Every week Batholith had a meeting with his case working, Mr. Calrose. The subjects of the meeting were pretty regular: they would discuss how Batholith was doing in school, they would discuss whether any progress had been made in rounding up the rest of Batholith’s former gangmates, they’d talk about a few little bits of administrative nonsense, and then Batholith would be free to go. Honestly, it had ceased being an honerous part of his week about a year ago, once he’d gotten used to them. They’d even discussed moving the meetings to once every two weeks, but Batholith had objected. He liked the regularity that the meetings gave, as well as the opportunity to talk to someone who didn’t work for the school. It was nice to be able to forget about his past for most of the week, but Batholith didn’t want to completely forget who he was. Sometimes he was afraid that his life as a student would completely overwhelm his life on the streets.It didn’t seem too likely today, but it was definitely something to worry about, especially when Mr. Calrose announced that their weekly visits would be ending at the end of this school year. Batholith made a face and nodded. “Makes sense,” he said. “I’ll officially be an adult by then. I guess I’ll have a new caseworker, then?”
Mr. Calrose nodded. “Yes. You are still under witness protection, Batholith, so you will still have someone to take care of you. Your meetings will only be once a month, however. I’ll introduce you to your new case worker when the time comes. Don’t worry about it.”
Batholith didn’t like that phrase, don’t worry about it. It implied that he was helpless to prevent things he didn’t like from happening. But he knew that in this case, he truly was helpless. There was nothing he could do. And there was nothing he should do. This was for his own protection, after all, at least until his last two gangmates were rounded up. They were the most dangerous pair. “Will I have to commute to Asphodel to talk to my new case worker?”
Mr. Calrose tilted his head. “Interesting question. Why do you ask?”
Batholith took a deep breath. “Because I’ve applied to university.” When Mr. Calrose didn’t respond, he plunged onwards. “I’ve…I’ve really enjoyed being at school, Mr. Calrose. I like learning things. I’m actually a lot smarter than I thought I was. I think I can do well in college—I’ve done well so far in school. I’m applying to Leviathan, since they have a science degree available.” He fidgeted in his lap. “So, uh, yeah.”
Mr. Calrose was silent for a long time. Finally, he said, “I think Leviathan will be a good fit for you, Batholith. I didn’t think you were that interested in science, though.”
Batholith snorted. “I’ve been fascinated by science since I was a kid, sir. Geology especially—I love rocks and minerals. They can tell us so much about the past. That’s what I’m hoping to study. If I get accepted, of course.”
Mr. Calrose nodded. “Your grades are good enough to get into Leviathan. Have they asked you to write an essay?”
Batholith nodded. “Yeah. I haven’t finished it yet, though—I was hoping to send it in on Monday. The deadline’s four weeks from now, but I want to get it done early.
“Makes sense,” his case worker said. “When do applications start?”
Bath grinned. “Monday.”
Mr. Calrose chuckled. “Send me a copy of your essay before you send it to Leviathan,” he said. “I can give you feedback, maybe help you polish it up a bit.”
Batholith nodded. “I’d appreciate that, sir.” With that, their conversation turned to other subjects.
