Page 85 of An Arcane Education
Her eyebrow flicks up as she waits for me to elaborate.
“There’s an area out in the forest quite a ways off themain trails where something weird is going on. Everything there is dead or dying. The trees look diseased, there’s no undergrowth, and there are these strange black mushrooms growing—the ones you found in Dr. Vale’s classroom yesterday.”
Chancellor Aldrich taps her long nails against the wooden desk. “And did this information come from Dr. Vale? Why is he not telling me this? I must admit, I was concerned by his apparent need to hide this information from me.”
“No. I, uh, I’m the one who discovered them. I know I wasn’t supposed to go off the trails, but I was exploring one day and happened upon the area. Something about it just felt… wrong. I did tell Dr. Vale about it, and he asked me to bring him samples and keep them a secret, which I did. I thought he might be able to identify them.”
“I see. And did he accompany you to this place in the forest?”
I shake my head. “No. I went alone. But—” I swallow hard as I prepare to give her the worst news “—I went out there again this afternoon, just an hour ago—” another white lie “—and I… I found a body.”
My stomach lurches at the confession and the fact that I had to deliberately lie to cover for Alaric. But if I tell her I found it two days ago without reporting it, I’m implicating myself in something much more serious.
Chancellor Aldrich’s eyes widen. “You what?”
My voice shakes as I repeat myself. “The student that’s missing, Mitchell Hansley. His body is right where the mushrooms were growing. He’s dead.”
The tears that stream down my cheeks aren’tfabricated. Somehow, speaking the words aloud to someone other than Alaric makes it even more real.
“Have you told anyone else about this yet?”
“N-no,” I lie, choking back a sob. “I’m friends with his brother, who’s been worried sick, so when I saw the body, I came straight here.”
Chancellor Aldrich remains remarkably calm, but I suppose it’s part of her job to handle stressful situations. Her voice softens when she speaks again. “Thank you for reporting this to me. I will report the news to the proper authorities and we’ll handle the rest. Why don’t you go rest while we get this sorted out? I’ll have you excused from the rest of your classes today.”
I nod numbly. A part of me wants to go to class if only to distract myself, but my next class is one with AJ, and there’s no way I can face him now. In the next few hours, he’ll find out that not only was his brother’s body discovered in the forest, but I’m the one who discovered it.
“If there’s anything else you need to tell me, Miss Harver, my door is open,” Chancellor Aldrich says as I leave her office. “Now go get some rest. Feel free to go to the infirmary if you need more support. We have some wonderful staff members qualified to handle mental health matters.”
“Thank you,” I respond, already knowing I won’t go to the infirmary or my dorm room. I have something important to do first.
CHAPTER 36
After putting my coat hood up to hide my tear-stained face, I march across campus, passing the library where Alaric is still sitting with Dr. Aldrich. I stand right inside the doorway until his gaze lands on me, and when it does, I stare right back. It’s evident I’ve been crying, and the recognition that crosses his expression tells me he understands why.
He stands, tossing an excuse over his shoulder to the woman at the table before making his way toward me. I turn without waiting for him, knowing he’ll follow, and walk toward the empty seating area surrounding the fountain that’s turned off for the season.
I stop in the center near the fountain and turn, crossing my arms as I wait for him to close the distance. When he gets close enough for me to speak without risking someone else overhearing, I start talking before he has the chance to.
“I’m done with this. All of it.”
“Vivian—” he reaches out to touch my arm, but I stepback and ignore the pang of heartbreak that strikes me at his distraught expression.
“I’m serious. I went to Chancellor Aldrich and told her that I discovered the mushrooms in the woods and had collected the samples for you, and I told her I found Mitchell this afternoon so I could cover my ass about hiding it for you.”
Alaric blows out a slow breath, pulling at the back of his neck. “What did she say?”
“That she’d handle it. Don’t worry, I didn’t tell her about our… arrangement,” I say, not wanting to even use the wordrelationship. “So you can keep getting cozy with her daughter without any issues.”
“I already told you, I’m not interested in Erin. I’m trying to get some information that she’d have access to, and this is the only way I can do that.”
“Is that all anyone is to you?” I seethe. “A means to get information? You’re pretending to date her because she supposedly knows something you don’t, and you’ve probably only kept me around for the same reason after I found the mushrooms.”
“That’s not true,” he argues. “I love you, Vivian.”
My heart stops. He can’t mean that, can he? Even if he does, actions speak louder than words.
“You can’t tell me you love me when you can’t even trust me enough to tell me the truth.”
