Beetle

Chapter 23 Cult

"Why me? He doesn't even know me!" I whine to Jenny as I watch her play Cut the Rope on her phone. "That's his thing Red, he's a demon, games and tricks are pretty much in his blood."
"What do you mean he's a demon?" I ask knowing what she means because after all, this is Beetle Academy.

She cringes, "I mean Alistair Page is actually a demon just like his shadow Waldo."

"I thought demons were supposed to look like how Waldo looks, all red and scary and shit." Not that Alistair isn't scary because he so is but Waldo's the one who's a match for what we see in movies and tv shows. "Like humans, demons aren't just one race. Unlike humans, there's different ranges of powers, which make a sort of class system of higher and lower demons."

"So Alistair?" I ask, dreading the answer even more when Jenny makes a face. "I'm not exactly sure but if I'm remembering correctly from my Intro to Supernatural Society class than the general rule is the more human looking a demon is, the more powerful." I scoff, "isn't that just great."

"It's not absolute but Waldo looks very nonhuman and he's very powerful so maybe-" "Alistair is very weak", I say cutting her off, "for some reason I highly doubt that."

Jenny looks around our room, "think of it this way, Alistair is only into you because you're new and he sees you as a challenge."

"First of all, ouch and second of all he's definitely not into me! He just wants to fuck with me!" Jenny nods, "well, you know what I mean and, hate to break it to you but that's not what people are saying."

"What?" I say concerned about whatever bombshell Jenny is about to drop on me, "there's a rumour going around that you are Alastair's next conquest and it's gaining traction because he's the one who started it..." Of course he did, Jenny must see my panic because she's quick to reassure, "you'll smile and pretend to throw yourself at him and boom! He's no longer interested because the chase is gone so he'll move onto the next girl."

A thought comes to mind, "how many times has he done something like this?" I feel my eyes go big, "did he try and pursue you when you came here?" Jenny shakes her head, "god no but he does have a reputation of being a little bit of a manwhore."

"You know what, I don't have time for this. I need to find Lightner and get out of my last shit class that I shouldn't be in since it almost killed me!" "What?" Jenny says as she jumps out of her bed and follows me to the door, "are you talking about?"

I wave her off, "you know what, don't even worry about it. I'll tell you later." Jenny waves her finger at me, "no you'll tell me now! You don't get to die, day one in supernatural school."

"Fine, Alistair made a mini tornado during class X and it went around the room. The kicker is, the professor didn't even care." I take in Jenny's face, "why aren't you surprised?"

"I'm not surprised Sybil didn't intervene because apparently she has a track record a mile long. You didn't hear this from me but she's been in and out of multiple supernatural jails; the last time being the closet one from here, called Amherst. Not to mention, she's only out because she took a plea deal which included totally throwing her friends under the bus."

"Who are her friends?" I ask now fully distracted and invested in what Jenny is saying. "All kinds of criminals like dirty cops and authority figures. Pretty much anyone with sway; though, particularly corrupted politicians. Thats why her last sentence was so hefty because she had ties to all these terrible people. It ended up not mattering because she was able to sell them out and get out early, especially-" Jenny cuts herself off and looks down.

"No, you gotta tell me now", I tell Jenny. She nervously bites her lip, "I only know this because I've been doing some digging in my spare time and I overheard a conversation I wasn't supposed to hear." She sighs when she sees my fascination and knows I'm not going to drop it

"Really, it was just a comment my astrology professor said to Lightner about Sybil."

"Just spit it out", I say more than eager, "with the negative publicity Beetle Academy has recently got, my astrology prof; Mr. Albertson didn't understand why Sybil would be allowed to teach here. And to be honest I agree with him."

"You're talking about the murder of Carla Mills?" I say certain because that brought a shit storm of bad press to Beetle; literally everyone was talking about it, including humans. "But what does the murder of Carla have to do with Sybil?" In clicks all at once, "one of her friends, who she sold out was Sylvester Page, wasn't it."

Jenny nods, "the timing was practically perfect. Sybil had just been caught giving a speech while pretending to be the progressive conservative candidate for the upcoming election. Than a couple weeks before her trial her former professor, mentor and
friend murders some poor girl." I wonder if Jenny realizes that she's sleeping in that 'poor girls' room.

At my surprise Jenny nods, "yeah I was really shocked too that they would allow Sybil to teach but it's apparently pretty common for criminals to teach here." I should ask what Jenny means by that but I'm too caught up on the connection between Sylvester Page and Sybil. 

I'm actually not that shocked nor do I care about the morals of my profs because I'm not surprised. Of course they some are convicted criminals, supernaturals don't play by the rules.

I wouldn't be that surprised if more than half had a criminal record, Lightner comes to mind. I desperately want Jenny to keep talking so I keep my mouth shut. In hopes that she'll keep ranting to me.

"Since pretty much everyone who taught class X is a convicted criminal themselves; that's why there's so many different profs. It's because they keep getting sentenced to Amherst and when they get out it's either part of their sentence, community service or Lightner just has a soft spot for former alumni who commit crimes and keeps hiring them."

Jenny keeps talking a mile per minute and I attentively listen, "personally, I think it's all three. That's also why I was so surprised you were taking the class, it's just all so corrupt. It's a cycle, almost like a cult, the people who take the class usually know each other beforehand from their parents being family friends, business partners, or some other way. These kids from these families have loads of money and resources, they keep the friendships their parents, grandparents and great grandparents made and than come here and grow up to become- let's just say, very well connected criminals."

I try and match my voice to Kaylee's because she had a way of using people to get what she wanted, "like which families?" I say it like I don't believe Jenny and just like I predicted, she falls into my trap because she's determined to prove herself, "the Pages, the Le Rats, the Hatchetts, the Crows, the Wrights, and of course the Blackwells."