Page 10 of Revere

“Good.” Violet smiles, believing me.

Whispers kick up around the room as more students find their way in. There are twenty of us who were accepted into this summer program, and from the schedule we were emailed, it’s going to be a brutal eight weeks. Morning to night study sessions. Deep dives into material ten times more complex than what we’ve been studying at Briar. All culminating in one student being chosen to assist Professor Gray in an interview at a local prison.

Considering I’m competing against students like Violet for the spot, I may not have a chance, but I’ll do everything I can to prove myself.

This internship might not mean much at Briar, but it’s something to add to my blank resume after graduation. If I want to escape Bristal—escape Sigma Sin—this is the perfect start. Nothing is more prestigious than mentoring from Professor Gray.

This is my chance.

“That’s him?” A voice squeaks from behind me. “I thought he was old?”

“He’s older than us,” another girl responds. “Although, with him looking like that, I don’t care how old he is.”

“He’s our professor.”

“So?”

I turn my head to see what they’re talking about, following the gazes of the girls behind me to a side door. The momentary flash of light from the hallway obstructs my view of the man who fills the doorway, so all I can make out is that he’s tall and hisshoulders are broad. With a final stride, he steps into the room, and the door closes behind him.

At that, I finally get a good look at the professor the girls are talking about, just as his eyes meet mine.

Whipping my attention back to the front of the room, I sink down into my seat and shield my face with my hand.

“What is he doing here?”

“Who? Ourprofessor?” Violet smiles, nudging my shoulder. “Why are you hiding? You two didn’t seem to have any qualms getting chatty on the plane.”

My eyes widen. “You knew Jacob was our professor on the plane?”

“He did a lecture at Briar once apparently. Kole pointed him out.” She nudges my shoulder again. “Your cheeks are very red right now.”

“No they aren’t.” I pat them like that’s enough to put the fire out. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me I was sitting next to our professor.”

“I tried, but short of yelling it across the plane, I figured I’d just tell you later.” Her nose scrunches. “Guess I forgot.”

“You forgot? I fell in his lap—” I cut myself off when Professor Gray nears the front of the room, and suddenly, I wish I’d sat in the back like Violet prefers.

“Nineteen out of twenty decided they were up for this challenge.” Professor Gray pauses at his desk, grabbing a stack of papers out of his bag. “Not bad numbers to start. But we’ll see how many of you are left standing at the end of the eight weeks. If you wanted a summer off, you’ve come to the wrong place.”

His eyes find me again, and I wonder if I’m the one he’s issuing the challenge to. Like he saw my weakness on the plane and now he intends to weed me out. Or maybe I annoyed him to the point he thinks I don’t deserve to be here. I didn’t exactly go easy on him.

Why can’t I just be cordial with random strangers?

“Your first case study is going to be the first case I solved.” He holds up the stack of papers. “Although it’s not documented that I was involved in the final police report, I was. In these pages, you’ll find all the details I had to work with to catch the killer. I want you to review this over the next eight weeks and share your thoughts on the unknown subject. His motives. His demographics. Tell me why I came to my conclusion.”

“Did it take you eight weeks to figure that out?” The question is out of my mouth before I can think better of it, and my tone is sharp.

Professor Gray pauses, a slow, devious smirk climbing his cheeks. “No. It took me less than twenty-four hours.”

My jaw clenches because that says a lot about his faith in us.

“But let’s just say I got lucky.” His grin widens.

A snort escapes before I can swallow it down. At least my assumptions about his ego were correct.

Professor Gray ignores my outburst and starts passing out the papers.

“Umm…” Violet watches him move through the room. “What exactly happened between the two of you on the plane?”