Roque ran a hand through his hair, exhaling hard. “This should result in expulsion, Foster. Attacking a teacher? Now a student? Adair’s actions are his own consequences and will be dealt with. Memphis is fine. You’re executing penalties, leading with your heart and not your logic. Trust me, it’s a dangerous dance to take part in.”
Brokk snapped his gaze to behind him, focusing more, and he spotted Memphis wide-eyed but standing meekly, more embarrassed then anything.
“What’s going on with you?” The question caught him off guard, Roque having never shown him any special interest, let alone any sense of being able to confide in him. Hanging his head, he chose the safest route of not saying anything at all. Roque stared at him, searching for something that wasn’t there. Sighing, he stood, giving him one more puncturing gaze before raising his voice. “Brokk Foster, you are hereby expelled for the act of already assaulting a teacher and now trying as well with a student.”
“No.” Adair pushed past Emory, limping, a bruise flowering on his jaw. He flicked his gaze to him, pleading, before refocusing on Roque. “This is a misunderstanding. Brokk shouldn’t be punished. He is just being a loyal friend. Isn’t this what the Academy teaches, to above all protect others?”
“Yes, but not to reprimand with violence,”
“The world is being ripped apart from its core by violence! Right now, Roque, there are dark forces working against you, to destroy any sense of good that the Academy has built.” Adair flushed, but his words struck true.
Roque looked to his best friend’s son, his features stony. “But to respond with such a reckoning, we will ensure to tear apart the moral we have built.”
Adair seethed. “To sit and do nothing is going back on your word to protect Kiero. We have to fight.”
“He’s right.” Tadeas stepped forward, making all of them instinctively step back. “Roque, follow through with what we have decided. Together, we will stop Cesan and make sure Kiero will not fall into another darkness. These are your people, your land. Take your claim to protecting them.”
Roque growled under his breath. “I will deal with both of you later. To your rooms. Now.”
Turning to Tadeas, Roque snapped, “Do not tell me exactly what I should do or how I should feel. If this alliance is to work, you must earn my trust. I am not quick to forget the way you came here, Tadeas. To tell my wife her father had been killed? That our peace treaty is no longer recognized? That our fabrication of a government is pitiful? Don’t overstep yourself.”
Roque spun away, leaving Tadeas to follow him. Brokk stood shakily, turning to Emory and Adair. Adair glowered at him, not saying a word before limping down the hallway, Emory snapping at him, “Just don’t, Brokk. Just go.” Emory shot him one more look, disappointment shining in her eyes, before catching up with Adair. Linking arms, they left, Memphis joining them. Leaving Brokk alone in the hallway, his heart in his throat, his fear consuming him. He swallowed down his disappointment, making his way back to his bunker.
6
Memphis
They walked in silence, unsure of what to say to one another. Adair’s shoulders were slumped, curved inward, like he was protecting his heart. Emory was pure energy, each bounce of her step deepening her frown and the pinch in between her eyebrows. Memphis looked to the bland hallways that contained his life, his hope, and his future. This school was so much more—it had been a symbol of change, a promise of a way of life that could get him back home. That would mend the displacement Roque’s father had created. Back to his parents. To be a part of his family once more. He had thrived off this, thrown himself into his studies, private tutors and endless sleepless nights just thinking of that wish. And now?
It seemed to be all spiraling, slipping through his fingers faster than he could grasp. He shot a glance at Adair, wanting to say something. Clenching his jaw, he looked forward, his drained body choosing for him. Adair had slipped. His fellow classmates, even some teachers had let their skepticism of Adair be known, that he truly was dangerous, that his family shouldn’t be trusted. They were so powerful and were so close to the Faes that is was a risk.
He had always scoffed at this; their judgements were harsh and without reason. Everyone at this school was a risk, to themselves and to the people around them. Why should they single out just one? Finding his gaze drifting once more to his friend, doubt clawed at his mind. Emory caught his gaze, and Memphis flushed, quickly looking forward. The hallway curved, they were coming to their crossroads. Say something.
Adrenaline made everything look sharper than it appeared, like fragmented shards awkwardly pieced together. The lighting along the walls seemed too bright, a strange hissing noise coming from them. The classrooms they passed too distorted, too empty. He felt the air grow thicker, more humid. Gulping, Memphis quickened his pace, knowing he didn’t have long.
“Memphis wait!” Emory and Adair’s voices overlapped, a strange harmony throughout his mind, and he stopped, his body shaking. Sweat slicked every ounce of his skin, but Adair pushed in front of Emory,
“Memphis, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean... well actually, I did mean to, but I can explain!”
He shook his head curtly. “Just leave me alone, Adair. Go.” Turning away, he didn’t look back. He couldn’t. Anger seared through him as he wiped his eyes, practically running to his room.
“Memphis!” A cold, strong pressure on his wrist made him falter, and he looked up. Emory stood, wringing her hands and looking more nervous than he had ever seen her. To him, she was fearless. “Memphis, I’m sorry for
