Page 11 of A Dead Man's B-Side
Good eye.
I gazed up at the walls and the ivy clinging to them, softening the hard edges.
The mix of gothic and neo-classical was a rarity in New York, what with all the new high-rises.
I shifted to the window behind the passenger seat, spotting a grand entrance to one of the buildings withDining Hallwritten at the top.
Without notice, the door I’d been leaning against opened. Icaught myself before I could fall flat on my face right there on the smooth cobblestone and glared at the driver I hadn’t caught step out. “A little heads up would have been nice.”
I sneered before reaching for my bag, with more anger than I should have because I thought I’d heard something snap.
Which only angered me more.
I threw the flimsy strap over my shoulder and sent him one last look as I stepped out into the chilly Scottish weather. He didn’t say anything or even acknowledge me for that matter.
I wrapped my jacket tighter as a gust of wind hit me without warning and turned to face the man I’d spent silent hours with only moments ago. “Do you speak or–”
“Ah, Alexandr Miroslav. We meet at last.”
An old and raspy voice sounded from behind me.
Chapter Three
Alexandr Miroslav
1982
“This is your key, your schedule, the map of the grounds… and,” he lengthened his ‘and’ as he shuffled around his desk for something he’d misplaced, before tapping the rich wooden top with finality. “No. I think that is everything.”
His English accent didn’t sound like the ones I’d walked past at the airport. It was cleaner, with a rich ring as he spoke unhurried, articulating every word, “I do hope your travels weren’t too tiring, and I do, on behalf of the board, wish to apologize for the late notice in which your letter arrived. We’d have sent for you earlier, but… I suppose you could say my hands were tied in the matter.”
I watched the dean give me a benign smile–the one old people give the youth before they hand out candy and found I didn’t mind if he confused me even more than I already was.
“Any questions?”
For the first time in my life, I jumped at the opportunity. “Yes, I was just wondering what this key is for?”
I held up the shiny copper key he’d placed in front of me, and he leaned forward. “That is the key that grants you access to the dorm in which you will be residing.”
His voice was light and smooth, his way with words even more so. I smiled. “Of course, very kind of you to explain.” I leaned forward to grab everything he’d left in front of me, shoving them into my bag in a less than graceful manner.
I’ve met many adults in my long life, or at least it felt like a long life, and not many of them could pose as less of a threat than the dean of Castle Hill, so I felt indulged in speaking freely, “You said the late notice of my admission letter was out of your hands. What does that mean?”
“Oh! O-of course. You see, the board was, forgive my manner of speaking, quite measured in their admittance process this time around. Many changes this year, you see.”
I tilted my head to the side subconsciously; an idiosyncrasy I noticed came off more domineering than inquisitive. I didn’t know if he was simply implying that they ran checks after checks on me or if he was only speaking in a general sense.
“Thanks for explaining,” I mumbled.
He ran his fingers over each other in a soothing manner, and I watched the peach fuzz of his hands catch the light coming in from the long window adjacent to his desk. I wondered for a moment how old he was.
He couldn’t be younger than seventy, but his voice rang young and his mind, despite the softness of his smile lines, was sharp. I only noticed when his eyes shifted to the copper key I’d been holding for half a second whenever he’d reach a point of contemplative pause in his speech.
Perhaps I was simply not privy to what goes on above student affairs.
“Well,” he said, tapping his hands atop his desk with a tone of finality. “The school year commences tomorrow. I do hope to find you in classes and ready to soak up the important knowledge we share here at Castle Hill.”
His lips curled in a rousing grin at the last few words, with a chuckle, and I, taking the hint, shuffled out of the chair with a fleeting smile.
