Total pages in book: 117
Estimated words: 113051 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 565(@200wpm)___ 452(@250wpm)___ 377(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113051 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 565(@200wpm)___ 452(@250wpm)___ 377(@300wpm)
We walk up the ramp and toward the north dorm. I never realized Everly had an office here at all, albeit down the opposite way from Kincaid’s.
“Do you know if she’s here?” I whisper to him.
He nods and raises his hand, about to knock, when the door opens and Dr. Janet Wu steps out. It feels like I haven’t seen her in a really long time.
“Hello,” I say to her, wondering if she’s innocent in all this or if she’s the one working on Clayton, testing their drugs on him.
Her eyes go round, and she steps away from me so she’s backing up into Everly’s office.
“Ah, it’s Sydney Denik,” Everly says in an overly cheery voice as she gets up. “Janet, have you properly met Sydney yet? I don’t believe you have.”
Janet smiles stiffly at me and shakes her head. “No. I think you were in the class when I had one of my, uh…”
“Episodes,” Everly says. “One of your episodes. It’s okay, Janet, you’re among friends here. If anything, Sydney is a lot like you. Also has these episodes, some of which include trying to attack me, but that’s better than just breaking down in tears in the middle of class, isn’t it?”
“Everly,” Kincaid snipes at her.
“Save it, Wes,” Everly says, rubbing at her temples. “The air pressure from this storm is making my head feel like it’s about to implode. Now, what is it that you want? Janet, you’re dismissed again. Go.” She shoos her off with a dismissive flick of her wrist.
God, was Everly always like this? Did she blind me with her grace and beauty so that I didn’t even see it?
“So, what do you want?” Everly says, sitting back down with a sigh as Janet scurries out of the room. “I had a hell of a night. At least you were drugged.” She jerks her chin at me. “Bet you slept all the way through, lucky bitch.”
I clench my teeth at that, and Kincaid gives my hand a squeeze.
“Sydney would like to fly home on the first flight out of here,” Kincaid says.
Everly fixes a tired eye on me. “Is this true? Or is this his idea?”
“It was my idea,” I tell her. “I would like to go home.”
Her eyes narrow at me while she smiles sourly. “I see. Of course you would, especially after last night. I suppose I do owe you an apology. I didn’t mean to drug you; you just left me no choice. You were becoming violent, Syd. Now I guess the apology is in your court.”
Fuck that.
“Just put her on the next plane,” Kincaid demands. “And make sure I have a seat next to her.”
“Et tu, Brutus?” she asks, picking up a pen and tapping it rapidly against the desk as she looks between the both of us. She sighs and stops tapping. “Well, I’m not surprised. So is this your formal resignation, Wes?”
“He’s coming back,” I tell her. “He’s just going to help me get settled.”
She snorts. “Oh, sweet summer child. No he’s not. If he gets on that plane with you, he’s quitting. He’ll only come back for his boat. Still, quite the risk in assuming the boat will still be here. So many storms come through…”
He stiffens. “I’ll be back to collect Mithrandir. That’s it.”
I turn to him in awe. “What? No. You can’t quit. This is your job, your life.”
“Maybe you’re his life now, Sydney,” Everly says in a mocking voice. “Isn’t that precious, a love story happening before our very eyes.” She flashes a wry smile at me. “I’m sorry, am I ruining things? Is he coming on too strong for you? It is a lot, isn’t it? Has he already told you that he loves you, that he would lay his heart on the blade and die for you? Hell, he’s already quitting his fucking fantastic job and running away with you somewhere, and you don’t even know one fucking thing about him, do you?”
“Everly,” Kincaid growls at her. “First plane out of here. And if you don’t make the arrangements, I will.”
She laughs. “Fuck, you’re a serious one this morning. Whatever, Wes. Stay, go, I don’t care. It will be your loss in the end. You’ll both lose, you know that, don’t you?” She looks off and waves her hands at us. “It doesn’t matter. You’ll be back. You always come back. Anyway, you’ll be joining Dr. Wu on that same flight. Must be the season for idle threats of resignation.”
“Not an idle threat,” Kincaid grumbles. “I don’t make idle threats.”
He then squeezes my hand and pulls me toward the door.
I look back at Everly to see her laughing again and shaking her head, like she doesn’t believe him at all.
“We will get out of here, won’t we?” I ask him as he leads me down the hall to his office.