Chapter 140

Sarah POV

Sheerain Secondary was a small, rural, mixed-race school, but the class of twenty students I was to speak in front of, Human Health, was segregated for obvious reasons and represented about half of the school’s human student body. The press tour with Melissa had been going so well in promoting education for betas and gammas that, as I had hoped, I was able to schedule some smaller speaking engagements for humans.

I had selected Sheerain specifically because it was situated in the sort of rural community where humans tended to live just above the poverty level, while wolves filled the few white-collar positions and young wolves tended to leave for the closest city.

I stood there in my brown suit while Mrs. Berry, an elderly gamma with a somewhat severe-looking hair bun, introduced me as a speaker for the school’s Career Day. I looked over their bored faces and realized I’d never spoken to an all-human crowd before. In fact, when Mrs. Berry motioned for me to take my place in the center front of the room, I realized they had no idea who I was.

“Hello,” I said. “As I’m sure others have told you, Sheerain Secondary shows one of the most extreme gaps for college-bound graduates in the territory.”

A hand went up, and I looked over to a teenager in jeans and a band shirt. His brown hair fell into his eyes, and I noticed his gym shoes had seen better days, but he was well-scrubbed and sat up straight, which made him stand out in the class.

“Yes?”

“The wolves get the scholarships, and the humans don’t,” he told me with that aggressively flat tone teenage boys were so good at.

“Yes, I noticed that. For the past five years, thirty-two wolves graduating from Sheerain have gone to college with full-ride scholarships, while only five humans have done so, one each year. That’s why I’m pleased to announce that the Sloan Educational Fund has agreed to offer scholarship programs for five secondary schools in the area specifically designed to help human students, up to ten human students each year.”

I smiled, but the kids just looked back at me blankly.

“I would have thought that was good news,” I said.

A girl in the front row sporting long braids and heavy eye makeup shrugged. I looked at her and raised my eyebrows.

“Every couple of years they have new scholarships supposedly for humans. They go to the wolves.”

“What do you mean?”

“Ms. Astor doesn’t need to get into a debate about scholarships,” Mrs. Berry said.

I turned to her with a smile. “I’m here to talk to the students about whatever they want to talk about.”

“This is Career Day. There are many jobs that will be available to these students when they graduate, and we have many excellent trade schools in the area.”

“You have an excellent college in the city as well,” I said, still smiling, even when I heard someone snort loudly in the back. “Many of the students in this class, I’ve been told, are honor students, and if they feel they have no chance of receiving a scholarship even if they merit one, that is a problem.”

Mrs. Berry looked annoyed. I turned back to the students.

“Now, can someone please explain why human scholarships aren’t going to human students?”

“The wolves protest human-only scholarships are racist,” the long-haired boy said. “So the schoolboard makes them available to everyone, and then wolves get all the spots, and then the sponsors pull out because they can’t help humans.”

I made eye contact with Lainey, who was standing in the back with Buddy and Danielle. She nodded and got out her phone.

“I had been told the human scholarships went unclaimed because the human students didn’t apply for them,” I said. When there was a response of low groans and rolling eyes, I held up a hand. “I take it that’s not the case.”

“All applications are reviewed by the schoolboard, human and wolf,” Mrs. Berry said.

I ignored her. “The Sloan Educational Fund is specifically marking these ten scholarships for human students for this year. How many of you here are in your final secondary year?”

Six hands went up.

I pointed to Lainey, and heads turned. She waved.

“Please give your contact information to Miss Lainey there. She works for me. When you’re ready to apply for a Sloan Scholarship, I want you to send me a copy of your materials. I’ll ensure personally your application is reviewed.”

That impressed them, which clearly puzzled them. I got the feeling they weren’t used to hearing promises like that.

“You don’t work for the schoolboard,” the girl in the front said, scowling. “You’re, like, some nanny or something?”

“Why do you have bodyguards?” a boy in the back said. His arms were crossed and his desk was empty of books or notes. “Because of the school shooting last year?”

“I remember that shooting at Scott Secondary,” I said. “I’ll be speaking there next week. But no, my bodyguards are with me always because of my position, which, I assure you is not as some nanny.”

“Oh, crap,” the long-haired boy said.

“Language!” Mrs. Berry said.

“You’re that human who works for the Pack Alpha, the one that busted the sex ring,” he said next.

“The human trafficking ring, yes.”

“That was somebody named Miss Sarah, not Ms. Astor,” the girl in the braids objected.

“Sarah Astor is my name. Werewolves refer to females with a social position in a household as Miss Whatever as a courtesy.”

“But you’re human,” another girl said.

“I did notice that,” I said.

“Humans don’t live in wolf households,” she said, growing openly hostile.

I frowned at them. “I realize you may not be interested in the news, but I was under the impression that teenagers lived on their phones.”

“Human students at Sheerain are not allowed phones,” Mrs. Berry said, and I noticed her cheeks had turned slightly pink.

“Human students,” I said. “Does that mean wolf students are?”

“It’s a simple fact that wolves at this age are more mature and can handle distractions better than humans can. We’re just trying to keep them focused.”

“It sounds more like you’re trying to keep them from succeeding.”

I felt the class go tense. A couple students actually gasped.

“Ms. Astor, I would like to remind you that this is my classroom!”

“And I would like to remind you that I’m the goddess-mother for Alpha Zane’s household, and I don’t like what I’m seeing here. No phones? No scholarships? Even honor students being told the best they can hope for after graduation is a trade school?”

“There’s nothing wrong with trade schools.”

“No, for students who want to go to them.”

I looked back at the class. “How many of you would go to college if you could?”

Pretty much everyone put up their hand. I forced myself not to roll my own eyes, but I did turn to look at Lainey. “Why can I not go to a party, a department store, or a coal mine without finding humans being treated as second-class citizens?”

She waved her phone at me, and I nodded. She was calling Travis.

“Wait till she sees the cafeteria,” I heard a boy near me mutter.

I looked at him. “The cafeteria is segregated?”

The boy snorted.

“The cafeteria is not segregated!” Mrs. Berry said, openly furious now.

“They make us eat after the wolves,” the boy said while glaring at his teacher. “We have to stand in the hall while they eat, and then we get to go in when they’re done.”

“You know we’re preparing you for the real world here. It is unseemly for wolves and humans to eat together.”

“That is one of the stupidest things I’ve ever heard!” I snapped.

“Ms. Astor, I must ask you to leave.”

“And I must ask you to be quiet.” More gasps. “And in case you haven’t realized it yet, Mrs. Berry, you’re fired.”