Blackstone Academy: The Rogue

35. Troy Roman

Troy P.O.V

Date: November 12, 2238

I sat on the bench in the memorial room with my elbows on my knees, facing the large transparent screens. My eyes flitted over each of them, searching for a hidden clue within the information displayed with no luck.

I had visited the room without fail over the past two weeks, drawn to the three smiling faces playing on a loop.

Joseph Hall 7.15.2217 - 9.30.2238

Ms. Anna Jacobs 3.13.2199 - 9.30.2238

Mary Winston 5.24.2217 - 9.30.2238

The words and numbers read underneath each picture. During these two weeks, their birth and death dates had burrowed inside my brain like a parasite and consumed my every waking thought.

I focused solely on the right screen with Joseph's photo displayed. He was fairly handsome with honey-blond curls cut short on the sides and left long on top and a clean-shaven jawline that left the tiny mole on his cheek visible.

The cocky grin on his face and the mischievous twinkle in his eyes made me wonder what had happened before he took the photo. Or maybe that was his usual expression when he took pictures. I couldn't be sure since this was the only photo I had seen of him.

Hardworking and tough.

That was the only way I could think to describe him. He had been the teacher's assistant for Sergeant Carter.

Sergeant Carter was the type that didn't like to repeat himself twice. If he gave you an order, he expected it to get completed fast and correctly. If Joseph could handle working for Sergeant Carter, that spoke volumes about his character. Or, at least to me, it did.

I glanced at Ms. Jacob's photo of her in a simple black dress with her whiskey-blonde hair in its usual bun before turning my attention to the final picture.

Mary's picture. Her straight blonde hair cascaded down her back as she smiled coyly at the camera. I automatically compared her to the two other images in my head.

The first is from the photo in Dean Winston's office of her posing with her parents at the school entrance. And the other as she stood over Ms. Jacob. Two distinctly different moments in time.

I couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing, and it had only amplified after returning from First Foundation.

"You okay?" Nova's voice broke through my thoughts as she placed her chin on my shoulder. My back briefly tensed in shock before easing again.

"Yeah, I'm alright. Why?"

"You've just been pretty quiet lately." She joined me on the bench, stretching her legs out in front of her and crossing her ankles. "And you never told me what happened at Ms. Jacob's house."

"I didn't?"

She shook her head.

"Well, when Ms. Eve knocked on Ms. Jacob's boyfriend's door, a half-naked girl answered."

Her eyes widened. "He's seeing someone else?!"

"Yep," I sighed. "So it was pretty awkward the whole time we were there."

"I bet it was. What did Ms. Eve say?"

"Nothing. I mean, what could she say? It wouldn't change anything. But she was pretty furious because this wasn't just a random visit. They had agreed on this time to meet."

"Such an asshole." She sneered.

I nodded in agreement before changing the topic. "What happened with you and Jax?"