threats. “But I imagine she has let you in a few times,” Edwin said, stammering only slightly.
“Well, yes, I have been lucky enough to be invited in on the
rare occasion. Why do you ask?” Ashton asked suspiciously.
“Oh, no reason. It’s just Headmistress Vanora told me that
my roommates would fill me in on anything she left out… and I figure the more I
know, the better prepared I’ll be to please the Headmistress.”
Smiling, Ashton said, “That’s the spirit. I’ve spent so much
time with less enthusiastic boys”—he looked at Walt—“that I can’t
help but be suspicious.”
“No need to worry about me,” Edwin replied, proud to be
speaking and pleased with how easily the lies were coming.
“I think you’ll do just fine here. It’s really is
unfortunate that Walt was the first boy you met. He’s our worst troublemaker.
You’re going to want to make sure you befriend the right kind of person here at
Hawthorne. Headmistress Vanora is very perceptive, and getting in with the
wrong crowd could be disastrous.”
“Aww, come on Ash, I’m not that bad,” Walt said facetiously.
Ashton sighed, and Edwin smiled in spite of himself.
* * *
Edwin knew he needed to find a way to heal soon. All the
rest—the new people, the spirit, the dreams, and Chardwick—would
have to wait. Ashton had just left the room to attend to “important Oculus
business.”
As though reading his mind, Walt said, “So you need
Headmistress Vanora for something.”
Taken aback, Edwin nodded.
“I figured that would be the reason you’d want to know more
about her. What are you thinking?”
Edwin shook his head and stammered, angry with himself that
his words were failing him again.
Walt was pacing the room. “She doesn’t have much worth
stealing. Information? About your parents maybe? No, that’s not it…”
Edwin balked. Walt was reading him.
“Escape? Ah, I’m closer, but that’s still not it. You just
need to sneak out a while. Am I right?”
Edwin was speechless. He was trying to form the words to
tell Walt to leave him alone and mind his own business, but before he could get
anything out, Walt added, “I could help you, you know.”
“Wh-why w-would you want to help me?”
Walt’s grin, friendly though it was, only made Edwin more
nervous. “We’re roommates, and you’re new here and don’t really know anyone. I
thought we could be friends.”
“B-but you don’t even know me,” Edwin replied.
“I could. Know you, I mean, if you want. You act like you’ve
never had a friend before.” Walt’s eyes grew wide with surprise. “Oh, you
haven’t. You’ve never had a friend!”
Edwin blushed and shook his head. He thought of the spirit.
“Well, that’s all about to change,” Walt declared. “We don’t
ever get anyone new around here. Everyone’s going to be really curious about
you. You’ll have loads of friends in no time.”
Ashton suddenly reappeared at the door. “Come along now. No
dawdling,” he said.
As they left the bedroom, Walt explained, “Time for dinner. We’re
going to the Great Hall. Don’t let the name fool you.”
“Ignore him,” Ashton said, following behind them. “You
should know that before Hawthorne was an orphanage, all of Hawthorne was once
one big room. Headmistress Vanora herself oversaw its conversion into all you
see today.”
Knowing from Ashton’s tone that he was supposed to be
impressed, Edwin said, “Erm, that’s really something, Ashton…”
“Before Headmistress Vanora, children who lost parents in
the mines and couldn’t find an apprenticeship lived on the streets,” Ashton
continued. “Imagine, children on the streets in Chardwick. Headmistress Vanora
rounded up those children and had them construct everything you see here.
Children! A better group than the ungrateful lot we have in Hawthorne today, to
be sure.”
Walt scoffed and said, “Vanora doesn’t care a thing for any
of us. Everyone knows Vanora only
“Well, yes, I have been lucky enough to be invited in on the
rare occasion. Why do you ask?” Ashton asked suspiciously.
“Oh, no reason. It’s just Headmistress Vanora told me that
my roommates would fill me in on anything she left out… and I figure the more I
know, the better prepared I’ll be to please the Headmistress.”
Smiling, Ashton said, “That’s the spirit. I’ve spent so much
time with less enthusiastic boys”—he looked at Walt—“that I can’t
help but be suspicious.”
“No need to worry about me,” Edwin replied, proud to be
speaking and pleased with how easily the lies were coming.
“I think you’ll do just fine here. It’s really is
unfortunate that Walt was the first boy you met. He’s our worst troublemaker.
You’re going to want to make sure you befriend the right kind of person here at
Hawthorne. Headmistress Vanora is very perceptive, and getting in with the
wrong crowd could be disastrous.”
“Aww, come on Ash, I’m not that bad,” Walt said facetiously.
Ashton sighed, and Edwin smiled in spite of himself.
* * *
Edwin knew he needed to find a way to heal soon. All the
rest—the new people, the spirit, the dreams, and Chardwick—would
have to wait. Ashton had just left the room to attend to “important Oculus
business.”
As though reading his mind, Walt said, “So you need
Headmistress Vanora for something.”
Taken aback, Edwin nodded.
“I figured that would be the reason you’d want to know more
about her. What are you thinking?”
Edwin shook his head and stammered, angry with himself that
his words were failing him again.
Walt was pacing the room. “She doesn’t have much worth
stealing. Information? About your parents maybe? No, that’s not it…”
Edwin balked. Walt was reading him.
“Escape? Ah, I’m closer, but that’s still not it. You just
need to sneak out a while. Am I right?”
Edwin was speechless. He was trying to form the words to
tell Walt to leave him alone and mind his own business, but before he could get
anything out, Walt added, “I could help you, you know.”
“Wh-why w-would you want to help me?”
Walt’s grin, friendly though it was, only made Edwin more
nervous. “We’re roommates, and you’re new here and don’t really know anyone. I
thought we could be friends.”
“B-but you don’t even know me,” Edwin replied.
“I could. Know you, I mean, if you want. You act like you’ve
never had a friend before.” Walt’s eyes grew wide with surprise. “Oh, you
haven’t. You’ve never had a friend!”
Edwin blushed and shook his head. He thought of the spirit.
“Well, that’s all about to change,” Walt declared. “We don’t
ever get anyone new around here. Everyone’s going to be really curious about
you. You’ll have loads of friends in no time.”
Ashton suddenly reappeared at the door. “Come along now. No
dawdling,” he said.
As they left the bedroom, Walt explained, “Time for dinner. We’re
going to the Great Hall. Don’t let the name fool you.”
“Ignore him,” Ashton said, following behind them. “You
should know that before Hawthorne was an orphanage, all of Hawthorne was once
one big room. Headmistress Vanora herself oversaw its conversion into all you
see today.”
Knowing from Ashton’s tone that he was supposed to be
impressed, Edwin said, “Erm, that’s really something, Ashton…”
“Before Headmistress Vanora, children who lost parents in
the mines and couldn’t find an apprenticeship lived on the streets,” Ashton
continued. “Imagine, children on the streets in Chardwick. Headmistress Vanora
rounded up those children and had them construct everything you see here.
Children! A better group than the ungrateful lot we have in Hawthorne today, to
be sure.”
Walt scoffed and said, “Vanora doesn’t care a thing for any
of us. Everyone knows Vanora only
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