“Well, that’s enough of that,” my mother says with perfect calm, standing and catching Jackson’s eye. He freezes for a moment and then steps back, standing up straight again.
Mom, ever-charming, turns a smile on the professor and thanks him for the news, ensuring him that Sinclair and McClintock will follow in a few minutes to be transported back. When the professor leaves, mom turns back to Jacks with an eyebrow raised.
“You’re going to have to get better at that,” she says quietly, gesturing towards the door. “If Ari is going to return to the Academy, you’re going to have to keep her secret, which means not acing all mate-y whenever someone comes to deliver perfectly normal news –“
“She’s not going back,” my dad says, stepping towards my mom with a glare.
Mom’s mouth pops open in s
