Without Mercy - Lisa Jackson [8]
Every muscle in Trent’s body tightened. No way. Not Jules’s sister. He must’ve heard wrong.
“She’s had her share of run-ins with the law, and her mother is worried that once she turns eighteen, things will only get worse.”
Burdette was nodding, agreeing. “The mother’s right; I read all the reports.”
“Where’s she from?” Trent forced himself to lean back in his chair, feigning nonchalance. If the new student was Shay Stillman, things were going to get a lot more complicated. A lot.
“Seattle,” Burdette supplied.
Son of a bitch!
“Your neck of the woods,” Lynch said.
“I’m from Spokane.”
“Oh. Right.” Lynch rubbed his tiny beard with one finger as he studied the top sheet of a stack of papers.
Burdette was equally distracted, her eyes on the window again.
So much for their concern about the new girl, Trent thought.
“Anyway,” Lynch went on, “I’ve added her to your pod.” He slid the faxed documents across the wide expanse of his desk. “Here’re her records. Check out the questionnaire.”
“Classic,” Burdette muttered.
“When is she due to arrive?”
“Within the hour.”
“Today?” Trent tried to keep the concern from his voice.
“She’s on her way. Last report was that the plane was just north of Eugene.”
Trent kept his face impassive, but inside he was fighting a full-blown panic. If she was one and the same Shay Stillman—and it sounded as if she was—then she was Jules’s half sister and a holy terror. The age was right, the attitude was toxic, and she was coming from the Seattle area. It all added up to trouble for Trent. Big trouble. “You sure my pod’s the best?”
“Why not?” Lynch frowned. For all his outward talk of open discussions and being respectful of others’ opinions, Tobias Lynch was about as bending as an oak tree. The reverend didn’t like being opposed. In Trent’s short time here at the academy, he’d learned that much. Though Lynch saw himself as a kind, judicious, fair-minded leader who guided with a steady but thoughtful hand, in truth, the guy considered himself the only person capable of making the “right” decision. His word was etched in stone.
Still, Trent had to fight this one; he couldn’t be in close proximity to Jules’s sister. It was just too damned dangerous. He picked his words carefully. “Sometimes a troubled girl needs a strong female leader, someone who can relate to what she’s going through.”
Lynch disagreed. “Not this one—female dominated, confused about father figures.” He smiled. “Perfect for you.”
Burdette added, “Both Rhonda’s and my groups are full, and we’ve always had mixed-gender pods. It’s no big deal. Until we can hire another teacher and leader, we all have to pull our weight—more than our weight, actually. If there’s a problem, you know that any of the girls can talk to us individually, and there are female counseling sessions.” As she looked at him over her shoulder, tiny lines emerged between her eyebrows. “Do you have a problem with taking on this one?”
Oh, yeah, a major problem. “Not at all,” he lied, and hoped to hell he sounded convincing. “Just talking aloud, wondering what’s best for her.”
“Good.” The reverend seemed relieved. “We always put the students’ needs first. Since you’re in line for the next new student, she’ll be in your group.” He was nodding to himself, silently congratulating himself on a job well done. “Should be interesting.”
More than interesting. He noted that the tiny lines of suspicion on Burdette’s forehead hadn’t disappeared. There was stress here at the school, more than anyone let on. Being down a teacher was just one of the problems.
Lynch forced a smile and rose to his feet, signifying that the meeting was over.
Trent couldn’t wait to leave. He needed time to think about how he was going to handle Shay. Would she recognize his name? They’d never met face-to-face,