honest, I’d rather you got it over with. I’m not really one for bullshit pretense and snide back-handed comments, so by all means, say your piece.”
Savannah snorted appreciatively.
Peyton’s smirk vanished. “Blunt, aren’t you? How very American. Very well, if you insist. Your family might have been important here once, but those days are long gone. And whatever a few riffraff might have told you to calm your nerves and help you feel at home, you should know that they’re just pitying you. The truth is that we don’t forgive or forget very easily around here. There are some stains that don’t wash away. We all know what absolute disgrace your family wallows in now, and we don’t intend to let you forget it.”
I smiled brightly. “Excellent,” I said. “Glad we had this little chat. I don’t know how we’d ever remember all those pesky details about how we got here if you didn’t feel the need to constantly remind us. We’re just so forgetful, aren’t we Hannah?”
“Very forgetful,” Hannah said, her voice quavering a bit, but her expression determined.
“Oh, we’ll be pleased to remind you as often as necessary,” Peyton said. Behind her, three or four girls laughed.
“Shut up, Peyton.”
We all turned in surprise. Across the aisle, slumped low in his seat, one of the Novitiates was scowling at Peyton. He had long, dark hair that hid most of his face, but what I could see of it was hard and angular.
“Excuse me?”
“I said shut up. Leave them alone.”
“And why should I do that?”
The boy clenched his wide, square jaw and hesitated. Judging by his expression, he regretted entering into the conversation in the first place, like he’d done it without thinking. “Because you don’t own this place, and they’re just here to learn like the rest of us. So just…let them get on with it, then.”
Peyton raised an eyebrow. “Getting carried away a bit, aren’t you, Finn? I mean, I know you’re meant to swear an oath of protection to the Durupinen, but you needn’t take it so literally, especially with clan traitors like them. Where’s your family pride?”
“I guess I left it at home, much like your sense of common courtesy,” Finn replied, no longer looking at us.
“What’s happening over here? Not arguing, I hope?” Siobhán said, finally noticing the exchange and pouncing upon it. No one answered her.
We spent the remaining hour slogging through a very long syllabus detailing exactly what we would be covering during the semester. I might not have been at St. Matt’s anymore, but my workload was still going to be impressive.
“At the end of the class, you will all be reporting to your mentor meetings,” Siobhán said. “Details about who your mentors will be and where you are to meet with them are in the folders you received this morning. I will be happy to answer any questions I can before you go. Hannah?”
Hannah, who had been rummaging in her tattered old backpack for her folder, looked up in alarm.
“You have been assigned to me for mentorship,” Siobhán said, smiling encouragingly. “Our meeting will be taking place here, so you needn’t pack up your things.”
Hannah nodded without saying anything, and placed her bag back down on the floor.
I pulled out my own folder and found the mentor information.
“Where are you headed?” Brenna asked me.
“The fourth floor of the East Tower, to meet with Fiona Cassidy. I have no idea how to get there. Savannah, where are you going?”
Savannah started out of a daydream. “Sorry?”
“Where are you going next?”
“Dunno,” she said, and went back to staring out the window.
A cacophonous ringing of bells marked the end of the period while simultaneously scaring the living daylights out of me. I stood up and slung my messenger bag over my shoulder. It was much heavier than I had realized, with the addition of the new textbook, and I overbalanced. I stumbled and fell right into the boy across the
Savannah snorted appreciatively.
Peyton’s smirk vanished. “Blunt, aren’t you? How very American. Very well, if you insist. Your family might have been important here once, but those days are long gone. And whatever a few riffraff might have told you to calm your nerves and help you feel at home, you should know that they’re just pitying you. The truth is that we don’t forgive or forget very easily around here. There are some stains that don’t wash away. We all know what absolute disgrace your family wallows in now, and we don’t intend to let you forget it.”
I smiled brightly. “Excellent,” I said. “Glad we had this little chat. I don’t know how we’d ever remember all those pesky details about how we got here if you didn’t feel the need to constantly remind us. We’re just so forgetful, aren’t we Hannah?”
“Very forgetful,” Hannah said, her voice quavering a bit, but her expression determined.
“Oh, we’ll be pleased to remind you as often as necessary,” Peyton said. Behind her, three or four girls laughed.
“Shut up, Peyton.”
We all turned in surprise. Across the aisle, slumped low in his seat, one of the Novitiates was scowling at Peyton. He had long, dark hair that hid most of his face, but what I could see of it was hard and angular.
“Excuse me?”
“I said shut up. Leave them alone.”
“And why should I do that?”
The boy clenched his wide, square jaw and hesitated. Judging by his expression, he regretted entering into the conversation in the first place, like he’d done it without thinking. “Because you don’t own this place, and they’re just here to learn like the rest of us. So just…let them get on with it, then.”
Peyton raised an eyebrow. “Getting carried away a bit, aren’t you, Finn? I mean, I know you’re meant to swear an oath of protection to the Durupinen, but you needn’t take it so literally, especially with clan traitors like them. Where’s your family pride?”
“I guess I left it at home, much like your sense of common courtesy,” Finn replied, no longer looking at us.
“What’s happening over here? Not arguing, I hope?” Siobhán said, finally noticing the exchange and pouncing upon it. No one answered her.
We spent the remaining hour slogging through a very long syllabus detailing exactly what we would be covering during the semester. I might not have been at St. Matt’s anymore, but my workload was still going to be impressive.
“At the end of the class, you will all be reporting to your mentor meetings,” Siobhán said. “Details about who your mentors will be and where you are to meet with them are in the folders you received this morning. I will be happy to answer any questions I can before you go. Hannah?”
Hannah, who had been rummaging in her tattered old backpack for her folder, looked up in alarm.
“You have been assigned to me for mentorship,” Siobhán said, smiling encouragingly. “Our meeting will be taking place here, so you needn’t pack up your things.”
Hannah nodded without saying anything, and placed her bag back down on the floor.
I pulled out my own folder and found the mentor information.
“Where are you headed?” Brenna asked me.
“The fourth floor of the East Tower, to meet with Fiona Cassidy. I have no idea how to get there. Savannah, where are you going?”
Savannah started out of a daydream. “Sorry?”
“Where are you going next?”
“Dunno,” she said, and went back to staring out the window.
A cacophonous ringing of bells marked the end of the period while simultaneously scaring the living daylights out of me. I stood up and slung my messenger bag over my shoulder. It was much heavier than I had realized, with the addition of the new textbook, and I overbalanced. I stumbled and fell right into the boy across the
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