Page 111 of Bound By Fury

“How’s that going, by the way?”

I raise my eyebrows in question.

“You and the boys. Have you finally mended things?”

It’s like a switch, the way I immediately shut down. What is it about them that feels like it crosses an invisible line?

“I don’t…,” I trail off, glancing toward the door.

“It’s okay,” he says gently. “I don’t mean to pry. I’m just concerned about them, you know. Malachi… he hasn’t been the same after what happened to his parents and sister. His game is off. He showed so much promise, but then last year… well, I’m sure you’ve noticed the change in him.”

I adjust in my chair, slipping the strap of my bookbag over my arm.

His eyes are sad. “Harper, sweetheart, you can’t run from your problems. Eventually they’re going to catch up with you whether you want them to or not.”

Before I get a chance to respond, there’s a knock at the door. It swings open. “Hey, Al, I was hoping to get your eyes on—”

I turn to find Dr. Rogers standing in the doorway holding a stack of folders. “Oh, sorry to interrupt. I didn’t realize you were with a student.”

My cheeks warm.

“Ah, yes, sorry about that, Meg, I was just finishing up here with Ms. Scott.”

She gives me a tight smile. “Okay.”

Headmaster Matsoukas clears his throat.

“Actually, Harper and I were discussing some local history, which is right up your alley! She was telling me about her project for your class, and I was giving her a bit of insight on the history of BMA.”

“Oh, yes, you’re doing your project on the Beaumont Clark School, correct?”

I nod. “Um, sort of? I’m doing it on the legend. The one about the Lee Valley Witches.”

Behind me something drops.

When I look, Headmaster Matsoukas is reaching for the paperweight that fell on the floor. “Sorry,” he says. “Clumsy elbows.”

I glance back and forth between them.

“Is something wrong?” I ask.

Dr. Rogers hadn’t seemed to have an issue with my topic, although she’s barely said two words to me all semester. But to be fair I don’t raise my hand in class.

“It’s just, there’s never been witches in Earnest,” Dr. Rogers says.

My shoulders stiffen. “Well, I did find two articles—”

“About witches?” she asks.

“Well, no, not exactly—”

“Then how are they relevant?” She sounds bored as she cuts me off for a second time. I wring my hands, searching her face, confused as to why the vibes in the room have suddenly shifted.

I clear my throat, adjusting my position in the chair again. “Well, they describe a group of Black women who were lynched for what is described as ‘acts against God.’ ”

Dr. Rogers’s eyes widen just a tad as she purses her lips.

“Oh.” Her voice is calm, thoughtful even, as she asks, “Does it explicitly state that the women were being tried as witches?”