“Raincheck,” I mutter, and head down the stairs once he’s out of sight. I can’t help but wonder if not saying goodbye and just leaving conversations is a normal thing for him, or all supernaturals. I’ll have to pay better attention to others.
Chapter 5
Quinn
“A girl could get used to this,” I comment happily, and lean back in my chair. It’s the first time in the past two days I’ve done more than pick at my food. Everything I put on my plate was delicious, and now my pants feel too tight.
“I opt for leggings to accommodate my food baby.” Alice rubs her hand over her flat stomach, sensing my meaning.
I let out a little scoff of disbelief. Her leggings look like liquid leather. Her top is loose and flowing, but it doesn’t hide her great figure beneath, it somehow highlights it.
“What? If it wasn’t for my awesome shifter metabolism, I would be huge, and I wouldn’t even care. I love food too much.” Alice licks her spoon as if to prove a point. It’s the first time she’s mentioned she’s a shifter.
I look down at my watch. “I need to get going.” I’m a little slow to rise.
“We didn’t even get to talk about your first day yet.” Alice rises with me.
“Not much to say, my appointment with Director Stone was canceled.” I give a shrug while placing my tray where it belongs.
“Really? I wonder why,” Alice whispers conspiratorially. “I’ll have to ask Millie what’s going on.”
“Millie, that’s the woman I met last night?” I push out the doors and my stomach already feels a little better after walking a bit, or I have more room when I’m standing up.
“Yeah, she’s one of Stone’s assistants.” Alice matches her pace to mine.
“I thought the voice was familiar. I think she was the one who called and canceled the meeting this morning.”
Alice nods. “Could have been, I haven’t seen her today.”
I don’t mention the chill in her friend’s voice. Instead, I tell her, “I have a meeting at one thirty with Mr. Brock.”
“Sorry.” Alice winces then chuckles. “I’m just teasing. He’s nice enough, a bore for a vampire, but nice enough.” I use my keycard to get us back into the school wing, and Alice leaves me at the stairs so she can head back to her classroom.
I contemplate the elevator but decide to use the stairs instead. I pass a few people on my rather slow ascend. Some smile and others ignore me as they rush past. All in all, pretty average stuff for a newbie, I would say.
I’m slightly winded when I reach my door, but I take the time to notice the only other door after mine at the end of the corridor. Idly, I wonder if it’s Griffin’s office. It would make sense, seeing he was near my door twice today.
It only takes a moment to unlock my office door, which I again leave open. I want to encourage an open-door policy, literally. I probably won’t have any meetings with the students until I get a little more acclimated, but I’m also hoping it will make me more approachable to my colleagues as well. And if a certain, dark-haired stranger wants to pop his head in again, I wouldn’t be opposed.
I settle behind my desk long enough to wake up my computer and get my work email account opened before I hear a tapping on the door. When I look up, I notice a lanky young man, maybe around fourteen, lingering between the door and the hallway, as if he’s not sure if he wants to come farther into my office.
I stand and offer a warm smile. “Hi, I’m Quinn.” The kid peers down at his shoes for a second then glances up at me.
“Mr. Albert said I should come see you,” he announces reluctantly.
“Come in, come in,” I urge him, moving around my desk to take a seat in one of the chairs on the opposite side. I want him to feel comfortable, so being on the other side of the desk doesn’t leave us on equal footing.
The kid enters slowly, like he’s still not sure he’s in the right place before easing into the chair next to me.
“Thanks for coming to see me…?” I pause, hoping he’ll fill in his name.
“Jon,” he supplies.
“Well, thanks, Jon. It’s my first day, and I’m feeling a little nervous. It’s nice to see a friendly face.”
Jon’s eyes narrow on me like something I’ve said makes him suspicious. I relax in my chair a bit and rein in the overeager helpfulness. I’m using it to make him more at ease. I want to show him that he’s not the only one who’s uncertain, but maybe I was trying too hard to make him feel comfortable and doing the opposite of what I’d hoped.
After a brief moment of silence, I fold my hands in my lap and ask, “So, who is Mr. Albert?”
Jon lets out a small breath. “He’s one of my teachers.” I nod, hoping he’ll continue. “Well, I want to be a doctor.” Jon sits up a little, as if just saying the words makes him more confident in being here.
“That’s amazing. Even better, I can hear the conviction in your voice. So how can I help?” He might seem a little young to make such a big decision, but I’m not going to derail him. I knew what I wanted to be at his age, my mother’s insistence that I keep my options open only supplied the drive I needed to keep on track.
“I don’t want to be just a supe doctor,” Jon divulges. His shoulders take on a slight slump, as if just saying the words puts a weight on his back.
I now know why Mr. Albert sent Jon to me. Once supernaturals came out, or supes, like Jon called them, almost all the medical practices split into specialty care. Which left lots of supernatural doctors, nurses, and other medical staff without much work. Blooded vampires and mature shifters don’t have much need for medical care. There are no laws saying supernaturals can’t be doctors and such, but finding a hospital or practice that would accept them would be, will be, an uphill battle.
Jon’s eyes droop down to his hands. His fingers are long, almost elegant as he examines his palms. “I’ve wanted to be a doctor for as long as I can remember,” he mutters, as if he thinks I’m going to tell him he should find something else to do, something easier. I wouldn’t dare.
There are a lot of things humans trust supernaturals with, health and beauty are among those things, but it’s a closely guarded secret. My mother, who openly encourages separation among the species, sees a vampire for vascular needs. She would have a coronary if she was outed. Which is stupid, because I bet all her friends do the same thing.
“Jon,” I call to get his attention. Without any denial from me, he’s already lost a little of that conviction he came in here with. I didn’t expect to be hit with such a huge challenge on my first day, but this is exactly what I’m here for. “It’s not going to be an easy journey for you, but I promise to do everything I can to help you fulfill that dream.”
Jon’s eyes assess me. In that moment, he seems so much older than the fourteen I guessed him as. Something about his demeanor makes me think he’s a vampire, but I’m no expert, and I’m not going to ask at this point, it shouldn’t even matter.
“I think we should go over your classes and make sure you’re heading in the right direction, then we need to talk about colleges. What’s your dream school, what will you settle for? How much time do we have?” I begin to rattle off the questions as my mind starts to examine all the possibilities and options we have to explore.
“I’m a junior, and I want to go to University of Michigan. They have an amazing medical program, and…” Jon licks his lip. “I only want to go to Michigan.” He tips his chin down a little, seemingly worried about my reaction. Getting into U of M shouldn’t be a problem, but getting into the medical program might present an issue.
Speciesism and segregation are something that people like to pretend doesn’t exist, but we all know it does. “Well,” I start out slowly, “that puts us under a bit of a time crunch with you being a junior…” The young man’s shoulders fall again. “But we can make this work, Jon.” I remind myself not to make any assumptions on age when it comes to supernaturals, because I never would have guessed he is a junior.
His head jerks in my direction as I finish. A cloud of suspicion and a twinkle of hope twirls in his dark eyes as he stares at me. “They only take the mandated number of supes, and everyone has either failed out or dropped the courses.” Jon sounds like he’s delivering a warning.
I open my hands. “I’m not just here to make sure you get in, Jon, I’ll fight with and for you every step of the way. It won’t be easy, but it will be worth it.”
“How can you be sure? I mean, you just started here today.” He lets all the doubt he’s experiencing ring clear in his tone. I don’t know if he’s already been disappointed by many others, or if he’s just worried that I will be the one to let him down.
“Are you going to change your mind?” I give him the side-eye, letting him see I’m serious too.
“No,” he scoffs, like he thinks I’m not taking him seriously.
I look around the office and see all the fancy woodwork and the shiny new desktop. It’s all wonderful and unexpected, but even if they put me in a cupboard under the stairs, I would still be here. “I’m sure because this is my dream. To help kids like you the same way someone helped me. You grew up knowing you wanted to be a doctor, to help people. I grew up knowing I wanted the same thing, just in a different way.” I decide telling him the truth is the best option, and I hope it will go a long way to helping Jon trust me.
When Jon leaves my office, it’s with a gleam of determination. I know he understands that it’s going to be a long journey, but I hope he now has the confidence it’s one he can succeed at.
“Did you really mean all that?” I startle at the sound of Griffin’s voice. He slowly strolls into my office. I give him a quick once over, then glance at my clock. I don’t have a lot of time before my meeting.
“Have you been tasked with making sure I behave?” I stand up, preparing to head over to the conference room the meeting is scheduled in.
“Why would you think that?” Griffin tips his chin up.
“Well, you don’t dress like the security staff I’ve met so far, but you do seem to be around an awful lot, and you must have been listening to my meeting with Jon. So, one might deduce that you’re watching me.” I push my chair in and head over to the door. Griffin is left standing near the desk I just vacated.
“Where are you off to?” he inquires, not answering my question. I smile a little. Here I thought it was a happy coincidence that he kept popping up.
“I have a meeting,” I answer, and place my hand on the light switch, ready to shut it off when he comes nearer.
“With Mr. Brock, that’s been canceled.” Griffin pulls a phone from his front pocket and examines the screen. I wonder if that’s my schedule he’s looking at, or if he was supposed to be at the meeting as well.
“Really?” I walk back toward my desk and shake the mouse to check my emails. I was with Jon most of the time I’ve been back from lunch. “I don’t have any messages.” I try to refresh the screen to make sure.
“They may have forgotten to add your email to the outgoing post. Oversight, I’m sure.” Griffin pulls his phone up to his ear. “Brock,” he greets, his voice holding a slight edge. “I just wanted to confirm your one thirty appointment has been canceled.” Griffin pauses for a moment, his eyes on mine. “Ms. Shaw wasn’t aware it had been canceled. Make sure she is included in all notifications.”
Griffin hangs up the phone without saying goodbye. I revisit the idea I had about his abrupt departures being part of his personality. Seconds later, my computer dings with the arrival of an email. I don’t have to read anything other than the subject line to see that it is, in fact, a cancellation notice.
“Well, that’s the second meeting that was canceled today without any indication they’ll be rescheduled. I’m starting to think people are avoiding me,” I say only half-jokingly.
Griffin makes a noncommittal grunting noise and walks over to my open door to close it. The snap is barely audible before he returns to lower himself into one of the empty chairs facing my desk. It seems almost too small for him.
I don’t bother to join him on the same side. I don’t feel the need to make him feel any more comfortable. Hell, it’s supposed to be my office, I’m the one behind the desk, after all, but I have the distinct impression that Griffin would be comfortable anywhere he wants to be.
“So, did you mean it?” he asks again, and I know he’s referring to my conversation with Jon.
I sit in my chair but keep eye contact with Griffin. “Every word,” I offer. “But is there something specific you’re asking about?” I wonder if Griffin is reporting back to the director, maybe that’s why he canceled the meeting. He wouldn’t need to meet with me himself if he has Griffin as his eyes and ears.
“It won’t be easy,” he warns me, as if I’d assumed it would be.
I fold my hands on the desk and tilt my head. “Do you know how many times I applied here at Havenfall, or at any of the other facilities like it?” I don’t wait for him to answer. A small chuckle escapes me. “I applied to Havenfall the most. Nine times, including all the times I offered to do my internships here.”
“Why did you apply here more?” Griffin settles deeper into the chair, trying to find a comfortable position for his arms, but his build is a little too wide, so they barely sit on the thin armrests. He resolves to crossing them over his expansive chest instead.
“A few reasons.” I look over to the left. “My neighbor is a shifter, their family has lived there longer than mine, several generations, but he was my teacher for a time too.” I give him a slight shrug, that’s enough for now.
“Professor Mackey?” Griffin inquires.
“Yup, and thanks for confirming you’re watching me.” I give him a knowing grin.
Griffin’s face goes blank for a second, then he shakes it away, replacing it with a narrowed eyed assessment of me. “I have to say, you’re not quite what I expected,” he states, just above a whisper.
“So…” I turn my gaze to the computer screen, pulling up the schedule I already memorized just to have something to do other than watch Griffin. “Are you going to be my shadow? Might get pretty boring,” I warn jokingly.
Griffin rises from the seat and places a palm on my desk, leaning forward a little. I’m caught off guard by his nearness, so I lean back in my chair, but I still get a whiff of his cologne. It’s slightly peppery with a light musk, familiar, but I can’t place it. Especially with him looming over me.
“Why, am I am making you uncomfortable?” Griffin’s voice is pitched low.
“No, not at all, are you trying to?” If I had hackles, they’d be rising, because he is making me uncomfortable, but not for the reasons I should be.
“Shadows only exist in the light. I think you’ll see I’m much more comfortable in the dark.” With that statement, Griffin turns and breezes out of my office, leaving the door open on his way out.
“Okay…” I blink several times, wondering if that was as weird as it seemed, or if I’m making too much out of it.
I make a conscious effort to forget about Griffin, and all the questions I have about him, and get some work done. I pick up the note I jotted down with Jon’s full name and student number. I need to get a little more background information on him before he comes back tomorrow after lunch, so we can go over his schedule.
I also need to do some research on the University of Michigan, see what I can find out about their stance on supernaturals. I want to get a feel for the student body as well. I know my fellow peers at school were much more open to the idea of mixing species as friends and colleagues more than the staff was. I’m hopeful that, even if the institution isn’t welcoming, the students will be. Their support will go a long way in pushing for better integration.
Chapter 6
Quinn
As the next several days pass, an easy routine begins to form. Although I’m still getting used to the later schedule, so I usually eat breakfast alone. I cast my eyes around the mostly empty cafete
ria, noting that the faces are starting to become familiar. Josie, a woman I would guess is a few years younger than me, is rechecking the crock of oatmeal. The omelet and egg station isn’t even up and running yet, but they still have way more selections available than I’m used to.
Finished with my bagel, I grab my trash and send a wave in Josie’s direction before heading to the door. My face falls when I see the person entering—Letty. If there’s one smudge on my time here at Havenfall, other than the dead pig on my first night, it would be her. I have no idea what I did other than accept a ride from Evan, the head of security, that pissed her off, but the woman does not like me.
“Morning.” I try for civil as I work hard to keep my voice even.
Letty’s blue eyes narrow, pinching her elfin features into a scowl. “Still here I see.” She casts her gaze over me and it’s clear she finds me lacking.
“Just leaving actually, it’s all yours.” I wave my hand out behind me, indicating the cafeteria and purposefully misunderstanding her taunt.
Letty makes a sound that I could only call a growl, but I don’t rise to the bait. Instead, I keep my feet moving in the direction I was already heading. She takes a quick step to the right, and I’m forced to move over a little or our shoulders would have collided. It’s something I do on instinct, an ingrained courtesy, but to her it’s like admitting defeat. The predator in her likes that she made me move out of her way, I know by the short hrump sound she makes.
I ignore her, because there’s no way for me to win this battle. She’s a trained security officer and a shifter. But I keep my head high as I walk away. Just because I know she could wipe the floor with me doesn’t mean I need to let her know—I know it.
The first time she made it obvious she didn’t care for me being here, I thought I could change her mind. I thought that maybe she had some experiences with humans that colored her view of me, but I honestly think it’s just me she doesn’t like. I gave up trying to change her mind when she outright told me to stop playing nice, as if my effort to be kind to her was a ruse or I was being fake.
Havenfall Harbor: Book One Page 5
