Elijah barely looked up when he heard Austin, just throwing him a cold nce without saying a word.


    Austin leaned down, nting his palms on Elijah''s desk. His handsome face under that short blond hair waspletely devoid of its usual smile. "E remember you didn''t used to treat me like this, it''s because of Cam, ko''t it?


    Elijah was at a loss for words. Something about Austin right now felt off. Elijah frowned slightly as he sensed the intimidating energy radiating from him.


    This wasn''t the same frail Austin who used to coughs after walking just a few steps. Instead, he had thismanding presence that led the room.


    Elijah leaned back in his chair, trying to put some distance between them. "What do you want?"


    Austin stepped back, a light smile returning to his face, "Want? Nothing. Ell I''m just wondering if there''s some misunderstanding between us."


    "You''re imagining things," Elijah said coolly. He studied Austin more carefully. Just like that, Austin had shifted back to his usual fragile demeanor. "Was that intimidating vibe just my intagination? Elijah thought.


    "Am 12" Austin smiled. "I hope so. But Eli, Cam, and I are really close friends. He''s my only friend."


    "Friends?" Elijah repeated, testing the word.


    "Very, very important friends." Austin emphasized. Besides his mother, Cameron was the most important person in his world.


    "I''m heading to


    to the library to study for a bit, Austin said, then left the dorm room.


    Elijah sat at his desk, lost in thought. Austin and Cameron were friends. He and Cameron were friends too.


    At Fraser Vi, Samuely in bed with broken ribs while his assistant stood nearby, reading documents aloud.


    "Hold up," Samuel interrupted suddenly.


    "Mr. Fraser?" The assistant looked at him.


    "What happened with that Cameron kid? Did the Waces get their theck back?" Samuel asked.


    The assistant closed the file "Let me check on that, Mr. Fraser. Give me a minute."


    Ten minutester, the assistant returned.


    "Well?" Samuel asked impatiently.


    "Cameron got his foster parents thrown in jail," the assistant said.


    Samuel''s jaw dropped. "What?"


    There was a lot to unpack in that one sentence.


    "Foster parents? Jail? What are you talking about Samuel asked, bewildered.


    "Turns out Cameron isn''t actually the Waces kid," the assistant exined. "His foster parents stole him from the hospital"


    Samuel was speechless. No wonder that kid''s such a nightmare, he thought "And why the Waces didn''t have the guts to stand up to hin,


    even their real son


    "So that little punk gets off scot-free?" Samuel pped his thigh in frustration. He''d been counting on the Waces to deal with Cameron, but they''d


    09:55 Sat 31 May


    provenpletely useless.


    "Mr, Fraser," the assistant quickly cut in, "Cameron''s just a kid who doesn''t know


    any better. Let''s be the bigger people here and let it go


    "You''re lying in bed with brakeh ribs right now, the assistant thought. "Keep pushing this, and who knows what might happen next.


    "Hmph." Samuel let out a cold snort. "I''m keeping score. And he''ll pay for this


    Cameron and Bradley had barely stepped out of the school cafeteria when they were immediately swarmed by ssmates.


    "Cameron, i had no idea you were so amazing at pianol That was seriously cool," one said.


    "Are you ying again tonight? I really want to hear more. Could you y something just for us?"


    Cameron''s mind went nk, "What the hell?'' she thought. Her no skills were decent enough. On one of her world-hopping worlds, she''d been bor into a family


    of pianists and could y "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" by age one.


    How did they know about it? Cameron wondered. They all were at the music roomst night?"


    Bradley turned to her, eyebrows raised. "You y no?" There was a no at Noble Vista, but he''d never heard her y it once.