“Pretty good, thank you. How about yours?”
“Busier than ever,” he said, and I noticed a few sprinkles of gray at his hairline that I didn’t remember being there that spring. “What brings you here today? Are your classes going well?”
“They are.” I hesitated. “I came to talk about the residence rooms on campus at Evergreen. Is there any space available for a second-year, if I wanted to move in?”
He leaned back in his chair and studied me. “Have your circumstances changed?”
“Kind of. My aunt—who I live with—is getting married in October.”
“Aw. Well, let me look into it. No promises, but I believe there is still a space available with your friend Ms. Ortega.”
I tried to suppress a wide smile. This was even better than I’d imagined. “Oh, that would be great. I’d love to room with her.”
“Then let me check on a few things. I’ll be in touch by the end of the week.”
“Can I ask you something else?”
“Go ahead.” Professor East nodded, and I had a feeling he anticipated the next question.
“Have there been any developments in figuring out who was poisoning the soil last year?” I whispered this question even though the door to his office was closed.
“Unfortunately not. But we’ve set up sensors all around the grounds, and there have been no further changes to the soil. Whoever was doing it seems to have been scared off by our efforts.”
“That’s good,” I said, though I wasn’t completely satisfied with the answer, and I was sure he wasn’t either. If we didn’t know who was poisoning the soil and, therefore, putting the school’s verdant shield at risk last year, we would never know why they had done it.
“Anything else?”
I shook my head. “Thanks, Professor East. Enjoy the rest of your summer.”
When I left the science building on SCC’s campus, I texted Yasmin.
It’s not official yet, but I think you and I might be roomies this year!
Her response was immediate.
You can’t see me right now, but I’m squealing.
I was grinning as I drove home.
Chapter Six
Iwalked out of my Calculus final, relief melting from my shoulders from one course being fully off my plate. I had given my all to my full load of summer classes, and I couldn’t believe they were ending. My Calculus work had been the most intensive, but my other courses required a ton of writing, and I constantly had to open my laptop on work breaks and evenings to squeeze in an assignment or two.
After saying a jovial goodbye to a few Calculus classmates, I took a seat at a picnic table on the campus grounds, ready to put the final details on one of my essays and officially be done for the summer. I was settling in to my work when the tree above me began to drop its leaves as if it were being shaken. I felt a soft rustle against my arm as one of the leaves slid down it.
“What on earth?” I jumped up as soft wisps of green began to cover the table, the bench, and the ground all around. Then, as suddenly as it started, it stopped. A rustling breeze blew a note, mixed with a few leaves, into my hand.
Still haven’t figured it out yet? Didn’t think I’d have to wait all summer. -C
I laughed, so relieved to have heard from Callan that it soothed some of the taunting in his words.
He wasn’t wrong. I had tried all summer to figure out how to send him a leaf message but had failed miserably. And without access to the library at Evergreen Academy over the summer, I couldn’t go digging in the books beyond those I’d brought home.
Plus, something told me that finding the answer in a book would go against some unspoken rule anyway. Callan wanted me to figure this one out on my own.
I tore a scrap of paper from my notebook and scrawled a message.
Don’t have to rub it in. Not everyone can be the best in the class.
