Page 4 of Facade

Clarke had heard of the institution, but only knew the basics. Unlike most universities, Mars and Venus college welcomed students who had difficulty controlling their abilities. Several courses were geared toward managing powers as well as career-oriented classes. Their mission was admirable, and had a positive impact on evolved citizens.

With a variety of volatile powers, including shifters who had recently discovered their animals, the founders had decided it would be wisest to keep raging hormones and the urge to find mates off campus as much as possible. Therefore, they kept the genders separate with one college for males and another for females, with a town between them.

“Seventy-two miles,” Hannah said. “I checked.”

“Ok, I need to think, but my brain is still foggy,” Clarke said. “How do I find whatever I need to know? The college is probably closed until the fall term. I can’t just ask to search the place. This clue could be anywhere on the campus. My psionic power is ranked so low that the police would probably dismiss my vision as not worth exploring.”

She was excited to finally have a direction to look in. However, it was also overwhelming. She could sign up for classes at a coed university, but not one exclusively for males. Clarke would also rather go now than having to wait.

That would require a temporary move and renting lodgings in town to conduct a thorough search. But that still didn’t answer the question of how to get on campus if she wasn’t a student. Her vision had just shown Mars College, not the closest town or anything else. The clue had to be there.

“The way I see it, Charlie must have been kidnapped, and at least one person at Mars College was involved, or knows something,” Hannah said pragmatically. “I agree with you that the police wouldn’t consider this a viable lead to investigate. It’s very vague. Having them scour the campus wouldn’t be subtle even if you convince them to take you seriously.

“That could prompt the culprits to hide evidence. Some colleges have their own police force. Calling them could be dangerous, since we don’t know who is involved. As much as I hate to send you out there on your own, I think you need to look into this personally.”

“That’s what I was thinking,” Clarke said. “But I can’t sign up for classes. So, how do I get on campus without revealing my real reason for being there?”

“Easy, you get a job as a member of the staff,” Hannah said casually, as if that wasn’t insane.

Clarke stared at her best friend like she’d never seen her before. “Does Mars even hire women?”

“They do, but only married ladies to ensure the students stay focused on their studies,” Hannah said. “Most of them work in the kitchen or have administrative jobs. The placard was one of the first things you drew, Clarke. I’ve been researching and plotting the best way for you to find Charlie while you were in your trance. You will need access to the entire campus. The best way to do that is to be a member of the faculty.”

Clarke’s brief joy at having a clue, no matter how vague and obscure, fizzled. Hannah was right about the best way to search the campus without arousing suspicions, but it was impossible.

“I’m not qualified to teach at a university, even discounting the fact that I am a woman,” Clarke said with frustration. Why couldn’t this be easy?

“Hey, I see that look on your face. Yeah, this is complicated, and it sucks that you can’t go now and look for Charlie. But there is a way to do this, or I wouldn’t have mentioned it,” Hannah said. “There is a position that you are qualified for. You would have to go as a man, but you can pull this off.”

Hannah went to get Clarke’s laptop, and set it on the table facing her. The screen was on the career tab of Mars College’s website, showing a job listing.

The position was for a dormitory monitor for powered students. Since the colleges accepted students under the age of eighteen who could pose a danger to their families until they had control of their abilities, adult supervision was required.

A dormitory monitor would have a private unit in the dorm and be accessible to the students. He would be responsible for them in emergencies, assigning tutors and or counselors when necessary.

The position included shifts in the library, cafeteria, and study sessions. He would teach two classes at the twelfth-grade level for students who hadn’t graduated high school.

The minimum requirements were a physical or mental power with a ranking of six or higher, a bachelor's degree with a focus on powers or education, and a teaching certificate. Hannah was right. Clarke was actually overqualified for the job, with more than what they were asking for.

She had two powers, her primary one ranking 9.7 on a scale of one through twelve. Her majors were exactly what they were looking for, and she had her master’s degree.

Clarke felt like her head was spinning. A seed of hope was blooming that she wasn’t sure she should nurture. At five-ten, she was tall enough to pretend to be a man. Her physique was athletic rather than curvy, but she still had hips and boobs. She wasn’t a good actress, though, and those were the least of her problems.

“How could I possibly pull that off? This is a school. They’ll run background checks,” Clarke pointed out.

“I already called Dale, and he said he can do this without risking his job,” Hannah said.

Her stepdad worked at the local bureau of identification and registration. They renewed territorial IDs and driver’s licenses.

“You’ll cut your hair and get a new photo taken. Dale will drop the E at the end of your name, and list male as the gender. There will be a notation that you were previously considered female, but gaining that information requires due cause and a certain level of clearance.

“Under the new laws for sexual identity, the descriptors he and she have to be left out of employment references and background checks. Even your name is perfect for this. They will verify that Clark Voudrie has the listed degrees and employment background that shows on your resume.

“Taking classes as a man would be a secondary option, but you’ll have more clearance than a student as a member of the faculty, and free run of the campus.”

They might have already hired someone, even with the listing still showing, so it was good to have a backup plan. The position would need to be filled before the start of the next term. Staff were required to be on campus a week prior. She would have to jump on this immediately if she was going to pursue it.

“Classes won’t start for another five weeks, and I would have to sign up immediately if I don’t get the job,” Clarke said.