Chapter 246
WILLA
I got the text just as I finished with my last class for the day. It was short and straight to the point.
I had been asked to report myself to the dean's office as soon as possible.
As I tucked my phone back into my pocket, I wondered what I could have done to make another trip to the dean's office necessary.
Could it be about the argument I had with Sylvia in the chemistry lab? I thought about it and shook my head.
No, it couldn't be. We hadn't even fought or anything. Theron had arrived just before things got out of hand.
Still I was more than a little nervous as I knocked on Dean Freeman's door thinking it would be terrible if I managed to get in trouble in my first week here.
I entered half a minute after I heard the dean's cheery "Come right in."
As before a little of the cheeriness died when he saw which student had come into his office. Still he smiled at me pleasantly enough.
"Ah," he said. "You got my secretary's text message then?"
I said I had. I settled into the comfortable leather chair but did not relax not until he said, "This is about your first semester assignment."
I let out a breath. Nothing bad here.
Just the semester assignment, something Worchmount was known for. Something I had read up on. During projects like this, I would get to work in a particular field and I would be supervised by a senior student.
The dean smiled a little.
"Yes, it's just the semester assignment," he said, reading my expression correctly. "You know how that works, I hope."
A smile lifted the corner of my lips. "Yes, I've heard about it. Also read the student's handbook."
Dean Freeman nodded his approval. "Good. Good. At least you read that. It would save me the trouble of going over what it is again like I've done with some of your colleagues. I'll tell you this though, it is something to be taken very seriously. While doing it, you learn. So does your supervisor."
He fussily touched a plaque on his desk with the motto WE LEARN BY DOING.
The chair gave a creak as he leaned back and folded his hands on his paunch.
In a low voice he said, "Couldn't agree more. You see, you're not here just learn academics but to also learn people skills. That's something you will be grateful for a year or two from now when it's your turn to supervise a first year."
I listened, nodded in all the right places as he went through his perhaps partially rehearsed pep talk. I was a little excited at doing my first project in Worchmount.
I wondered what it would be. I felt confident that whatever it was, I would do a great job.
Dean Freeman abruptly sat up.
"Right then!" he exclaimed. "Let's get to it." He squinted at the screen of his computer and hammered away on the keys.
"Willa..." he said, drawing out my name. His fingers stopped moving. "Remind me of your surname again?"
"Wallace, sir."
He typed it in, squinted some more and grunted. "Alright Willa. I have your data here. It says here in your application that you put in social work and animals as your preference?"
He looked to me for confirmation. I nodded. "Yes I did."
"Ah."
He said nothing for some moments. There was just the clicking of the mouse as he scrolled down the page of my digital file. He took his eyes from the computer long enough to give me a glance.
"You might want to right this down," he suggested.
He nodded at a little jotter and a pencil on his desk. I tore off a page, held the pencil and waited.
Another click of the mouse then, "Here we are. For your semester assignment, you have been assigned to the botany lab. Your job will be to take care of the special plants we have there."
"Special plants?" I echoed.
I had been expecting something to do with animals at least. Although when you came to think of it, I supposed working with plants and animals were pretty close.
"Yes," said the dean with a nod. "Some of them are rather rare species. We had a big shipment of them from very remote parts of the country last year. Should make a good study and... yes, your supervisor will be Lucian Drayton."
The pencil dropped to the table. My mouth went dry.
"Not again," I croaked.
The dean gave me a startled look I hardly even noticed. I was thinking that this had to be more than a coincidence.
Why was this happening? Why was the universe forcing me to be with someone who clearly hated me?
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