Page 41 of Facade

On Monday, Clarke received a notification that Bruce Walker, head of powered studies, wanted to see her in his office. She knew that Jace had informed Abner Livingston of the situation with the underage elementals, and his dispute with Mitch. She had to wonder if the meeting pertained to that.

Refusing to worry or speculate over it, Clarke put it out of her mind until she was on her way to Professor Walker’s office. His assistant said that Bruce was expecting her, and to step inside. Clarke knocked once before walking in, finding Wayne Sterling there as well.

They both looked friendly, so that was a good sign. Clarke sat down when Bruce gestured at the chairs in front of his desk.

“Is this about Friday night, sir?” Clarke asked. “I considered messaging you, but since I only spoke to the caster monitor, I wasn’t sure if that would be overstepping.”

Bruce and Wayne shared a glance before looking in her direction. “No, but now I think I want to know what happened on Friday,” Bruce said. “We can address that later, though. It has come to my attention that you were the target of an elemental attack last Wednesday. You didn’t report it.”

Clarke was surprised that he was aware of that, but didn’t mind discussing it. She had hoped to keep a low profile here at Mars, and was failing spectacularly. The fountain incident had been witnessed, so there was no point in denying it.

“No, sir, because I have no proof of who is behind it. While I have my suspicions, there is no evidence. I also felt that complaining might cause the situation to escalate. There have been several water-related issues in my apartment, all of which I have reported to maintenance. Wednesday was the first public incident.”

To their credit, both Wayne and Bruce looked concerned. They asked for details, and suggested that she make an official statement for each incident. After agreeing to do so, Clarke told them what occurred on Friday, and that Jace had reported to Abner Livingston.

Not having witnessed the confrontation with Mitch, Clarke didn’t comment on that, just giving the facts. She said that Ray had happily sent the young casters onto the bus with them, and joined them on the bleachers at the start of the game. Ray had shared responsibility over all of the students with her and Jace for the duration.

Bruce Walker commended her for thinking of the wellbeing of all the students, regardless of classification. Wayne Sterling said she and Jace had both done the right thing. They did want her to submit a report immediately if something similar occurred again.

On the walk back to the dorm, Clarke avoided water features whenever possible, staying alert to sabotage. Mitch already hated her. It was only a matter of time before he realized that she had reported the fountain malfunction in the quad.

Mitch would definitely be out for her blood when he heard about it. She would have to watch her back constantly.

Tuesday went by smoothly, and Clarke didn’t trust it. Days had gone by with nothing happening. It made no sense.

Jace had met Abner Livingston in his office on Monday. He told her that Livingston was very concerned about the situation in the elemental dorm, saying he would discuss it with Dean Stanhope, who would doubtless inform Carl Washington.

Similar to her meeting with Bruce Walker and Wayne Sterling, Abner Livingston approved of their actions on Friday. He told Jace that they didn’t need to be concerned about a reprimand. Neither of them had been fretting over that, but it was nice to have confirmation.

By Wednesday, Clarke was anxious and paranoid. Mitch had to be furious, and gearing up for something really evil. Russell agreed with her, which was comforting and unsettling at the same time.

Moments after Clarke arrived for her shift in the library, he pulled her aside to tell her that the department heads had conferred with the Dean and Assistant Dean that morning. Russell was positive that the primary topic under discussion involved Mitch, and his attempt to prevent the underage elementals from attending the football game.

Clarke had to wonder how Russell learned everything he seemed to know. She hadn’t heard anything about a meeting with the joint chiefs until Russell mentioned it. He was a much better spy than her. Still, Clarke appreciated the heads-up, as well as his warning to watch her back.

She didn’t relax until she was in her classroom in the Humanities building. This was her space, with personal items that made it feel homey. In this atmosphere, Clarke found it easy to tune out the bullshit. Here, she could focus on her students, and the subject under discussion.

It helped that the boys were more engaged after Friday. They were all increasingly interactive in class, paying closer attention. Attending the game together had created a strong rapport.

Since it was a beautiful, sunny day in the seventies, Clarke opened the windows. A light breeze carried the scent of freshly-cut grass and late summer flowers into the room. Access to nature was beneficial to all of them, particularly the shifters and elementals. The students greeted her cheerfully when they arrived for the day’s lesson on evolution.

“Yesterday, we discussed the fact that the first evolved humans had short lives, not all of them surviving to adulthood,” Clarke said when the boys were settled at their desks. “Any guesses on why?”

“Because evolution is messy,” Chad, the rabbit shifter, said. “It’s trial and error.”

“Yes, that’s one significant factor,” Clarke said with approval. “Original shifters struggled to transition successfully from one form to another. Casters had difficulty controlling and harnessing their magic. Powered and elemental humans suffered negative physical effects, some of them fatal, after using their powers. Mental illness was prevalent.

“Five hundred years later, we can see how our bodies and minds have compensated and adapted to survive. Those problems are rare now, when they used to be common. What else contributed to short lifespans?”

“This evolution was forced, instead of a natural process,” Robert replied.

“Radiation was also a factor,” Liam said.

“Exactly. All of these answers are accurate,” Clarke agreed with a nod to both of them. “Many of the meteors had biological particles that were foreign to our environment. They changed the ecological balance. The first evolved humans were born in those locations.

“Radiation interacted with those particles in several areas, not always in a positive way. Humans that were born in heavily-radiated areas, whether evolved or not, were plagued with disease and ill health. We, as a species, and the planet have adapted to these changes. Over the centuries, humanity has developed resistance to several of these fatal diseases. But, some are still prone to ill health.”

This was very personal to her, since her mother had perished from one of those diseases. Clarke was so immersed in the topic that she didn’t realize anything was wrong until Adam shouted in alarm.