64: Confronting Adonis
Kat watched her fellow students meander out of the classroom in their usual cliques, chatting among themselves about the things they’d learned during the lesson. Lance Algar was still squawking disbelief at the number of people not obsessed with Mr Adonis, while Phoenie and Andromeda were exchanging hushed whispers and glancing back at their friends with suspicious eyes. Kat was waiting for the class to leave so she could corner Ms Shimomura for answers: she had learned a lot in the past eighty minutes, but her Music teacher had raised more questions than she had answered them. Theseus stood by Kat’s side, narrow eyes following Phoenie and Andromeda’s departure with uncharacteristic distrust. As if recent events hadn’t already done enough to hurt the Veritas dynamic! Kat shut out the thoughts of losing more friends to the unforgiving whims of drama and turned to face the third and final student who remained behind. Lyra wore her usual scowl, hands thrust into the pockets of her ripped jeans as her eyes flicked back and forth between departing students and rosy-cheeked teacher. With an unwavering smile and hands resting calmly on her lap, Ms Shimomura was the epitome of patience.
“Is there anything I can help you with?” she asked once the other students had left. Lyra didn’t waste any time, cutting Kat off before her lips could form her first syllable.
“Ye ain’t under his spell like the others, are ye?”
Ms Shimomura smiled. “Please don’t make hasty assumptions about those around you, or their motivations,” she said, “It is dangerous to act on speculation and second-guesses. But yes, you are correct: I have not been influenced by any form of hypnotic power,
“So, ye be admitting that creep’s been using some kind of hypnosis on people, ey?”
“It would certainly seem that way, but please don’t jump to conclusions,”
Lyra’s fists were tightening inside her pockets and Theseus moved to react in case her temper exploded once more.
“How the feck can ye be saying that after all that creep’s done?” she snapped, “Ye ain’t gonna try tell me he ain’t up to something, or else I’m gonna start wondering if he ain’t got to ye after all!”
But Ms Shimomura’s curt smile didn’t falter in the face of Lyra’s adversary. If anything it broadened, and Kat could almost feel a gentle breeze lapping at her heart, soothing any worries she had.
“We have already discussed the possibilities,” said their teacher “To infiltrate the Academy unaided, mesmerise its staff and students, and maintain that illusion for several days would take a great deal of power, which would not have passed us by undetected,”
Lyra’s scowl didn’t lessen. “So he’s been getting inside help or something,” she said, “Like that Titania got from Chiltern. And why youse lot ain’t sacked her already I don’t know,”
“Please, stop making assumptions, Lyra. Ms Chiltern had reasons. This is a different situation, and one that suggests the involvement of SEELIE itself,”
