Page 51 of Facade

Roger and Brady cooked on the grill, taking advantage of the pleasant late-September weather. Nadine’s raccoon, Daisy, was thrilled to have her favorite humans close. She played with her kits, cuddled with Nadine, and begged for treats. Her three little ones were so adorable that Heath couldn’t help smiling.

Now, however, it was time to get back to work. As much as Heath loved his job, he braced himself to cope with the day ahead on the short drive to campus.

Five days had passed since the attack on Clark’s classroom. It was Monday, and they still had no solid evidence against Mitch. That was frustrating, because Heath knew that it had to have been Mitch who committed the assault.

No fingerprints had been found on the pin and pitchfork that had jammed the door. A caster had done a spell to reveal the perpetrator, but he was a sophomore who was unfamiliar with the incantation. The results were inconclusive.

Like Heath, most of the casters present had been focused on preventing the catastrophe, minimizing the danger, or slowing down the wave. That was logical, but it was biting them in the ass now.

Bruce Walker had been working with Carlos, who really wanted the attacker to answer for his crime. The boy was a powerful telepath, which sounded like an advantage. But in this particular scenario, combined with Carlos’s lack of control over his power, it complicated matters.

In a short, unsatisfactory faculty meeting on Friday without any monitors present, Bruce explained that he’d been sifting through over seventy-five voices in Carlos’s memories. The vengeful thoughts were loud, but brief. Impressions from the panicked students and worried witnesses were more distinct.

The malicious voice didn’t convey anything that would identify him. Bruce did feel that the psychic signature matched Mitch’s, but that was as much intuition as anything else. His findings would not be admissible in court, or basis for police to issue a warrant for arrest.

Mitch had made a point to be noticed in the dorm a few minutes prior to the attack. No one had seen him on the grounds.

Heath was furious that Mitch was accusing the sophomore Casey had mentioned previously. The young man could be expelled for such an offense. He had never shown aggressive or violent tendencies, but was extremely powerful.

The sophomore, Logan Palmer, had been on the grounds at the time of the attack. He wasn’t close by, however, and several other students testified that he wasn’t using his element. Heath was certain Mitch had planned the attack when the student would be in the area, with the intention of framing the young man who had spoken up against him.

At this point, Heath wasn’t sure who Mitch hated more, Clark or the young water elemental. Mitch had schemed to paint Logan as a vicious prankster, so he would be held responsible. But, thanks to Casey Blackburn and his friend Trent, they did have proof that Mitch was behind the fountain incident.

Maintenance reports confirmed that Clark Voudrie had been the victim of several water-related pranks, some of which could have, and did cause injuries. Four of those incidents had occurred when Logan Palmer could not have been responsible. The evidence they had was primarily circumstantial, but it told a damning story.

No one was more enraged than Carl Washington. Having been the one to wrangle the ice spears into compliance, the head of elemental studies knew very well that a sophomore did not have the training to orchestrate the attack, regardless of how powerful he might be.

Carl wanted Mitch gone as soon as humanly possible, and Heath heartily agreed. It sounded like Dean Stanhope was just as eager to be shed of Mitchel Pierce.

Emails were sent, probably to all the professors. Heath’s memo urged his discretion, but requested that he put out feelers for a qualified replacement. Documentation was being compiled against Mitch, who would be removed from campus by Wednesday.

The preference was that Mitch would be charged for the classroom assault, and leaving in handcuffs. However, they had due cause to terminate his employment without evidence of criminal intent. Dozens of elementals had come forward to speak up against Mitch.

It was clear from reports that Mitch had never been a very attentive monitor, and was more focused on himself than the students. However, none of them had a serious issue with him the previous year. The collective statements painted a very ugly picture.

As Casey had told Heath, Mitch declared loudly and often that he had been unfairly reprimanded, and denied a promotion that he should have been given. He spoke out against other classifications, expecting the students to take a stand with him. Some pretended to, simply to avoid confrontation and further unpleasantness. Those who didn’t were considered traitors.

Heath supposed that the older elementals would be better off whether a new monitor was found immediately or not. Surprisingly, Ray had put his best foot forward, testifying against Mitch. He had revealed helpful information that they had been previously unaware of.

When asked by their mentors in the elemental department, Paul and Brandon said that they liked Ray. He encouraged them to socialize with the casters, and asked them how they were adjusting. There were regular activities in the common room, as well as cards, board games, and movies.

That was how it should be in all the dorms. Everything the boys said highlighted what Mitch was doing wrong. It was clear that the atmosphere in the elemental dorm was detrimental and oppressive.

In contrast, Ray apparently had themed food nights once a week with the underage casters that the elementals were included in. They voted on dishes that Ray cooked in the student kitchen every Thursday. The boys hung out with Ray while he cooked, talking about their day.

It was a better review than Heath had expected. From what Casey had said, Ray didn’t pay much attention to the older students. But they were legal adults. The underage students were the priority.

Armando Garcia was pleased. At the moment, it looked like they would not need to replace two monitors mid-semester.

Heath’s phone chimed with a message from Nadine when he arrived on campus. When he read the text, Heath was glad that he was early. He called to request a meeting with Armando Garcia, who said that he had a few minutes.

This felt very serendipitous. Heath hoped the head of caster studies agreed with him.

“What can I do for you, Heath?” Armando asked when Heath stepped into his office.

“My sister, who teaches at Venus, just texted that a fire elemental, who is related to one of her coworkers, recently moved to town,” Heath said.

“Apparently, there was a snafu with his master’s courses, and he needs more credits for his degree, which should have been completed over the summer. Since he already moved out before learning of the mistake, he is hoping to enroll here at Mars, either making up the coursework he’s missed, or next semester at the latest. Lane Matthews is staying with his cousin, and looking for work to offset the cost of tuition.”