Page 61 of A University of Betrayal

I would have loved to put this woman in her place, but there were humans here and that was a line I would never cross.

It seemed as if this professor, wherever she came from, had carefully planned this visit.

“Fights, rivalries between student groups. And,apparently,it’s not going to stop anytime soon. Am I right, Professor Copeland?”

The irony bubbled out of her words and Alarik didn’t seem to like it at all, but he wasn’t able to respond.

“In case you’re wondering what exactlyIam doing here?” A triumphant smile played around her lips, which she pursed briefly before continuing. “I was sent here by theCouncil of Ministers of Education of Canadato... well...” She looked at the chaotic pile of folders scattered on the table next to Alarik, with crumpled paper peeking out. “To bringorder.You students have the right to know that the directorate now consists oftwoheads and thatIam responsible for resolving student conflicts and maintaining order at this institution.” A whisper went around the room, but that didn’t bother the woman at all. “There will also be areturn of old rulesand anadaptation of new ones,including, for example, thewearing of a uniformthat will distinguish you as students of this institution.”

“Over my dead body!” Nash said from behind me.

Noah stared at the woman as if she had just pronounced his death sentence.

“Don’t challenge me, Mr. Copeland,” the woman hissed, punishing my brother with a reproving look.

Nash looked speechless for the first time in a long time.

I also wondered how she knew his name. She was a Quatura. The combination of these two facts set alarm bells ringing in my head. If one thing was certain, it was that this woman had done her homework.

Alarik continued to stare at her blankly. I realized that a storm was raging inside him. It was only a matter of time before it burst out.

The woman smiled contentedly at the startled looks and probably at herself and said in conclusion, “The rules, which will – of course – appear in writing on your accommodations today and on the Vanderwood website, will apply from tomorrow. I urge you all to follow them to avoidpossible disciplinary action.”

“Excuse me?What kind ofdisciplinary action?”I blurted out, and the woman paused in my line, eyeing me pointedly and smiling as if she’d just read that it was going to be nice weather for the next three weeks.

“Miss Copeland, believe me, you don’t want to find out.” She winked at me as if we were friends, which we most certainly were not, and continued up the steps. At the top, she stopped once more.

“If you have any further questions, please contact me. My office is where Mr. …I mean,ProfessorCopeland’s office was.”

Then she disappeared through the open double doors without closing them behind her. Her high heels made a menacing noise.

No one said anything for another ten seconds. And then, as if it were a matter of life and death, Alarik hurried up the stairs and left us all in the seminar room.

“It’s about time that someone tidies up this messed-up place,” Vivienna remarked arrogantly and stood up with a triumphant smile to leave the room with her two nasty friends.

The next thing that happened was chaos. A tumult broke out. Wild whispers turned into loud uproar.

I couldn’t sit here any longer.Damn it,I had to find out what this meant.

High Stakes

Christopher Tyng

I put my ear to the solid oak door, my skin grazing the cool metal of the snakes, causing me to suck in the air sharply.

“What are you thinking, just marching into my university and announcing such things before discussing them with me?”

Alarik sounded very angry. It was rare to hear him like this.

“That wasn’t necessary, Professor Copeland. After the recent incidents, the Councils were forced to intervene.”

Was she referring to the matter with Bayla? And what did theCouncilshave to do with us?

“You have no right to…”

“Professor Copeland. I have every right in the world to be here and do what has long been necessary. It sounds like you don’t know the treaty,” the woman rebuked indignantly, silencing Alarik.

The treaty. I would have loved to read it to find out what wasreallyin the document and how exactly the parties were involved, but I wasn’t allowed to. Only the heads of the respective parties were allowed to take a look at it.

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