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“I just didn’t want to cause a fuss over nothing. I’d completely forgotten about our first encounter out in the forest since I was so distracted with settling in here, and as for the second meeting… well, I overheard Fletcher telling someone that alumni were always welcome on academy grounds and could get through whatever security wards the headmaster had set up, so I just presumed Aven was telling the truth and wasn’t any kind of threat.”

“Then why bring this to me now?” Jarvis asked.

“Because I did some research and I wasn’t satisfied with the results.” At his questioning look, she explained, “Aven didn’t look much older than thirty and I was curious about him because he was…”

She paused, trying to find a more appropriate description than ‘hot’.

“There was just something about him,” she finally said. “Something that captured my attention.” She shuffled her feet and hurried on to say, “I wanted to make sure his story checked out, so I went to the Archives and looked up the academy records from the past fifteen years. It took some time, but he didn’t come up in any of the class lists. Since I didn’t have any evidence or proof that he even existed—let alone that he was here—I let it go, not seeing a point in bothering anyone.”

Jarvis appeared to be lost in thought and Alex nervously moved from foot to foot while she waited for him to speak.

“Thank you for telling me about this, Alex,” he eventually said. “I’m acquainted with the man you speak of and I’ll be sure to pass the message on to Professor Marselle that Aven was here to meet with him.”

Alex wilted with relief. She’d worried for a moment that she’d made a huge mistake by not going to Jarvis straight away with her report. Fortunately, that didn’t appear to be the case.

“If you ever have any concerns regarding strangers on campus again, please don’t hesitate to bring them to my or another professor’s attention.Yoursafety is paramount,” Jarvis said.

Alex thought his emphasis on ‘yoursafety’seemed a little strange, but she presumed he’d meant it to encompass all the students—not just her—despite how it had sounded.

“Yes, sir,” she agreed.

“Good,” he said, nodding. “Now, let’s head back before your friends come searching for you.”

They retraced their steps until they stopped at the entrance to the food court.

“I hope you enjoy Kaldoras, Alex,” Jarvis said. “And remember to stay on your guard.”

Alex promised to do so and headed inside, thinking all the while about how strange their conversation had been.

Twenty-Three

“Are you ready for this?”Bear asked ten minutes later as he led the way out onto the grounds.

Alex fidgeted with her backpack and said, “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

“You’ll be fine,” he encouraged. “My family can’t wait to meet you.”

“No pressure then, huh?”

He laughed. “It’s not like you’re my girlfriend. You don’t actuallyhaveto impress them, you know.”

“You can be my girlfriend, if you want,” Jordan said, winking at her.

She made a face at him. “In your dreams.”

“Break it up, you two, or Mum’ll give you both ‘the talk’,” Bear said. Then he cocked his head thoughtfully and added, “Actually, never mind. That’d be hilarious to watch.”

“As hilarious as the time she gaveus‘the talk’?” Jordan asked.

Alex burst out laughing. “What?”

“Total misunderstanding,” Bear murmured, looking uncomfortable. “Jordan was giving me some pointers about how to talk to the girl I had a crush on a few years back. Mum overheard part of the conversation and jumped to the wrong conclusion.”

“I couldn’t look her in the eyes for a week,” Jordan said with a chuckle. “But it sure gave Bear the incentive he needed to go get his girl.”

Alex had to hold her stomach she was laughing so hard.

“No wonder you want me to act like your girlfriend,” she said, elbowing Jordan. She then turned her attention back to Bear and told him, “I’m suddenly feeling much more confident. Let’s get out of here.”