Chapter Five
Alexandr Miroslav
“Come in.”
Her voice was like a soothing melody that didn’t match her rather honed beauty. She smiled at my entrance, and for a fleeting moment, I wondered if this was why women were so often favoured in intel work.
“Alexandr, have a seat.” She motioned to the twin armchairs facing her in an office slightly grander than the dean’s. I let my mind wander to the capacity of her power as my feet marched me, one in front of the other, to what felt like an execution.
After what mimicked nine lives of classes, and a lonely yet peaceful lunch, the final bell rang.
A somber chime that matched the gloomy weather, signalled my walk back to the dorms. The weight of exhaustion pressed heavily on my shoulders, and the thought of solitude, of drawn curtains and a heavy duvet to block out the dull hum of fluorescent lights buzzing from the hall, felt like a victory after a long battle.
Except, my plans were put to a halt when the Literature professor, Ms Ransom, a young but stern woman, passed me a note and informed me of my meeting with the student body president, a meeting unbeknownst to me.
Ms Ransom was a woman of clever and intuitive intellect.
Her lesson was interesting, to say the least. She spoke in a clear voice that captured everyone’s attention, like a siren singing from the edge of a ship.
She reels her students’ attention in, speaking of death and legacy, of fate and rebellion, authority and power, before tying the themes back to the semester’s reading list; a philosopher passing down their wise and archaic knowledge to their pupils.
She wore black pants, a white dress shirt tucked into the waistband, and a tie around the neckline. One better done than mine, I had to admit.
Her hair was held back in a low bun, but she left her bangs to curtain her temples. From that alone, something told me she was out of her norm.
Despite this being my first impression, I couldn’t possibly imagine her sharp mind stuck in a classroom all day.
When she pulled me aside, she told me this meeting was a personal orientation of sorts, but my eyes were burning, and my muscles were aching. No matter what truthful excuse I sent her way, she only pursed her lips and reiterated the importance of this orientation.
Never mind that I’d encountered the same boy, August, getting tripped in the halls on my way there, which only added to my growing migraine.
August stood, and when the boy who stuck his foot out tried to smother a laugh with his friends, telling the smaller boy he had a spasm and not to blame his ‘jerky leg’, August was quick to retaliate that his ‘jerky foot’ was, aside from his pig face, another unfortunate side effect of his mother’s preference for bestiality.
I didn’t stop and watch, but I did catch August running across the lawn with the insulted boy chasing after him from the windows of Abbot House, where I was now.
The student body president, upon closer inspection, was the same girl from this morning.
Who’d feigned getting something from her backpack to check out my desk neighbour.
I wasn’t planning on painting a target on my back as a first-day accomplishment, so I remained silent and shuffled to the seat she offered.
I sank into the armchair, its leather cold against my weary frame.
Her smile didn’t seem to wane or shift, locked in place as she stared at me with inquisitive eyes.
I didn’t know whether to like or hate her.
Which was something I considered myself good at; knowing who I can trust and who I needed to hold my cards against my chest from.
“It’s nice to finally meet you, Alexandr.”
I didn’t catch it the first time she’d spoken, but there was a soft Japanese accent, almost washed out by the posh English behind her soft voice.
I held her stare for a few moments as her words fell into silence, though she didn’t seem to mind.
She was someone to be wary of, considering her place in the student body hierarchy, but the more I thought of it, the more I convinced myself I wasn’t of importance to her.
Maybe this was her way of asserting the certainty of her power over me.
But I wouldn’t mind playing the part of her underling at the small cost of remaining as invisible as possible.
I was sure she’d done this to anyone she thought might underestimate her.
“It’s nice to meet you as well,” I finally said.
She intertwined her fingers on her desk. “How are you liking Castle Hill? Are there any questions you may have for me?”
I thought of the spacious dorm, state-of-the-art facilities, and dining hall food. “It’s nice, more than up to my liking…”
I would still be surviving, I told myself. All these factors considered, my guard would remain intact.
I promised myself I wouldn’t get lazy. I wouldn't lose sight of myself and get comfortable.
There was a question on my tongue, if only to quench my curiosity left unanswered by the dean, and she must have noticed because she leaned forward ever so subtly. “Castle Hill… How does it work?”
Her eyebrows furrowed, like she couldn’t possibly understand my question.
Or maybe she just couldn’t possibly understand why I’d ask a question in that manner.
“Well, I’d assume you study hard to prepare yourself for the next step of your future.
Though Castle Hill has a different vision compared to other high schools, considering its patrons, the goal itself remains the same. ”
She was saying all of this to someone who’s lived his entire high school career not knowing if they’d wake up to a gun pointed between their eyes or put to work until the day they themselves would beg for death.
But despite the dangers of the outside world, this hidden fortress felt worse.
A murky presence haunting the Scottish countryside.
“Of that, I am aware. I mean…” I wanted to reiterate. Question her on why she, as merely a student body president, required an assistant and a private office. Why did Mr Browne take up an occupation such as his current one? Why did the students remind me of spectators in a bloody gladiator match?
With Rain Atlas Jett, the empress, ruling over them.
But I held my tongue, knowing it would only do more harm than good. No one liked an unknown, curious person.
Secrets are a currency, and only a fool would assume them freely given.
“How do you find yourself fitting in?” I was growing more and more tense at the serene smile painted on her face. “Any new friends?”
“I prefer being alone,” I replied curtly. “Besides, it’s only my first day.”
“Of course,” she said. “I am curious, however, about your qualifications for Castle Hill. You understand it is a highly venerated institution.”
I inhaled slowly, gaining myself at least an extra second before I had to respond, trying to find the right words. “Reasonably. You are in the right position to be given answers. But I won’t be of any help. That is something you’ll have to take up with the dean.”
I tried appeasing her, but unlike the regular folk, this student body president wasn’t at all moved by my undertone of flattery. In fact, her smile slowly slid off her face, giving way to the cold tilt of her lips that wasn’t at all meant to be taken as a friendly gesture.
“I intend to. I hope you understand your past achievements, academic or otherwise, are matters I will be privy to.”
If she was going to look into my life in America, we would have a problem. But alas, I couldn’t very well tell her that. I might as well be sounding a horn for her to dig deeper. “What is it exactly you wish to know?”
She lifted one elegant shoulder before dropping it, her own version of a simple shrug. “I only wish to understand where you fit here, and how I can best accommodate you.”
I felt as if we both knew she was wrapping her suspicions in a pretty bow. I might even take it a step further and say she wanted me to know she found me incongruous.
The low tick of the clock hanging on the wall made me feel as if I was in a psychological thriller. Like something bigger was at play that I should be aware of. That if I were the reader, I’d be screaming at myself through the pages to look behind me or run.
“Is there anything else?” I really wanted to return to my dorm and wallow in my own self-paranoia.
“Alexandr, I hope you understand the importance of your role here at Castle Hill.”
Her words were soft, but her eyes were sharp, watching any twitch of facial muscle that might lead her to believe I disagree with her. This was because her words turned cold moments later. “Those that disregard the natural order of things do have a habit of falling into a great deal of misfortune.”
I don’t know why I said it, call it ego or pride, and despite the promise to myself to remain lost in the masses of this school, I’d decided to seal my fate. “The natural order has a habit of getting disrupted. Call it destined foreboding.”
You could hear a pin drop, but the silence felt too loud in my own ears.
She peered at me as the corners of her eyes tightened the slightest bit, but it didn’t seem to give anything away.
“I see.” She leaned back on her leather chair and sighed, the face of indifference.
“The purpose of this meeting was to offer you a tour of the grounds, an offer I suggest you take to prevent any tardiness or issues when following your daily schedule.”
Something told me Rain Atlas Jett didn’t get her position by quarrelling with anyone she’d given the time of day.
I opened my mouth to decline her offer, only to find it wasn’t one. Her porcelain-pale finger pressed a button on the IP phone sitting only a few inches from her. “Hayes, send them in, please.”
Hayes didn’t reply; the line cut with a beep, but only moments later did he knock and enter with two unfamiliar students.