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⊹ Book 1 of the Aldergrove Duology ⊹
After being told he has only six months left to live, Clementine decides to track down his sister's murderers, leading him to Aldergrove Academy, a place...
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⤠ ≻ ◈ ≺ ⤟
When they arrived at the place Carmichael was supposed to have gone to after leaving the academy, Elliot led the way up the stairs to the front door and knocked. The building looked just like every other house lined along the street, but a rather large sign hanging from the porch read 'Kolin and Son Ironworks'.
"Are you sure this is the place?" Clementine asked Elliot. "Carmichael didn't really seem like the ironsmith type."
He nodded and knocked again. "This is the place."
"What if he gave you a fake address?"
"Why would he do that?"
Clementine shrugged.
"This is where I've been sending my letters and getting replies from."
"Like I said before, maybe he's mad that you didn't get expelled, too."
Elliot sighed irritably and knocked once more, but much louder and harder this time. It wasn't hard to tell him was aggravated, and Clementine suspected the mention of his father's visit later had something to do with it. Why wouldn't it? The guy had killed Elliot's mother. Anyone would be mad or even a little paranoid.
"Maybe we should come back later," Mathew suggested.
"I don't want to come back later," Elliot snapped. He banged on the door once more. "Carmichael! It's me, Elliot!"
Somebody shuffled around inside. They waited as the sound of a squeaking door was followed by thumping footsteps. And then, as the door unlocked and opened...a tall, grisly-looking man stood in front of them.
"You're not Carmichael," Elliot uttered.
The man fiddled with his greasy moustache. "Nah, I'm Clyde, Carmichael's boss. You got any idea where that little brat is?"
"No," Clementine answered.
"It's been weeks since he was supposed to be here, so I offered his job up to someone else. You see the little asshat, you tell him from me that he's fired!" he snapped.
"He still hasn't turned up?" Elliot asked in worry.
"That's what I just said." Then, the man shut the door in their faces.
"Wow, how rude," Mavis said, crossing her arms.
"It doesn't make any sense," Elliot mumbled, stepping back down onto the street. "He told me he'd be here."
Mathew sighed and patted Elliot's shoulder. "Perhaps Clementine is right. Maybe your friends lied to you because they were jealous."
Elliot sighed sullenly and shrugged. "They just didn't seem like those kinds of people. Why even bother giving me an address and asking me to write if he was just going to ignore me or not actually be at this place?"
