Page 80 of Endless Anger
Yet he’s never once come to my defense.“And I said I’m fine.”
“It would be understandable if you weren’t though. I’ve skimmedThe Delphic Pagesonce or twice this morning.” He pauses, smoothing a free hand over his jawline. “I know it was a gruesome sight you stumbled upon.”
Meeting his gaze, I pretend the sheen of his irises doesn’t remind me of the Primordial Forest. I pretend this entire situation feels normal, him checking on me, and not like some convoluted plot to get me to confess to something I didn’t do.
All I’ve ever wanted was for someone other than my parents to be concerned about my well-being, and now that I’ve got it, I can’t help feeling like it’s some sort of trap.
Just how much does he know about the crime scene?
How much does Pythia know, and why?
“I’d probably care more about Pythia’s reports if she wasn’t always fueling the lies about me,” I tell him.
“She? Why do you assume the moderator is a woman?”
Heat fans my face. “Well, it’s not that I think the person behind her is, but she’s named after the most famous oracle at Delphi, right? And she takes on this personality of prophetess in some capacity, being the first to leak rumors and news schoolwide. SoPythia, as a concept, is a woman.”
“Interesting.” Professor Dupont considers this analysis, rubbing his chin. “I like that idea. I always just figured the dean plucked a random tie-in to ancient Greek culture to impress the alumni.”
“I guess that’s possible too.”
“Indeed. Few care more about appearances than that man.”
“Wouldn’t surprise me ifhewas Pythia, to be honest.”
I’m not really sure why I say it, but Professor Dupont laughs anyway.
“I doubt I’d enjoy it as much if he was. But don’t go spreading that around campus,” he says after a few seconds, pinning me with a bright smile. “If the department head knew I was a sucker for that gossip site, they’d have my job, I’m sure of it.”
I huff out a breath of air that’s almost a laugh. As a founding family member of Avernia, Professor Dupont’s status at the school is basically written in stone.
If you believe the what they say about the caves, which are etched into the mountains bordering campus, his name isliterallycarved there.
A fate, like so many others in Fury Hill, determined long before he was born.
Beckett’s words from the other morning ring in my mind. How he’d been so curious about Celeste and the fact that Iknowit was him I heard out there that night.
Since the professor is his older brother, I can’t shake my suspicion that this meeting has more to it than I’m being told.
But if this is how he wants to play, I’m game.
25
ASHER
I don’t waitoutside the auditorium for Lucy.
She wants space, so I’ll give her a little. Her finding my presence offensive might be amusing if it wasn’t making my life so goddamn difficult.
I’m not willing to leave Lucy at Avernia by herself, even if she doesn’t want to see me. That doesn’t mean I have to ditch her.
Been there once already. Won’t fucking happen again.
Even when I’m not by her side on this godforsaken campus, I’mawareof where she is. What she’s doing. I have eyes everywhere, and the cardigan I gave back was installed with a small tracking device, courtesy of my dad’s cybersecurity friends.
Her safety is my only priority. I won’t accept being kept in the dark anymore.
The sky is a muted gray, pelting the stony Avernia pathways with a light drizzle as I take a look at my course schedule. Muna was assigned as some campus escort intended to help integrate me into student life, like I’m at all interested in joining any clubs, trying out for sports, or going to trivia nights at Lethe’s.
