by Dora Blume
“Despite my desire to keep her at home forever, I do believe it will be good for her to stay in the dorms, while she attends school. I’m only a short drive away if she needs anything, but she can also establish her independence, which as you well know, all teenagers need.”
“Oh yes, they do. Follow me.” Jeanie stood, holding the door for Caroline. She locked the door as soon as they were in the hallway. “We’ll head to the dorms, and back to the offices, so you can get all the paperwork squared away with Mr. Hall. Do you have any questions for me about academics or Shikari specializations?”
Caroline narrowed her eyes, “Shikari specializations? Is that the field they will go into when they finish school? Do they get to choose or do you choose for them?”
“They choose their specializations, but we administer various testing scenarios to help them see what each student’s skills match regarding their specialization. It’s what we’re so well known for. No student has ever regretted their decision after out rigorous testing procedures. We want to make sure students have the best fit for their future. As you well know, it benefits us all to have happy members, doing what they enjoy. Our society doesn’t have to be all about duty but loving what you can be a big part of our lives. We make sure our students are in the best possible positions to love what they do, while also fulfilling their born duty as Shikari members.”
“Sounds great. I want my daughter to be happy.”
Jeanie opened the door for Caroline to enter the dorms. “I will show you a dorm room. You have different options for the size and amenities based on your budget. We have three different dorm options. Considering how close you live, you may not need all the amenities available. Some students move across the country to attend our illustrious school, and parents often choose to have more amenities because the student is so far from home.” Jeanie opens the door. “This is our medium-sized dorm room.” She stepped into the room and moved to the wall so that Caroline could step into the room.
“This is quite the dorm room. It’s certainly larger than any I’d seen when touring colleges for myself, all those years ago.” The dorm had a full-size bed and dresser as she expected, but it also had a futon with a mini-fridge and television making a cozy sitting area. Behind the door, was a desk with a high-back leather chair and just to the left was a spacious closet.
“As I said, many students come here from all over, and we want to make sure they are as comfortable as possible here.”
“If this is the mid-sized dorm, I can only imagine what the large dorm room looks like.” Caroline was wide-eyed, as she studied the detail in the room. There was even a Monet painting hung above the futon. A toaster oven sat atop the mini-fridge. She knew her daughter would be quite happy in a dorm this size.
“Oh yes, the larger rooms have two separate rooms, one for the bedroom, and one for the living space. Would you like to take a look?” Jeanie waited at the door.
“No, I think my daughter would be happy in a room this size. Anything bigger could make her jittery. She spends a lot of time in her room because open spaces tend to bother her. I think the mid-size is perfect for my baby.” Caroline smiled.
“Perfect, shall we head back to the office to complete the paperwork, and get her enrolled in classes?”
“Absolutely,” Caroline followed Jeanie out the building and back to the office. Jeanie knocked on Mr. Hall’s door and peeked her head in when he responded. She opened the door. Caroline reached to take both Jeanie’s hands in hers. “Thank you for the tour, Jeanie. It was appreciated.” She squeezed her hands lightly.
“My pleasure, Mrs. Robinson.”
“Caroline, please.”
“Caroline.”
“Mrs. Robinson, do you have any questions for me?” Mr. Hall asked, turning her attention back to him.
“I would like to know more about the process. How do you deal with problem students who are interrupting others learning? My daughter has issues with that in our public school, which has caused me to look into other more private schools befitting her skills.”
“Oh, I believe you will find that we have no issues here whatsoever. All students are attending our interested in learning. You will have no problems here.”
“Oh, would you like to speak more about that? Why don’t you have any issues?” She sat in a chair across from his desk and clasped her hands together in her lap.
“If any students have misbehaved in class, I have a conference with them. It’s amazing what a caring and concerned discussion can do to help students be more successful in class. I’m sure Jeanie can fill you in about our behavior referral statistics are zilch. I promise you, your daughter will get a fine education here.” He stared directly into her eyes. Caroline shook her head and had to look away after only a few moments.
“Oh, I’m very glad to hear it. So, what’s the next step of enrollment?” She leaned forward slightly in her chair.
“Jeanie will give you the rest of the paperwork to fill out, along with choosing a dorm. She will also send you home with a list of available classes we offer. When you have your classes selected, we can get her enrolled at the beginning of the next semester.”
“Oh,” Caroline put her hand to her chest. “I was hoping to get her in as soon as possible. I heard that you allowed students to begin in the middle of semesters.” She smiled warmly.
“That’s not our typical practice. It will be a much better transition for your daughter to begin classes at the beginning of the next semester.”
“Oh,” she leaned forward. “So, there’s no way to get her in sooner?”
“No, I’m sorry that’s not how we do things. I promise this is in the best interest of your daughter.” He smiled sitting back in his chair.
“Okay, I’m sure you’re right. I’m just so worried about her in that public school. It’s just not suited for someone of her caliber.” She rose from her chair. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Hall. I will get the necessary materials from Jeanie. I don’t want to take up any more of your time.” She reached her hand out to shake his.
He rose and walked around the desk. He shook her hand. “The pleasure is all mine. I’m sure your daughter will truly love it here.” He smiled and opened the door for her. “Jeanie, if you could get Mrs. Robinson here, the rest of the enrollment paperwork, that would be great.”
“Sure thing, Mr. Hall” She reached down into her desk sorting through the files.
Caroline turned, “Thank you. Mr. Hall.”
“My pleasure, Mrs. Robinson.” He turned back to his office and shut the door behind him.
“Oh, I’m so glad your daughter will be attending. You will be a happy addition to our campus here.” She pulled out the paperwork. “I will give you all of this now, but you can fill it out and return it to me at your leisure. You have a few months until the next semester starts.” Jeanie held out the papers.
“Thank you, Jeanie. You have been a wealth of knowledge. I can’t wait for my daughter to attend.” She smiled, took the paperwork, and went out the door. Her spine was still tingling being so close to Mr. Hall. She wondered how the others hadn’t noticed. She was curious how Jeanie was able to work that closely with a demon and have no idea. How did he pass right by the board without being detected? She had more questions than answers after her meeting. She rushed to her car and passed the others by the road. She had so much to tell them but wanted to do so in the safety of her own home. She was reeling after being on the campus. She could understand why the students may not have noticed. They may not have sharpened their skills to be able to detect demons, but she certainly had. Mr. Hall was a demon.
She pulled into the driveway and parked. She hurried into the house. Setting the paperwork and her purse on the counter, she turned as the others walked through the door.
“So, we have a lot to discuss our school, here.”
Chapter 9
“Mr. Hall has been busy. He took over the school two years ago. Is it possible this has been going o
n for the last two years, and we didn’t know about it?” Caroline asked.
“I’m learning anything is possible at this point.” Erik took a seat at the kitchen table.
Jessie sat next to him, “So, what do we need to know about Mr. Hall?”
“Well, Mr. Hall has been recruiting students from all over and letting them into the school without a formal process. He’s somehow gotten around the board. They usually make sure the school is running according to Shikari rules. The school has no discipline problems with students because any student who misbehaves is brought to Mr. Hall. They are miraculously wonderful students after the visit, including his daughter. We should probably spend time looking into his family and any other known contacts. Also, I have yet to figure out how he is operating at a school full of other Shikari, and no one is noticing they are demons. What could they possibly have that stops the familiar warning we typically have around demons? I noticed it, but Jeanie, his assistant isn’t possessed, didn’t. She’s working alongside him every day. She thinks he’s the savior of the school. Did you hear anything outside the school?” She turned to face Erik.
“Nothing substantial, there are quite a few students who are possessed. I only get what they are thinking at the time, so it’s not always what I want to hear.” Erik explained.
“So, basically he’s having any misbehaving students possessed by demons? That seems backward. Aren’t they supposed to get possessed first, then act like demons? Instead, they act like demons, become possessed, then act like angels. Anyone else catching the irony here?” Sloane shook her head.
“So, what’s next?” Jessie asked.
“We need to let Bryant and Magnus know what’s going on here. We will need to do some research about what the demons could have access to that would make a school full of Shikari unaware of them,” Erik said.
“I want to talk with a few board members. See how this went unnoticed. See if they are demons as well,” Caroline said.
“Where do you keep your books? I can start the research. You know it’d be nice if they’d uploaded everything online in a database, rather than having to search through books to find the information we need.” Sloane sighed.
“Yeah, that’d be great. So, the demons could hack into the database and find out everything they need to know.” Sarcasm was thick in Jessie’s tone.
“They are already getting the information, so it’s not as secure as we think it is. People are fallible, just like computers. We are the ones who are supposed to know better though.” Sloane glanced to Erik.
“My study is down the hall. It has some books, but most are stored at the main hub. My house isn’t big enough to have an entire library housed here. I should have what we need though.”
“Jess, you want to come help me while Erik makes the calls?”
“Yeah, sounds good.” She glanced back to Erik. “Do you need me for anything?”
“Nah, I’ll meet you guys there when I talk to Bryant and see what’s going on in Denver.”
“Oh yeah, you think Mike is there, yet?”
“I’m sure he is. I’ll fill you in on what’s going on as soon as I know, okay?”
“Okay, come on Jess.” Sloane turned on her heel and went down the hall.
Jessie followed behind Sloane toward Caroline’s study. When Sloane reached the door, she opened it and walked directly to the bookshelves. “So, where should we start?”
Jessie walked and scanned the titles. Sloane pulled one from the shelf. “I don’t remember learning anything about blocking our awareness of demons, but there seems to be a potion for everything.”
“Yeah, I can’t recall anything either. It’s not like we would be taught anything to help demons. Our education focused on what we would need to battle and defeat demons, not how to mask demons from our presence. I’m sure it’s in one of the grimoires.”
“Great we can start there.” Sloane pulled out a book and sat in one of the reading chairs. For not having a true library, Caroline’s study sure felt like one. There are three large reading chairs, a corner desk and three shelves filled with books. It certainly felt like a library. Sloane began skimming through the pages to see what she could find.
“Is it weird I feel like so much information was left out when we were learning this stuff?” Sloane flipped another page, studying the description of demon essences. “For example, do you remember reading about demon essences? There’s an entire history here for the different realms and types of demon essences. I didn’t realize there were types of demons. I always thought they came from the same hell, not levels or realms as this discusses.”
“I remember stumbling across something like that in your dad’s library. I guess I didn’t pay much attention to it. Mike is the only one of us that actually spent time learning the history of demons. We always focused on destroying and hunting. You and Erik always were focused on weapons and training. You didn’t do much reading unless it had to do with weapons.”
“That’s true. We had similar tastes in that regard.” Sloane flipped another page.
“I focused more on potions and spells. I focused on channeling my power. I had to learn how to control my power when it changed. I couldn’t exactly keep blowing things up when I got angry.”
“Yeah, that was hell. I remember when you first found out. Erik’s brilliant idea was to put oven mitts over your hands.” Sloane laughed at the memory. She remembered him holding the mits out to Jessie. He seriously thought they would help.
“Your mom got so mad because he duct taped them on my hands. It’s not like he duct taped my arms or anything. He just used it on the cloth part. She still freaked out on us.” She laughed at the memory.
“I remember, she grounded him for a week. She was so worried about you.”
“I know, she was amazing like that. She always treated me as her daughter, whenever I stayed with you guys. She always made me feel like family.” Jessie looked down to the book in her lap and cleared her throat.
“Yeah, she was pretty great.” Sloane’s voice cracked as she spoke.
“I’m sorry Sloane. I know it’s still hard to talk about her.” Jessie moved to sit next to Sloane, placing her hand on her knee.
“She was pretty amazing. I can’t help but think how all our lives would be different if she hadn’t been killed. I know everyone is mad at me for leaving, but at the time I couldn’t stay. Everything reminded me of her, and I was so mad, I was mad at The Shikari and everything we stood for, mad at my father for not being able to stop it. I just had to leave everything and start over. No one seems to understand.” She huffed out a relieved breath. It felt good to talk to another girl. She missed having her best friend to talk to every day. She knew she needed to leave her old life behind, but she missed the little things. She shared everything with Amy. Now, she couldn’t even answer the phone when she called. It was the right thing to do. Amy had no place here, but it still felt awful. Having Jessie to confide in was a relief and a blessing.
“I get why you left. My mom and I took a trip here shortly after the funeral. She needed to get away, too. They had been so close their entire lives. My mom didn’t handle her death well. At the time, she didn't know another Shikari member was involved. None of us knew how deep the betrayal went. I still don’t think we know.” Jessie patted Sloane’s leg and leaned back into the chair, resting the open book in her lap.
“Bryant said he took care of her killer, but I’m not so sure. I think this goes a lot deeper. I know he took care of those immediately responsible, but I think there’s someone at the head of all of this calling the shots. I don’t think we’ve even scratched the surface of the betrayal, yet. I have a feeling there are a lot more Shikari members that have helped the demons. I know we’re trying to play catch up, but I think we need to find someone we can trust in the group of leaders to find out how deep this goes. Shaundra told me when she called the order her call was strange. She mentioned they seemed overwhelmed, and the call didn’t seem right. I
think there is something bigger going on, and until we have someone in the order, checking out the leaders at headquarters, we’re not going to be able to stop this.” Sloane spoke with conviction, but she bowed her head slightly.
“I agree, but who do we know that can help us. We don’t know who we can trust. I also wouldn’t trust everything Shaundra said.” A flicker of anxiety darkened her eyes before she looked to the floor.
“Why?” Sloane questioned.
“She was a traitor working with the demons.” Jessie blew out a heavy breath. “Erik and I found out after her power boost didn’t work as well as it should have in Minneapolis. We stumbled across her and Curtis plotting their next move against the Shikari. We took care of them without telling anyone. I figured Erik would have told you about them. I’m not sure what she was lying about, but I know she was working with them.”
Sloane appraised her and cocked her head to the side before she spoke. “Seriously, she seemed so helpful. When did you guys figure that out?”
“Right after the battle, when she offered to call in the cleaners and take care of everything. I tried to tell Mike, but he didn't see any reason to look into her. He thought it was a fluke the potion hadn’t worked like before. He said sometimes they don’t work like we expect them to, magic being fallible and all. I didn’t believe it. I’d taken a power boost made by her before, and it worked better. Then, I started thinking about why she wouldn’t want it to work. I went to find you at your dad's place.” She tilted her head to look at Sloane.
“Yeah, I’d gone to my apartment,” Sloane nodded.
“I figured.” A smile curved the edge of her mouth. “I ended up talking to Erik about my concerns. He insisted we talk to her right away. We found her and Curtis at the shop planning their next move. He heard her thoughts about making the potion weaker. He shot them both. We cleaned up so no one would know about them. We wanted to find out how deep this went, considering they were helping us defeat them while also helping the demons. I’m still not sure how we were successful when traitors knew about it.” Jessie furrowed her brow.
