Chapter Twelve #2
This room reminded me of a medieval castle’s sitting room with its crown-moulded walls and chandelier.
It was heavily coloured with shades of royal blue and red, dusty green, and soft pink.
There were pairs of velvet cushioned seats, a chess table sitting in between, next to both windows, and the fireplace was lit and crackling, its orange flames licking at the charred wood.
The entrance wasn’t a door but two thick curtains that Ajax pushed aside and held above for me to enter, jokingly roleplaying a servant to a king.
It was a show of wealth I’d never thought I’d be privy to, no matter how short or long my life would be.
“Let’s start with the basics.” Ajax sighed, settling in.
“Rain Atlas Jett, head of the hierarchy.” He made a show by lifting his hand as high as it would go.
“At Castle Hill, what she says goes. No student or professor would dare question her because the board personally endorses the student body president's office. It’s like their very own, well-oiled, propaganda machine.”
I furrowed my brows, already aware of this information. “So, she’s in constant communication with the board?”
Ajax laughs and picks at the soft pillows underneath his head. “No. That would be absurd. The dean, yes. Rain? No. She receives a weekly agenda, by order of the dean. Except everybody knows the dean is essentially a puppet.”
Aren’t we all?
“How do you know this?”
“I was her… secretary once. Boring stuff, I’ll tell you.”
I blinked. “You?”
He sent me a sardonic look. “Yes. Me.”
“Why did you stop?” I asked.
He shrugged. “Ah, well, Rain and I both agreed that we just wouldn’t work well together. Besides, it didn’t suit me—being so compliant.”
I didn’t voice my thoughts because I didn’t know when he would stop dishing out this free information, and I wasn't willing to stop him myself.
“She oversees things students are most concerned about. Curfews, disputes among students. The kicker here is, Rain has turned what should have been a puppet position into a role of monopoly, which I’ll admit, is impressive.
She does what is required of her, of course.
But she’s also made an empire of it. Students can pay in various ways to sneak off campus, sneak things onto campus, stay out past curfew, or have their assignments handed back with perfect grades.
There are many worse things she’d assist with by having a hand in, if the price is ever worth it.
” His voice turns bitter, “And trust me, it never is.”
He waved his hand as if pushing away his cloud of thought. “Listen, the Founder’s Society will be the only place Rain will look out for you. However, don’t ever mistake her willingness to help as anything other than self-preservation.”
However deep Rain Atlas Jett’s hands ran within the inner workings of Castle Hill, it almost made me applaud her despite her mother’s downplay.
This was certainly something I could have been privy to before going head-to-head with her, but maybe it was better this way. I had proven my worth, and our obligation to the society, as Ajax put it, was a plus on my side.
But there was still something nagging me. “So, what’s the deal with Wolf, then? He wouldn’t accept her price for something?”
Ajax laughed then. He laughed so deeply and so loudly, I hadn’t thought he’d calm down.
His reaction made me even more eager, to the point of leaning forward in my seat. “What’s so funny?”
Ajax threw his legs off the sofa and onto the ground, sitting up. “So, you noticed that star-crossed tension as well, huh?”
I reared back. “I’m sorry?”
Ajax took an exaggerated blink and nodded in glee. “Yeah. Yeah.” He sounded excited to be the one telling me this. “If you’d believe it, once upon a time Rain and Wolf were inseparable.”
My features fell. “You’re lying.”
He shook his head. “God strike me down if I am. Rain and Wolf were considered already engaged in the eyes of high society.”
This made so much more sense looking back at the quick glances and frozen postures that seemed to be the only thing they were capable of communicating in when in proximity to each other.
I was stumped. “But… if they were… what happened?”
Ajax shrugged. “Beats me. At one point, they were as thick as thieves, and the next… nothing. It’s the one secret Castle Hill wasn’t able to reveal.”
I scoffed at his words. “Not the only one, it seems.”
If Rain and Wolf were once close… Well, that didn’t change anything for me, but it was an interesting piece of information. It puts many things into perspective.
I didn’t know how I was so blind on the first day, when Rain glanced back at Wolf in Mr Browne’s class.
Rain Atlas Jett is still in love with Wolf Kingsley.
I smiled.
I waved off my words when Ajax narrowed his eyes. “Well, anyways, what prices does Rain consider?”
The boy in front of me rolled his eyes and went back to his reclined position. “Secrets mostly. Sometimes favours or something darker. You can never really know what Rain will ask for.”
I hummed, considering his words.
Rain must know pretty much everyone’s business and, by extension–
“Her assistant? What’s his deal?”
Ajax seemed to be dozing off, only slowly blinking his eyes open at my voice. “Mmm, he’s a non-factor. Rain keeps him away from the darker side of business if she can help it. I would know, I tested him once. Didn’t know a thing.”
I began tapping my finger on the soft armrest. “You aren’t one hundred percent sure, though. Right?”
Ajax hummed. “No one is ever one hundred percent sure. But Rain isn’t stupid. She wouldn’t ever willingly give power to someone so close to her position. A position they might one day set their sights on.”
I nodded in understanding though Ajax couldn’t see me with his eyes closed. And for a moment, it was blissfully silent with the windows cracked open for fresh air, what with every other student in class.
Then, I remembered why I should have paid more attention to the peers in my class.
“Hey Ajax.”
“Yeah?”
“We’re in the same morning class.”
He smiled. “I know.”
I slipped into class just as the bell rang and took my customary seat in the back where Wolf was already seated. It bothered me how many classes we shared throughout the day, but I wasn’t allowed to ponder as Ms. Ransom began her lesson on the literature assigned from last weekend.
I tilted my head slightly to the side and looked down the row at Rain as she focused on writing something down in her notebook.
Rain Atlas Jett reminded me so much of myself, and so why was she in love?
It was a concept I couldn’t understand.
I hadn’t thought such a feeling was something to consider for people so ambitious about other, more important matters. Wouldn’t it be hard to turn off the cogs and let yourself feel?
In my eyes, only good people did things like fall in love. That healthy, carefree connection that made you want to be honest with your partner.
I wasn’t a good person, and I didn’t try to convince myself otherwise. In fact, it was something I had to put my mind to and actively try to be. It was never something inherent nor natural to me.
Most times, I didn’t want to. Other times, I tried to find that well of goodness but came up empty.
I guess it didn’t work out.
“Miroslav, if you’re done staring at Miss Jett, please focus back to the front.”
Ms. Ransom’s words knocked me back to reality as my eyes snapped to the young and sharp professor when she raised a single perfect brow.
I narrowed my eyes into a near glare before straightening my head from its tilted position.
She didn’t seem to mind my reaction, nor did she care about the students shuffling in their seats and craning their necks to watch the scene unfold, only for the silence to be interrupted by Ajax.
From across the room, I could hear the snort that pulled Ms. Ransom’s attention towards him. Under her gaze, he held up a hand before bringing both to hide his face as he wheezed out another laugh. “I’m sorry–sorry–I’m sorry, I’ll stop.”
The nasty look I sent him seemed to catch his attention as he glanced back, however the moment he did, he fell back into a fit of giggles.
I could feel Wolf and Rain’s eyes ping-ponging between the pair of us in passive confusion, but Ms. Ransom didn’t let the moment go on for too long. “Alright, the two of you can step outside and rejoin us when you’re ready to learn.”
I threw my hands up with a strained groan and shook my head before I could think to school my reaction, shoving myself out of my chair and walking out the door, Ajax not far behind.
Once the door closed, Ms. Ransom sending us both a stern look in the process, I turned on him. “You liar!”
Ajax held up his hands with a barely held back smile. “I swear I wasn’t lying. You’re the one who can’t control his actions. What were you even thinking, ogling her like that? You have no loyalty to your own friend?”
I shook my head in annoyed confusion. “What are you talking about? I wasn’t ogling, and Wolf and I aren’t friends–”
Ajax paused. “What are you talking about? Of course you are.”
I glared. “No, we aren’t.”
“You can’t possibly–oh, come off it.” He shook his head like it was obvious, but I only curled my lip in further confusion, wondering when he’d had the time to notice all of that. “Oh, for God’ sake, Wolf doesn’t have friends.”
I opened my arms. “You’re saying one thing and then saying another.”
Ajax curled his hands before wrapping them near his throat in exasperation, mockingly choking himself. “Wolf doesn’t have friends because he doesn’t like having friends. He thinks he’s some type of social pariah, the self-pitying twerp. But if he’s asking me to wake you up for class…”
I blinked at him, his words settling in as he shook his head at the obvious insinuation.
Did Wolf really see me as a friend or…?
Or what?
Wolf had too much honour to try anything below the belt. If he had to steal out of hunger, he’d probably let the store owner know he’d be leaving with a few unpaid items in his bag.
“I… actually don’t have to talk to you about this. I was just caught by surprise by what you told me earlier, that’s all. Just trying to understand it.”
Ajax shook his head with a mournful expression. “And you never will, my poor friend.”
“Do you mean that literally?”
“The poor part? Not really… Do you get offended–”
“Jesus, I’m ready to rejoin the class.” I ran a hand over my face and moved to shove past him.