Faith Heights

Chapter 20

It was impossible not to see every person I passed in the hallway with new eyes. Now that I knew what they were looking for when they turned my way, I worked even harder to avoid their gazes. To the thousands of students in this school, I was an ancient, powerful leader. The great love of an angel. A lost soul that hadn't been seen for centuries.

My new reality consisted of werewolves and telepaths and angels. Reincarnation was the norm. How could the truth have never been leaked into the real world? It was too impossible a secret to be contained. Even with Leclair's memory-logging potion, it seemed too far-fetched to believe that this whole other world was thriving with flagrant power, running the most prestigious schools, universities and businesses around the globe, without a human batting a single eye.

When Jackson and his friends had walked me back to my dorm that night, I'd insisted on going to the police. I pretended that it was to expose Leclair's cruel practices, but in truth, I was terrified of what the headmistress might enact in my final interview. Would she erase my memory, like she had with so many before me? Or did she reserve something worse for snooping little rule-breakers? 

Either way, Jackson confirmed my worries that the police would be no help; a few of the local law enforcement were privy to the school's true agenda, having attended here themselves. The rest were susceptible to Leclair's abilities- which apparently included a form of mind control.

Theo had tried to download as much supernatural information into my brain as possible over the weekend, until Jackson had stepped in. I was as eager to learn about the paranormal as I was any topic, but Jackson claimed that it was safer if I knew as little as possible for my interview.

By the time school began on Monday, I was a nervous wreck. I'd built the interview up in my head as a courtroom case, where Leclair would decide my fate- both physically and mentally. Rhea noticed my quietness, but didn't comment, which I was grateful for. But she probably had enough on her mind as it was; Jackson was still avoiding her, which made a little more sense now that I knew he was an untrained werewolf.

At the end of home-room, I dawdled behind after class, waiting for the other students to file out. Lydia stacked papers on her desk for a few minutes before noticing my presence.

A bright smile lit her features. "Lila? Can I do something for you?" 

I shuffled forward to her desk, hardly having to fake the anxiety in my voice. "I was wondering if you have a minute to answer a few questions. The headmistress moved my final interview forward, and I'd like to go into the interview as prepared as possible." 

Lydia nodded. "The headmistress told me as much. I expect that your head is buzzing with all sorts of worries." She clasped her hands together. "What can I help you with?"

I grabbed a nearby seat and scooted it closer to her desk. "You were a scholarship student here, right? That's why you were assigned to our class?"

She smiled cheerfully.

"So... you're here to prepare us?"

"For your education here, yes. What makes you ask?" She asked lightly, but there was a glint of suspicion in her baby-blue eyes. I'd never have noticed it if my intentions were above suspicion.

I tried to avert her wariness with a lowered gaze. "I was wondering if it was hard for you to adjust to Faith Heights." I gave a timid shrug. "It's a little different to other schools."

She chuckled. "Very true."

"When you were at Faith Heights, did the other students look at the scholarship kids like they were...-"

"Outsiders? Martians?" She nodded. "I wish I could say it goes away, but you simply learn to adjust to the attention."

Oh god, were Martians real, too? "Really?"