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was the son of a professor, and—as such—lived on campus, like Joel. In fact, he was the only other child of an employee who was around Joel’s age.
    Most of the children of the staff went to the public school nearby. Only the children of professors attended Armedius itself. Well, them and Joel. His father and the principal had been close, before his father’s accident eight years ago.
    “I have a kind of crazy idea,” Joel said. “About my elective. You see…”
    He trailed off; Davis wasn’t paying attention. Joel turned to see a group of students gathering at the front of the campus office building. “What’s that?” Joel asked.
    Davis shrugged. “You see Peterton there? Shouldn’t he be on the 3:15 back to Georgiabama?” The tall senior was trying to peek through the windows.
    “Yeah,” Joel said.
    The door to the office opened, and a figure stepped out. Joel was shocked to recognize the man’s sharply militaristic trousers and coat, both navy, with gold buttons. It was the uniform of a federal inspector. The man placed a domed police hat on his head, then bustled away.
    “A federal inspector ?” Joel asked. “That’s strange.”
    “I see police on campus now and then,” Rose said.
    “Not an inspector,” Joel said. “That man has jurisdiction in all sixty isles. He wouldn’t come for nothing.” Joel noticed Principal York standing in the doorway to the office, Exton and Florence visible behind him. He seemed … troubled.
    “Well, anyway,” Davis said. “About summer elective.”
    “Yeah,” Joel said. “About that…”
    “I, um.” Davis shuffled. “Joel, I’m not going to be spending the summer with you this year. It, uh, turns out I’m not free.”
    “Not free? What does that mean?”
    Davis took a deep breath. “Rose and I are going to be with the group Michael is taking this summer. To his summer home, up north.”
    “You?” Joel said. “But … you’re not one of them. I mean, you’re just…” Like me.
    “Michael is going to be an important man someday,” Davis said. “He knows my father has been preparing me for law school, and Michael is planning to go himself. He’ll want help, in the years to come. Someday, he’ll need good attorneys he can trust. He’ll be a knight-senator, you know.…”
    “That’s … that’s great for you,” Joel said.
    “It’s a wonderful opportunity,” Davis said, looking discomforted. “I’m sorry, Joel. I know this means you’ll spend the summer alone, but I have to go. This is a chance for me, a real chance to move up.”
    “Yeah, of course.”
    “You could ask him if you could come.…”
    “I kind of already did.”
    Davis winced. “Oh.”
    Joel shrugged, trying to convey a nonchalance he didn’t feel. “He let me down easily.”
    “He’s a classy guy,” Davis said. “I mean, you have to admit, everyone treats you pretty well here. You’ve got a good life, Joel. Nobody picks on you.”
    That was true. He’d never suffered from bullying. The students at Armedius were too important to waste time bullying. If they didn’t like someone, they ostracized them. There were a dozen little proto-political factions on campus. Joel had never been a part of any of them, even the out-of-favor ones.
    They probably felt they were doing him a favor. They treated him with civility, laughed with him. But they didn’t include him.
    He’d have traded that for some good, old-fashioned bullying. At least that would mean someone considered him worth noticing or remembering.
    “I’ve got to go,” Davis said. “Sorry.”
    Joel nodded, and Davis and Rose jogged off to join a group gathering around Michael near the station.
    With Davis gone, Joel really was going to be spending the summer alone. His grade was practically empty.
    Joel hefted Professor Fitch’s books. He hadn’t meant to take them in the first place, but he had them, so he might as well put them to some use, as the library wouldn’t lend Rithmatic texts to