Ava grabbed her wheels, bringing us to a complete stop. That was Ez, and he sounded really upset.
“There’s no use in lying to me,” a woman sneered. Her voice grated on my nerves. “If you spent less time on yourextracurricularsand more time studying for my class, perhaps you’d scrape by with more than just a measly D.”
Professor Mazur.
“You’ve got to let me resubmit,” Ez begged. “I’ve got the essay saved. I can reprint it and submit therightpaper.”
“I’m afraid it’s too far past the deadline,” Mazur stated.
“Oh, this bitch didn’t,” Ava mumbled under her breath.
Her wheelchair started moving, slipping out from under my fingers.
“Let me see that.” Ava must’ve ripped the essay out of Mazur’s hands, because papers rustled as she flipped through them. “A paper on spinal injuries? Hey, it’s actually really good! You can’t fail my brother. This is ridiculous.”
“This is no matter of yours,” Mazur snapped. “He can still pass the semester with a failed exam paper. Consider me generous for not kicking him out of my class for pulling a stunt like this.”
“This affects my total grade!” Ez cried. “Professor, I’m doing my best. I haven’t gotten much sleep lately. You’ve got to help me out—”
“Yourbestwould be to focus on your coursework,” Mazur stated harshly. “If your lack of sleep affects your attention to detail, perhaps you should reevaluate what you’re sacrificing your sleep for. Compiling information on spinal injuries isn’t going to fix your sister’s condition. She’s a lost cause.”
Howdareshe say something so vile! Rage flared in my veins, and I didn’t think. I just acted. I stomped straight up to Mazur, my hands curled into fists at my side. Before I could raise my arm, Oberi bit my sleeve, pulling me back.
You’ll go to Cellblock 9 for assaulting a professor,he warned.
Fuck, I grumbled. Didn’t make me any less willing to punch her face in, though.
“You take that back!” I warned.
“Guards!” Professor Mazur screamed, and heavy boots immediately sounded down the hall.
I pointed a finger at Mazur. If I couldn’t fight her with my fists, I was still going to give her a piece of my mind. “You think you’re a saint, but you’re nothing more than a worthless pawn in the Warden’s sick game. You kidnapped those Elves and moved them to ancestors-know-where. Where’d you send them!?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she said coolly.
She was a fucking liar! “One day, you’re going to tell us where to find them—”
Someone grabbed my wrist and yanked it behind my back, cutting me off. Cool metal touched my skin as they slapped cuffs on my wrist.
“Threatening a professor has earned you a ticket to solitary,” a guard sneered in my ear.
I wished Oberi hadn’t stopped me. If I was headed to Cellblock 9, I should’ve got at least one blow in. At least I’d walk away a little more satisfied.
“He wasn’t threatening her—” Ava started, but Mazur cut her off.
“No!” the angel professor said almost too quickly, before her tone softened. “There’s no reason to pull them away from their coursework. Take them back to their rooms, and lock them in for the rest of the night. That should give them plenty of time to think about their actions.”
I heard the sound of Ez’s paper fluttering to the ground, forgotten.
“You didn’t have to do that,” Ez said under his breath as we were guided down the hall.
“I’m not going to stand by and let someone bully my brother,” Ava argued. “I don’t care what kind of authority they have. Are you okay, though?”
“Yeah, I just made a mistake,” Ez admitted. “I grabbed the wrong paper and didn’t realize it until I handed it in.”
We didn’t get a chance to say anything else, because the guards dragged Ez off in the other direction toward the Elementai cell block, while we continued on toward our room. The guards tossed me inside so quickly that they forgot I was still cuffed. They shoved Ava’s chair in behind me. The door slammed shut, and the sound of the lock slid into place.
“Ugh, I hate that bitch!” Ava screamed.
