our talented kids, Kallum?”
Dad smiles softly at her. “All you, my little Persephone.”
She blushes, and my heart aches a bit.
“Actually,” Grayson says, shoving them aside, “I’d say it’s all me. We know where the performing genes come from.”
“You’re not even a blood relative,” Dad replies glibly.
“James genes are that powerful,” Grayson says, waggling his brows at Dad.
Violet groans, tucking her black hair behind her ears and pulling me in for a hug. “Save yourself and make up an excuse, or else you’ll hear this all night if you agree to dinner.”
I laugh. “Thanks for the heads-up.”
She smiles, smoothing her fingers over my cheek. “You look good, you know? When you came home last summer, something seemed off, but now…”
Dad rolls his eyes, pushing her and her husband out of the way. “All right, enough hogging my child. Why don’t you two go find the others? I know Kieran and Juliet were around here somewhere.”
“Why do we have to find your guests?” Grayson snaps, but he drags Violet off to do so anyway.
“Can’t stand that man,” Dad grumbles.
Foxe steps up, snorting. “You love him and you know it.”
“Debatable.” Dad places his hand on Foxe’s head, giving him a little shake. “You’re all right though.”
“Gee, thanks.”
Mom pulls Dad away to go talk to a few of the other actors, and Foxe rocks back on his heels, giving me a once-over. “Well,” he says, nodding, “my mom was right. You do look better than when I saw you last.”
“You too,” I note, jutting my chin at his arm. “No more cast.”
“Ah, no. Been off a while.” He sighs, scrubbing the back of his neck with one hand, looking around. “You seen Aurora today?”
“She’s my roommate,” I tell him. “But not since this morning.”
“Yeah, figures. I’m sure she’s hiding from me still.” After a moment, he shrugs, dropping his arm. “But enough of that. What’s next on the agenda for Miss Noelle Anderson?”
Shaking my head, I cross my arms over my chest. “I’m just looking forward to the summer, I think. This semester was fucking insane, and I don’t think I’ve been all that lucky in love, so maybe lying low is—”
“You haven’t?”
My back goes rigid at the sudden intrusion, goose bumps scattering along my skin. I spin around, instantly meeting moss-green eyes.
Behind my ribs, my heart thunders.
Sutton blows out a breath, pushing some of the brown hair off his forehead, and pulls his hand around from his back, presenting me with a bouquet of bright red roses. He holds them out but then seems to think better of it, bringing them to his nose to inhale instead.
“See, I brought these for my girlfriend,” he says, sighing. “But then I hear her telling some guy I’ve never met before that she’s not actually been lucky in love, and now I’m rethinking the gift. Perhaps I should have gone with yellow for friendship instead?”
“For the record, I’m a cousin.” Foxe holds his hands up in surrender.
I swallow, smirking. “I didn’t think you’d show up.”
Sutton’s brow furrows, and he steps closer, pressing the flowers into my arms. “And miss your performance on opening night? How terrible of a director would I have to be to do that?”
My trembling fingers close around the bouquet. “Well, it’s just at the hospital, you made it seem like you weren’t—”
Cupping my jaw, Sutton swoops in and seals his lips to mine, stealing the words from my mouth and the air from my lungs. I grunt in surprise, the flowers sharp where their thorns press between us, but lean into it anyway.
“Didn’t I already tell you that you’re stuck with me, Maiden?” he asks when he pulls away.
Ugh, yeah. I don’t know what’s going to happen with that organization or the roles now, but something tells me it isn’t over.
He releases me, heading for the stage, and I stand there like all the thoughts have been zapped from my entire being.
Foxe snorts. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen your face get that red.”
A speaker crackles somewhere overhead, and suddenly Sutton’s standing in the center of the stage, holding a microphone in hand.
“Can we get a round of applause for the cast of our spring final production?”
The crowd obeys, erupting in cheers and whistles.
Sutton beams with pride, something I’m realizing I haven’t seen him do before. Not to this extent at least and certainly not since the quarry.
“I was nervous with this lot, I have to say, but they worked hard, and they blew everything out of the water. It’s truly been a privilege watching them learn, grow, and work together to make this the best play it could be.”
The crowd bursts into applause again, agreement murmuring through the room.
“Which is why I’m sad to say this will be my last production at Avernia.”
A hush falls over us. My eyes widen, and I glance at Sabrina and the others where they’re mingling across the floor. She shrugs, leaning into Percy, who wraps an arm around her, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
Though he’s not fully recovered, he definitely looks better than when I last saw him. And I’m glad to see them finally giving in to each other.
When they break off to find Lexington in the crowd, congregating together like they’re the only three in the world, I hide a smirk to myself, incredibly happy to see it working out for all of them.
“See, this semester, I was lucky in a lot of ways. Teaching has been a great passion of mine for many years, and I’ve always enjoyed getting to share my love for the theater with others.
” Sutton’s eyes find mine, and I think my heart stops beating.
“But it turns out there’s something I love a bit more than the theater, and her name is Elle Anderson.
So… This is my official resignation. Thank you all for coming out. ”
Foxe and I blink at each other as he dismounts the stage.
“Did he just…”
I nod, unable to speak, even as Sutton rejoins us.
“Well?” he prompts, grinning as he removes the flowers from my hands, shoves them into Foxe’s arms, and laces our fingers together. “You wanted public. It doesn’t get much more public than that.”
Disbelief colors my thoughts. “You didn’t have to resign.”
“They were going to fire me anyway. Or make my life hell here. Until Dean Bauer is out, I’m not sure this is a safe place for me anyway, so…
it’s fine.” He reaches for my chin, tilting my face up.
“I just hope you’re still attracted to me even when we don’t have the whole student-professor thing going for us. ”
Snorting, I slide my arms around his neck, nuzzling his nose with my own. “That’s what role-play is for, right? Besides, you’re the one who said you wanted to keep me forever. No takebacks. No returns.”
He shakes his head, kissing me again. And again. And again, until Foxe gets uncomfortable and goes to find my brother.
“God, I love you.” Sutton presses his forehead to mine. “I’m sorry I made you wait so long to hear it back.”
“I would’ve waited forever for you,” I say, tangling my fingers in his hair.
Because fate, though chaotic and cruel, has no expiration date.
My throat is tight as I knock on Quincy’s office door. I think the number of plants in her office has doubled since the start of the semester.
She glances up from a book on classical sculpture when I step inside, marking her place with a highlighter.
“Have a seat,” she says, gesturing to the suede armchair across from her.
I obey, even though this is the last thing I’d like to be doing. Still, our parents insisted we work things out, so here I am.
She sighs, long and hard. Adjusts her glasses. Fidgets with the gold rings adorning her slender fingers.
I tap my foot on the ground, waiting. “Well? You summoned me here. Talk.”
“Yes, I did.” She leans back in her oversize leather desk chair. “Apologies don’t come easily to me, you know.”
“Well, we’re not starting off super strong.”
Her nose wrinkles up. “I am…sorry. For meddling, for not trusting you, for saying you didn’t have talent.
I’m sorry for it all. You were right. I was projecting, and I let my own feelings and problems interfere when I shouldn’t have.
You’re an adult. You should be able to make your own decisions and live your own life. ”
Pausing, I wait to see if there’s more. When she doesn’t continue, I nod and stand up. “Okay then. Thanks.”
“But there’s something you need to understand,” she adds quickly, reaching over her desk for my hand.
“It’s that to me, you’re always going to be the tiny, helpless baby Mom and Dad brought home from the hospital.
I can’t help but picture you that way anytime you’re hurting or hiding things or making mistakes, and all I want is for you to be okay.
I know you don’t need me to, but I can’t just turn it off.
Believe me, it’d be amazing if I could.”
“I’m not helpless though,” I point out. “In fact, I’ve done a pretty good job of getting myself through a lot of bullshit, so maybe…scale it back a little? I appreciate your looking out, but I’m still sad about what you did to Sutton.”
“Yeah.” She nods, shaking her head. “You’re right. Tattling was always your and Foxe’s job anyway.”
I smirk. “Exactly. I would like to have my big sister back though.”
It’s not fixed, but it’s a start.
This is only the beginning of our stories after all.
She smiles, squeezing my fingers once before releasing me. I head for the door, pausing to admire the collection of books—the ones I gifted to her all those years ago that she displays where anyone can see them.
Everyone has their own way of expressing affection. I can’t fault her this one.
Hand on the doorknob, I twist, something shiny catching my eye as I wrench open the door. My heart stops, trepidation filling its chambers.
It’s a postcard tucked between the books, the handwriting a neat cursive I’ve seen before. In a specific journal with everyone’s secrets no less.
Picking it up, I look at Quincy. “Where’d you get this?”
She barely looks at it, clicking her tongue with an eye roll. “I think a student gave it to me at some point?”
I stare at her for several beats even as she goes back to reading, wondering why she’s lying. Because the moment I picked it up, I knew exactly where it’d come from.
Or rather…who.
Quincy’s childhood friend, Eden Ivers, whom I haven’t actually seen since they enrolled at Avernia together a decade prior.
Clearly I’m not the only one with secrets.