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“Alma Venus Boarding School. This is Patricia Jones, how may I help you?”
The secretary’s familiar voice made her heart jump. She knew her emotions would run wild, but she didn’t expect to react so strongly to the woman’s nasal tone. After all, it was only Mrs. Jones, and she had never particularly liked her.
“Hello. Maxwell Blackmane. I was wondering if I could talk to Miss Delacroix.”
A small pause. “Oh, hello Mr. Blackmane. Such a pleasure to hear you. Sure, I’ll transfer you in a minute.”
There was a soft click, and Avelyn took a deep breath, preparing herself for Monique Delacroix’s calm, calculated voice. She threw Max a quick glance and a tentative smile, and he squeezed her ankles, a weird gesture of reassurance. “It’s gonna be fine,” he mouthed.
“Mr. Blackmane, hello! How are you?” The woman’s voice sounded a bit worried. Avelyn bit her lip.
“I’m fine, thank you.”
“To what do I owe this pleasure? Is everything all right with… Miss Avelyn?”
“Miss?” mouthed Avelyn, struggling to suppress a chuckle. The headmistress had never been so respectful towards her. Max put his finger to his lips, motioning for her to be quiet.
“Everything is fine.”
They could almost see the woman’s shoulders relax.
“I’m glad to hear that. Then, what can I do for you?”
“Miss Delacroix, the truth is that I don’t exactly know how to put this, how to explain the situation to you… so I’m just going to go right ahead and tell you why I called. I need… we need, Avelyn and I, to ask you a favor.”
“I’m listening…”
“Do you think there’s any chance for you to allow Delyse to get in touch with Avelyn? That is, of course, if Delyse is still at Alma Venus.”
“Absolutely not.” The headmistress didn’t even take a second to think of it. Her answer was clear and it sounded definite.
“I’m sorry, but I will need you to reconsider this decision. You see, I find myself in a very difficult situation, and I wouldn’t ask this of you if I weren’t pressured by the circumstances. Miss Delacroix, it is very, very important to me that Avelyn and Delyse get in touch. A short phone call is all I’m asking for.”
“Mr. Blackmane, there is no precedent to this. You know the policy very well. It’s the same for all boarding schools. The students are not allowed to communicate with anyone outside of school, and the brides who have been chosen and bought must move on and forget about their old friends. Of course, we can’t do anything to prevent the girls from meeting later in life if destiny brings them together at a meeting, a cocktail, or in any other circumstances, but as long as a girl is in our possession, she must abide by these rules.”
Avelyn changed her position, her feet leaving Max’s lap. He touched her knee, hoping she’d understand that it wasn’t over, that he’d do anything to get the headmistress to change her mind. The other night, his bride had come up with the most brilliant idea ever. When he had told her that he spent all day trying to reach Councilor Harington, she had smacked him over the head and told him she was glad the guy was an asshole and avoided his calls. He would have put the entire clan in danger. She didn’t know Delyse’s father, but she was sure he hadn’t become Councilor for nothing. He would have surely asked Max to explain why he needed such a cure, and no matter how hard Max would have tried to hide the truth from him, he would have figured out something was not right. If they wanted to get to that cure, or at least find out if it existed, then they had to take a different route, and that route was, as Avelyn had plainly set it out for him: Miss Delacroix - Delyse - Delyse’s brother.
“I know the policy all too well,” said Max. “But, please hear me out.” He had no intention of telling her the whole story, but he had to tell her part of it. “Avelyn… has had a terrible accident.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Is she all right?” Miss Delacroix sounded genuinely concerned, which made Avelyn’s ears perk up with hope and curiosity.
“For now. I’m sure you know Delyse is her best friend. She just needs to speak to her before things get… more complicated.”
The woman hesitated for a second, then cleared her throat. “I’m sorry, but I can’t do that. Don’t get me wrong, I care about Avelyn just as much as I care about all the girls at Alma Venus. I consider them my daughters, Mr. Blackmane, but rules are rules. As much as it pains me to say this, if, God forbid, she were on her death bed, and I still couldn’t…”
“What if I told you Delyse was her only chance?”
Max was raising the stakes, and Miss Delacroix made a longer pause before speaking again. They could hear her breathe softly, evenly into the receiver.
“Tell me what’s happened.”
“I can’t…” It was Max’s turn to hesitate.
“Mr. Blackmane, let’s be honest here. What you’re asking of me is not simple and without consequences. It is a huge favor I have never done for anyone before. You can’t ask for something so important and not tell me why. If you want me to reconsider my position, you’ll have to tell me the truth.”
Max was silent for a moment, enough for Avelyn to weigh the possibilities and make up her mind.
“I was bitten.”
