Page 94 of A University of Betrayal

She’d been in Blairville when I’d been eight?

Mum seemed to realize what she’d told me because she avoided my gaze and reached for her black leather briefcase that she always took to work.

“Anyway, I’m surprised she’s in charge of the rules at Vanderwood now. That’s... news to me.”

“And Director Copeland doesn’t seem too happy about it,” Julian laughed, not realizing that he had brought the wrong name into the game.

I remembered the conversation we had had today at noon. And the fact that I still had to come up with a plan to get out of this house on Monday without Mum or Julian – who had always driven me to university – suspecting anything. I felt like a criminal who had planned something extremely illegal. But what was the big deal?Training with Alarik Copeland. Not strange at all... at five in the morning.

Mum looked at Julian in surprise. Was that a sign that she was the woman in the letter? That would mean there might have been something between her and Alarik. It would explain her mood when it came to him and the fact that I should stay away from him. Certainly not just because he was a Senseque.

“Yeah, anyway... I still have to finish something for one of my literature seminars. Didn’t you say you had to study too?”

What a cheap excuse on my part, but at least it got Julian to push himself off the fridge.

I decided that Mum shouldn’t find out that someone had broken in and gave Julian a warning look. He seemed to understand me wordlessly. Lucky for him. Otherwise, I would probably have had to kick him like Mia had taught me.

Chapter 18

Julian

When Bayla got out of the passenger side, three ravens landed on my rusty hood and Bay backed away, startled. She clutched the book that she’d been burying her nose in all day – titledBreaker of Oaths, written by an author namedShassii– and slowly backed away.

Her widened eyes made me laugh softly.

“Are you still afraid of those poor animals?”

She looked from the ravens to me, aghast.

“Julian, I wasattackedby these creatures,” she began, making a wide circle around the car hood. “Say what you want, but I’m sure they’re following me.”

Shaking my head with a grin and both hands in my jeans pockets, I followed her toLola’s Diner.

I didn’t like the fact that she hadn’t eaten yet today. Her stomach had been growling ever since I’d brought her home, and I’d spontaneously decided to take her out for dinner.

She had protested, and I had had to promise her that she could pay for it herself, but her hungry look had spoken volumes.

Max&Chlo;é

DOLKINS

We sat down at one of the tables, facing each other, and a familiar face immediately appeared at our table.Penny Bexley.She took our order and returned within ten minutes with eight burgers for me and a pancake stack with blueberry sauce for Bayla.

“Julian,” Bayla laughed after Penny had disappeared.“Eightburgers?”

Her cute dimples stood out, and I scrutinized the many freckles that adorned her snub nose.

Senseque had to be careful not to order too large quantities of food too often so that people didn't ask unnecessary questions over time. These burgers were big, but I hadn't eaten since yesterday lunchtime and as I didn't want to starve to death with the meager portions from the campus canteen. I didn't pay attention to whether anyone was staring at me or not.

“A Senseque’s body works differently than a Quatura’s,” I reminded us both of the reality I was planning to block out for the rest of the afternoon. But what did I expect in Blairville? That I would simply forget what was lurking inside me? What was waiting to burst out of me?

Bayla rolled her eyes and put the book aside.

“What are you reading?” I asked, trying to distract myself.

“Dark sapphic paranormal romance,” she said, her cheek reddening slightly.

“Dark...what?”

---