Page 51 of Wicked Elites

“It was me who told you about the bursary without looking into what kind of operation the headmistress was running.”

My brows drew together. “You wouldn’t have found anything. These girls are careful not to misbehave in front of the staff.”

“But still—”

“Uncle, don’t feel bad.” I squeezed his hand. “We were all taken in by the academy’s status on the Elite Register. Remember, Mrs. Benazir didn’t mention bullying until after we signed the contract. Even then, she played it down and said it was just name-calling.”

He snorted. “The kind you’d find at any high school.”

“They don’t drag people out of their beds at Cummersdale Comprehensive.”

He gave me a wistful smile. “It’s not too late to go back.”

I shook my head. “If I did, I’d lose the bursary. Then who would pay for the upkeep of the house?”

Uncle Trevor gave me a reluctant nod. “Let’s go and see Mrs. Benazir together. She has to know—”

“I’ll speak to her on my own,” I blurted. “Thanks for offering, but I have to show a strong front, and that means not hiding behind my uncle.”

“Willow, look at me.” He placed a hand on my shoulder. “I know you want to keep the family home, but your mother and father wouldn’t want you to go through this torture. We can sell it and put the money in trust until you’re ready to put a deposit on your own place.”

“You don’t get it,” I said with a sigh.

“That the girls in Brittas Academy are disturbed? That what they did to you was attempted murder?”

I swallowed hard. Uncle Trevor was correct on all counts, but I couldn’t just give up. Not without at least trying to fight back. Running away at this stage was admitting defeat.

How would it look to future sponsors and universities if I walked away from a generous bursary and from the academy at the top of the Elite Register?

“They wouldn’t have done it if Ashley hadn’t asked to join their little club,” I said. “They won’t get away with what they’ve done.”

He harrumphed. “If round one was bad enough to put you in hospital, I’d say the next time—”

“Please, Uncle.” I held my head in my hands. “Drop it.”

He sighed out a long, frustrated breath. “I won’t give you any more grief over this. Lord knows you’ve suffered enough, but you won’t stop me from badgering Mrs. Benazir. She was supposed to be in charge.”

We sat in silence for several moments. Now that it was time to leave, my insides churned with anticipation. How many people would Geraldine and Bianca tell about the pork ribs?

In my mind, Leopold gave me sly looks, and Prakash sneered. Dread rolled through my belly, and I shuddered. It would be a disaster, but I would survive. I stared at the double doors of the academy, willing myself to open the car door and stride through them.

“I can’t lose you too.” His voice broke.

The sound of his pain made my heart splinter. I wrapped my arms around Uncle Trevor’s neck and rested my head on his shoulder. Sometimes, I was so consumed with my problems, I forgot that he’d also lost his sister.

“It was a bit of hazing,” I murmured into his neck. “Which I survived. They’ll leave me alone, now.”

He wrapped his arms around my middle and harrumphed. “They’d better, or Hortense and I will have to work something else out.”

We broke the hug, and I leaned back into the seat. Uncle Trevor’s car was an oasis where at least one person didn’t expect me to perform, subject me to insults, use me as a human punching bag, or a means to win a bet.

My mind drifted to the kings. Had I imagined Prakash standing over my semiconscious form? If that was really him, he would have stayed around to scold me more about not fitting into his precious academy.

I sucked in a deep, steadying breath. “It’s time to go.”

* * *

The first steps through the double doors were laden with dread, but as I progressed through the marble hallway toward Mrs. Benazir’s office, I raised my chin and pulled my shoulders back.