Page 7 of Deposed

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On Monday, Sergei escorted me to Victoria station, this time without the press fanfare. We walked in silence through the busy concourse amidst the cacophony of busy travelers and loudspeaker announcements. The mingled scents from the stores and restaurants made my stomach churn, and I tried not to think of what would await me when I finally arrived at Mercia Academy. We stopped at the platform’s ticket barrier, then he wrapped his arms around my shoulders and kissed both cheeks. “If you change your mind, send me a text.”

I smiled and stared up into his sad eyes. Apart from Rita, he was the best friend I had made so far in England. “Thanks.”

“You are always welcome in my entourage.” He whispered the next part into my ear. “And not just as a beard.”

I laughed and threw my arms around his neck. “I’ll miss you. Thanks again for everything.”

The warm glow Sergei left as I boarded dimmed into a flicker the moment the train departed the station. I was doing something I promised Rita I wouldn’t do: returning to Mercia Academy. This time, I wouldn’t be shunned or ignored by the triumvirate. They would rip me apart and leave what was left of me for the other students to pick through.

My phone buzzed. Are you on the train?

Yes.

This had better not be another of your lies.

I stuffed the phone back into my pocket and snarled. Edward was a fine one to call someone a liar.

The train whizzed by countryside, which became greener the closer we got to my destination. My pulse pounded in my eardrums, drowning out the chugging of the wheels on the tracks.

Images of potential scenarios whirled around my mind like a kaleidoscope. Most of them involved ways the students would exact their retribution for leaking stories to the newspapers. Only one of them was a scene where Edward forgave me and repeated his declaration of love. I shook away the false hope and buried my head in my hands until the announcer called out Mercia.

Taking the first step off the train was agony. Palpitations reverberated throughout my body as I made my way out of the station and inhaled warm, fresh country air. Before I could take in the sights of the quaint village of stone-fronted stores, a limo rolled into view, and the back door opened.

My stomach dropped. This could only mean one thing. The triumvirate were in session and ready to exact their vengeance. Nobody stepped out to bundle me inside. I guessed they wanted me to walk to my own gallows.

On feet that felt like lead, I dragged myself to the curb, and stepped inside to meet Edward’s wintry glare. The impact was like a kick in the gut, and my breath caught in the back of my throat. I hadn’t seen him this livid since the time he upended the table at me.

“I’m…” I cleared my sandpapery throat. “I came as promised.”

“Get inside,” he said through clenched teeth.

I stepped into the limo and took the seat nearest to the door and furthest away from Edward, who sat upright, breathing loud and deep and fast. The seatbelt around me felt like a leash, but I stared straight ahead, trying not to look at Edward. But in the corner of my vision, he resembled an eagle about to strike.

The driver sped down through the village thoroughfare, but instead of turning left into the road that led to the academy, he went straight ahead.

My gaze slid to Edward’s clenched fists. “Where are we going?”

“I need time with you alone to prepare you for what’s to follow,” he replied.

A shiver of apprehension ran down my back, and I pictured a gauntlet, but this time, the students carried hockey sticks. My tongue darted out to lick my lips. “What should I expect?”

“The police wouldn’t accept any of the documentation we offered them to prove Father’s condition, so he remained in a cell for weeks, while their doctors reassessed him. He was released last week on the grounds of diminished responsibility.”

A breath of relief slid from my lungs. “I’m gla—”

“Now the entire country knows of his ailment, and vultures are circling us in the guise of well-wishers, hoping to take advantage of his vulnerable state.”

Guilt knitted my stomach into knots that stretched up to my gullet. “I’m so—”

“The Board of Governors convened to discuss the future of the academy,” he said in a louder voice. “One of the topics of conversation was whether it was worth continuing with a school whose reputation was so tarnished.”

I cringed. Even though I hadn’t been the one to hand out exam papers to the students of International House, I had passed evidence of the academy’s cheating to the Saturday Correspondent. I glanced up at Edward’s eyes, but at the weight of his stare, my gaze snapped down to my lap.

“You took matters too far,” he said, his voice tight.

My throat flexed. “I realize that now.”