Chapter Thirty-One The evil that men do
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
The evil that men do
THE GENERAL JOHN THOMAS WINHALL Library was its own building, separate from most of the interconnected ones at Westfield. To get there, we ventured out into the murky autumn air and walked the ten-minute trek from the main campus.
Kasem was silent for most of the journey, retreating into the faraway reaches of his thoughts. A first for him in the time since we’d met.
I knew it was my fault. At least, in part. Honey had been teasing at Theta House when she’d suggested I play the two brothers against each other. And yet, I’d done just that for a few seconds of petty validation.
There was the other part of me too, the part that was buzzing from kissing Kasem.
I’d never done something like that before.
It’d been reckless, thoughtless, and cruel to use Kasem just to spite Jojo.
But he’d leaned in. He’d pulled me closer and deepened the kiss instead of pulling away.
But with his mood swings, I couldn’t tell if his reaction was because of the kiss itself or his rivalry with his brother.
If he’d kissed me back because of instinct or reflexes or, perhaps even because he might have wanted to kiss me too.
Now I’d never know. And that tore at me.
I found myself searching for answers in the silence between us, and noticing things about Kasem as if I was reading tea leaves in the minute details of him.
Like, how he seemed to be perpetually restless, his hands always finding something to fidget with, whether he was cracking his knuckles or tracing the lines of his palms with his fingers.
And he was wearing the Westfield blazer he’d been stabbed in.
Faint speckles of blood dotted the lining and front of it.
Even his outfit was reminiscent of what he’d worn that day I’d seen him in the maze, from his fitted cotton T-shirt to his designer slacks and shoes.
“You don’t feel bad juju wearing that?” I asked as we ascended the steps of the library’s double doors.
“It’s just a thing here. A Westfield blazer is your house status symbol. Even faculty wear theirs. Besides,” he added, “it’s the only one I have.”
“You’re rich. Get a new one at the campus bookstore or something. Or, let me guess, is it another family heirloom?”
“I wouldn’t put another dime in Westfield’s pocket if I could help it,” he said.
The gravel walkway to the library curved through campus.
We turned the corner through a thicket of trees, weaving past groups of students with their arms full of books.
Kasem placed his hand on my waist, shifting me closer when the group nearly barreled into us.
When he let go, disappointment nipped at me.
“If you hate Westfield so much, why do you care about the curse and inheriting it?” I asked. “Why don’t you just let Alaster get the school and study somewhere else?”
“Alaster and his family are descendants of an uncle of ours. They’re not the direct inheritors of Westfield. They never have been. They’ve just been stewards of the estate until my side of the family can take full ownership.”
“But your side never has been able to take that ownership because of the curse.”
“Correct.”
“Isn’t that evidence of familial greed and not some supernatural entity? This curse just so happens to kill your line, they continuously benefit from your family dying and never inheriting Westfield, and you don’t think they’re involved at all?”
“I never said they’re completely blameless or that I fully trust them. But the curse is real—you saw that with your own eyes. With Nathan.”
I sighed deeply. He still didn’t see Alaster as the threat that I did, but at least he hadn’t written him off as a suspect entirely.
At the library entrance, there loomed a statue of a Civil War soldier waving a baton in victory.
His chest was riddled with medals, and his eyes were carved out of a cool brimstone finish.
“Union or Confederate?” I asked.
Kasem’s answer was cold. “What do you think?”
A chill pricked against the hairs on my arm, my stomach twisting with unease. Moments before, the library had been brimming with possibilities. And now it was twisted and menacing. Sure enough, the plaque at the base of the statue reaffirmed the sinister origins of the figure.
brIGADIER GENERAL JOHN THOMAS WINHALL. CONFEDERATE SOLDIER WHO STOPPED AT WESTFIELD UNIVERSITY TO REPLENISH SUPPLIES DURING THE CIVIL WAR.
“I believe the board of trustees had this statue erected sometime in the 1930s,” Kasem said.
“And Sigma and Theta just let him use the school as a base during the war? I thought Honey said they were abolitionists. Why would they allow that?”
“I don’t know,” Kasem said. “Maybe they didn’t have a choice?”
“But what about Yara? Were they just there when this all happened?”
“Yara would have been at Westfield at this time,” Kasem said. “And Kent would’ve been here too. Both of the university’s founders were present.”
I remembered Honey explaining that back at Theta House. Kent and his half brother, Duncan, founded Westfield as it was known today.
Kasem nodded back up at the statue. “But during the Civil War, I’m pretty sure the campus was seized by this guy, Winhall.
His Confederate forces used it as a base even while the school was running.
Kent left at a certain point to join the Union, and Duncan stayed as an abolitionist spy and passed along information about the general to his brother.
Eventually, Kent and the Union seized Westfield back, right before the Battle of Appomattox Court House and the end of the war. ”
“Then why is there a statue of him in Westfield’s biggest library instead of statues of Kent or Duncan?” I said.
“I told you,” Kasem said, “the board of trustees are the stewards of the Westfield estate. After Kent’s death and Reconstruction ended in 1877, Duncan became Westfield’s new president and the estate was turned over to the Board.
They’ve have been managing it since then.
Alaster’s side of the family remain as figurehead presidents, and our side has the conservatorship overseeing how we inherit the estate.
But this part of Westfield’s legacy, it’s what the Board and its donors choose to prop up.
Not us. It’s why Kent’s statue stays hidden in a restricted courtyard and Duncan just has some rusty plaque near the campus store. ”
I stared at General Winhall’s ominous figure.
The statue loomed above us with arrogance and disdain.
He’d lived to see Kent and Duncan seize the estate back from him for the Union.
Neither the Board nor this statue of Winhall could change that, no matter what lies they peddled or told themselves.
I took satisfaction in that fact, that as much as they’d tried to rewrite history, the truth would outlive all of them.
At the end of the path, the library loomed ahead of us, as grand and imposing as Westfield’s other buildings.
Since it was open hours, the double doors were unlocked.
A sign noted that the library wouldn’t be accessible to students under one thousand merit points during specific hours of the day.
It also informed visitors that campus study rooms, which were available in student dorms, could be used as alternatives during library off-hours.
And of course, per university guidelines, first-years didn’t have access to public campus buildings after midnight.
I wouldn’t stay long, though. I had assignments to finish, and Vivian and Luke were planning on meeting me later. Kasem held the library door open for me, and I hurried in after him.
Inside, the musty scent of worn leather filled the vast space. There were quiet study areas with mahogany tables, glass conference rooms, and bookshelves everywhere.
Kasem gestured for me to follow, and we made our way past rows of bound books and research filings.
A few times, he stopped and rummaged through the shelves, picking up a textbook or a file before nodding at me to keep going.
Finally, we arrived at the quiet rooms tucked in a corner.
There were rows of them, some with students already crouched together to work.
One of the rooms was empty, and he tapped his phone against the screen, the system recognizing that he had enough merit points to book the space.
“Ready to make good on your side of the deal?” he teased.
I crossed my arms. “Only if you are.”
He held the door open for me to enter, and I ducked past his outstretched arm, taking a seat at the wooden table to try and uncover the history of the curse and learn how to break it.