Page 16 of Evergreen Conservatory
I had considered reaching out via leaf communication—or sending a text when off campus—but I didn’t want him to feel like I was bombarding him. I rolled my shoulders back, trying to ground myself in the present. If Callan wasn’t here, surely he was busy doing something important.
When we arrived at the field by the pond, I took a moment to take in the scene. The place was decorated like other harvest festivals I’d been to, with leaves and pumpkins and all things orange, yellow, and rich red like the color of my dress.
But I had never been to a harvest festival where magical botanists were actively growing food in front of my eyes then rapidly preparing finger foods for us to eat, fresh off the vine. And the pumpkins ranged from the size of my thumb to ones that could have been turned into Cinderella’s carriage.
“The harvesters have been working hard,” Coral said, snagging an appetizer plate of vegetables and hummus from braided-leaf trays that were being floated throughout the field by the tree affinity students.
Wind chimes began to sound a melodic note, and we turned our attention to Professor East. “Hello, everyone. To announce today’s signature activity, I am joined by a member of the Board of Regents, Kale Brightmoor.”
There was soft clapping as a man slightly younger than Professor East joined him. “Thank you all for the warm welcome. As a harvester affinity, it gives me great pleasure to be here today at one of the most bountiful times of year. In the past, we have hosted a combined activity at this time. Today, though, we would like each affinity group to have their own activity. Thesehave been designed by your associated representatives on the Board of Regents.”
“What the spores?” Coral murmured from my left.
“Please gather with your lead affinity groups, and follow the instructions of your designated instructor. Harvesters, I look forward to joining you all.”
There were a series of murmurs as the crowd began to divide into affinity groups.
“Does this mean there aren’t going to be any pumpkin rides?” someone asked as they walked by us, sounding entirely dejected.
“Since you have all the affinities as leads, where do you go?” Yasmin asked, turning to me.
“I think I’ll just join you all for the fern activity,” I said.
Before I could take one step, a voice came from behind us. “Which one of you is Briar Whelan?”
Chapter Eleven
At the sound of my name, I turned to see Kale Brightmoor standing there, smiling pleasantly. He appeared to be of Korean descent and had a neatly groomed beard and was wearing khaki pants and a flannel shirt. The casual outfit belied his status as a member of the prestigious Board of Regents.
“That’s me,” I said, swallowing.
“Why don’t you join the harvesters today?”
“Oh,” I said, taken by surprise. “Sure, okay.” My friends waved goodbye and began to walk toward the fern gathering, casting looks over their shoulders to check on me.
“The harvesters will be meeting by the gate for a foraging competition,” Kale Brightmoor said. “Let’s walk together.”
I fell into step alongside him.
“So, Briar, have you expressed an interest in any particular affinity more than the others?”
“Oh,” I said again, stalling. I wasn’t sure how to frame my answer here. Callan had warned me time and again to be careful with the board members, and I wasn’t going to forget that advice now. “I don’t think so. They all have things that are specialabout them.”
“They do indeed. And how about the harvesters? Have you spent much time among them?”
“I rotate during my affinity studies, and I did some work with them this morning when we prepared the harvest donations.”
“Good. Well, I hope you haven’t selected which field you’ll be working in without giving each of them a full and fair exploration. I heard you were partial to trees, but that could simply be a rumor.”
Alarm bells began to flare, and again I heard Callan’s warnings in my head. Still, my curiosity kept me from holding my tongue. “Interesting. Where did you hear that?”
“Wendy Rhodes seemed to think you were friendly with her son last year. Was that incorrect?”
“We are… acquainted, yes. I’m friends with a lot of people here at Evergreen Academy.” Something in me chilled at the revelation that members of the Board of Regents had discussed me and my… friendships.
“Well, I’m excited to see how you do working with the harvesters today.” He nodded toward the gate to Evergreen Academy, where Professor Variegata was surrounded by harvesters. “Healthy food production is one of the most critical issues of our time. Just a friendly reminder.”
As Kale Brightmoor peeled away, I tried to calm the nervous twist in my stomach. Was he buttering me up for the harvesters? Had I said the right things? More than ever, I wished Callan were here. He always seemed to know what to do. I took a deep breath and joined the other harvesters.
