Page 110 of Akarnae

“Do you understand what it would mean?” Maggie demanded. “If he gets through, do you know what will happen? The moment he steps through that doorway—”

“It’s impolite to eavesdrop,” a voice whispered in Alex’s ear, causing her to jump. Thankfully, the people inside Jarvis’s office didn’t hear anything and they continued their heated conversation. But Alex missed what was said next because she was trapped by the dark eyes of Ghost as he locked her in his piercing gaze.

“I wasn’t…” Alex started to tell Hunter, before realising that she’d been caught red-handed and lying wasn’t going to do her any good. “I mean, I was. But I didn’t mean to.”

Lame. Even he seemed to think so, since he cocked his head as if daring her to do better.

“It wasn’t my intention,” she clarified, still speaking quietly. “To eavesdrop, I mean.”

She winced, wondering if maybe she should have just lied after all.

“Why did you, then?” His eyes searched her face.

“Because they’re talking about me,” she said, defiantly. “And I think I deserve to know what they’re saying.”

Hunter continued to stare at her as if judging her character on the basis of what he saw in her expression. After a moment he nodded slightly and said, “I agree with you.”

She gaped at him, swallowing the new defence that was already on her tongue.

“But I also believe it’s now time for you to deliver your message so that you can go and think about what you’ve learned,” Hunter added.

Alex hesitated and asked, “You’re not going to tell them I was listening?”

He smiled slightly. It was the first expression she’d ever seen on his face that didn’t make her want to run in the opposite direction. “If they were foolish enough to leave the door open while discussing delicate topics, then that’s their problem. And for what it’s worth, you did well to not give yourself away, considering the content of their conversation.”

He’d complimented her. An actual compliment from Ghost, of all people. She wasn’t sure how to respond, but it turned out that she didn’t have to, since he raised his hand to knock loudly on the door.

The conversation ceased immediately and Hunter pushed his way into the room, not allowing those inside to realise the door had been unlatched during their entire discussion.

“Ah, Hunter,” Jarvis greeted warmly. “We were just discussing—”

“Alexandra Jennings is here with a message for you, Administrator,” Hunter interrupted, causing Jarvis to pale slightly when he saw Alex moving into the room.

Despite everything else, she was curious how Hunter even knew her name. He seemed to know a lot, she realised, since it appeared that Jarvis had been about to include him in their conversation.

“Alex, I didn’t see you there,” Jarvis said, somewhat awkwardly. She’d never before seen him look so uncomfortable—or so guilty.

Maggie and the librarian were watching her closely, and so was Hunter, who was silently urging her to act normal.

“Administrator,” she greeted, pasting a smile on her face. “I hope I’m not interrupting anything important?”

She saw Hunter smile ever so slightly again and knew he approved of her approach.

“Not at all, Alex,” Jarvis said, a shade too quickly. “What can I do for you?”

Alex explained the reason she was there and Jarvis quickly excused himself to go and access the student’s file, which was apparently held in a different office. He was only out of the room for a total of two minutes, but it felt like a lifetime while Alex waited with Maggie staring straight at her and the librarian avoiding her eyes completely. Hunter was the only one at ease; he sat on the edge of Jarvis’s desk, cleaning his nails with a wicked-looking dagger.

Finally, Jarvis re-entered the room and gave Alex a copy of what Fletcher needed. “Is there anything else I can help you with?” he asked, but she could tell he was eager for her to leave.

Alex opened her mouth, but before she could say anything she caught Hunter’s gaze again. He shook his head a fraction, the motion so small that no one else would have picked up on it, but his warning was clear.

“No, Administrator,” she said, breaking away from Hunter’s dark eyes to look back at Jarvis. “I’ve got all I need, thanks.”

And she did have all she needed. Because as she walked down the Tower and back out into the sunshine, Maggie’s final words played over in her head, clicking everything into place:If he gets through, do you know what will happen? The moment he steps through that doorway—

A tide of understanding washed over Alex, making her feel lightheaded. She tried to restrain her whirring thoughts, but like a jigsaw snapping itself together, all she could do was wait for the pieces of the puzzle to settle. And once they did, she finally saw the bigger picture.

Alex was from Freya. She’d been brought through to Medora by the Library because she was Chosen. Being Chosen meant she could access the secrets within the Library, including—hypothetically—the doorway back to her world. She didn’t know if she could find it again, nor was she certain whether the headmaster would be able to once he returned. He was still gone for who knew how long, anyway—which was probably why Maggie had said that Alex was the only one who could give Aven what he wanted. And what Aven wanted, Alex now realised, was to find a doorway to her world: he wanted to get to Freya.

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