The Estate (Sacrisvita Book 4)

by Dylan Steel

  Inette shrugged. “You wanna lead the way?”

  Sage paused and looked back and forth between the two older students, then tilted her head. “Sure.”

  “Uh... Ok.” Inette was taken aback by her boldness.

  Without hesitating, she turned around and began marching back toward the front of the tree line. Her heart was pounding. She could only hope the others would follow if she showed enough confidence. Fortunately, they did. She angled her approach a bit so that she wouldn’t just be retracing her steps. It would be important to cover different ground if she expected to have any luck finding those rocks.

  When the edge of the forest came into view, she turned sharply. She wanted to stay in the thick of the trees for as long as possible, so she traipsed along, walking parallel to the clearing. Part of her could hardly believe the other three were following along wordlessly behind her.

  After ten minutes of leading her group without a sign of any rock pile, Sage’s already-false confidence began to waver. Was she remembering Mr. Walsh’s map incorrectly? What if they’d cleared the rocks? What if she’d chosen to go the wrong direction in the first place?

  Just as she was starting to lose hope, an echo of laughter caught her attention. She stopped, peering in the direction of the sound. A little ways in the distance, at the edge between the clearing and the start of the woods, she thought she saw movement.

  Rushing in the direction of the noise, Sage led them straight into three other groups. The youngest among them were shrieking and laughing, but the oldest were all showcasing their bravery by clambering up to the top of a pile of giant rocks and then jumping off. Mid-leap, they would catch hold of a massive branch—it seemed to be perfectly positioned for just such a physical feat—and then drop a yard or so down to the ground.

  Sage’s heart pounded. Her relief of finding the rock formation was quickly replaced by panic. She had no idea how she was going to hide the relic with all the other students hanging around.

  “Awesome!” Cal pushed his way past her, beelining for the highest rock.

  Inette caught up to Sage. She crossed her arms and leaned against a tree, studying the scene. When another boy leapt from the rocks, she nodded up at the branch dubiously. “Looks like their weight is really stressing it. I hope it holds.”

  Sage watched as one of the older girls scrambled to the top of the rocks. She took a deep breath and shot off the highest boulder, grabbing the branch. Instead of letting go right away and dropping to the ground, she swung her legs up and hoisted herself into a position where her hips were pressed against the branch.

  “Zaira, you’re taking too long! Stop showing off!”

  The others were waiting impatiently on the rocks.

  Zaira just grinned. “Whiners!” she called over her shoulder. She turned her full attention back to the branch and bounced the top of her legs against it a few times before deciding to roll over the top of it. Uncoiling her body slowly, she dropped softly to the ground.

  “About time!”

  The next boy wasted no time at all in leaping from his position onto the branch. After Zaira’s inspiring performance, it was clear he intended to take his time too, and he began swinging his legs up over his head. But he was nowhere near as coordinated. He managed to get his legs stuck in between his arms and the branch.

  He began squirming awkwardly, unable to move much without completely releasing his hold and dropping from a much higher height than he’d intended. A popping noise rang out, and his eyes widened. He wriggled faster, panicking. But it was too late.

  With a groan and a loud snap, the branch broke free of the trunk, sending the boy tumbling to the ground with a thud and a sudden cry. For a moment, complete silence fell over all the students as they gaped at the boy who had just fallen.

  The silence was broken by a moan.

  Sage’s stomach twisted. The boy was a tangle of limbs. It was hard to see if he’d seriously hurt himself, but she doubted he’d emerge unscathed. Inette rushed forward to check on him.

  “Someone go get Ms. Trynn!”

  Inette lifted the branch of the boy and let out a small gasp. “And tell them to bring a trailer!” she quickly added.

  With the branch off of him, it was obvious now that his leg was bent in an unnatural angle. Inette was trying to keep him still and prevent him from seeing it, but he brushed her aside. When his gaze fell on his leg, his breathing became rapid and shallow. Inette forced his face toward hers, inhaling and exhaling with loud, slow breaths as she tried to calm him. Zaira’s form was already shrinking in the distance as she ran for help.

  Sage glanced around furtively. Her mission was quickly unraveling. The estate tour was almost certainly over. There was no time left to find a hiding place for the relic.

  Everyone was distracted by the injury—she only had a moment to take advantage of their lack of attention—but her path to the rocks was blocked. And besides, she wouldn’t have time to find a safe spot there anyway, not with everyone still spread out all over them. Her eyes fell on the tree that had just lost its branch. She bit her lip, hoping no one would see what she was about to do.

  Reaching into her pocket, she gripped the ring tightly. Fixing her eyes on the chaotic scene unfolding in front of her, she took a couple steps backward, slowly making her way toward the tree. She felt her foot land on the base of the trunk. She tilted her head slightly, subtly searching for the bucket that should be hanging from it. As soon as her eyes landed on it, she looked back at the students in front of her to make sure no one was watching. Inching closer, she swiftly passed the ring over the rim of the bucket, dropping it inside.

  Almost immediately, the ring hit the bottom of the bucket with a hollow ping. Sage grimaced. That was much louder than she’d expected it to be. She looked around, hoping no one had heard it.

  To her relief, it didn’t appear anyone had noticed. The boy’s broken leg had proven to be a fortunate diversion, but she wasn’t sure how she’d tell Mr. Walsh where she’d wound up hiding the ring.

  A horse’s whinny echoed toward them as a passenger trailer appeared in the distance. The boy clearly heard it too and started to try to push himself off the ground, and Inette had to restrain him so that he didn’t further injure himself.

  It didn’t take long for Ms. Trynn to hop out and rush to his side, hurriedly examining what had happened.

  “You’ve really done it, haven’t you?” she chided. “This is going to need some attention. You’re going to have to hold on for awhile until we get back to the city.”

  “We have some medical equipment on the property,” Sophia piped up. “Our son is studying medicine, and we have an estate nurse—it only makes sense with how many workers we have living here,” she explained. “Charles is already on his way to fetch them.”

  “Ok.” Ms. Trynn turned her attention back to the injured boy. “Don’t move until they get here.”

  He gritted his teeth and nodded.

  The instructor looked around at the other students. “Not everyone’s here…” she began slowly. “How many Level Sixteens are here right now?”

  Inette and four others raised their hands.

  “Great. Please go through the woods and find the rest of the students and bring them back.” She frowned. “I think it’s safe to say our estate tour is over.”

  22. NEVER EASY

  “Ahem.” Headmaster Alexander cleared his throat as he stood in the classroom doorway, impatience written across his face.

  Ms. Trynn stopped mid-sentence and looked up at him in surprise, nodded, and then looked back at the students. “I’ll be right back. Go ahead and get together in your groups now. And remember how we talked about making conversation with the benefactors we visit? Given the nature of our visit and her likely interests, discuss what she might like.”

  The sound of desks scraping against the floor drowned out Ms. Trynn’s next words with the headmaster before they stepped outside, carrying on their conversation in the hallway.
>
  Cal was the first to speak. “I don’t want to visit another crazy lady. Like that berry benefactor.” He shuddered.

  “The strawberry fields? Serefina Chartreaux?” Inette clarified.

  “Yeah, her,” he snorted.

  Inette rolled her eyes. “Well, this benefactor isn’t in charge of growing strawberries. But she does have fruit trees.”

  “Whatever,” he scoffed. “They’re all crazy anyways.”

  Gabby’s eyes widened. For a moment, Sage thought she must have misunderstood what he’d said. She wouldn’t expect him to be so brash—especially after all the accusations that he’d been the one to leave the Lawless graffiti.

  “Careful, Cal,” Inette warned quietly. “That’s exactly the kind of talk that can get you in big trouble.”

  He shrugged. “Well, they are. You can’t tell me you didn’t think the same thing when Grayson looked at you like you were his dessert.”

  Inette’s face clouded. “Whatever I’m thinking, Cal, it’s none of your business.” Her lips barely moved as she spoke in a low, strained voice. “We owe a lot to our benefactors. Their value to society is likely unmatched by you and me, and we’d all do well to remember that.”

  He crossed his arms, leaning back in his chair. “Some value,” he muttered. “They just tell everyone else what to do. Anyone could do that.”

  Pursing her lips, Inette ignored his statement and turned her attention to her databook. “Let’s do what Ms. Trynn said. If we look at the different fruits this benefactor grows on her farm, we might be able to figure out what she l—”

  “Oh, come on, Inette,” he interrupted, gesturing toward Gabby and Sage. “Maybe they’re too young to get it, but you should know. After everything we’ve seen this year? You can’t seriously tell me you want to cater to another one of these crazies. We don’t mean anything to them. And we never will.”

  Inette glared at him silently.

  “I’m tired of everyone lying about it. Especially instructors,” he said pointedly. “It’s disgusting. They know what it’s like out there—they’ve seen it. And Inette, I don’t think you want to be that guy’s next shiny new toy any more than I want to be Serefina’s or whoever this next benefactor lady is. But we don’t get to have any say in it. Our futures. It’s beyond dumb.”

  Sage kept her mouth shut tightly. As much as she wanted to jump to Cal’s defense—she agreed with him, after all—he was being foolish. Openly criticizing the benefactors like this was bound to backfire on him. Even if Inette and Gabby showed discretion, there was no guarantee he hadn’t been overheard by someone else in the room. Someone who hadn’t spent the whole year getting to know him and didn’t care so much what happened to him.

  Their conversation was interrupted by the clicking of heels reentering the room.

  “Cal.” Ms. Trynn’s voice echoed coldly across the room.

  “Yeah?”

  “Come here.” Something in her tone made the students’ chatter stopped instantly. All eyes were on Cal. He looked uneasy as he rose to his feet and made his way toward the instructor. As soon as the door clicked closed, muffled voices drifted through the wall. Some of the students closest to the door jumped up and ran over, tilting their heads so their ears nearly touched the wall.

  The looks on their faces were enough to coax the rest of the class to the door too. Sage followed along somewhat reluctantly, hoping the headmaster wouldn’t choose to punish the entire class for their misplaced curiosity.

  Moments after the last student had joined the eavesdropping crowd, someone accidentally pushed the door open, and a few members of the class stumbled into the hallway. They froze, afraid the headmaster would turn to them and bestow some degree of automatic punishment.

  It appeared that Headmaster Alexander and Ms. Trynn were too preoccupied with Cal to pay them much attention, however. The rest of the class took their lack of response as permission to gawk more openly, and they rushed into the empty space in the hall behind the adults.

  The look on Cal’s face betrayed his complete panic.

  “Look,” Ms. Trynn hissed, “you may have gotten out of what you did before, leaving those words on—”

  “—I told you, I didn’t do that! I only touched—”

  “Don’t interrupt me!” she snapped. “You won’t be able to talk your way out of this one, Cal. Not this time.”

  “But I—”

  “Were you or were you not making comments in support of the Lawless yesterday at lunch?” Ms. Trynn’s eyes bored into him.

  His face turned a shade paler than it already was. “N-n-no.”

  “Oh, really?” The headmaster leaned over him. “Then why do we have witnesses that say you were?”

  “W-w-witnesses? Wh-who?” he spluttered, hastily adding, “I-I don’t know!” He hung his head, chest heaving. “I didn’t—I didn’t say anything…”

  “Lying will only make matters worse for you, boy.” Headmaster Alexander’s words came out in a low growl. “And trust me when I say that things are bad enough for you as it is.”

  “But I didn’t—”

  “We already have proof you did.” The headmaster cut him off.

  Cal’s shoulders slumped. “I-I didn’t mean it. Not really.”

  The headmaster’s eyes narrowed. “Ah, yes, intent. That’s the only straw you can grasp at now, isn’t it? It’s a rather desperate play to avoid being shunned.”

  “Please.” Cal’s eyes were glazed over. He looked like he was going to pass out “No,” he said weakly. “I’ve only ever been loyal.”

  Gabby took a step forward and tugged on Ms. Trynn’s sleeve.

  “Not now, Gabby.” She brushed her off.

  She tugged harder. “But…”

  “No, Gabby, not now.”

  Gabby’s face screwed up in frustration. “But he said bad things about the benefactors!” she blurted out.

  Ms. Trynn’s eyes shot down to her. “What? When?”

  “Just now in our group,” Gabby said matter-of-factly. “While you were talking to the headmaster.”

  The headmaster and Ms. Trynn exchanged almost eager looks.

  “Is that true?” The headmaster looked to Inette and Sage for confirmation.

  Sage fought the urge to vomit. She couldn’t believe Gabby had turned on Cal so easily, without any hint of remorse. It put her in a terrible position. If she lied and the truth came out later, her own motives would be suspect. If she told the truth, she’d all but guaranteed Cal would be condemned to a shunning. She swallowed hard. There was no doubt in her mind that the headmaster would be able to listen to the conversation later anyway if he wanted to. She didn’t have a choice.

  “Ladies?”

  Inette locked eyes with Sage before turning back to the adults. They both nodded slightly, miserably. Cal’s mouth hung open at the betrayal.

  The headmaster turned his gaze back on Cal. “It seems we have a pattern of extreme misbehavior,” he rumbled. “And when there is a pattern like this, our administration is really left with no choice about the best course of action to take.”

  Now shaking, Cal shot a glance from the headmaster to Ms. Trynn. He gritted his teeth and turned his head slightly, desperately eyeing the long, empty stretch of hallway.

  “I wouldn’t try to fight this,” the headmaster said coolly. “The zeptobes will ensure your cooperation as we take you to your new quarters.” His lips formed a tight line. “Unless you’d prefer to be dragged from your last free moments in a comatose state.”

  “Please.” The words were barely audible.

  Headmaster Alexander’s nostrils flared as he shook his head. “This decision is final.”

  Cal’s eyes flickered with indecision. He opened his mouth once more and then snapped it closed.

  Sage could feel the weight of his despair. It was crushing her. She could barely breathe—she could only imagine how he was feeling. The desperation. The fear. The hopelessness.

  She didn’t have to wait much l
onger to find out.

  He doubled over suddenly, vomiting up the last meal he’d eaten. Cal convulsed a few more times and then straightened as best he could, wiping his mouth with his wrist. He cast one more glance over the adults and classmates who had condemned him.

  Without warning, he pivoted on the spot and launched himself down the hallway, feet pounding away at a sprint. Within a matter of seconds, he’d turned the corner and disappeared from view.

  The headmaster sighed. “They never go easy,” he muttered under his breath.

  23. THE OUTBURST

  The opening remarks were always the same. Always dull. Always filled with Eprah’s praises. Sage slumped back in her chair, eyes fixating on the back of the person’s head in front of her.

  In a way, the rote speeches of the graduation ceremony were a welcome relief. Her brain felt more or less like a pile of mush after the past few weeks of cramming for exams. If not for Nic and Everett’s extra tutoring sessions, she doubted she would have managed to get passing scores. Fortunately, she’d finally managed to catch up on her backlog of assignments and had actually started grasping some of the concepts more easily.

  As she stared at the stage, she found herself wishing time would speed up, but at the same time, a morbid curiosity had taken hold of her. It seemed the only way to make the day—sitting in this enormous hall—bearable. She wanted to see where some of the older students would be assigned—who would be paired with who else. Who would be paired with the benefactors.

  She shuddered. Her mind drifted to the last heated conversation she’d had about benefactors. The last conversation she’d had with Cal.

  A lump formed in her throat.

  Even though he’d made it all the way to the front gates, Cal never had a real shot at escaping. According to the rumors flying around the Institution’s halls, he’d actually managed to begin climbing the gate, making it a few feet into the air before he blacked out and tumbled back to the ground. He was fortunate he didn’t have any injuries. But as the headmaster had warned, he spent his last free moments outside the shunning completely unconscious.