'Yes, Ms Fall.' I nod eagerly.
'Very well,' She shrugs. 'I'll confer with Sir Alec over the Mentor situation. As for your room, if you're not happy there, you are, of course, permitted to move. But I'll speak to Miss Carey first; she may wish to move instead. Will that be an issue?'
'No, Ms Fall.' I shake my head. She nods, dismissing me, her attention already back on her work.
*
I'm in a permanent state of misery. I know that despite our differences, Tia will be deeply hurt by my decision; something I would never in a million years want to do to her.
But I have to remind myself that I am doing this for her.
When Lorna and I escape, Sir Alec will believe that Tia and I fell out over it. Maybe he'll think that I asked for Tia's help and she refused. Either way, he'll know that she objected to it from the start.
Of course, I could just tell Tia about my plan to absolve her of blame, but she doesn't agree with my aiding Lorna anyway and would surely involve Malachy again. The two of them teaming up would be too much for even me to handle.
It doesn't take long for news of my betrayal to reach Tia's ears and by that evening, a raging thumping on my bedroom door alerts me to her presence. I put down Tia's copy of Jane Eyre and head to the door. She's not alone and I couldn't be more disappointed in her choice of escort.
'Good evening, Ryder.' A nauseatingly familiar and unwelcome voice drawls, and I stare into the snarling face of Lucrezia Beighley. She looks delighted that the tables have turned between Tia and I, and she revels in seeing me so down in the dumps. I wonder how much she knows about the 'feud' between Tia and I, given the fact that Tia knows very little about it herself.
'I've come for my things.' Tia snaps, pushing past me into the room. She throws open her wardrobe and drawers, filling a huge bag with clothes, make-up and shoes.
Lucrezia glides across the threshold, her eyes trained on me, identical to Malachy's yet so completely different. The ball of green fire makes it so hard to imagine that she and Malachy are of the same genes and yet to look at her, she's the spitting image of him.
'I had no idea that you disliked me this much, Eve,' Tia cries, turning to face me finally but refusing to stop throwing things into her bag. 'If you wanted rid of me as a Mentor, or for me to move out, why didn't you just talk to me about it before asking Ms Fall? We used to be friends! I don't know what's wrong with you!' Her voice sobs though her eyes don't and I turn away from her so that I can't see her hurt.
'Don't turn your back on me!' She shrieks, and her rustling and clattering stops. 'What have I done wrong?' She asks, her eyes darting towards Lucrezia. She, like I, knows that one wrong word in front of Lucrezia Beighley could have Sir Alec crashing down on me like a ton of bricks.
'Just go, Tia.' I mumble, leaning against my bedpost, my face turned away from her. I hope I'm right in thinking that, even though I've clearly hurt her, Tia would never tell anyone about the escape plan. No matter how angry she is, I'm pretty sure that she couldn't live with herself if I ended up in the Confine because of something she said.
She pauses for a moment, staring at me, before gathering up the last of her things and heading to the door. On her way, she spots the Jane Eyre book lying on my bed.
'That's mine!' She shouts, grabbing for it and scooping it into her bag. She turns on her heel and storms through the door, not waiting for Lucrezia before climbing into the lift.
The whole ordeal lasts less than five minutes and I breathe a sigh of relief when it ends, forgetting, for a moment, the presence of a silent Lucrezia.
'What exactly was your disagreement with Carey over?' She asks. Her voice is smooth as silk but the underlying suspicion is all too clear.
'Nothing that concerns you.' I retort wearily.
'On the contrary, Ryder, everything concerns me. Like, why have you and your girlfriend just had a lovers' tiff? Like, why is my brother following you around like you're a bitch in heat?' She steps closer towards me and I turn to face her, holding her steely gaze.
'You realise it's not you he's interested in?' She asks, her eyes glittering. I draw a breath and wait for her to mention Aleks Anzhela, but it seems that even Lucrezia thinks twice before speaking about her.
'Speaking of your brother, I need to see him. It's important.' I tell her. She bristles, jealousy causing her left eye to twitch.
'Certainly. But first, Sir Alec would like to see you.' She smirks, using a long forefinger to beckon me forward.
I follow her solemnly to Sir Alec's office, which is becoming more familiar to me now than my own room. She utters not a single word to me on the journey there, but looks insufferably pleased with herself. It makes it all the more funny when, as I step through Sir Alec's door, desperation to come inside and witness my punishment overwhelms her and she accidentally takes a step forward, jumping as the guard steps in her way. 'Sorry, Miss Beighley, not you.' The guard says, firmly but politely.
Lucrezia's eyes light up with indignation and she backs away from the guard, her cheeks pinched with embarrassment.
'Don't you know who I am, you stupid moron?' She shrieks, and I stifle a giggle as the door closes behind me, blocking my view from a scene I would have paid money to see.
Sir Alec's office is darker than usual, the only light comes from the moon and two candles on sticks either side of the room. I take a deep breath and emerge from the shadows, smiling politely in Sir Alec's direction where he lounges in a quilted armchair.
'Have a seat, Miss Ryder,' He gestures familiarly at me, and then at a wooden chair next to his desk. I do as he asks, amazed that I feel none of the fear or apprehension I usually do when entering Sir Alec's domain.
Perhaps my will to live has disappeared along with my morals.
And loyalty.
'How are you?' Sir Alec asks, eyeing me closely.
'Fine, thank you.' I nod.
'I find that hard to believe. Moving Miss Carey out of your room can't have been easy.' He raises an eyebrow and I squirm, trying to guess the answer he's looking for.
'Well, no, that was difficult.' I agree, twitching my fingers, feeling the first of my nerves begin to quake.
'It's strange,' He muses, glancing out of the window to the cliffs below. 'I always thought Miss Carey and yourself were very close.'
'We were.' I insist.
'So what happened?' He asks, catching me off-guard. I was stupid to believe that Sir Alec wouldn't be interested in playground gossip.
My brain works fast as I rifle through mine and Tia's relationship, looking for a plausible reason for us to argue.
'It was because of Meredith.' I blurt out, having a rare and sudden brainwave.
'Meredith?' Sir Alec raises an eyebrow.
'Meredith Draper,' I nod. 'Tia's friend. She... she likes Malachy, you see. Loves him, even. And she thought, because Malachy was helping me with Lorna, that there was something else going on. Tia knew that there wasn't but Meredith made her choose between myself and Meredith.'
'And Tia chose Meredith?' Sir Alec frowns.
'Well, not exactly. I sort of... forced her to choose Meredith. So that she wouldn't have to choose between us. But Tia took it the wrong way, she thought I was casting her off.'
He doesn't believe me, but that's the plan. When Lorna and I escape, he will instantly remember this moment – the moment he knew I was lying to him – and will realise that the argument was actually about the escape plot.
Or at least, think it was.
'I see,' Sir Alec replies through clenched teeth. 'And I'm assuming there is nothing going on between you and Mr Beighley?'
'No!' I shout just a little too loud, alarming him. 'Of course not! He's an Auctorita.' I explain quickly, assuring Sir Alec that I know my place. He nods, satisfied – if only for the moment.
'Very well. Your room situation is resolved now that Miss Carey has moved in with Miss Draper...' This comes as no shock to me and I nod silently. 'As far as a new Mentor, Miss Ryder, correct me if
I'm wrong but I get the impression you don't really need a Mentor. You know your way around the Institute – better than most of the older students – and you can make your own friends; you've been here long enough.
What would you say to my proposal that you have no Mentor as of now?' He asks. I shrug, nodding.
Having no Mentor would suit me just fine; one less person looking over my shoulder at what I'm doing and where I am.
'Very well then, you may go,' He nods and I thank him, rising to head to the door. As I cross the luxurious, faux fur rug, Sir Alec unexpectedly calls me back.
I panic. Has he saved the real reason for my visit until last in some twisted, reverse-psychology stunt?
'Lorna made an interesting comment yesterday,' He tells me. I nod, trying to hide my anxiety. Has Lorna been careless? Has he found us out?
'I think you're succeeding in your task,' He grins, and my entire body sags with relief. 'Just a few more days and you'll have her convinced. When you do, Miss Ryder, you will live a life of luxury in this world.'
*
Lucrezia's smug face falls as I step out of Sir Alec's office unscathed. She peers over my shoulder, attempting to gain the headmaster's attention, but he's out of her line of sight. I can't help but smirk as her eyes flash with anger and she folds her arms across her chest in an effort to look like she doesn't care.
'It seems like you're the master's latest pet.' She snarls viciously, taking two steps towards me.
'Yeah. He got tired of dogs who are all bark and no bite.' I raise an eyebrow, refusing to bow down to my own intimidation. Lucrezia may be an Auctorita, but she's not the Auctorita, and she never will be. Soon it is she who will have to bow down to her brother, and I have every faith in Malachy that he will change this world for the better.
'Now, I need to see your brother.' I demand, watching Lucrezia's eyes darken.
'And if he doesn't want to see you?' She snipes, taken aback by my blatant disregard of her. Lucrezia isn't used to people standing up to her. Her intimidation and name-dropping works on practically every student at the Institute – but they all have something to lose.
For the moment, I've been granted a certain amount of power by Sir Alec's desperate need of me, and by Malachy's friendship with me. I am – for the moment – in a position to use that power for the purpose of irritating Lucrezia. In just a few short weeks, I will fall tremendously from my position, but for now, I'm enjoying every second of taunting her.
I move close to her ear, stepping past her, making sure my shoulder brushes hers. 'I'm sure he will.' My voice is silky smooth and as she glares at me, I wink. Her fury is hilarious as she grits her teeth and struggles to control her ferocious breathing.
Without another word, she turns on her heel and leads me silently along the corridor, back down to the fourth floor and to Malachy's door.
I don't need Lucrezia to show me where Mal is, but I want her there for a reason, and before she can thump on the door, it swings open. Malachy's unable to hide his shock and worry at the sight of his sister and I together.
'Luca?' He turns to Lucrezia with a quizzical look on his face, careful to eye me with disdain in front of her. 'What's going on?'
'Ryder here says she wants to talk to you. It's urgent.' Lucrezia replies sarcastically, nudging me forward with her sharp elbow. Malachy steps aside – speechless – to allow me into his room, and his sister pushes past him, desperate to make herself a part of whatever I have to say.
Malachy's eyes are panicked at the presence of Lucrezia; he has no idea what I'm about to tell him and he glares at me over her head, silently warning me not to do anything stupid.
'Mr Beighley,' I address him formally, taking a deep breath. 'I have broken a rule of the Institute and I've come to you in order to turn myself in and be dealt with accordingly.'
For a brief second, Malachy closes his eyes in exasperation. Lucrezia doesn't notice it, she's too busy gawping at me. 'What rule?' She asks, a grin materialising on her pale face.
'I've skipped lessons multiple times this week and last, without the presence of Miss Gray as an alibi.'
'This is a matter for Sir Alec, Ryder, not for me.' Malachy says, using that cold, distant tone which makes me shudder.
'Why didn't you tell Sir Alec himself?' Lucrezia cuts in. 'You were in his office five minutes ago?' Her tone is rightly suspicious.
'Sir Alec has a tendency to be lenient towards me because of my task,' I explain. 'With you there.' I speak to Malachy. 'He might not be.'
'Let me get this straight,' Lucrezia snorts. 'You want to be punished?'
'I think,' I turn to Lucrezia and eye her meaningfully. 'That if someone does something wrong, or illegal, or morally defunct, they ought to be punished for it,' She glares back at me, and I know without asking that she knows what I'm hinting at. 'Including me.' I add.
'Oh, really?' She snarls, her blue eyes piercing. 'Is that what the great Eve Ryder thinks?'
I almost laugh at how gullible – and occasionally stupid – Lucrezia is. She's so concerned with anyone making her look bad, that she doesn't see what's right in front of her nose. No-one in their right mind would confess to Sir Alec – and especially not through Malachy – that they've broken a rule, but, distracted by the suggestion that she ought to be punished for what she did to Aleks Anzhela, Lucrezia has completely overlooked it.
Malachy, on the other hand, isn't gullible, or stupid. He and I both know why I'm doing this, and why I'm doing it front of his sister. So that when Lorna and I escape, neither Sir Alec nor Lucrezia will have any reason to think that he played a part in it. If he rats me out to Sir Alec for breaking a rule, it'll look like he's on their side, not mine.
'Malachy?' Lucrezia scowls, wondering why her brother is hesitating. He stares at me, and I can see the cogs working in his mind, trying to come up with a solution.
'Let's go.' He mutters, losing the battle with himself. Lucrezia and I follow him down the corridor towards the lift, Lucrezia shooting ecstatic sideways glances at me. Malachy presses the Call button, then turns to his sister.
'Luca, fetch Amber Mayfair.' He commands, much to the dismay of Lucrezia, who pouts like a four year old.
'Why do we need her? I thought we were taking her to Sir – '
'Lucrezia, go and fetch Amber Mayfair. We need her.' Malachy's uses his Auctorita voice and it seems even Lucrezia can't disobey him. She turns immediately for the other lift, which will take her up to the student floors.
Our lift comes first and Malachy beckons me inside. With one last nod at Lucrezia, the doors close and he waits only a few seconds – until the whirring and churning of the lift will disguise his voice from Lucrezia's ears – before he explodes.
'What the fuck are you doing?!' He roars, backing me into a corner, his entire stance threatening and aggressive. He grips my shoulders with both hands, his fingertips dig furiously into my skin and he lowers his face so it's inches from mine.
I've never heard him swear before and the common phrase from such a high-class mouth is so shocking I have to stifle a giggle.
'Do you think this is funny?' He slams me against the wall, the force of his shove alarming. 'Why are you trying so damn hard to get yourself Confined?' He asks, his German accent prominent, as it always is when he loses his temper.
I feel a rush of affection as he reveals a sliver of his true self, of his former self, before his Auctorita education taught him to speak like a middle-class Englishman. As he looms over me, his eyes blazing with white hot rage, I reach up and place the palm of my hand gently on his cheek.
The gesture amazes me as much as it does him – it wasn't premeditated – and by the time I realise what I'm doing, it's too late. His eyes calm a little, but he stares back at me in utter confusion.
'What are you doing?' He frowns, his voice quiet now.
I stroke his soft skin with my thumb, giving into my body's urges, allowing my mind to go silent instead of restrict my movements. He inclines his head slightly tow
ards me, his blond hair brushing against my neck, its soft strands tickling my skin.
His eyes are such a very pale blue that the pupils appear alarmingly black, like pools of nothingness, easy to fall into, impossible to escape.
I breathe heavily, as does he, his spicy scent washing over me. My body seems to take over my mind, moving of its own accord. I try to keep a grasp on reality – the moving lift, the nearing fourteenth floor – but Malachy's eyes draw me in until the whole world darkens and only he remains.
He takes a step closer to me, closing the gap between my body and his. I've never stood so close to him, never felt any part of his skin besides his hand clasping mine. For the first time in my life, I feel a personal objection to the restriction of clothing; it doesn't feel right, the layers of material between us, and I wish that they were gone.
The Gray Institute (The Gray Institute Trilogy Book 1) Page 36