Chapter 54: Pledge
The Student Council uniform was fighting back.
Alden stood in front of the tall mirror in the council room and pulled at the front of his black coat for the fourth time.
"This thing is too tight."
"You’re wearing it wrong." Seris sat to his left, watching him like she had no plans to help.
Alden yanked the collar again. "It’s strangling my shoulders."
"It’s called clothing, Alden."
"Clothing isn’t supposed to make you feel like this."
"Like what?"
"Like someone wrapped me in a firm handshake and left."
From across the room, Augustus tilted back in his chair and looked at Alden with mild interest.
"It suits you."
Alden stopped wrestling with the coat. "Really President?"
"Yes." Augustus nodded once. "Quite well, actually."
Alden finally got the coat seated properly, the black fabric fitting cleanly around him now, golden trim running along the edges and shoulders in even lines.
He looked at himself in the mirror.
"...I actually look good."
Seris raised one eyebrow. "That took you long enough to notice."
Nicholas and Roselle were already seated across the room, quiet, watching the exchange without contributing to it. Nathan was nowhere to be seen.
Seris glanced at the clock.
"Now that our newest member is dressed correctly, shall we head to the auditorium?"
Everyone stood.
Nicholas and Roselle moved toward the door together. Augustus fell into step beside Seris naturally.
Alden followed for a few steps before stopping.
"Uh... President Augustus?"
Augustus looked back.
"Yes?"
"Would you mind if I borrowed Seris for a moment?"
A pause.
Augustus looked at Seris. Then back at Alden.
"For what reason?"
"...No particular reason."
’Why is he interrogating me about this.’
Augustus held the look for a moment longer than strictly necessary. Then he sighed the way someone sighs when they’ve decided to let something go without fully letting it go.
"Very well." He took one more step toward the door and stopped without turning around.
"Though I’ll have to say you two do seem to have gotten rather close. I’ve noticed it a number of times."
Alden’s expression twitched.
’Close? Us? What is he even—’
Seris’s voice came in. "Yes. We’ve become good friends, Your Highness."
"Good friends." Augustus repeated it quietly. Something shifted in his expression. Just for a moment a flicker of something moved through his eyes.
"I’m a little jealous, actually."
Alden blinked.
"My soon-to-be wife seems to be getting rather close to another man." Augustus looked at Seris briefly. Seris looked back with the same composed expression she always wore.
"You don’t need to worry about that, Your Highness."
Augustus considered her for another second. Then he nodded once and turned to leave.
"Very well. I’ll leave you to it." He took a few steps, then stopped. "Oh, and Alden?"
"Yes?"
"It’s your pledge ceremony today as well, as Council Advisor. Don’t keep everyone waiting." A beat. "And it’s ’Senior Seris’ to you."
He walked away.
Alden stood in the corridor looking at the space where Augustus had been.
’That man was perfectly relaxed two seconds ago. What just happened.’
He turned toward Seris. And stopped.
Her expression had changed.
Not into something dramatic or readable. It was empty. The teasing smile was gone. She was looking at the direction Augustus had walked, and her face was simply blank.
’What’s that face?’
It lasted a second. Maybe two.
Then she turned toward Alden and it was already over.
"Come on, Advisor. We have a ceremony to attend."
’She’s hiding something.’
He didn’t ask, there was no time. He followed her toward the auditorium.
___________
Every seat was filled.
Hundreds of students filled the auditorium in a wave of noise and restless energy, voices layering over each other as they waited.
The platform at the front held the council members in formation, their uniforms sharp under the hall lighting, Seris near the front with the stillness that made her easy to find in any crowd.
Darius stepped to the microphone.
"Good morning, everyone."
The noise settled by degrees.
"Before the Final Examinations begin, there is one announcement to make."
The whispers started immediately.
"What announcement? Is something happening with the exams?"
"What are they changing?"
Darius let the quiet find its way back.
"Today, we will officially welcome a newly appointed member to the Student Council. He will be taking his pledge as the new Council Advisor."
The auditorium stirred.
"The position was vacant."
"Which year would that be?"
Darius turned toward the curtains at the side of the platform.
"Please welcome—" After a pause.
"Alden."
The curtains opened and Alden stepped out.
The crowd went completely quiet, it was not because they were waiting, but because they couldn’t believe what they were seeing.
"WHAT— HIM?!"
"Alden?!"
"He’s the new Advisor?!"
The crowd got loud again, even louder than before. Most people looked shocked, but a few looked angry, and others looked downright dangerous.
But from the lower section where the first-years sat:
"SENIOR ALDEN!"
"Let’s go!"
"Congratulations, Senior!"
The cheering spread fast through the younger students, genuine and loud and completely unconcerned with what anyone around them thought about it.
Leon was on his feet in the second-year section, grin wide, fist raised.
"That’s our guy!"
Legion was beside him, also standing.
Claire, seated with the third-years, clapped with a smile.
Alden walked across the platform.
The black uniform moved well, and the gold trim caught the light with each step as he stopped at the center before the microphone, putting his hand over his chest.
"Good morning, everyone."
The auditorium quieted.
"Yes. It’s me, Alden."
A few students exchanged looks. A few others didn’t bother hiding that the looks weren’t friendly.
He looked across the first-years still grinning in the front rows, at Leon and legion still standing, at Claire in the third-year section, at the council members behind him.
"As of today, I’ve been appointed as the Student Council Advisor." He kept his voice level.
"I swear to carry out my duties fairly. Without discrimination. Without inequality. To the best of my ability."
The first-years erupted again.
"Way to go Senior Alden!"
Alden lowered his hand slowly.
’Better than expected.’ He stepped back and took his place in the council formation.
Somewhere in the second-year section, in the middle of the noise and the cheering, Sierra stood completely still.
The Student Council Advisor.
’Him?!’ Her hands had pressed flat against her sides, tight enough that the knuckles showed.
’That weakling? That trash? It should’ve been me standing next to Nicholas like that!’
She stared at him standing on the platform in the council uniform, standing beside Seris and Nicholas and the others, standing where nobody like him was supposed to be standing.
The cheering around her made it worse.
Darius returned to the microphone.
"Now that our newest council member has officially taken his oath..." He looked out at the auditorium.
"Let the Final Examinations begin."