An Academy for Liars

Lennon and Dante end up in a mine shaft, and Dante admits to losing control. They leave the mine and walk until they find an inn, where they pay in cash and check in. Dante cleans himself up, and Lennon finds thousands of dollars in his pockets. She bandages and cleans his wounds as he explains what happened in Amsterdam. The abomination was a former classmate of Dante’s. He says that persuasionists who push themselves too far can lose themselves and break their minds. All persuasionists must fight against the dark parts of themselves that seek self-annihilation.

Dante also explains that he siphoned power from the city around him, which some persuasionists can do. He feels guilty for possibly hurting people, but Lennon promises him that he didn’t—otherwise, she would have sensed it. She also tells Dante she feels changed by her ability to open gates at will and control her power. She wants to open a gate back to Drayton, but Dante tells her to rest; he says they’ll drive to Benedict’s tomorrow and take the gate from his house.

The next day, Dante and Lennon go to a diner. Dante tells Lennon to persuade a racist fellow diner to give them the keys to his truck. Lennon focuses and manages to convince the man. They take his truck and drive to Benedict’s house. When they arrive, the house is dark and quiet. Lennon looks for Benedict and finds him in his study; he is dead and his wrists are slit. She screams, and Dante tells her to go back to Drayton and tell Eileen what’s happened.

Lennon stumbles into Eileen’s office. She tells her what happened in Amsterdam and about Benedict’s death. Eileen comforts Lennon and promises to handle it before sending her to Logos with instructions to break the news of Benedict’s death to Claude. When Lennon tells Claude, he demands that Lennon take him to Benedict’s house. However, the elevator to Benedict’s no longer works, and Lennon does not think this is coincidental. Claude demands she open a gate to Benedict’s, but Lennon is still too drained. Claude breaks down as the other Logos students comfort him, and he tells them Benedict would never leave him. He says someone must have murdered Benedict.

Lennon stays on campus for Thanksgiving as the members of Logos house have decided to remain behind to care for Claude. His drinking has worsened in his grief, making him often unpredictable and violent. During one of Lennon’s shifts to sit with him, Claude attempts to throw his body out the window after asserting that Dante murdered Benedict; in the process, Claude is badly cut up. Lennon uses persuasion to force him back in before Emerson arrives and stops her, looking at Lennon like she’s dangerous. They take Claude to the infirmary, and Lennon sits with him. Claude again accuses Dante of murder, saying that Dante once threatened to kill Benedict and referenced an incident in August, but he doesn’t say more.

Lennon goes to Dante’s office, but he’s not there. Nadine walks by and tells her that Dante is often in the chapel. Nadine walks Lennon there and confesses to sleeping with Ian. When Lennon gets to the chapel, she sits with Dante. She lights a candle for Claude and Benedict at Dante’s suggestion, and Dante lights a third candle for Ian’s rat, which was pushed too hard and died. Dante admits to lying to Lennon that the rats won’t be harmed because he knew she could succeed if she gave Drayton a chance. Dante also tells her Eileen closed the door to Benedict’s while they select a successor, as Claude is in no shape to take over. Lennon asks Dante if he threatened Benedict, and Dante says he did—it was after Benedict abused Lennon during their lessons. However, he denies killing Benedict. The air is charged, and Lennon and Dante almost kiss before Dante stops himself and leaves the chapel.

Dante avoids Lennon, canceling all their advising meetings. This only makes Lennon’s feelings for him more intense. She breezes through her final exams and then returns to Florida, where her mother picks her up at the airport. Their interactions are awkward because of the distance between them after Lennon’s departure for Colorado with Wyatt. When they get back to her parents’ house, Lennon sees her sister Carly, who hasn’t spoken to Lennon after they argued before Lennon left for Colorado. They hug after Carly makes a jab about Lennon smoking again.

At dinner that night, the family questions Lennon about Drayton, but she only gives them vague descriptions about studying the human condition, which makes them suspicious. Lennon tells them about Wyatt’s infidelity, and they feel bad for her. Lennon receives a letter from Drayton saying that she passed her first semester and asking her to confirm her continued enrollment with a new advisor, Alec Becker. Lennon calls the school and says she won’t return unless Dante is her advisor. Later that night, she struggles to sleep, and Carly wakes and offers her melatonin. Lennon tries to tell her about Drayton, but her mouth won’t make the words, causing her to realize she’s been persuaded not to speak about school. Carly is concerned, and Lennon takes Carly’s memories of the interaction out of her mind, sickened because she is manipulating her sister.

On Christmas, Dante arrives at Lennon’s parents’ house. He summons Lennon outside and asks her why she’s threatening to leave Drayton. Lennon says she learns better from Dante. Dante tells her that if he continues as her advisor, there can be nothing romantic between them. Lennon agrees, and Dante agrees to remain her advisor. He tells her that she must return to Drayton with him at once, and Lennon goes inside to say goodbye and pack. Her family is suspicious, and Carly is concerned about Dante, so Lennon persuades them to sit peacefully on the couch and believe that she left and they’re okay with it. Her parents look calm, but even after the persuasion, Carly looks betrayed.

Dante and Lennon drive back to Drayton in silence. When they arrive, they pass through a gate onto campus, which Dante explains is the last gate Irvine ever raised. Back at Logos, Blaine has returned from her family trip to the Maldives, having become seasick. She tells Lennon that Claude was expelled after an interaction with Dante, which happened in front of Emerson. Lennon goes to Emerson’s room, where she’s hosting a cocktail hour after also returning early after a fight with her girlfriend. Lennon asks Emerson what happened with Claude, and Emerson is upset that Lennon is now Dante’s heir apparent. Emerson then tells Lennon that Claude mentioned her final lesson with Benedict in his argument with Dante, but she doesn’t know more.

Lennon goes to Dante’s private house on campus late at night to ask him what happened with Claude. Dante cautions her against visiting his home, as it could raise suspicions about their relationship. Dante is in the middle of planning to quash a political campaign for one of Drayton’s donors, but he’s not sure he’s going to go through with it. Lennon asks him about Claude, and Dante says he showed up intoxicated to his office and made more accusations before getting violent. He also showed up intoxicated to his hearing, so he was expelled, though he was allowed to keep his memories. Lennon asks if they found a suicide note from Benedict, and Dante denies it, though Lennon is suspicious.

Lennon goes to the library to visit Sawyer and request Claude’s file to find his off-campus address. Sawyer agrees to help her, and when they go into the archives, Lennon feels drawn to a drawer that is slightly ajar—it contains mutilated bones. Sawyer explains that some of Drayton’s first students became overwhelmed by their power, and the will within them attacked their bodies like an autoimmune disorder; in one case, it continued to ravage a boy’s corpse after his death. Lennon is horrified, but Sawyer promises her that it doesn’t happen anymore because they better understand how to control the power now. They find Claude’s file and his address. Sawyer tells Lennon that Claude sought Dante’s file, but it’s empty except for a note explaining it’s been redacted. Lennon plans to go to Claude for answers, and Sawyer insists on accompanying her.

Lennon creates a gate to Claude’s apartment in New York City. Claude is sitting clothed in the bathtub, smoking. He tells Lennon that he’s kept his memories, and Drayton got him a cushy job because he is the descendent of one of Drayton’s original boys. Lennon asks him about Benedict’s murder, and Claude tells her that he’s already said who the murderer is. He warns her that Dante will use her and cast her aside. Claude says he is done with Drayton, and he seeks to stay sober and keep positive memories of Benedict. Lennon asks him about the events of August that he mentioned in the infirmary, and he lies and says he doesn’t remember saying that.