After all, Professor Phaines wasn’t a bad guy.
Until he was.
And none of us saw it coming—not even his friends and colleagues.
The end of class is a welcome relief, and I hastily put away my things and slip down toward the exit with Nat, Ani, and Baz. But just before I’m home free, I hear the fateful call of my name on Maddox’s lips.
“Miss Milan? Just a moment of your time, please.”
My friends linger by the doorway, waiting for me, but it’s Eastman’s glare I feel on my skin.
“Is… is something wrong?” I ask nervously.
“You could say that.” Professor Maddox taps the stack of essays impatiently. “Frankly, I’m concerned about your lack of knowledge and awareness around an archetype as foundational as the Fool. His essence is the very source of our magick. The very reason we’re even studying this esoteric subject at all.”
Behind her, Eastman grunts.
Red hot shame floods my body. I was so certain she’d appreciate the essay. “I… I'm sorry… I'm still a little rusty on the foundations, I guess.”
“A little rusty is an understatement,” she says, as though my rustiness is a personal affront.
Damn. After getting off on the wrong foot my first week at the Academy, I’ve tried really hard to do well in her class, paying strict attention to her lectures and keeping the Baz distraction factor to a minimum—quite an accomplishment on my part.
Or so I thought.
Clearly, I’ve still got a lot to learn.
“I know I’ve missed a few classes,” I say, “but I’m happy to do some more reading, if you think that will help. I’ve also been super diligent with my Tarot draws and journaling.”
“I appreciate your enthusiasm,” she says, “but I don't think reading and practicing draws will be enough. I’m sorry, Miss Milan, but you need a personal tutoring. This level of carelessness is unacceptable. As your professor, I take it as a personal failure to engage you in the material.”
“It’s not, though! You’re a great professor. Truly. The performance today was especially riveting. It’s just… is tutoring really necessary?” I can’t imagine when I’d fit that in, given all the work Kirin and I have to do on the prophecies, not to mention the search for the Arcana objects, which we haven’t even discussed yet. “I'm sure you're very busy with teaching and writing and your own divinatory studies, and—”
“You’re struggling, Stevie. That much is clear. What kind of professor would I be if I allowed you to slip through the cracks?” She folds her arms across her chest, unwavering. “I’m hoping I can shine a little morestarlighton your knowledge gaps.”
Starlight?
The subtle emphasis on the word stops me short. The first time I met her, I got the feeling she’d recognized me—at least my name. I thought maybe she knew my mother.
Now, when I glance up into her eyes, I find her watching me intensely, her brows lifted as though she's waiting for me to catch her drift.
Did I hear her right?
“Do you understand, Miss Milan?” she presses, her tone becoming more urgent as Eastman stares at us, making no effort to conceal his eavesdropping. “The importance of this matter?”
“I… think so?”
“Great.” Professor Maddox beams. “We start tonight. Are you free at seven?”
“So soon?”
“The sooner the better.” She pulls out her phone and taps out a quick text that pings my phone an instant later. “That’s the address to my shop at the Promenade—I live in the apartment above. Just text me when you arrive, and I’ll buzz you right in.”
“Your shop?”
“Yes, in addition to teaching and writing, I also own Time Out of Mind. We sell magickal timepieces, antiques, things like that.”
“Um. Okay.”Intimidating much?No wonder she thinks I’m a slacker in need of private lessons. This woman has, like, five different jobs, and I’m still patting myself on the back for learning how to fry an egg without breaking the yolk. “Do I need to bring my tablet or books or anything like that? My Tarot deck?”
