“Gemma. Welcome to St. Mary’s. I’m sure your…” The headmaster looked leery, eyeing me skeptically before clearing his throat and placing his elbows on his desk. “I’m sure your Uncle Richard has told you a bit about our school and our rules, yes?”
I swallowed again, unmoving in my seat. “Yes, sir.”
“Do you have any questions?”
Did I have any questions? Oh, did I ever.
“No, sir.”
He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, glancing away. “Your uncle wanted me to call him as soon as you arrived. Let’s do that, yes?”
Was he asking my permission?
I flushed, likely more uncomfortable than he was. I knew why I was uncomfortable...but why was he?
The headmaster reached over and grabbed his phone, his office so quiet I could hear the dial tone on the other end. I glanced around the room, eyeing the worn books lining the shelves and the globe that sat on the very edge of his desk. There was a framed map behind him, and I zeroed in on the United States. I had no idea where I wanted to go when given the chance, but it would be somewhere sunny and near a beach. Somewhere where I could just be.
“Judge Stallard,” Headmaster Ellison said, his voice stern—much different from the warm tone he had used when he welcomed me into his office. And there it was—that power. “Gemma has arrived.”
Chills broke out along my arms as I heard my uncle’s voice. I cringed internally at the word uncle, feeling a hot burn zip through my chest. Judge Richard Stallard wasn’t technically my uncle, even if I—and everyone else—referred to him as that. Richard and I weren’t blood related, and I took comfort in knowing that. Although, maybe if we were blood related, he wouldn’t treat me the way that he did.
His voice was muffled, so I leaned forward, pretending to mess with my soggy shoe. “Thank you for calling, Tate. I don’t feel the need to remind you of the stipulations of my niece, but please remember to keep a careful eye on her. She has run away before, and I wouldn’t put it past her again. I know you will follow through with your word to keep tabs on her.”
I slowly sat up in my seat and found the headmaster eyeing me stoically. His gaze never left mine as he said, “I can assure you that our school is well protected, and we watch our students very carefully.” It might have been my imagination, but I swore the headmaster’s lips twitched as the words left his mouth effortlessly.
Richard’s voice boomed, and my stomach coiled. “Don’t forget...your family owes me this favor, so make sure you watch my niece. Call me if anything unsettling arises. She has a wild imagination.”
The headmaster continued staring at me as he assured Richard, again, that he would keep a careful eye on me. I began to sweat and quickly glanced away when he thrust the phone in my direction. “Your uncle would like to speak with you, Gemma.”
I swallowed, and it felt like swallowing a bunch of bees. My hand shook as I grabbed onto the phone and placed it to my ear. “Hello, Uncle,” I croaked.
“Gemma,” he reprimanded. “You’ve made it safely. Good.” Was it, though? “I hope this teaches you a little lesson. You have given me no other choice. I can no longer trust you.” My nostrils flared with my rising anger, and for once, I didn’t hold that back. I was too far away from him to feel that unyielding amoun
t of fear. “The headmaster will be keeping an eye on you, and if I hear that you are doing things you shouldn’t be doing and bringing unwanted attention to yourself or this family, well…you know what happens when you break the rules.”
My throat squeezed as if his hands were back around it. “Yes, sir. I understand,” I said, pushing down that anger that made me burn from the inside out. Survive, Gemma.
“Good girl. Now hang up and go get acclimated with your surroundings. At least now I know you’re safe and tucked away somewhere, and you won’t do anything foolish. And don’t forget, sweetheart…I have ties with everyone.”
How could I ever forget? Did he truly think the thought had escaped me after last time? Judge Richard Stallard was a very powerful man. I thought he was bluffing before, likely due to my perfectly sheltered life that he’d created for me. But I wouldn’t be caught off guard again. I wouldn’t make the same mistake twice—because my life truly depended on it.
Tobias told me to survive, and that was exactly what I was doing.
Surviving.
The line disconnected, and I gave the phone back to the headmaster. I eyed him a little differently now, much more hesitantly than before. Richard said that the headmaster, or at least his family, had owed him a favor, and it was never a good thing if you owed Judge Richard Stallard something.
As soon as the headmaster dropped the phone back to the receiver, he opened his mouth to say something to me, but it rang just as quickly as his lips parted. We both eyed it suspiciously, me assuming it was Richard calling back to give me another open-ended warning, because he could never just say it once, or even twice, but over and over again. My hand still ached from the last time he’d made me write my mistake down over and over again.
The headmaster abruptly answered the phone. “Headmaster Ellison.” His expression faltered for a moment as the other person spoke, but he quickly recovered. “Send him to me immediately.” His voice was gravelly, a hint of anger beneath the surface. I glanced away, almost too afraid to look any longer. If the headmaster knew Richard...well, who knew what type of man he was. “And as for her,” he started, his voice a little softer, “I’ll be down to discuss the situation with her as soon as I talk with my nephew. Thank you, Mr. Clark.”
As soon as I heard the receiver click down, I peeked up at the headmaster. His tired eyes were shut tightly as he pinched the bridge of his nose. The room felt tense, and I almost shot out of my seat to leave, but he slowly dropped his hand and gave me yet another reassuring smile.
“I’m sorry about that, Gemma. I have a situation with my…” He cleared his throat. “With another student. Do you mind sitting out in the lobby for a moment while I talk with him? Afterwards, I will take you to your room and get you settled.”
“Oh, of course,” I answered, climbing to my feet. I glanced down at the arms of the leather chair I was sitting in, noticing the crescent-like shapes that my nails had put there. My fists clenched. I hoped he didn’t notice.
The headmaster quickly followed behind me, opening the door before ushering me to a bench that was right beside the door. “This won’t take long, Gemma.”