Page 96 of An Arcane Education
Throughout it all, Clarissa grows paler, her denials less confident and less convincing.
Then comes the final blow.
“During a search of your dormitory this morning,” Mr. Escher says, “we recovered this.” He holds up a small, brass key that I instantly recognize. “Dr. Vale's missing greenhouse key, the one that provides access to the restricted garden where hemlock is cultivated. Can you explain how it came to be in your possession?”
Clarissa's mouth opens and closes, but no words come out. The Chancellor leans forward as if to speak, but Mr. Escher raises a hand to stop her.
“Miss Alder, do you have anything to say in your defense?”
After a long moment of total silence, Clarissa's shoulders slump, and when she speaks, her voice is small. “No.”
Her confession hangs in the air with finality.
“Then this hearing is concluded. Security will escort you to collect your belongings.”
“So she’s getting expelled?” I ask Alaric after Clarissa is taken away by two security guards. Once the meeting had concluded, he’d gone up to talk to his father alone.”
“Unfortunately not. They’re allowing her to transfer to the other magical academy in South America, but she won’t receive any academic honors and won’t be allowed to set foot on this island ever again.”
I stare at him in disbelief. “That's it? She murdered someone, and she gets sent to a different school? That’s not fair at all.”
“Life is never fair when politics and power are involved,” he says solemnly.
Despite my relief that she’s been convicted, white hot anger that flares in my chest. Because she comes from a wealthy, influential family, she’ll receive a slap on the wrist for taking someone’s life.
I want to scream at these people and demand real justice, but I know I need to pick my battles, and this is one I can’t win.
CHAPTER 41
Finals week descends upon Arcadia Academy in a bustle of frenzied energy and exhausted determination. With the library’s extended hours, there’s a constant stream of students spending hours lost in their research and studying, only stopping to attend classes, fuel themselves with a combination of coffee, food, and the occasional illicit cigarette while tucked into one of the building’s outdoor alcoves.
I throw myself into studying and writing research papers with an intensity that borders on mania. Now more than ever, I need to prove myself. Every exam I pass is proof that I belong here, that the board made the right decision in letting me stay.
The written exams are challenging but manageable. I've kept up with my coursework throughout the semester, so the material feels familiar even when it's difficult. Dr. Lowry's Magical Law and Ethics exam is brutal, with three hours of essay questions about precedent and policy, but I walk out feeling cautiously confident. It helps thatCallista might have snuck me a copy of the exam from last year for studying purposes while letting me know that it rarely changes.
Professor Showen's Introduction to Magic and Magical Theory exam is nerve-wracking, but the absence of Clarissa’s presence serves as a reminder of all the events that have transpired over the last few weeks. For as much as she insisted I was beneath her, I’m here now and she’s not. I manage to ace the written portion of the exam and perform the practical demonstrations for Professor Showen with very few hiccups.
My Natural Spellwork course involved a combination of multiple-choice and essay questions related to herbal characteristics and uses, medicinal remedies, what types of spells work best for particular intentions, and how moon cycles affect spellwork.
For Plant Physiology and Biochemistry, I turn in my final research paper after completing my required presentation to the class. We had been allowed to choose any topic from the course to expand upon, combining both magical and scientific information into a research paper that we’d all need to do a ten-minute presentation on. After a significant amount of research in the library and experimentation in the greenhouse, I manage to nail my presentation on calcium waves as a common language between physical and magical stimuli in plants.
By the time I’ve finished my last final of the week, I’m buzzing with adrenaline and ready to celebrate. For the first time since arriving at Arcadia, I feel like I’ve truly earned my place.
On Friday night, the five of us gather in Callista’sroom to celebrate. She’s gotten multiple bottles of champagne—apparently there’s a small general store on the island just off of campus, one of the few buildings I had noticed on my way in—and laid out an arrangement of snacks on her bare desk.
“To surviving the semester!” Callista announces, raising her glass.
We clink our glasses together, cheering, and take a sip.
Max sprawls across the small couch. “I can't believe we actually made it.”
“Speak for yourself,” Avery teases. “I never doubted us for a second.”
Delilah laughs. “You're still an undergrad. Come back and say that again if you decide to get your master’s.”
“Also,” Max says, “why have we not been hanging out in this room instead of mine and Vivian’s? This one is so much bigger!”
“My roommate was always in here and is a total piece of work. Like, the complete opposite of me, sototallyboring.”
