Chapter 62: The interrogation...
Charis
After my first two classes, I was finally starting to feel like I might survive Ravenshore.
Just before break time, a Sentinel appeared in the doorway of our classroom. He didn’t say a word, just scanned the room until his eyes found me, then jerked his head toward the hallway in a clear command.
My stomach dropped. This couldn’t be good.
I nodded and gathered my things, acutely aware of every pair of eyes following my movement as I left the classroom. The whispers started before I’d even cleared the doorway—speculation about what kind of trouble the new bastard boy had already managed to get himself into.
The walk to Headmistress Vale’s office felt like a death march. Each step echoed in the empty corridors, and I found myself trying to remember if I’d done anything in the past few hours that could have warranted this summons.
The last time we’d spoken, she told me she’d think of what she wanted me to do for her in return, and she’d keep my secret. Was this what this meeting was all about? For her to finally tell me what she wanted me to do?
When we reached the office, I could see Headmistress Vale silhouetted against the large window in her office, sipping tea with an air of casual elegance that somehow made her more threatening. The Sentinel gestured for me to enter, and once I stepped inside, she dismissed him with a wave of her hand.
"Leave us," she commanded without turning around.
The door closed behind me with a soft click that sounded like the doors back at Crestborne whenever my father wanted to beat me. For more than ten minutes, I stood there in silence, wondering what she wanted in return.
Finally, I couldn’t take the tension anymore. I cleared my throat quietly and said, "You wanted to see me?"
Headmistress Vale turned from the window and crossed the room, and before I could even process what was happening, she slapped me.