A Murder Of Crows {3}

I got dressed the next day, buttoning up my black blazer. Crowe Academy's uniforms were mostly black, and sharp as hell. With my black shorts and black blazer, I looked a lot classier than I actually was.

I put my sunglasses on and fixed my hair. Val's words were ringing in my head, and I was trying to keep my cool.

If something was going to happen today, I'd just have to endure it and make sure no one suspected me of being involved in any of this. That was the important thing.

So I slung my bag over my shoulder and left the dorm, making my way down the path to class. Had Val warned Kieran and Mia that something was going to happen today? Or had I been the only one she'd given a heads-up to?

I entered first period and looked over at Kieran and Mia. Kieran was reading a book and Mia was on her phone, neither looking concerned. Maybe Val hadn't warned them. Oh, man, she'd be dead if they found out she'd known something and hadn't told them.

I took my seat and looked around the room, seeing nothing out of the ordinary. I forced my attention to my notebook, flipping it open to a clean page. I had to stop looking for whatever was going to happen. That was only going to make me anxious, and then I wouldn't be able to properly react to whatever it was.

"Hey, everyone, settle down," Mr. Ferrick said, entering the room. Kids started to take their seats and he waited until everyone was sitting and quiet. "Now, I have an announcement."

I waited, noticing the way Kieran and Mia were suddenly paying attention to Mr. Ferrick. The door opened and we all looked over at the boy entering the room. I didn't miss the way Kieran's expression darkened. Judging by the fact that the boy was watching Kieran, I was guessing he didn't miss it either.

Mr. Ferrick looked over. "Ah, there you are! I was just about to tell the class. Everyone, this is Jamison Heitor. He'll be transferring into our class, and probably into most of your rotations. Some of you might already know him from around the school. He's a member of the Academy's Crows. Please, be polite and help him if he needs to borrow any notes to catch up to where we are."

I raised an eyebrow. A member of the Academy's Crows was a light way to put his position, considering the fact that Jamison Heitor was the president of the Crows.

So that's what Val had known. She knew he was transferring into our rotation, probably to keep an eye on Kieran in classes.

Jamison smiled politely and took a seat when Mr. Ferrick gestured to an empty desk. Kids snuck looks at him, some whispering to each other.

The Academy had six class periods with a lunch break in the middle. The classes were for grades 9 through 12, and were broken into smaller rotations so teachers could work with their students better. It wasn't common to switch someone into a new rotation at this point in the year, meaning Jamison had probably asked for it.

Our rotation didn't have any of the Crows in it until now. That made sense, though. As far as I knew, only two of the Crows were seniors, Jamison being one of them.

I also took note of where Jamison was sitting. His desk was towards the back, where he'd be able to see the rest of the class, including Kieran, Mia, and myself.

Mr. Ferrick started teaching, and I tried to pay attention to the lesson. But my gaze kept drifting to Jamison, glad for my sunglasses so he wouldn't notice.

When the lesson ended, Kieran got up and came over to me, Mia following. I mentally sighed as I stuffed my notebook back in my bag. Couldn't I ever just catch a break?

"Lunch," Kieran said.

"I already assumed that," I said.

"Just be on your guard," Kieran said and walked away.

I sighed and slung my bag over my shoulder, heading out of the classroom. Sure enough, Jamison was in our other two classes. He didn't speak to anyone, just paid attention and took notes. He ignored any stares he received, and didn't seem bothered by the whispering happening around the classrooms.

By lunch time, I was tired of the buzz around Jamison. Sure, he was president of the Crows. But he was just a student, another kid in a classroom. He might have privilege at the school, but he wasn't a God.

I grabbed my food and went back to the usual table, sitting down with the others. Val was already there, and her grin came back as I sat down.

"Heard you got a new classmate in your rotation," she said.

"So you did know," Kieran said, his voice as dark as his expression. "Val-"

"Don't bother threatening me. I know more about you and Jamison Heitor than the two of you know about yourselves," Val said, waving her hands dismissively. "Besides, I thought a little surprise would be fun!"

"Who cares if he's in our classes? It's not like you hit anyone in class," I said. "He'll watch us all year and still not learn anything. It doesn't change anything."

"He'll look for little things over time. Who's especially tired the night after an attack. If anyone has any new cuts or bruises the night after an attack. Small things like that," Mia said. "Jamison is smart. Don't underestimate him."

"I'm not underestimating him, I'm just saying even those things won't be enough to prove it's us," I said. "Let him observe all he wants."

"He's full of himself," Kieran said, curling his hand into a fist on the table. "He thinks he'll catch us. He thinks he's smarter than us. Better than us."

"Don't let him get you worked up, Kier," Val said, looking far too amused by this situation. "Maybe you'll make a new friend!"

The look Kieran shot her had me shrinking down in my seat a little, but Val's grin just grew. That girl had no fear, and I couldn't tell if it was bravery or stupidity.

"Enough," Mia said, voice commanding. "We'll pretend the pest isn't even there. He'll probably try to get answers out of you, Kieran. Don't let him push you."

"Jamison Heitor couldn't push me if he wanted to. I'll snap his mind by the end of the year if he bothers me," Kieran said. "He's a fool, and a fool is easy to predict."

I knew the two had a history, but I also knew asking about it would get me a few broken bones. So I kept my mouth shut and let Kieran get his rage out.

"Do you think he'll start, I don't know, following us around? Having the people in charge of our hallways keep an eye on us?" I said.

"Even if he does, that's easy enough to work around. Jamison can't watch us all the time, and we can just lie about where we are. Who would know if we were in your room, or Val's room, or collecting money in an alley?" Kieran said. "There's nothing they can do that'll guarantee they'll catch us. All they can do is try until they give up. We won't slip."

"I don't really mind him hanging around all of a sudden. He's nice to look at," Val said with a shrug.

"What about your rotation?" Kieran said, shooting her another dirty look.

"Oh, sure, that Cole kid from the Crows switched into it," Val said. "But he'll get nothing from watching me."

"And you weren't going to mention that Cole was in your rotation?" I could tell how quickly Kieran was losing his patience with Val, but she didn't seem concerned by it despite his reputation.

"Is it important? He's not in your rotation," she said.

"You're really starting to piss me off, Valeria," Kieran snarled.

"Everything pisses you off," Val said. "On the Brightside, now you can keep an eye on Jamison too."

Kieran crossed his arms and leaned back. I picked at my lunch, wishing I'd just sat alone today. Hanging around these guys made me a suspect too.

"Just keep acting normal. Jamison and Cole are wasting their time trying to spy on us," Kieran said.

"Are you going to tell the Doctor?" Mia asked.

Kieran shot her a look now. "Why would I do that? He doesn't care. As long as we don't rat him out, he couldn't care less what happens to us or who's after us."

"Can we let it drop and just eat already? Talking about our drug dealer boss in the middle of the cafeteria isn't the brightest plan," I said.

Kieran jabbed his finger against the table, looking at each of us. "Everyone at this table? The only people you discuss 'work' with. I don't care if someone else comes up to you claiming they work for the Doctor. You talk to everyone at this table or the Doctor himself only. That's an order. If someone claims to have business with us, you tell me and I'll handle it."

No one ever had to say Kieran was the leader of our troubled little gang; that was a silently acknowledged fact. He was the first one to join the operation, though I didn't know how or why he'd gotten involved in it in the first place.

"Right, so anyway, let me tell you guys what happened second period," Val said, easily changing the subject away from that dark discussion.

I was grateful for the change. With them watching us even closer, we shouldn't be talking about this stuff in public. Sure, no one was within earshot right now, but it still wasn't wise.

I tuned out their conversation and ate my lunch. Sure, I was seen around school with these guys, but other than that, there was nothing to tie me to the crimes. I should be fine as long as I played it smart. Once I graduated this place, I was out.

Val nudged me. "Have you been ignoring us this whole time? I just asked you the same question for the third time and you still aren't answering."

"Huh? Oh, yea, sorry, I've been ignoring you," I said, pushing my tray away from myself and checking the time. "Lunch is almost over anyways. No point dragging me into the conversation now."

Val huffed. "You're so politely rude, you know that, Cor?"

"I would've preferred to eat lunch alone," I said.

"Well, that's not how it works. Friends sit together." She stacked my tray on top of hers, pulling her bag over her shoulders. "We have that puzzle to finish, don't forget."

"I have homework to do. Don't bother me," I said.

"You're smart. I'm sure you'll get it down quick," she said, ruffling my hair.

I pushed her hands away and fixed my hair. Kids were starting to file out of the dining hall for class, and Val got up with our trays.

"See you later, Cor," she said, heading off.

Kieran and Mia stood up as well, grabbing their trays and bags. Kieran glanced at me, his face back to that emotionless calm he relied on for his Collector work.

"Just keep your act together, Jpeg," he said. Mia followed him away from the table.

I leaned back in my chair, shaking my head. How the hell had my life become this freaking complicated?

I pushed away from the table after a minute and pulled on my bag. I left the dining hall, making my way to my next class and taking a seat.

Jamison entered the room with two other students, engaged in a conversation with them. He had an easy smile on his face, the kind of friendliness to him that would draw you in. Just what exactly had President Sunshine over there done to earn such intense hatred from Kieran?

Not that it was difficult. Kieran didn't take a liking to most people, so I guess him hating Jamison shouldn't surprise me.

Jamison took his seat and I dragged my attention to the teacher as class started up. Crowe Academy had a reputation to uphold, so their classes were challenging but their teachers were talented. I usually tried to pay attention so I didn't fall behind, but sometimes I zoned out.

Today was one of those zone out days. My sunglasses covered those instances nicely, my attention seeming to be on the teacher but my mind a million miles away.

When classes finally let out for the day, I gathered my things and left the room. I'd have to get right to work on my homework in case Val paid me another surprise visit. She could be so pushy, but there wasn't much I could really do but go along with it.

I heard kids calling out to their friends as the crowds of students began to mingle. I was mentally going over the homework I had to do, thinking about what I could finish quickly and what would take me a while.

"Hey!"

It took me a few moments to realize the voice was directed at me as they called out a few more times. I turned, looking over my shoulder at Jamison as he caught up to me.

Oh, boy, here we go. Cole was assigned to target Val, which meant Jamison probably had me in his sights. The one in the group who didn't have a conflict with him.

"Uh, yea?" I said, deciding to just play it off casually.

Jamison matched my pace as we walked the path. "Sorry to bother you. I'm Jamison, I'm new to your rotation."

"Yea, I caught that this morning. Did you need something?" I said.

"I was asking around class about who to get notes from, and Nicole told me you'd be the best person to ask. She said you type up your notes and could email them to me," he said.

"I do, yea," I said. "What notes do you need?"

"Just the stuff from Monday for fifth period. We were taught a different way to do those problems in my other rotation, and I figure I should learn this teacher's way," Jamison said. He pulled a pen and piece of paper out of his bag and scribbled on it. He held it out to me. "Here, that's my email."

I took it and put it in my pocket without even checking it. "Sure, I'll send it to you tonight."

"Thanks, it's a big help." He smiled at me, a polite charm to it. "What's your name?"

If he'd talked to Nicole, a girl I'd helped with notes before, he surely already knew my name. Hell, if he was investigating us, he definitely knew my name. So I guess both of us were playing dumb.

"It's Cor," I said. "Like I said, I'll send you the notes tonight. Bye."

Jamison watched me go, and didn't try to stop me. I didn't look back at him as I continued on the path back to my dorm.

Great, so I was the one he was going to try to befriend for information. He knew Kieran and Mia, and his friend was working on Val. That left me, a wild card to the Crows. They didn't know me, or how I fit in to Kieran's group.

I mentally sighed. As if this whole thing wasn't already a giant pain in the ass. Now I had to deal with Jamison forcing himself into my life and trying to fit me into the criminal picture he was drawing.