Clarke
She woke up feeling rejuvenated, and ready to start the week. With such a positive attitude, the day went by smoothly. Nothing had the power to annoy her.
“I’ll install several grow lights at intervals, and bring some trays of cat grass, and other safe plants. That way, they’ll have vitamin D, and nature indoors,” he said.
The basements directly under the dorms did have windows, but the connecting tunnels didn’t. Those few windows were small, providing minimal light. Lack of sunlight could affect the cats’ circadian rhythms as well as depriving them of vitamins. It was a good idea.
“No problem. My wife and I are cat lovers. We’re both happy to help,” he said. “When I told her about your project yesterday, she offered to put together some indoor planters.”
“I appreciate it. That will make it an even better environment for them. There are more cats than we originally expected. We’ll be putting one more habitat down here within a few days, so the cats don’t feel the need to compete for space,” Clarke told him.
Jack chuckled. “Knowing cats, they might anyway, but I agree that one more habitat will help. We’ll have them all set up by the end of the week.”
Clarke spent a few more minutes in the basement after Jack left. The cats seemed to have adjusted to their new home. And they were already reducing the mouse population.
She was grateful to find a mop sink, mop, and a rolling bucket with a wringer under each dorm. Along with scattered dirt and mouse tails, there were spots of blood on the concrete floors. Gross, but a clear statement of progress, and worth the mess.
Mice spread illness and disease with their droppings. The sooner they were gone, the better. Clarke swept and mopped, praising the cats as she worked.
Heath was already starting on the lists Russell had asked for. He would know more after the general assembly that Dean Stanhope was holding on Friday.
Jace met some of his friends at a pub in Clementine Tuesday night. Unfortunately, the officers that were free to hang out weren’t working on the cases of the missing students. They still didn’t know if there were viable leads.
As promised, Russell was instigating conversations with several acquaintances in town. He hadn’t made much headway yet, but Clarke had faith in his skills. All of them stayed positive in spite of the lack of new information. Having a plan of action kept them motivated.
Clarke visited the cats every day after classes to check their food and water bowls. Every time she congratulated the cats on their hunting skills, they preened and seemed to kill even more mice afterward. So, she kept praising them.
On Wednesday, another habitat arrived. Over a dozen students from all of the dorms volunteered to help assemble it. They didn’t need that many people to build one shelter, so some of them swept, mopped, or played with the kittens.
The cats had a grand time swatting at the packing materials, jumping in the boxes, and trying to climb the structure before it was finished. Everyone laughed at the antics of the cats, and had a blast.
By Thursday, the cats had artificial sunlight and plants in self-watering, hydroponic trays.
The anonymous donor had also come through.
Two more tractor-tire litter boxes had been placed in strategic locations in the tunnel when she visited that afternoon.
Clarke scribbled a thank you on the notice that was still on the board in the common room when she was back upstairs.
Her good mood continued as the days passed. It had been an excellent week with minimal aggravation.
Friday morning, Clarke made an announcement on the PA from her office. She reminded the students that there was a general assembly scheduled for that afternoon in the Fine Arts building. Attendance was mandatory.
Dean Stanhope would be discussing the regional tournament that would be held in Clementine over spring break.
Only a small percentage of the student body would be eligible to apply for the qualifying rounds.
However, the dean wanted everyone aware of the rules, and how hosting the tournament would affect them.
All faculty were to attend as well. Clarke was looking forward to the announcement. The more details they had, the better prepared she and the guys would be to protect the students who would be performing.
The underage students were too distracted to focus entirely in class. Clarke decided to let it slide. It was natural for them to be excited that Mars was hosting the event.
Most of them were excited to meet students and faculty from other colleges, who would be arriving just before spring break. The boys were hoping to convince their parents to let them stay on campus over the break. They wanted to attend the tournament.
Like home games, the monitors would reserve buses, escorting high school seniors and any freshmen to the events. Clarke wasn’t worried about the safety of the younger students. Only graduates who made it into the champion rounds of the tournaments had gone missing.
Carlos was concerned that he might not be able to manage his telepathy in large crowds at that point. It might be best for him to spend spring break with his family. But she didn’t want to disappoint him.
Clarke promised that she and Bruce would help as much as possible. She didn’t want the poor kid suffering from migraines for days on end. That would be horrible.
He had a hard enough time at the football games. Carlos was stubborn, though. He refused to stay in the dorm when all his friends were having a great time, flirting with girls from Venus, and cheering on their team.
After classes, the boys raced to the dorm to shuck their backpacks. Amused, Clarke followed at a slower pace. If she could get them to move like that during emergency drills, they would take first place every time.
Clarke ducked into her unit to drop off her bag, and put her phone in her pocket.
The high school seniors and college freshmen met Clarke in the common room thirty minutes prior to the assembly.
Clarke donned a thin wool peacoat as she strode toward them.
It was a chilly October day with a sharp wind.
They had a fifteen-minute walk ahead of them. She could carry her jacket once they were inside. Jace, Lane, and Ray met them in front of the dorms with their students, and they all proceeded as a group.
Clarke was glad to note that the elementals appeared more comfortable with Lane as the days went by. He was proving to be a good monitor.
The modest auditorium was packed. Three additional rows of folding chairs provided enough seats to accommodate the students. Dean Stanhope, his assistant, and the department heads were gathered behind a podium on the stage.
Remaining faculty members stood in no particular order at intervals against the walls. Clarke, Jace, Ray, and Lane did the same after their students were seated.
Most of them, including Clarke, took notes on tablets as the Dean began addressing the topic. Dean Stanhope wasn’t one for boring, long-winded speeches. He explained the events, listed coaches, and covered the rules in detail, going over the pertinent points.
Toward the end of the announcement, when students began asking questions, Clarke and the other monitors stepped out into the hallway. The four of them had been put in charge of ensuring an orderly exit. They chatted casually about the tournament as they waited.
As she’d expected, there was quite an exodus when the students were excused from the assembly. Most of them were talking enthusiastically about the upcoming events.
A large group hurried past Clarke, one of them bumping his hand against hers as he strode by. She froze as tingles of heat flared at the point of contact, then sped throughout her body. No, no. This couldn’t be happening.
The only other faculty members nearby were her fellow monitors. Clarke had touched Ray and Lane in the process of passing popcorn and beverages at football games. Even if they were close enough, it couldn’t have been one of them.
At least she hadn’t snagged yet another guy Russell had a crush on. He might not forgive her for that a second time.
But that meant she’d bonded a student. There were no other possibilities, and Clarke had no idea who, or how young, he was. Shit! This was a catastrophe.