Pain erupted in my cheek. Sharp and stinging. My eyes watered. After blinking away the spark of tears, I found myself on the ground, clutching my burning cheek. Ervin towered over me, smirking.

I'd fucked up.

Letting my temper rule me, I'd be lucky if I escaped with only a slapped cheek and a shove to the floor. Something in Ervin's smile told be I wasn't the least bit lucky.

"I'm going to go call my friend with the Patri. He'll see to it that you're arrested for pulling shit like that." He sneered. "And if you run, I'll make sure your father pays for your mistakes. After all, it's his fault his daughter is such a disrespectful little bitch."

Without another look at me, Ervin headed to the door, pausing to glance at his students. "See to it that she doesn't try anything stupid."

After the door slammed, I staggered to my feet, glancing at the staring boys.

"We were all thinking it," Lewis muttered. "She just had balls enough to say it. Ervin's a fucking nutjob."

"How eloquent," John said. "But true."

"However true it might be," Adam broke in, watching me, "it doesn't tell us what we should do."

I shifted my feet, still rubbing my swollen cheek. "Do?"

"Well we aren't gonna hand Ander's girlfriend over to the Patri." Killian snorted as if that should be obvious.

Owen nodded. "He was our friend."

"The reason we're friends," Neal added.

"And it's not your fault you're a literal genius." Christopher laughed.

"I'm not a genius." Though it didn't sound that way when Christopher said it, the word genius struck me as an insult. I wasn't supposed to be smart, or at least, people weren't supposed to think I was. They were supposed to think I was quite, pretty, and obedient.

Lewis smirked. "Right. Because a memory like that is normal."

"We still need a plan," Adam reminded. "Ervin could be back any minute."

Owen turned to Neal and Eddie. "Think you could message your dads? Maybe you could convince one of them to come take her, but just drop her off at home."

Eddie shook his head. "After what she said? It might have been warranted, but my dad would have her Blacked-Out in a heartbeat. And he's twice and lenient as Neal's."

"Could she stay with one of us?" Christopher offered. "Or we can help her run?"

"If we run, my father will be arrested," I whispered.

Lewis shrugged. "From what Ander told us, that might be for the best."

"I'm not letting my dad pay just because I lost my temper." Even if I hated him, I understood him. He'd let Elaine be arrested, but if he hadn't, Patri Christian would have retaliated. And, if I let him be arrested now, my little brother, John, and Mom would starve. Donald might have a job, and Mally might have Michael to look after her, but Mom couldn't work, and John was still so young. They'd be doomed without Dad.

"No one's going to let your dad take the fall," Eddie promised.

Adam frowned. "I can't think of anything else. If it comes down to it, it might be the best case scenario."

"Not going to happen," I insisted.

"You could just let her get arrested," Hadley suggested. He'd been silent during the entire conversation, leaning disinterendly against a wall and admiring his plane ticket.

Killian turned on him. "It's your fault she's in this mess in the first place, now you're just going to hand her over to the Patri?"

"Just 'cause you're jealous doesn't mean you gotta take it out on the poor girl," Lewis grumbled.

Jealous? No doubt my scoring higher, assuming that hadn't been a mistake, would be a serious insult to these men. Apparently Hadley took it personally. But that didn't explain why he seemed to hate me long before the results came back, or why he'd forced me into taking the test in the first place.

Hadley's lip curled, but before he could fire back, Adam intervened. "Wait. Wait. Hadley might be onto something."

"You can't be serious," Neal said while Hadley rolled his eyes.

But Killian put a hand on Adam's shoulder. "What are you thinking?"

"Well, we can't get Jeanie off the hook once Ervin reports her. And we can't hide her without risking our own lives, plus letting her father take the fall. She would fight us if we tried to make her run, which we wouldn't do anyways. So what other choice do we have? We need to let her be arrested."

Well, it was only a matter of time before they came to that conclusion. There was no chance they'd go out of their way to protect me, and maybe it was for the best. All I'd done was mess things up. From my near-heretical speech to my affair with Ander, I was a disruption to society. I thought becoming a Learned would help me better serve the Father, but I'd only managed to flout him with every turn. I was a stain on the Trujohnese crest, and maybe it was better for the country if I'd never existed.

Adam continued, "but the Patri wanted her before she stood up to Ervin. It's risky, but think about it. We all know she got the perfect score on that test. Eastland knows that too, meaning Ervin's blubbering about her cheating won't do any good. And they got her blood sample, so they know she's a woman. If they still asked for her, that means they don't care. I know there's a chance they'll change their mind after the report, but we need to hope they want Jeanie badly enough that the Patri will take her straight to the plane."

"And if they don't want an arrestee?" Eddie asked.

"Look, I don't see any better options. You're right, there's a good chance it won't work," Adam admitted. "But I don't think Eastland ever wanted a woman. They're willing to break all sorts of precedences because of Jeanie, so why not let one report go unanswered?"

"I don't like it," Lewis said.

"Me neither," Christopher agreed. "There's got to be something better."

I stared at my feet. "Could I give an opinion please?"

"If you'll look us in the eyes," Adam replied.

It was a struggle to drag my gaze upward. "I want to go with your idea, Mister Zephen. It's the only way to save my family, and make sure you don't suffer after how kind you've been to me. Maybe Eastland wants me, maybe they don't. Maybe they never did. But if they don't, then it's fine. I know the laws. It's my fault for breaking them, so it's my price to pay."

Adam nodded. He and Killian ushered me to the other side of the classroom, away from the rest of the group. "Your choice is noble. Everyone here can respect that. Since we probably won't ever see each other again, let me just say, I'm impressed. By your mind and your sense of right."

"I can see why Ander picked you out." Killian smiled. "Thought you were going to ruin his life when we found out."

I laughed. "I thought you were going to ruin his life. But for the most part, I can see why he liked you guys so much."

Adam glanced over his shoulder; the rest of the group bombarded Hadley with comments about his going to Eastland. "I know Hadley's being a dick, and I don't know what he was thinking with that test."

"Well," Killian interrupted, "I know what he was thinking. He just didn't think things through."

"Either way, he was out of line," Adam said. "But, if I'm right about Eastland, you'll be spending some time together. You'll see that he's got a good side. Really."

I was going to snort and disagree, but Ervin plowed into the room. Killian and Adam jumped back and pretended to have been chatting amongst themselves.

Ervin stalked closer to me. I tip-toed backwards until my back hit the wall. As Ervin neared, I sank deeper into my Trench coat. The boys gathered closer behind him as if ready to interfere should things get worse. I didn't see why they'd bother; they'd already risked enough.

"Well, dolly, consider yourself finished." He ran his hand from my temple to my shoulder, nose tucked into the crook of my neck. "Once you're taken away, you will cease to have ever existed."

Lewis took a step forward, but I met Adam's gaze over Ervin's shoulder. Adam nodded, holding out a hand to stop Lewis. Things would be worse off for everyone if he did anything. This was all my price. Even if Eastland somehow took pity on me, I was still creating chaos in the Fatherland. I was a disgrace to Trujohn. I deserved whatever punishment I suffered.

The headmaster wrapped a meaty fist around my forearm and, with a heave, sent me staggering to the door. "Go home. I want your family to see your arrest. And to feel the shame of having bore you."