When seventeen-year-old Jennifer transfers as a senior to the elite and creepy Uther Academy, she’s hopeful it can be her ticket to an out-of-state college and away from Maine. Sure, people say kids disappear from Uther every so often, but that’s just a rumor. Besides, unsubstantiated whispers are the least of her problems, as due to an “honest mistake,” she’s given no school currency, and has to make a deal with another new student, August, to pay off her debt. August is calculating and rude, but her hopes of avoiding him as much as possible are dashed when they’re forced to work together in the mysterious lower levels of the school. Despite her desire to keep her head down and get out, working in the depths of the school reveal secrets she never could have imagined, including the connection between her own past and the academy, making it harder to ignore her creeping suspicion: for her, leaving may not be an option.
Before senior year, seventeen-year-old August’s biggest problems were English quizzes and arguing with his grandmother over which movie to watch Friday night. Now he’s at Uther for one reason and one reason only: find the two students who murdered his grandmother last spring. And if that means taking advantage of the other new student, Jennifer, then so be it. Desperate for revenge, he delves into the secrets and mystery of the school, only to learn that his grandmother’s murder barely scratches the surface of all the skeletons in Uther’s closet.
As Uther’s 200th anniversary party looms, August and Jennifer are forced to work together in the academy’s mysterious lower levels. Initial hostility steadily gives way to mutual attraction, and August begins to see a path forward from his grief, even as Jennifer’s inspired to dig deeper into her own past. But August’s rule-breaking tests Jennifer’s resolve to understand her past, especially when it’s not worth getting expelled for. And August can’t let himself get too distracted, since with every second he doesn’t find the killers, they get closer to finding him.
From cryptic interactions with classmates to horrifying discovers in the depths of the school, more and more buried secrets come to light.
And at Uther Academy, nothing stays buried for long.
Art by Evelyn Abel
Raven Reynolds Author 