Evergreen Academy - The Complete Series

by Ruby Vincent

  Mrs. Stanton came around the desk as soon as I lowered myself into a seat. She sat down in the one next to me and put a hand on my shoulder.

  “Miss Moon. Do you know why you’re here?”

  I studied Evergreen. His emotions were usually written across his face. I could tell when he was angry, fed up, or disappointed. This time, I could see nothing.

  “Yes, I do, Headmaster.”

  “You made an allegation against a former professor,” he continued. “I have gotten many reports, but I would like to hear this from you. What happened between you and Mrs. LeBlanc?”

  I did not speak right away. The head of security was here, and it seemed like Mrs. Stanton had been asked to come and support me. Maybe a part of me had feared Evergreen wouldn’t believe me—sweep it under the rug for the precious reputation of the school.

  This is really happening. It’s time for it all to come out.

  I took a steadying breath and let it out slowly. “It all started in freshman year on the night of the masquerade ball. I heard shouting in the woods and ran to help. I discovered a student arguing with someone who later turned out to be LeBlanc.”

  Gus broke in. “Later turned out to be? You did not know it was her?”

  “No. It was pitch black and they were wearing masks. All I could make out were raised voices. They were shouting about an awful thing LeBlanc had done and the student threatened to tell the truth.”

  “The student?” It was Evergreen who interrupted this time. “Who is this student?”

  I lifted my chin. “I can’t say. They aren’t ready to come forward.”

  “Miss Moon, you understand that we cannot act on hearsay. If this student is the victim; they must report it themselves.”

  “This is not about what happened to them; it’s about what happened to me.”

  I expected more argument, but to my surprise, Evergreen inclined his head. “I understand. Please continue.”

  “Thank you. Like I said, they were fighting and LeBlanc threatened them and said they would regret it if they told anyone. I got worried that it would escalate so I called out. That’s how she found out I was there.

  “They both ran before I could see who the student was fighting with. When I opened my locker the Monday after, I discovered I was marked.”

  Gus reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a notepad. “So you naturally assumed that these events were linked,” he stated as he scribbled on the pad.

  “It was the only explanation. I didn’t understand it at the time, but I had witnessed something horrible enough that some— that a Spade wanted me out. I was sure of it as things got worse and there were multiple attempts on my life. It was a secret worth killing an innocent person for so I tried to put it together. I had to find out what truly happened that night.”

  Mrs. Stanton reached for a box of tissues. I was hardly on the edge of tears but I appreciated that she took her job of comforting me seriously.

  “In the end, I found the student Scarlett threatened in the woods. They told me everything. LeBlanc had molested them when they were younger and they had never been able to come forward, but when they heard she would be working with children again they had to do something. After that, I confronted Scarlett.”

  Evergreen’s stoic mask cracked as a flicker of surprise crossed his features. “Confronted her?”

  “Yes. I knew it was her. It was her who hurt the student and her who tried to kill me to keep me quiet. The problem was I didn’t have proof. The only way to end it was to get LeBlanc to confess.”

  “You could have come to me,” Gus said. “That would have been safer than confronting a person you suspected of trying to kill you.”

  I looked him directly in the eyes. “After everything I’ve gone through, I had no reason to think anyone would step in to help me. I had to do it myself.”

  Gus pressed his lips together in a thin line. I knew he didn’t like my reply, but he couldn’t deny it.

  “What happened when you spoke to Mrs. LeBlanc?” Evergreen asked when the silence stretched longer than was comfortable.

  “She denied it at first. She played the sweet and innocent act until I hit her with everything I knew. Every detail the student had given me. Then she changed her tune.”

  “Did she admit what she had done?” asked Gus.

  “She admitted to trying to drop a planter on my head. LeBlanc even said she should have tried again and ‘made damn sure.’”

  Gus and Evergreen shared a look I couldn’t read.

  “What about her actions against the student?” Gus went on after a beat. His eyes flicked from me to the notepad as he wrote. “Did she confess to that as well?”

  “She was deluded. LeBlanc refused to call it what it was—molestation. But she did say that she loved them and was there for them when no one else was. She said they needed her.” My stomach writhed thinking of that twisted snarl and the even more twisted mind behind it. “Anyway, I left after I got the truth out of her.”

  “She just let you go?” Gus questioned.

  “I had my bodyguard waiting outside packing a gun. She didn’t have a choice.” His response was to nod and write some more. “I got out of there but I wasn’t sure what to do next. I finally knew the truth, but I couldn’t force the student to come forward and I didn’t think LeBlanc would skip down to the police station with me and confess... and I was right. The next day, there was a resignation letter on her desk and she was gone.”

  As I uttered the final word, I slumped back in my seat. I had fudged the truth toward the end, but they knew everything they needed to know.

  “What happens now?”

  Evergreen jerked at my question as though he had been lost in thought. “Now, I ask you if there is anything else you need to tell us. Anything you’re holding back.”

  My brows snapped together. What was he trying to say? Does he know something?

  The headmaster rose from his seat. “You might feel more comfortable speaking to Mrs. Stanton alone.”

  Just like that, it hit me what he was trying to say. “No,” I said quickly. “Scarlett did not touch me in that way.” He slowly lowered himself down. “But if you want my advice, you should speak to the students. You should also contact any school she has worked at. Make it clear that the truth is out and you’ll provide a safe space for anyone who wants to come forward.” My hand curled into a fist beneath Stanton’s. “There’s a chance the student wasn’t the only one she molested.”

  “That is a good suggestion, Miss Moon. Thank you.” Evergreen looked at Gus once more. “First, we’ll contact the police and see how they want us to proceed.”

  “The police?” I couldn’t help the surprise that laced my voice. “But you’ve never gotten the police involved before.”

  “This is not a situation that we are equipped to handle on our own, or one that we should. The police need to lead the investigation... and I need to apologize to you.”

  “To me?” I repeated, not quite registering what I heard. I had seen a lot of emotions on Evergreen’s face, but this one was new. It looked like... remorse.

  “I have failed you, Miss Moon, and this student who for years has suffered in silence rather than come to me and report what was done to them. I will never forgive myself if you are right and... there are more.”

  I tried to fight it, but a niggle of pity wormed its way in. “You can’t blame yourself for Scarlett or what she did, but... you can blame yourself for allowing the Spades to create such a culture of fear and intimidation.” The words were out of my mouth and falling too fast for me to stop. “The Knights don’t run this school. The Spades don’t run this school. You do. You’re our headmaster, and even though you didn’t admit it then and you still haven’t to this day, you knew I was marked and you did nothing to stop it. If you want to apologize, apologize for that.”

  A deep silence followed my speech. Neither Stanton nor Gus said anything. I’m not sure they were breathing. They didn’t move as Eve
rgreen and I locked eyes.

  The wall clock ticked as he gazed at me. It counted out sixty seconds before he finally got to his feet. “You are correct, Miss Moon.”

  I held still, waiting for more.

  “You may leave. We need to contact the police.” Evergreen held out his hand toward the door.

  Without argument, I stood and walked out. I threw open the door to the main hall...

  ...and slammed right into a warm body.

  “Val.” I jerked my head up and looked into Ryder’s face. “We have to talk.”

  He set off, a firm grip on my hand, and I saw we weren’t alone. Jaxson, Maverick, and Ezra fell in behind us.

  “Where are we going to go?” I asked Ryder. “We’re running out of places to talk privately.”

  “Fountain. Front lawn.”

  That was all I could get out of him until we were across the courtyard and out on the lawn. The sun was setting on Evergreen and a fierce wind made the blades of grass dance. I pulled my blazer tighter around me. There was something in the air, and it wasn’t just the chill.

  Ryder sat me down on the lip of the fountain and Maverick and Jaxson immediately took up my other sides. They pressed into me, chasing away the cold.

  “How did it go?” Ezra asked.

  “I told him. I didn’t mention any names or the cliffs, but I told him that Scarlett tried to kill me.”

  “Did he believe you?”

  “He did. I wasn’t sure that he would, but he truly seemed to. He’s going to call the police.”

  “They’ll want to talk to you,” Maverick said.

  “I’ll tell them exactly what I told Evergreen.”

  Ryder began to pace. “They’re going to investigate. They’ll look into everywhere she has taught. They’ll ask people who know anything to come forward.”

  “They will,” I agreed.

  “What will Ace do?” He stopped and spun on me. “Have they texted you? What did they say?”

  I was shaking my head before he finished. “No messages. Not one.” I took my phone out of my pocket and handed it over so he could see himself. “But there is one thing. I’m sure Ace didn’t know about Scarlett. They were losing their minds over me knowing a truth about her that they didn’t.”

  Ryder was quiet while he read the evidence of that for himself.

  “What about the rest of the school? The mark? The seniors? The Spades?” Ezra rattled off.

  “They have a decision to make,” I said. “The seniors, the Knights, and the Spades if there are more of them. They have to decide if they’ll keep trying to drive us out now that they know about Scarlett, or if they will finally do the right thing.”

  Jaxson leaned in and pressed his head against my temple. “How are you so calm about this?”

  “I’ve been thinking about this for months.”

  “Months?” Ezra’s eyes grew wide. “Why didn’t you tell us?”

  “You would have stopped me, but that would have meant all of this would keep going on. Ace and the Knights would have fought harder until, one way or the other, they got what they wanted. I had to force an end to it.”

  “But that’s—”

  “She’s right.” That one sentence stopped Ezra in his tracks. “You know she is right, man,” Maverick repeated. “For the first time since this started, we have a real chance to end it. Ace didn’t know what Scarlett was before, but they do now. They might take the marks back themselves.”

  “We don’t know that,” said Ezra.

  “We don’t know anything. So there is no point in arguing about it.” He pointed at my phone. “When they reply, then we’ll know what comes next. Then we’ll make a plan. Until then, we should get something to eat.” He rubbed a finger along my cheek. “You must be starving.”

  “I am now that you mention it.” I smiled up at him. “It would be nice to sit and eat with you guys. Laugh and talk like we used to do before everything went to shit. Thirty minutes of normal—that’s what I want.”

  The boys looked at each other. A silent communication passed between them in a language I still hadn’t learned. That was okay. I liked that they were so close.

  “Okay.” Ryder handed back my phone. “Thirty minutes of normal.”

  That was what they gave me. The boys walked me to the dorm and then went back inside for our dinner. When they returned, I had laid out a blanket and pillows in the front room. We began the night with just the five of us, but our noise brought the others out of their rooms. They saw what we were up to, ran to get their own food, and joined us.

  Thirty minutes stretched into five hours. No text came from Ace, but I barely remembered the phone in my pocket. This was one of the best nights I ever had at Evergreen. My friends and the boys I loved together and being what we never got to be—a couple of regular teenagers.

  Jaxson walked me upstairs when the night winded down. “I’m going to do it one of these days.”

  I looked at him across the stairs. “Do what?”

  “I’m going to break the cameras, get you in your room, and have my way with you.”

  Peals of laughter burst out of me.

  “I’m serious. While he’s scrambling, we’ll have plenty of time to get a little freaky.”

  We stepped onto the landing and stopped in front of my dorm. I faced him with a smile. “I’d love it if you pulled that off, but getting a weekend pass might be safer.” I trailed my hand down his chest. “Then we wouldn’t have to rush.”

  He growled low in his throat. “Good point. You doing anything this weekend?”

  “Yes.” I hooked my finger through the part in his buttons and pulled him closer.

  “What about next weekend?”

  “Busy then too.” Rising up, I gave him a scorching kiss that pulled another growl out of him. I smirked at him when I stepped back. “I’ll just have to pencil you in, playboy.”

  One last wink and I let myself into my room.

  “I’m definitely breaking those cameras,” I heard him mumble as I shut the door.

  Chapter Four

  I woke the next day to an empty inbox. There had been no messages from Ace. I kicked off the covers and started my routine in a sort of trance. My body went through the motions while my mind was elsewhere.

  Why haven’t they said anything? They must know. Even if they weren’t in the cafeteria at the time, the news would have spread. Everyone in that school must be aware that I’ve accused Scarlett LeBlanc of being a predator and a Spade. There will have to be some kind of response.

  A knock broke through my thoughts. “Val? Are you up?”

  I went to the door and let Sofia in. She got me in a hug milliseconds after she came inside.

  “How are you? I wanted to talk to you last night, but we were having so much fun and I figured we both needed it.”

  “We did.” I squeezed her back. “It was nice to have a break from the craziness for a while.”

  “Do you want to talk about what happened with her?”

  “Yes.” I stepped back and met her concerned gaze. “I’ve been wanting to tell you about it for a long time.”

  We sat on the edge of my mattress. I told her the same thing I said to Evergreen. I wished I could be completely honest with her, but if she was ever questioned, I didn’t want to put her in the position of saying things she knew were lies. There was also the fact that some of these secrets weren’t mine to tell.

  “That is so much to deal with by yourself.” Sofia put her head on my shoulder. “I wish you had told me sooner, but at least I know now.”

  “I wonder what is going to happen next,” I mused aloud. “Evergreen said he is going to bring in the police and then there’s Ace.”

  “Evergreen didn’t call the police when someone— when Scarlett tried to set you on fire. This is serious.”

  I sighed. “It is serious. It’s also time to face it. We should go.”

  Sofia nodded against my arm. She went to get her things while I finished packing up. T
he rest of the group were waiting for us at the bottom of the stairs. It was the opposite of the night before. No laughing or joking as we made for the main building.

  I had told myself that the whole school would know by morning and it was confirmed when we set foot inside. Freshmen students stared openly at me while I passed by. Closing the door on them was a relief.

  “It will be okay, Val,” Kai said softly. “Whatever happens, we’re here.”

  My heart filled with a rush of gratitude when they all echoed him. “I know you are.”

  I held on to the feeling as Jaxson held open the doors for the fourth floor. There was a group of girls idling in front of their lockers. They snapped their mouths shut when they saw me. Penelope snagged one of her friends and pulled her away. The group escaped down the hall, moving faster than they did in gym class.

  I let out a breath. “I guess that answers the question of if I’m still being freezed out. I underestimated how afraid people are of the Spades. They won’t go against the mark.”

  “This changes nothing,” Ryder announced. “If Ace wants a war; they’ve got one. We’re not backing down.” Ryder took my hand. “Let’s go. We don’t want to be late for class.”

  We split up. I didn’t speak as we walked toward our lockers, but I saw Ryder looking at me from the corner of my eye.

  “Are you upset?”

  “No. Yes.” I tossed my head. “I don’t know. I just can’t believe news like this isn’t enough to shake the hold of the Spades. I’m starting to think that nothing will.”

  “We will. The problem is that we’ve been fighting people we can’t see. If we knew who they were, we’d know how to end it. We’ve spent too much time trying to get ahead of Ace when we don’t know if they are in front or behind. We have to step up our attempts to find them.” He pulled up and I realized we were in front of his locker. “We have the list of suspects. We had no way to narrow it down before, but tonight we should look at it again—the five of us. Something might jump out.”

  A smile spread across my lips as he spoke. He noticed it when I didn’t reply. “What? Why are you smiling?”

  My answer was to slip my arms around his waist and rest my head on his chest. That was what I liked about him. He always had a plan. No matter how awful things appeared to be; he was thinking of a way out.