Page 65 of Endless Anger
“Feels like I could name a few things.”
“Like?”
“Poor security, unstable blockades at the cave entrances, and all the rumors about ghosts, for starters.”
“This place definitelyishaunted,” Tiernan tells me. “When students die?—”
Muna elbows him in the gut. “I’ll give you the first two things, but the rumors are unfounded. Don’t believe everything you read onThe Delphic Pages, and you’ll thrive here.”
“The what?”
“Our school’s community forum. That’s where you heard about the rumors, right?” she replies, though she doesn’t wait for my answer. “And since you’re new, I’ll let your attitude slide. By the time I’m done with you, you’ll be seeing Avernia in a whole new light.”
I have no doubt that’s true, though probably not in the way she’s hoping. The only reason I accepted the tour invitation was in the hopes she’d let her guard down and show me the ugly underbelly without meaning to.
Between Muna and Tiernan though, I’m not sure they’re the best option for that. I need a higher-ranking student. The president of the Curators, maybe, or one of the Daughters of Persephone.
I’d ask Quincy, since the latter is her project, but I’m not supposed to bother her unless it’s an emergency. Since it’s her first semester as part of the faculty, she doesn’t want me causing issues.
Like I’m a beacon for trouble, or something.
“Okay, so if we hit up the Morning Fields first and then the Lyceum, we can do the Meadows after lunch.” Muna takes a notepad from her satchel, scribbling something down with a small pink pen. “Which do you want to see first?”
Glancing into the deeper forest, I wonder if my bloody footprints from last night are still visible in the soft dirt, and try to guess how long it’d take for someone to trace them back to me.
I was fucking sloppy, too focused on finding Lucy. Dad would be pissed.
“…most people use the gyms in the Morning Fields recreationally, but the observatory and greenhouse are really nice. I know the Daughters of Persephone are working on ahugecampus garden renovation rightnow, so they probably don’t want us over there. The outdoor theater is nice this time of day, and Professor Dupont usually hangs out there with his org, if you’d like to meet him.”
It takes a second to realize she’s talking to me. “Professor Dupont?”
Tiernan raises a thin brow. “Did you enroll at Avernia on purpose or just throw a penny onto a map and head wherever it landed?”
“SuttonDupont is the premier professor on campus,” Muna says with an incredulous look aimed my way. “He’s an alumnus and part of the Dupont family, which is the most revered founding bloodline in town. They runeverything. Plus, he’s an acting phenomenon and fantastic teacher.”
“As far as legends go,” Tiernan adds. “he’s about as close to one as we’ll get around here.”
Muna eyes me, tilting her head. “You’re an Anderson, right? Shouldn’t you, like, know this sort of thing? I know your family isn’t exactly on great terms with Fury Hill, but?—”
“My interest in what the other families do or don’t do is nonexistent.” Shoving my hands in my pockets, I stand up and start in their direction. Probably shouldn’t have told her my name or association, but she hadn’t wanted to give me a tour until I did. “Now, what exactly are the Morning Fields?”
“Campus is split up into sections,” Tiernan answers. “The Elysian Dorms are, obviously, student housing. Org residences, the dean’s house, and some admin buildings are also found scattered along this quadrant. The Lyceum is the main academic building and the center hub, with the big courtyard out in front, and the biggest library behind it. Which then leads us to the Morning Fields—essentially, areas you might need access to earlier in the day, or places that might make you cry, like the smaller libraries, the gyms, or the student health center. It’s a play on words…morning,mourning. Studying, exercise…get it?”
He grins wide at me, and I just blink back. “Clever.”
“It was the founders’ idea to tie in Greek myths so heavily with the structure of the school. Their fascination with the ancient beliefs randeep and are inescapable now.” Waving that off, he continues. “The Meadows are basically everything not included in main campus or the forest beyond. Mostly just whatever’s outside but still within city limits.”
“Great.” Taking off, I start past them but sense hesitance.
“Um…” Muna’s gaze shifts back to the wooden box. “You’re not just leaving that there, are you?”
I don’t reply, because I don’t really know what to say. It didn’t cross my mind that she’d be so interested in the damn thing.
One of Tiernan’s feet slides forward as if he’s tempted to investigate. “I’d take it if I were you. That Wolfe girl will be out here doing her weekend forest cleanup, and if she sees that, you’ll never hear the end of it.”
“Wolfe girl?”
Nodding, Muna shudders. “Lucy Wolfe. The cleanup is part of her community service sentence.”
