Mind of Distinction (Hawthorn Academy Book 7)

by D. R. Perry

  I hope the defense has more witnesses.

  Another bailiff escorted Jonah to sit with Mr. Ichiro. I glanced over my shoulder and spotted familiar faces. Alex Onassis wore a suit with a bow tie, not his usual choice of attire, but appropriate if he meant to give a statement. He sat beside a man about Bubbe’s age, who I’d never seen before.

  Behind them sat Arick Magnuson, alone and also wearing a tie and jacket.

  So, he came to town for more than a gig.

  "All rise."

  The judge entered, and everyone stood. Before she sat, the door opened once again behind me, and Temperance Fairbanks walked through, flanked by her father and her older sister Charity. Faith was nowhere in sight. I hoped she was still at Hawthorn with Hal.

  "Be seated," the bailiff directed.

  The hearing started. From what I understood, they were trying to determine whether Jonah wanted to turn Noah or if there was a chance he'd been coerced. The judge took a written statement from Temperance.

  Of course, she denies it all.

  Arick handed over a magisupremacist pamphlet against vampires and anyone who accepted them, stating she’d given it to him last fall.

  The judge perused it with a raised eyebrow and set it on top of Temperance's statement. I crossed my fingers in my lap, hoping that meant she considered it more important.

  Dorian handed over his account next. He hadn't seen much, only a little before he got knocked out. I saw the page as he carried it up. It referred to Alex, which explained why he was here.

  When Alex rose to give his statement, his hands were empty. The man with him stood at his side, holding a magipsychic device I recognized as a lie detector. The judge shook her head.

  "Only written statements at this time, Mr. Onassis. You have two hours to compose remarks. "

  "Miss Fairbanks, your statement please."

  She spoke to Charity, who stepped forward with an entire folder full of papers.

  Once again, the judge shook her head.

  "This is excessive. Statements must be no more than three pages. You also have two hours. I suggest you edit them." The judge tapped her gavel. "Two-hour recess." She rose and exited through the door to her chambers.

  The man with Alex sat, shaking his head. Dad stood and spoke to him.

  "It must be confusing, navigating a whole new legal system."

  "Yes." He nodded. "Is different." His voice was heavily accented.

  "The most important thing to do is summarize, highlight incidents related to the specific charge."

  "Hmm." The man sighed.

  I wondered where Alex’s parents were.

  They sided with the Fairbanks. He's here against their wishes.

  "I've got this." Dorian strode down the aisle toward them.

  Alex widened his eyes and dropped his pen. Julia swooped down to retrieve it and held the writing implement out to him in one talon. Then something unexpected happened.

  Dorian explained everything in Greek. His parents grinned approvingly at their son.

  The man smiled. "This makes sense now." He rattled off several points in his native tongue, using his fingers to count. Alex nodded and began writing his statement.

  "That’s Alex’s cousin, Konstantin. Did you know Alex’s father is an earl?" Dorian whispered from his seat after he’d returned.

  "No." I blinked.

  Bet Alex's mother married him for the title.

  "He needed more information." Dorian smirked. "Neither of them understood the legalese."

  "My son, the future lawyer." Mrs. Spanos smiled.

  "Who can argue with a clairvoyant?" Everyone chuckled at Dad's joke.

  "Looks like the other side's having a harder time."

  Temperance and Charity squabbled over her statements as their mother ignored them. Unsurprising considering everything Faith had said about her family.

  They finished before the two hours were up, so the bailiff informed the judge, who emerged a few minutes later. After they handed over their documents, the judge announced that she'd make her decision tomorrow at sunset.

  The hearing ended. Noah leaned forward before the bailiff came to lead Jonah away.

  "We'll get through this," he said.

  "We?" Jonah kept his back turned. "There is no we, Noah."

  "What?" My brother clutched the lapel over his heart. "You can't mean that."

  "I advise you to discontinue this conversation, Mr. Arnold," Mr. Ichiro said.

  "Come on Arnold, back to your cell." The bailiff clipped a chain around the shackles on Jonah's wrist, then yanked it.

  Without another word, the bailiff led him from the room.

  "Can I stay in my old room, Dad?" Noah asked. "Just for tonight?"

  "Sure." Dad put his arm around him. "It's still sunproof."

  The entire walk home, Noah was silent. Once inside, he headed immediately toward his room and shut the door. I followed, but he didn't answer when I knocked. Later, when I got in bed to sleep, my brother still sobbed on the other side of the wall.

  The next day, Noah stayed until we heard the news, which was good. The judge considered Jonah's case to be part of Tempe's and sent him home to await the trial in the winter.

  But no matter how many times Noah called or texted, Jonah didn't answer.

  Chapter Four

  "What do you want to do for your birthday, Logan?" Dad asked.

  "Oh, I almost forgot it was August." He smiled down at Doris, who purred in his lap on the sofa in the living room. "I'm not sure. Nothing big, though. Maybe pizza with friends."

  "I can round everyone up," I offered.

  "Yeah, let's do that." He glanced up. For one brief shining moment, our eyes met. His smile nearly broke my heart. I wasn't sure why.

  You care for him. Deeply.

  That truth was like the back of Bar's truck on the day Noah moved. Full of stuff that needed unpacking. Eventually.

  I texted Izzy, Cadence, Brianna, Noah—everyone who wasn't on Hawthorn’s campus. Gathering everyone from campus meant I had to go out since they didn’t have phone service. I left him with the Encyclopedia of Magical Creatures, Bubbe's birthday present. Which reminded me, I ought to do some shopping. I'd managed to save enough for what I hoped was the perfect gift.

  On the street, I turned down Essex, searching for the door to Hawthorn Academy. This year I wasn't on probation or banned from entering campus, but I hadn't had much time to visit there. I'd only gone once to swim in the baths with Faith and Izzy back in June.

  The door was beside the bank this time. In summer, you had to knock unless you were living on campus. Penelope answered. She gave out to-go bags at dinnertime. My smile faded, and my excitement leaked away. Her face looked stretched and weary.

  This does not bode well. Find out what's rotten.

  "Penelope, what's wrong?"

  "There's been an unexpected—" she started.

  "Aliyah." Hal peered over her shoulder. I hadn't seen him since June, and he'd grown. He'd been shorter than her a few months ago. "Come in. I've got this, Mrs. Andros."

  They stepped aside to let me through, but neither spoke. Hal led me to the stairs and called out our floor, leaving Penelope behind.

  "Hal, what's going—"

  "In a minute." He held a finger over his lips and leaned on the banister.

  "You grew." I changed the subject.

  "Yeah, up mostly, but a little out." He grinned but not with his eyes. "Wouldn't call it a glow-up but square's a better shape than round, am I right?"

  He was. Hal Hawkins had always been husky, but the added height had transformed him from bulky to imposing.

  "You could be Bar's stunt double." I waved a hand at his shoulders. "You're almost as tall as me now. Is it from your magiglobular anemia?"

  "The air's super thin up here." He deflected. "Why didn't you warn me?" His banter was a band-aid on a bullet wound.

  We walked down the hall to the room he shared with Lee, who wasn't inside when he opened the door
. Hal's father sat at the foot of his bed. Instead of a suit, he wore the teacher's version of the school blazer over khakis and a polo shirt.

  "Miss Morgenstern." He stood and straightened the blazer. "You may as well hear it straight for me."

  "Hear what?"

  "The trustees found a loophole in my terms." He paced. "They didn't choose a replacement from my list. Instead, they reinstated a former headmaster. My father, to be exact."

  His face wore the grimmest expression I'd seen on it since Hal's diagnosis. This wasn't good news.

  It's bad. But not as awful as it could've been, I suppose.

  "How can I help, Professor?"

  "By minding his rules, even the ones that seem absurd." He sighed. "My father's tenure was well-established by the time your parents attended Hawthorn. They likely have stories. However, there's something you specifically should know."

  "What is it?"

  "I became headmaster because my father was under suspicion of aiding and abetting your uncle, Richard Hopewell." He faced Hal. "Furthermore, my mother was also involved."

  "Nana?" Hal tilted his head. "Why?"

  "She's a djinn, pledged to her lamp not long after you started kindergarten. You'll learn this in class, but all lamp-bound djinn serve three terms with three wishes each. On her first term, Richard held her lamp."

  "She's done horrible things, then." Hal's hands curled into fists. "Murderous things."

  "She couldn't help it, I thought?" I put a hand on Hal's shoulder. "Djinn have to obey."

  "There's no way to ascertain whether she was reluctant." Professor Hawkins sighed. "Although I'd love to think she was. The court only ordered a list of wishes, not her opinions on them."

  "I get why you want me to know this, but Aliyah?"

  "Because her lamp's recently arrived on campus. I don't know who brought it." He leaned against the wall by the door. "If it's the wrong person, there will be trouble."

  "What if Grandpa's got it, though?" Hal asked.

  "That's not so bad but still dangerous." Professor Hawkins sighed. "He's holding an enormous grudge against Richard for exploiting my mother's lamp. Which extends to Aliyah."

  We watched Nin chase Ember across the floor.

  "You both should be on guard. I'd advise against anyone in her family attending school events in the near future, including Parent's Night."

  "What if someone else has the lamp?" I hugged myself, shivering all of a sudden. "Do we have to worry about Temperance-level problems, I mean?"

  "Headmaster Hawkins will stick to the official rules of the school, no matter who breaks them. And his space magic is far stronger than mine. He'll respond to threats much faster than I was able to."

  Did he just refer to his father as Headmaster Hawkins? Family drama on display isn't his usual look.

  "I still don't understand." I shook my head. "Why tell me all this?"

  "I'm telling you both." He sighed. "Our families built this school together, connected to it by generations of magic. You've each helped defend it in your ways. You might have to step up again."

  "I'm not afraid to fight." Hal pressed his lips together.

  "I am. But that hasn't stopped me before."

  "That's all I can reasonably expect. Thank you both." Professor Hawkins strode toward the door, opened it, and left. The tension went out of the room with him.

  "Well, that was intense." I blinked. "Are you okay?"

  "I will be. Anyway, you had your reasons for coming to campus, and I totally hijacked you."

  "I'm on a mission." I sighed. "It's Logan's birthday."

  "Oh my God, I almost forgot." Hal chuckled. "Are you throwing him a party?"

  "Some covert shopping and taking him to Engine House at eight. He wanted me to invite you and Faith. Everyone on campus and our friends in town, is what he said."

  "Are you sure he meant everybody?"

  "I think so?"

  "Because Alex is on campus. Has been since July."

  "Really?"

  "Yeah." He nodded. "Cousin Konstantin went back to Greece last week, and he moved in here. By the way, is Noah okay? I haven't seen him since that hearing."

  "The first night he took it really hard. Came back to our house instead of going to his apartment. He's ghosting me now."

  "Dylan says Noah's throwing himself into music. He's worried."

  "I'm here for him. If only he'd say something."

  "It's hard." Hal nodded. "Faith spent almost every day in the gym and the baths. I've never seen her this angry."

  "Is she okay?"

  "She's bringing Seth to Bubbe's for his check-up later. Working out helps her cope. Her father sent her a letter. He's moving into the faculty wing in September."

  "Why?"

  "Trustees have the right to take residence while school's in session. Almost all of them have moved things in already."

  "Wow." I blinked.

  "I hope Grandpa gives them strict guidelines."

  "So he's a rules guy?"

  "Major disciplinarian, letter of the law. No wonder he married a Seelie djinn. Anyway, you said you're shopping?"

  "Yeah, for Logan."

  "What are you getting him?"

  "No idea." I shrugged. "Are you up for a stroll through town?"

  "Yeah, actually." He grinned. "Nice thing about this growth spurt, I cover more ground with less effort. I need to drop the invites in the tubes on the way out."

  Before I could ask how he'd managed to make invitations while sitting there chatting, he pulled them from under the device on his desk.

  "Is that what you've been doing all summer? Making that?" I jerked my thumb at the squat wood and metal box.

  "It's a perpetual printer. Never runs out of ink. Lee and Faith helped me enchant it."

  "Where's the manual?"

  "There isn't one outside my head." He beamed while holding one of the invitations toward me. "I invented it."

  I stood and peered at the paper. It had all the information about Logan's birthday, printed in a purple so dark it was almost black. I glanced back at the unassuming device.

  "Wow, this is amazing. Does it work with computers? Magipsychic displays?"

  "Yes and yes." Hal chuckled. "Dad hated trying to order ink in here. Mail order is tricky because the front door's always moving. So, I figured at least Grandpa won't have the same problem."

  "Butter him up, is that it?"

  "I can neither confirm nor deny that." He winked. "But kindness never hurts."

  Except when it does.

  "Anyway, let's go." I grinned while swallowing the voice's naysaying. "Logan's gift isn't going to pick itself."

  Out in town, Hal kept up with me easily. I could pretend he wasn't sick, never had magiglobular anemia. Almost. Because he paused a little too long in front of some of the windows and leaned more heavily against counters and walls than I might have.

  Nothing in the shops along the walking-only section of Essex Street felt special enough for Logan's birthday gift. That's why we crossed Washington Street, Crombie, and Summer Street toward the Salem Athenaeum.

  It was the oldest book repository in town. To mundane society, it was a treasure trove of genealogical, trade, and city records. For extrahumans, it was more. The basement catacombs contained the area's magical histories. Even Boston couldn't boast this comprehensive a collection, in large part because the Salem Athenaeum's records predated colonial times.

  We only planned to stop for a break from the heat in a building with climate control, but we walked right into their semi-annual antique fundraiser.

  I sifted halfheartedly through jewelry and knickknacks, then moved on to a small shelf of books. I ran my fingers along the spines but stopped after feeling a brief jolt of energy. I pulled the item under my hand from the shelf. I mistook it for a book at first since it was bound in pebbled leather until Hal pointed out the clasps along the top and bottom.

  "Is that a box?" Hal blinked. "What's inside?"

  "I don't kn
ow." I opened the clasps.

  When I lifted the lid, time seemed to stop. A lustrously bristled brush rested between pots of color, unfaded and still full despite the wooden housing’s obvious age.

  "This is it."

  "You've seen paints in five other shops already today though," Hal countered.

  This is no ordinary paint set. You know it.

  "This one's an antique." I swallowed, suddenly reluctant to mention the jolt I'd gotten. "It's got history. Logan loves that kind of thing."

  "I'm rooting for you." Hal held his hands up, crossing fingers on both hands. "It might be more than you can afford, though."

  It wasn't. When I brought the box of paints to the woman sitting at the table with the cash box, she declared its price as eighty-five dollars, almost exactly what I'd saved over the summer.

  "Are you an artist?” she asked.

  "No, it's for a friend." I scrounged in my bag for the last few bits of change. "It's his birthday."

  "Your boyfriend?" She winked at Hal.

  "My best friend," I confirmed. "It's a surprise."

  She put the gift in a brown paper bag, and that was that.

  Once outside the Athenaeum, we headed back down toward the center of town.

  "I thought Izzy was your bestie." Hal elbowed me.

  "Um." Despite the August heat, my cheeks blazed.

  "Logan's a special guy," he agreed. "Best friend isn't an absolute anyway. You can have more than one."

  "Do you want to see if Faith's still at Bubbe's?" I studied his face, checking for signs of fatigue. "Or maybe go back to campus and rest?"

  "Bubbe's sounds great."

  I blinked and stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. He glanced over his shoulder, then paced back toward me.

  "Look, I didn't feel up to leaving campus for months. Ever since this growth spurt, I feel downright normal." Hal gave me a lopsided grin. "I don't know if that makes sense."

  "It does." I nodded. "I'm happy for you."

  We continued down Essex to the door of the school. I nodded at it, but Hal shook his head. He wasn't even winded. Ember swooped off my shoulder. Hal chuckled as Nin scampered down his arm, then hopped on her back. My dragonet flew with her passenger the rest of the way down Essex, around the corner, along Hawthorne Street, and up our driveway.