Jace
He had spent most of his free time over the last couple of days literally and figuratively sniffing around maintenance workers and groundskeepers.
One of the maintenance men had a drinking problem, with bottles stashed in his locker.
Another had serious health concerns that caused him to miss work, and made his attendance unreliable.
There was no guarantee that Russell’s gossip would lead to Charlie. But learning as much about the staff as possible could put them on that path. It also might help narrow their focus.
Mars was playing against a college with which they had a long-standing rivalry. He was looking forward to this game. The stands would be packed.
A few larger buses were idling near the exit. They would stop at the dorms for students who didn’t drive who had reserved seats.
Underage students were required to be attended by a monitor.
Jace and Clarke had planned this together, but neither Mitch nor Ray had reserved buses, or contacted either of them about sharing one.
It seemed odd that none of their high school students would choose to attend.
He drove around the perimeter of the campus, and parked behind the powered dorm.
Dozens of students milled around the parking lots of all the dorms, talking, joking, packing coolers, and piling into cars. All of them wore gold and burgundy, displaying their school colors.
He was about to text, but didn’t need to. The back door opened, and Clarke stepped out with the three underage, powered students. They all wore jeans and hooded, burgundy sweatshirts with a raven on the front, and gold stripes on the sleeves. Jace opened the hydraulic door.
The boys marched onto the bus eagerly, clearly looking forward to the game. Clarke took in the activity in the parking lots, gazed at the dorms, then looked at the seats on the bus.
“Do we have time to stop at the other dorms?” Clarke asked.
“We do,” Jace answered. “Are you sure you want to start this fight?”
Since Mitch and Ray hadn’t reserved buses for the game, Jace guessed that they probably hadn’t given the younger students the chance to participate. The shuttle had plenty of room for all the underage students. That wasn’t the problem.
If he and Clarke invited the younger casters and elementals, it would highlight Ray and Mitch’s shortcomings. They already had it out for Clarke. This would stir the pot in no uncertain terms.
Mitch and Ray deserved to reap negative consequences, but doubtless, neither of them would see it that way. If previous experience was anything to go by, this would get really ugly, really fast.
Still, the boys deserved to get out of the dorm, and have some fun. They should be able to go to the game if they wanted to. None of them should be punished for having lazy, negligent monitors.
Some of these kids had experienced traumatic transitions when their powers emerged. Most of them weren’t comfortable with their abilities yet. Socialization, and feeling like they were part of a group, was vital to their emotional and mental health.
“If Mitch and Ray want to throw down over this, so be it. They already have a problem with me. These boys shouldn’t be isolated. You can’t tell me that you wouldn’t feel as guilty as I will, if we don’t offer to take the boys with us, and leave them sitting in the dorms.”
“You’re right, I would. And the department heads will know that Mitch and Ray didn’t request buses for their students whether we bring them with us or not. It’s all on record.
“Ok, but I’ll invite the elementals, and deal with Mitch,” Jace said as he closed the door. “You should stay out of it.”
“That works for me. You shouldn’t have to do everything, though. I’ll invite the casters,” Clarke said as she sat down in one of the front seats.
Jace just nodded. Even if the powered students weren’t listening, he wouldn’t have argued. She was determined to be involved, and it made sense to divide and conquer as it were.
As he put the shuttle in gear, one of the boys said, “Thank you, Mr. Voudrie, Mr. Smith. We were talking about the game after evolution class the other day. Adam said he didn’t see a sheet in the caster dorm to sign up for the game.”
“Yeah, same for the elementals, and Brandon really wants to go,” another said.
Jace drove the short distance, and parked. He didn’t mind keeping an eye on all the boys, but this was ridiculous. Ray and Mitch should want the kids to participate in school events. Even if they didn’t, chaperoning them at games and pep rallies was part of the job.
Clarke knocked on the door of the caster dorm, and disappeared inside a moment later.
Within three minutes, the door opened, and the young casters jogged to the bus.
Ray was standing on the threshold with Clarke, saying something.
Oddly enough, he looked friendly instead of angry.
They shook hands before Clarke walked away.
“What was that about?” Jace asked when she stepped onto the bus.
“Ray said he forgot to post a signup sheet, and missed the deadline to hold a bus. He doesn’t want the boys stuck in the dorm on game night,” Clarke said quietly. “He thanked me for inviting them, and said he owed us one. Ray said that he’ll meet us there later.”
Jace grunted at that. He didn’t believe it for a hot second. But at least the caster monitor was playing nice. Or trying to save his ass from being reprimanded, probably both.
When he parked behind the elemental dorm, his shifters were already waiting outside next door, looking restless. Jace waved at them as he stepped down from the bus.
“We’re picking up the elementals,” he said. “It shouldn’t take too long. You can wait there or walk over.”
The four of them were striding to the bus as Jace knocked on the door of the elemental dorm. Mitch opened the door, and frowned at him.
“What do you want?” Mitch asked combatively.
“There’s a football game tonight,” Jace said.
“So?”
He didn’t have patience for this. They wouldn’t be able to get good seats if Mitch was determined to bicker, and be an ass.
It was abnormally quiet in the common room, especially for a Friday on a game night. Some students sat on couches, or at tables, but they kept their heads down, only speaking in quiet murmurs. If he wasn’t a shifter, Jace wouldn’t have been able to hear them. Morale had to be low.
Jace marched past Mitch, and shouted loud enough to be heard through every room on the first floor, “Young elementals! If you want to go to the game, be outside in two minutes. The bus is parked by the backdoor.”
That got a reaction from the students as well as Mitch. Jace heard pounding feet and excited exclamations. This was how they should be behaving.
Mitch was sputtering in shock and anger. “You can’t…”
“Yes, I can,” Jace rebutted, with his hands on his hips. He scowled at Mitch, daring him to force the issue.
“We’ll be right there. Don’t leave!” A voice yelled from one floor up.
Jace had originally decided to wait for the boys outside. On second thought, he chose to stay put, and stand his ground. He wouldn’t put it past Mitch to close the door, and tell the boys they couldn’t leave the dorm without him.
The two underage elementals raced down the stairs, and to the door, obviously worried about losing the opportunity to go to the game. Jace stepped aside as they sprinted past him, ignoring Mitch’s attempts to stop them.
Jace tuned out Mitch’s furious rant as he followed the elementals to the vehicle. His shifters were already on the bus when they climbed the shuttle steps. The other students greeted the elementals cheerfully.
“Somebody looks murderous,” Clarke said as Jace took his seat behind the wheel.
“Yeah, this will have repercussions, but I don’t regret it.
I didn’t give Mitch the chance to refuse, and he didn’t take it well,” Jace said.
“That dorm was so quiet, it was creepy. All the students in sight kept their heads down like they were afraid to talk. I don’t know exactly what’s going on there, but it isn’t good. ”
“Those poor kids. At least they can get out for a night. The caster dorm wasn’t like that,” Clarke said. “It’s messy and loud, with no notices posted, but the students seemed cheerful enough.”
Jace just grunted as he shifted to drive. He probably shouldn’t have said anything about Mitch and the abysmal atmosphere in the elemental dorm in front of the students. They didn’t seem to be paying attention, but that was a discussion better had in private.
The boys chattered exuberantly for the entire short drive to the stadium. To Jace’s amusement, they sounded more excited at the thought of seeing girls than watching the game. Typical teenagers. From the way they talked, one would think it had been a decade since any of them had seen a female.
“I’ll drop you guys off in front, and meet you at the concession stand after I park,” Jace said as he pulled up to the curb by the main entrance.
Crowds of people of all ages stood in groups talking excitedly. Some waved banners, and shouted for friends to join them. The energy was infectious.
“Stick together,” Clarke yelled as the boys hurried off the bus. With a brief wave in his direction, she followed behind them.
He drove to the rear of the lot where spots were designated for buses. Jace saw dozens of people he knew as he walked to the stadium, but didn’t engage them in conversation. These were good kids, but there were twelve of them. It was a lot to manage.
Clarke did it every day in a classroom, but that was different. Jace wasn’t about to leave her alone any longer than necessary. A sharp whistle caught his attention, and Jace turned in that direction.
Heath must have just parked, because he was standing next to his car with the driver’s-side door open. “Wait up. I’ll walk with you,” he called out.
“Only if you plan to walk fast,” Jace said loud enough to be heard.
Heath looked curious, but closed the car door, and jogged toward him with a Ravens jacket draped over one arm. Jace started moving again the minute Heath reached him.
“What’s the rush?” Heath asked. “The game won’t start for a while yet.”
“I left Clarke with all twelve boys,” Jace said. “They are good kids, but they are hyped up. The boys act like they’ve been stuck in a monastery for years, and might lose their good sense at the sight of pretty girls.”
“It’s like that at the first home game every year. Where are Mitch and Ray?” Heath asked, keeping pace with him.
Jace gave him the basics, including the depressing mood in the elemental dorm, and the fact that Mitch had tried to prevent the students from leaving with him. Unsurprisingly, Heath seemed to find the news disturbing.
“Why would they do something so obviously negligent? That doesn’t make any sense. Currently, Mitch’s behavior concerns me the most. I think you should bring this to Top Dog right away,” Heath said thoughtfully.
Despite Mitch and Ray putting him in a sour mood, Jace had to smirk at that. Abner Livingston, the head of the shifter department, was a wolf shifter. Heath had been calling him Top Dog for years, and it stuck.
“You think I should get ahead of this, since Mitch will attack, even if Ray decides to stay out of it,” Jace guessed.
“That, and Carl Washington should know what is going on in the elemental dorm. Mitch sounds like he’s lost any sanity he might have had.
For the sake of the students, we can’t allow this to continue,” Heath said.
“Go through the proper channels by informing Top Dog. He can pass it on to the elementals. As a monitor in good standing, they will appreciate you speaking up, and take you seriously.”
Jace was positive from the look on his face that Heath knew more than he was saying. But that was fine. Even if he wanted to elaborate, this was neither the time nor the place for such a conversation.
Heath was right. It would all come out, and cause a shitstorm regardless. Jace would be better off telling his side immediately, instead of making Abner ask him about it after hearing skewed stories from other sources.
“I’ll email Abner from my phone before the game starts,” Jace said.
Heath nodded as they wove through the crowds on their way to the concession stand. “I’ll sit with you guys, so you and Clark have the freedom to use the bathroom, or whatever, without worrying about the boys being unattended,” he volunteered.
“I appreciate it, but will that mess up your plans?” Jace asked. Heath was right that using the bathroom or getting more snacks would be a production with only two monitors on duty.
“Nah, I was going to meet my sister and her mates, but Nadine will understand. I’m texting her right now,” he said, and continued after a brief pause. “Ah, she said they’re already in the stands, and will save seats for us.”
“That works for me,” Jace said.
He knew that Heath’s sister taught at Venus. They had met in passing a few times. It was a good thing Nadine was saving seats. The bleachers were already packed with boisterous, screaming fans, who formed a living banner of gold and burgundy.
Jace spotted Clarke then, and waved to get her attention. It took him and Heath a few minutes to reach them through the press of people. After exchanging greetings, Heath led them to seats on the fifty-yard-line.
Nadine was holding rows five and six. It was perfect. They would have an amazing view.
Ray joined them with an enormous tray of food and drinks that he offered to share, as the marching band took the field to play the territorial anthem. Either he really had confused the dates of the game, or was making a good show of it to save face.
It was hard to tell. Jace did remember having seen Ray at games the previous year. Jace stopped thinking about it when the game started.
The Harbingers were a tough team, who made the Ravens fight for every inch of turf. It made for a tension-filled game with the crowd on the edge of their seats.
All the boys were equally invested. They watched intently, and chatted with other students during halftime.
Ray seemed just as passionate, and was actually pleasant to be around. The caster boys appeared to be comfortable with him, so maybe he wasn’t all bad. Jace still wasn’t fond of Ray, and probably never would be, but he was better than Mitch.
In the last thirty seconds, the Ravens scored a touchdown, taking the victory by one point. All the fans in burgundy and gold leapt to their feet, screaming their joy and approval. Jace caught Clarke’s eye as the boys jumped up and down, yelling, and shaking their fists.
Neither of them would regret bringing the elemental boys along, and provoking Mitch. Seeing the kids this happy was worth whatever it might cost.