Chapter 384 THE GANG AND I
Chapter 384 THE GANG AND I
ARTEMIS’ POV
(ONE YEAR LATER)
"In light of all the allegations brought forth, not only by students but also by teachers, I hereby strip you of your position as school Administrator," I declare before the newly appointed school board gathered before me. The now former Administrator, Mr Andrew, stares at me with wet, red eyes on the brink of breaking into tears. He trembles, looking at me with pleading eyes for mercy, but I feel nothing close to remorse, especially with proof of years of his embezzlement sitting right in front of me on my desk. The fact that he also played a huge part in the school's segregation alone tempts me to strangle him with my bare hands every time I remember what Seraphina had to go through - but then, even I had a hand in this. My eyes shift to the other man in his late thirties standing on the other side of the room among the council, nodding in his direction. "In replacement, I appoint Mr Jermaine for the new position of school Administrator."
There’s a round of applause echoing from the group before he gets up, bowing to everyone gathered. Every single one of them has been carefully handpicked by yours truly to ensure that what happened in school with Seraphina never happens to anyone ever again, especially with Kamila and Morgan. After months of rebuilding the destroyed school building and renewal of a few structures, I thought it best to go even further and rebuild the very core of our school from the inside to curb the corruption going on in the shadows. I signal a guard at my side who steps forward to drag Andrew out of my sight while he wails and begs like a child, never to see the light of day ever again, along with his equally corrupt colleagues. "Meeting dismissed," I call to the group once he’s taken away, and they all rise in unison, leaving a unified bow fit for a king before filing out one by one. "That was interesting…" Jasper chuckles, emerging into the room from behind me, his hands folded below his chest with a playful smile on his lips. I’m sure he enjoyed the spectacle of watching a grown man he never liked being dragged away like the criminal he is. I sigh, getting up as well, tired of sitting down for hours. "That was stressful. If I have to deal with one more grown man pissing his pants and begging for mercy today, I might be forced to rip my own ears off."
"Comes with the job of having to reconstruct half of the city, I guess," Jasper teases, laughing as he shoves my side, and I’m only able to form something of a smile that hurts my face once I make it. It’s been a year since Seraphina fell into a blood loss-induced coma, and what a busy year it has been—too busy for me to crack an actual genuine smile. I have drowned myself in nothing but work, fixing things that were broken, including laws and decrees, all of it in preparation for whenever she wakes, so that I would be able to face her one day and confidently say that I really can protect her. Yet, I’m nowhere close to being done. There’s still so much malice and segregation, so much misinformation about witches, so many people that hate her kind because they were taught nothing but lies from childhood. So much so that I find myself doubting if at all I could implement the change we fantasized about all on my own. I push the thoughts aside once my head throbs from pondering on everything that needs to be done, looking to Jasper, my new Beta in training. "That's all for today, right?" I ask, fully exhausted. "I cleared your entire schedule. You're free for the rest of the day to visit her," he comments, his smile turning softer. I nod slowly. "It’s her birthday, after all."
And exactly a year since our lives took a drastic turn. The gang and I… we promised to reconvene together again on her birthday, in many ways to honor her and in other ways so that we’ll never forget the sacrifices she made for us to be here, to stop herself from hurting more people. To honor the people lost along the way as well, that also played a role in us being here today. "Let’s go… Olivia’s waiting." I nod, following him through the door and silently as we make our way towards her room in the higher floors of my castle. Every step I take closer, my chest constricts with the weight that gathers within it. My legs grow heavier as if tied down by weights. Unlike everyone else that might be gathered here today, I visit her every night, kneel by her bed, holding her hand, yet it’s never easy making the journey, seeing her helpless and asleep. The next moment I’m present again, standing in front of her door that’s wide open, with Jasper knocking a bit on the door frame to get Olivia’s attention. She whispers things to a sleeping Sera and pauses the second she hears the knock, a smile forming on her lips once our eyes meet. "Artemis… it’s been a while," she greets, drawing closer and giving me a brief side hug. I force a smile, hugging her for half a second before she moves towards Jasper. He drops a swift kiss on her forehead, securing her by his side with one hand faster than I can blink. "How is the university?"
"Boring… but I love it."
"You could have received formal training from a professor like Artemis and I, rather than having to go to a university," Jasper chimes in, frowning. He had hated it the most when she announced her decision about wanting to go to a university rather than study the way Jasper and I had to, because we’re basically running an entire race of wolves.