It didn’t feel right going to my classes again after the school shut down for Amelia’s internment in the crypt. How could we just go back to normal when she was murdered on the grounds? Then again, it wasn’t like this was the first time that something like this happened here. Maybe it was normal.
I tried to pay attention in class, but the professor’s words seemed to hover around me, not fully reaching my ears. I had other things on my mind, and some history lesson about the founding members of the school just didn’t seem all that important right now with everything else going on. I was surprised that I managed to convince myself to show up to class to begin with.
My reasoning was that I needed to establish some sense of normalcy in my life. Not everything could be tragic and chaotic. I was still a student, and I was still somehow alive. So, I needed to go to class and have normal problems a girl my age would have. I needed that, or I would go completely off the rails.
I already lacked normal friendships and relationships for the most part. I couldn’t stop thinking about Sol and how he’d admitted to wanting to kill me. And then I kissed him. Was I really that twisted? How could I kiss the same man who wanted to end my life?
Somehow, that probably wasn’t even the strangest occurrence. I wasn’t going to say that all of my decisions were smart ones. I could act on impulse, on emotion. The truth of the matter was that I had a connection with Sol, a shared attraction.
But could I trust him? He had told me a lot of weighted things, especially about the Kings. He was convinced that Zephyr and Arvo were going to kill both of us, but I didn’t think that I could bring myself to believe that. The Kings could be suspicious and tricky, but Zephyr was so protective of me. He held me so close, and he had been a rock for me after Amelia’s death when everyone else left.
Truly, I didn’t know what to believe or what to do. I wished that a clear answer would pop out to me, but I was still faced with pure confusion, not knowing what to do next. I just didn’t want anyone or anything to decide that for me. So many things kept happening outside of my control, and I just wanted to feel like I had control again. If I ever did.
“Biba.”
My eyes snapped up as I tuned back into reality.
“Yes?” I asked my professor, who didn’t look all that happy with my lack of attention.
“The Dean would like to speak with you,” she told me, peering over the top of her thin-framed glasses at me.
A wave of unease crashed over me. What could he possibly want? Did he want to talk about Amelia or something else? Whatever it was, I wasn’t looking forward to having this conversation. My life was already complicated enough. I didn’t want to have to deal with Dean Schmidt right now on top of everything else.
However, I nodded and gathered my things before walking out of the classroom. The only silver lining that I could find was that I didn't have to sit through that lecture any longer, but I had a feeling that Schmidt probably had a whole different lecture prepared for me. I would actually pay attention to this one.
When I made it to his office, I poked my head in, knocking on the doorframe of his office to announce myself.
Schmidt grunted his permission for me to come in. He sat at his desk with a glass of amber whiskey in his hand.
“Ms. Quinn,” he greeted me.
“You needed to talk to me?” I asked him as I took a seat in front of his desk. I wanted to get straight to the point so that I could get out of here.
Schmidt nodded as he joined his hands together in front of him.
“There is no doubt that the Kings are back,” he told me.
My knee bounced nervously under the desk as I stared at him, keeping my face straight as much as I could. I didn’t have a comment about that. I didn’t want to have to share a comment about that. I had my own conflict to deal with when it came to the Kings because of what Sol told me. I didn’t want to deal with anyone else’s baggage or opinions.
“What does this have to do with me?” I asked him. I wasn’t part of the Kings. I didn’t have any information for him. Zephyr hardly told me anything about the Kings, and he was the leader.
“You’re close to them,” Schmidt replied.
I glanced away from him. I didn’t like where this conversation was going. It sounded like he was about to ask me to do something, which would put me in a tight spot.