Silverside Academy

Crushing Hope

The house was dark. Night had fallen, but Janet hadn’t turned on any lights. Only the dim glow of the dining room lamp helped to shine light on the situation. Eilidh saw the grimace on her mother’s face.

The haggard expression only fanned the flames of Eilidh’s anxiety.

Janet didn’t answer her. Instead she just kept nibbling her lip, as if biting back a flood of words.

Without the sounds that formed the backdrop of their lives - phones, their T.V., even their chatter - the house felt empty. The heavy silence pressed against her.

Unable to resist asking any longer, Eliidh cracked. “Mom, please,” she finally said. “Please tell me why you’re so upset.” She felt wild, desperate. She just wanted things to go back to normal. “I don’t have to go to Silverside. I don’t think they meant to send it to me -”

At last, Janet’s expression softened. She interrupted her daughter with a gentle hand on her shoulder. She quit the battle her teeth were waging on her lip, and managed a weak smile that didn’t meet her eyes.

“I think it’s time we…” She paused, and Eilidh watched as her tongue poked at her bottom lip. It was a strange habit her mother had; one that meant she had to say a lot. Usually not in a good way. “We need to have a talk.”

When Janet came home to find Eilidh with a letter from Silverside, she knew their happy bubble had burst. Fury engulfed her as she stared down at the packet in her daughter’s hands.

I can’t protect her anymore. It wasn’t simply a motherly thought; in many ways, it was steeped in selfishness.

She struggled to keep herself together as she demanded Eilidh hand her the letter, and had to focus to ensure that her hands didn’t tremble as she took it.

The truth was, she knew all about Silverside Academy. Jared had explained everything to her years ago - before Eilidh could form full sentences.

When Eilidh handed her the stack of paperwork and pamphlets, it took everything she had in her to not tear it to pieces.

Once she had retreated into the dark comfort of her bedroom, she allowed her mask to drop. She leaned with her back against the door and wiped away angry, hopeless tears.

I promised Jared I would keep her safe, but if I tell her the truth now, she’ll never forgive me.

She threw the envelope and its papers onto her bed, not caring how they scattered.

A single name stared up at her: Principal Bosch.

Trying to clear her eyes of his blight, she thought of Eilidh. Years’ worth of her calling her ‘momma’ flooded her. And now, that chapter of her life would come to an end.

All thanks to Bosch.

Furious, she plucked her phone from her pocket. As she dialed the number he had scrawled across the back page of the welcome pack, she fought the urge to throw the phone across the room.

Even though it was outside of school hours, a warm, gracious voice answered the call after just one ring. “Ah, Mrs. Hartwell! I was hoping you’d call.” Janet could tell that his boisterous attitude was genuine, but she refused to let her guard down.

“How did you know it was me?” Her proverbial hackles rose at lightning speed.

His chuckle was disarming. “Werewolves have caller I.D., too.”

If he’s one of the ones that killed Jared, he’s a damn good actor. She didn’t admit that to him, though. Refusing to indulge in his friendly banter, she sliced through it.

“Why did you reach out to Eilidh? I’m her mother. It wasn’t your right.”

That seemed to give him pause. “Mrs. Hartwell,” his voice was softer. “I tried to reach out to you, but you’re quite difficult to get a hold of.” He coughed uncomfortably, and she was certain that he was buying time to decide his next move.

“I - Have…” He struggled to spit out his question. “Does she still not know?”

His words made Janet’s blood run cold. “Of course she doesn’t. I had to keep her safe from…” She refused to finish the sentence: I had to keep her safe from your kind.

If she said it, it would be a mockery of Jared’s memory, and of Eilidh.

Bosch let out a long, deep sigh. “I wanted to talk to you about that.”

Already defensive, Janet ground out “About what?” A slough of words came to her mind, but all for naught.

“Eilidh’s safety.” His gentle voice contradicted the slap of his voice.

Janet grit her teeth. As much as she didn’t want to walk this road, she knew she had no choice. If it was about keeping her daughter safe, she had to hear him out.

“I’m listening.”

Bosch sounded relieved, though his serious tone lingered. “Silverside Academy was established to help broker peace between prominent packs and families. We’re a neutral territory. Ewan set aside a place for Eilidh the day she was born.”

The mention of her husband’s real name nearly stopped her heart. For a moment, it sent her back in time to the day she’d first met them.

Jared had walked into the crisis center a shaggy, wildman. He was big, strong, and full of red flags. She’d been the advocate on-duty that day, and she’d been more than ready to press the panic button under her desk.

He looked like the sort that the organizational heads always warned about. The crazy exes who come looking for their wives when they finally work up the courage to leave.

But then she saw Eilidh.

She swiped a fresh wave of silent tears away and listened as Bosch continued.

“She’ll be expected to attend. To be announced and introduced. I’m sure Ewan explained how special she is.”

Janet’s lips pulled tight.

“He kept no secrets from me.” She hardened as she thought about the special bloodline passed down from one generation to the next. Eilidh was the last known carrier. It made her invaluable to some. But to others… she would be just one more obstacle to overcome.

“We can keep her safe,” His warm sincerity came through, even over the phone. “I knew Ewan. I loved him like a brother. I promised him that I would keep Eilidh safe, too.”

Despite the way she wanted to hate him, Janet believed him.

After only a brief moment to let his words sink in, he added, “If she’s at Silverside, I can help. I can keep a watch over her. And she can learn how to live the way Ewan wanted.”

Jared didn’t want that life for her. Her bitter thoughts were like a poison. He wanted her safe. He wanted her away from all of you vultures. Then again… he had told her about Silverside, too. She’d known that Eilidh had a spot there.

He might not have felt the same way by the time those bastards killed him, but he at least started out wanting her to go.

Janet had done everything she could to avoid it.

She crossed her room to the scattered pamphlets, then leafed through them cautiously. Her sharp eyes appraised each page.

Could Silverside really offer Eilidh that level of protection? Could Bosch?

Keeping her voice low so that Eilidh wouldn’t hear, she said, “Alright. We’ll come for a tour.” She hated every syllable of her words. “But it’s up to her if she joins. If she doens’t… never reach out to us again.”

There was a pause, then Mr. Bosch gave a noncommittal hum. “You strike a hard bargain.” She didn’t miss the fact that he didn’t actually agree. “But I look forward to seeing you both.”

A petulant little voice in the back of her mind whispered, the feeling isn’t mutual.

She could feel his triumph and it burned her. Desperate to show that she was still in control of her own daughter’s life, she blurted out, “One more thing.”

“Yes?” Bosch sounded hopeful. But it was a hope she was grateful to crush.

“It’s up to me to tell her. Do you understand?”

This time, there was a longer pause before he spoke.

At last, a slight rumble to his words, he answered. “Of course, Mrs. Hartwell. But remember: she will find out one way or another. It’s up to you what that experience is like for her.”

Feeling smarted, Janet hung up the call.

Her heart beat so wildly she thought it might leap from her chest. For a moment, she stood in the middle of her room, eyes closed, face pointing towards the ceiling. She allowed her arms to dangle at her side.

Her body was wracked with waves of guilt, fear, and regret.

If she’s going to hate me either way, I might as well try to break it to her gently.