He didn't explode. He didn't vanish in a puff of smoke.
He just... deflated. His shoulders slumped. The manic energy drained out of him, leaving a sad, glittery man in a ruined suit.
"Fine," he spat. "Enjoy your chaos. Enjoy your mess. When the real world comes for you... don't say I didn't warn you."
He turned and walked into the building.
Silence held the Quad for a heartbeat.
Then, Arthur checked his watch. "10:15," he noted. "He has forty-five minutes to vacate the premises."
"Does that mean..." a student asked.
"School's out for summer!" Ivy screamed.
The roar that followed shook the leaves off the trees.
26
It ended not with a bang, but with a black sedan.
No, wait. It was three black sedans. Escalades, to be precise, with tinted windows and diplomatic plates.
They rolled onto the Quad at noon, crushing several patches of Kai’s aggressive wildflowers under their tires. The crowd of students, still high on the adrenaline of having bullied their Dean into a nervous breakdown, went silent.
"Uh oh," Rhett murmured, stepping in front of me. "The Cavalry. Or the Executioners. Hard to tell with the Council."
The doors opened.
The Board of Governors stepped out.
I had expected scary. I had expected robes, glowing eyes, maybe a staff or two.
I got... a corporate boardroom.
First was a Vampire Elder named Alistair. He looked like he was carved from marble, wearing a suit that cost more than the entire University budget.
Next was a Fae Matriarch named Lady Elara. She was wearing a Chanel suit and sunglasses that hid eyes I knew were older than dirt.
And finally, a human woman. Short, stout, wearing a sensible pantsuit and holding a tablet.
"That's weird," Lucien whispered. "That's Mrs. Finch. She runs the Endowment Fund."
They surveyed the scene.
They looked at the glitter-covered quad (which still sparkled aggressively in the sun).
They looked at the flower-filled cafeteria visible through the windows.
They looked at the "Mandatory Yodeling Area" sign someone had dragged out to the lawn.
Then they looked at Dean Marrow.
Marrow was currently shouting at a pigeon.
"Spy!" he shrieked, pointing at the bird. "I see you! You're working for them! You're a construct!"
(The pigeon was, in fact, just a pigeon. Though it did look offended).
