The Half-Class by Kayvion Lewis

Chapter Nine

Itook extra care to arrive at the manor before anyone else would be there. Except for Jace—she was always early. Sometimes I wondered if she and Gilow lived there. Nonetheless, I knew if I got to the house early enough, I could speak to her alone.

I left just before sunset, taking the lighter of our horses—a creamy quarter horse Kat and I had named Butter—out from Saddy’s stable, which sat the edge of the forest just outside the Westside. The barn teetered between the forest and the city, and I was able to take a trail through the trees and avoid most people getting there.

As I trotted into the trees, I took an extra moment to check that the path behind me remained empty. I had a lantern with me, but I wouldn’t light it until absolutely necessary. It was always felt safer to travel to and from the manor in the darkness. Isn’t the darkness where all rebellions dwell?

Butter’s hooves clacked over the rickety old bridge just as the night became utterly overbearing. Shadows cloaked the forest, and only memory guided me the rest of the way. But there wasn’t much longer to go.

The dark forest walls opened up, leading into the grassy clearing where the manor house stood in all its glory. The pointed roof nearly blended into the grey clouds above, and the rows of curved windows glinted the starlight. I circled around to the back entrance and left Butter tethered to one of the posts out back.

I pulled open the unlocked back door and crept into the kitchen. Pale yellow light danced over the whole of the room, emanating from a lantern resting atop the old oven. To my delight, Jace was already waiting at the splintery breakfast table.

“I guess everyone’s showing up early tonight.” Jace pulled a couple of her braids behind her shoulder.

I shut the door behind me. “What do you mean?”

She gestured her head to the side. A figure hopped down from one of the countertops.

“Luke.” I wasn’t expecting to see him. “Why are you here? I didn’t see your horse.”

“I came in through the south entrance. You sound disappointed to see me.”

“No,” I spat out. “I just wanted to talk to Jace about something.”

“Without me?”

“No!” I bit my lip. “Well, yes. I don’t know…I just wasn’t expecting you to be here.”

Did I want Luke to hear any of this? I tried not to let my cheeks flare, remembering that attempted kiss a few days ago. I was already dealing with a lot, and Luke never liked to hear about my nights at the brothel, anyway. Every time I mentioned it, I felt like a little less of a lady in his eyes, even if I wasn’t doing anything there.

“How about I just stay in the corner?” he proposed. “Pretend I’m not even here.”

I squirmed. “That’s fine.”

I took the seat next to her, and Luke returned to the corner.

“Yes, Evie Love?” she asked. “What’s troubling you?”

I tapped my fingers over the table, putting together my first sentence. “What would you do if you, inadvertently, befriended someone but later found out that they were the last person you should have befriended?”

“I would end our friendship, plain and simple.” Jace pursed her lips. “But it’s not that simple, is it?”

“Is anything in my life,” I mumbled.

Jace’s eyes narrowed. “What if you made arrangements to meet this person again before you realized that you have no desire whatsoever to do so? What if you’re almost certain this person is not going to miss your next arrangement because it was them who asked to meet again? And what if you’re also worried that if you make any misstep with this person, you might incite a resentment in them that could severely hurt you?”

Jace put her hand up, silently telling me to stop rambling. “Evie, what exactly are we talking about here?”

I should have known hypotheticals were only going to take me so far. I sighed and pulled my hands to my lap. Luke was still pretending not to listen at the edge of my vision. I dropped my voice. “Last night…I somehow made friends with the prince.”

“What?!” Luke jumped from the counter.

Jace perked up in her chair.

“If you could even call it that,” I tried to defend myself. “We just talked and played cards together. I didn’t know he was the prince, but now he’s supposed to come see me again tomorrow night.”

Luke was between us in an instant. I didn’t know what he was planning to do, but Jace stopped him with the raise of her hand.

“And it was him who asked to see you again?” she asked.

Heat washed over my face. I hoped Luke couldn’t see my blush. “Yes.”

Jace rose from her chair. “Stay here.” She strode out of the room.

Luke dropped into her seat. The intensity in his eyes made my heart race. “You’re sure it was him?”

“I am now.” I pinched the bridge of my nose. “He told me his name was Cass. It was right in front of my face.”

“Don’t blame yourself for not seeing it. He was probably trying to manipulate you. I bet he’s just as conniving and slimy as his father.”

An image of Cass’s gleeful smile flashed through my memory. It wasn’t exactly what I pictured when I thought conniving and slimy.

Luke’s steely gaze settled into mine. “Oh, goodness. He didn’t try to—you know? Did he?”

A new wave of fire burned over my cheeks. “No, of course not! He didn’t ask for anything…except to see me again.”

Luke’s jaw clenched. He had already come to his own conclusion about why the prince wanted to see me again. Would my cheeks ever stop burning?

“I’ll come to the barn,” he said. “Tomorrow night. We’ll tell him you’re with me and you don’t have time to see him.”

“I already told him I was free.”

“Then tell him you lied. Or I will. You won’t have to see him.”

“Luke—"

“I’m serious about this!” He reached into my lap and took my hand. I reluctantly let him keep it. “Let me help you.”

Let him help me.Was that what I wanted?

Heavy footsteps stormed into the room. I was expecting Jace again, but instead, Gilow himself strode into the kitchen.

Luke and I immediately stood.

Gilow, with a determination even I hadn’t seen in him before, crossed to the table, right towards Luke’s seat. Luke immediately backed away. My heart pounded as he sat down. I pinched the sides of my dress at my sides, not knowing what to do with my hands. My toes wiggled in my boots. I realized I should probably sit back down.

Gilow dropped his elbows over the table and steepled his fingers. Jace’s braids rustled behind me as she took the seat next to mine, but I couldn’t take my eyes off our leader.

“I want you to tell me everything that happened between you and the prince,” Gilow said. “Everything that might have had an impact on your interaction as well. Don’t miss a thing. Recount the entire night if you have to.”

I hesitated. “Why?”

“Please,” he said, not letting his eyes leave me for a second.

I swallowed. If Gilow wanted to know, I’d tell.

I recounted my story. Everything from my first interaction with Jasper to promising to see Cass again in two nights. But Gilow wanted specifics. When I said that we talked in the storeroom, he wanted to know exactly what we spoke about and for how long. When I told him that he didn’t stop me when I stacked the deck against his friend, he asked how hesitant he was about it. When I told him that he wagered all his money just for the benefit of my scheme, he wanted me to recall exactly how much it was. I told him every little detail I could remember. And when I was finished, he made me repeat the story again.

After what felt like an eternity of recounting events, Gilow’s turned his attention to Jace. She nodded.

“Evelyn, I want you to see him again,” Gilow said. “Tomorrow night. And as much as you can after that.”

I instinctively shook my head. “Why?” My heart pounded up to my throat. Something inside of me had already put the pieces together, even if my mind hadn’t.

“It’s apparent that he’s taken an interest in you. I want you to build on that.”

“Build to what?” Luke asked. I only then realized he’d been behind me this entire time.

Gilow didn’t even look up at him. “Whatever you can. Get as close as possible. Ask him as many questions as you can sneak into your conversations. If you’re convincing enough, maybe you can entice him to take you into the castle. Imagine the things you could learn there.”

Into the castle? There was only one way a girl like me would get into the castle. “Are…are you asking me to become the prince’s mistress?”

“I’m asking you to be our spy.” A hint of excitement danced through Gilow’s eyes, though his face remained calm. “I said an opportunity would present itself, and now it has. Do whatever you have to do to pull information from the prince and bring it back to us. We’ll have an advantage we’ve never had before.”

“Excuse me, Gilow,” Luke interjected. “You can’t honestly consider this. Evie isn’t just another girl. She’s one of us.”

“Wouldn’t you call that poetic justice?” Jace chimed in. “One of our rebel girls invading the king’s family just like he invaded ours?” She smiled, her eyes swollen. “I couldn’t imagine a more perfect person for the job.”

“But—" I stumbled. What was a good reason to say no? “We don’t even know if the prince knows anything. There might not be anything useful to glean…”

“Then work your way into the castle and find something useful,” Gilow ordered. “There is an opportunity here. Take it.”

Gilow stared me down. I could feel Jace and Luke’s eyes burrowing into me too. Was this the part where I said yes? Did I have to say yes? I brought this to Jace so she could tell me how to get out of this, not force me further in. Sickeningly far.

I couldn’t refuse. I’d been the first to pledge my support to Gilow the other night. If I could ride with Jace and risk death, there was no reason I couldn’t do this and risk something that shouldn’t be worth as much. What were my comfort and dignity if it could help bring us closer to freedom? It wouldn’t be fair to say no. Not fair to Jace, Thomas, Maxine, the twins, Sammy, and all the other half-classes. I was supposed to be sick of unfairness, so I was supposed to say yes.

“I’ll do it.”

“You can’t.”

Jace and Gilow had barely left the room, but Luke couldn’t wait to voice his objections.

“I don’t have a choice.” I folded my arms over the table and rested my head in them. I wished I could snap my fingers and be home in bed, curled up, not thinking about any of this right now.

He paced the floor. “There’s gotta be a way around this. You can ask Kat or Samantha to do it and they can just relay everything back to you.”

“Gilow didn’t ask them to do this. He asked me. And the prince didn’t ask to see them again.”

A chair crashed into the wall. I jumped.

“It’s not fair!” Luke yelled.

I froze for a moment, my eyes stuck on the snapped legs and polished chair back he’d sent crashing into the wall. I’d seen him throw things before, but never something that big. But I suppose he’d never been that angry.

My heartbeat sped up. Should I say something? It’d probably just make things worse right now.

Just ignore it.“Nothing’s fair, Luke,” I said. “That’s what we’re trying to change.”

“By pushing you towards the source of all our problems? It’s disgusting.” He kicked one of the chair legs, sending it skidding into the dormant oven.

“Because of what they asked, or because it’s me?”

Luke watched me, his chest heaving. I’d never mentioned his attachment so directly before, but I had nothing to lose now. After this, I had a feeling Luke’s adoration for me was going to wane anyway.

“Both.”

I took a deep breath. “I’m doing it. Unless Gilow tells me otherwise. Please don’t ask me about it again.” I crossed my arms tight over my chest. “This is all I was ever meant to do anyway.”

“No.” Luke kneeled at my side. “You’re worth more than that, Evie, and you shouldn’t have to do this forever.”

“Shouldn’t isn’t the same as will.”

“What if I can help?”

I chuckled dryly. “Can you make my skin two shades lighter?”

“I’m serious, Evie. I want to help.”

My heart clenched as I peered down at him. This was not a joke. “What are you saying?”

“Evelyn, I’m saying marry me. Come stay at the shop. You’ll never have to work at Jen’s, I promise.”

I shook my head. “Luke, I don’t think this is the best time.”

“I know. Not right now, but after. Whenever Gilow realizes how ridiculous this whole scheme is. I swear I’ll never bring this up. You’ll never have to go through something like this again.”

A surreal stillness came over me. The lantern light flickering over the kitchen walls seemed to freeze. This was what I’d been waiting for, my path out. All I had to do was take it. Even after what I’d been tasked to do, Luke still wanted me. I didn’t deserve him. No, he deserved better than someone who would use him only to escape her own fate.

This proposal created so much clarity for my future in the long run. But in the short run, I couldn’t tell if it was for the better or worse. How long was this assignment going to last? How long would I be leaving Luke in an uncomfortable limbo? More importantly, how would knowing that I had Luke waiting on me weigh on my heart while I was doing this—and his.

Just looking at him wrung my heart. I couldn’t decide if knowing I had a future after it was all over would make this easier or unbearably difficult, and I couldn’t decide whether either of us would be happy with this after everything was done and finished.

My body stiffened. If I didn’t answer now, Luke could still change his mind later. No matter how potent my fears, I couldn’t risk losing him. I couldn’t lose this opportunity. Besides, I could always change my mind later, too. If I had to.

I forced a weak smile. “Yes.”