Chapter 534: Boredom Sucks
Book Fourteen: Unseelie Ties
Class bored me. Mostly. How could I possibly take interest in the chain reaction of fire, water, earth and air through tiny little samples on a glass slate when I'd flown with dragons, fought demons and evil witches, battled vampire queens, and almost died doing it? I sighed, chin on my fist as my lab partner, Tippy Meeks, prodded the small clump of dirt to start the show.
"Observe," Mr. Howermall, my Elemental Interactions teacher said in his low, dull voice devoid of anything resembling excitement or enthusiasm. Tippy tossed her thick red hair over one shoulder and crossed her eyes at me. She was the only saving grace in this entire stupid class. "Earth and water are in opposition."
Right. I was supposed to be watching as Tippy's magic nudged the hovering droplet of water over the loose soil, scattering it. Wow. How awesome was that?
Sarcasm, my best friend.
One week into my second year of witch's college and here I was wishing something really awful would happen just so I'd have an excuse to get out of this boring class.
Tippy winked and fluttered her fingers over the mess she'd made. A little clay man rose from the mix, dancing a jig on the glass while giving Mr. Howermall the finger.
Oh my, yes. Much, much better.
I pressed both hands over my mouth to stifle my giggling and made a fake angry face at Tippy who let the tiny mud man collapse.
Seriously. This was basic stuff, for babies. Okay, okay, so I hadn't exactly been the best student growing up, but if this was all we learned in college, I was so ready to call it a day and head for home.
"Now," Mr. Howermall said, "introduce air to your experiment."
I gestured at Tippy as she raised one hand. My turn. Mr. Howermall wanted air in there, huh? I could handle that. A tiny tornado danced its way into life, complete with a softly echoing howl. Tippy raised her mud man again and we both nearly collapsed into laughter as the twister lifted him up and spun him like a top. Bits of mud flew out of the tornado to splatter Tippy's shirt. Still giggling, I raised a shield to protect us, too late. She brushed her hand over the tight white t-shirt she wore, the mud falling to the counter. "Bite Me" glared back from the pair of ruby lips balanced on her impressive cleavage.
Her voluptuousness always made me wonder if I could do a little enhancement of my own. Not that I was flat or anything, but I felt more than inadequate when I stood next to her.
Then again, I didn't have guys staring at my chest instead of in my eyes. Not that Tippy minded. Thus the t-shirt.
"Excellent." Mr. Howermall didn't even leave his desk to observe us, instead leaning his rounded belly against the back of his chair, face as disinterested as his voice. "Next, apply fire to the other three and record your findings."
If I didn't get to do something challenging soon, I was going to lose my mind. All of the things that happened to me over the last three years or so left me a little jaded. Okay, more than a little. I leaned back, my good humor fading, and let Tippy introduce fire into the tornado. Mud man shook, expanded and then exploded outward, splattering the inside of the shield with his clayness.
"Ew." Tippy's eyes glittered with wickedness. "Let's do that again."
I laughed softly, keeping my head down, though I was now firmly convinced Mr. Howermall wouldn't have left his desk or noticed we were up to no good even if his ass was on fire. "Thanks, but no thanks."
"You're no fun," she pouted, her wide, full lips pulling down, glowing with lip gloss. And then she smiled and prodded me. "Just kidding," she said. "This is lame."
"Really?" I glared at Mr. Howermall. "I hadn't noticed."
Sashenka Hensley, my roommate and bestie, turned around from two desks up to roll her eyes at me. I would have chosen her for a lab partner in a second, if Mr. Howermall hadn't assigned us. At least I had Tippy. Poor Shenka was stuck with Richard Neuman, a Santos witch. I didn't have anything against him, per se, but he was the clumsiest guy with magic I'd ever met. After being stuck beside him in Mixed Magicks lab last semester dodging flying power, I felt Shenka's pain, but didn't love her enough to trade places.
She had to learn life sucked sometimes.
Snort.
I watched her carefully handle her klutzy partner and my mind went to our conversation from the summer. Shenka's desire to leave her coven led me to talk to her about being my second, something she'd seemed excited about when she mentioned it again at Sunny and Uncle Frank's wedding. But every time I brought it up since starting back to school, she made an excuse or changed the subject.
She changed her mind, was my only guess. And as much as I wanted her to be my second, needed one thanks to Gram's prodding, and knew Shenka was the perfect choice, I understood her reluctance. Her older sister, Tallah, was my friend, one of the only younger witches leading covens that I knew. The last thing I wanted was to make enemies of the Hensley coven by stealing Shenka away. But if she wasn't happy, it had to be detrimental to the family.
Still, I understood. But it made me feel sad and a little frustrated.
"You've been sighing all class," Tippy whispered as she swept the mess from table with air magic and into the trash. "Either tell me what's up or stop breathing." She winked once, twining a lock of red curls around her finger.
"Things don't always work out the way you want them, I guess." I shrugged. "My grandmother's been pushing me to recruit a second so she can hand off the rest of the family power."
I might as well have told Tippy her favorite rock band stood right behind her. Green eyes lit up and widened, one hand grasping mine, her perfectly manicured and very sharp nails digging into my wrist as she leaned close with a smile growing across her face. I understood my mistake almost immediately.
"Syd," Tippy said, voice quivering with emotion, "I would love. Yes. Love. To audition to be your second. LOVE." She bounced on her stool, still clinging to me. "I've been wanting to leave my family and make my own mark. And your coven..." she whistled softly before sobering a little. "I know you can't just choose me," she said. "That we'll have to talk about it. But," she grabbed me again, grin as big as ever, "I'd be honored if you'd let me try out."
Like she was applying to be a cheerleader.
Oh boy.
Before I could say anything, a deep, echoing chime rang. Mr. Howermall sighed and actually looked relieved himself. "Dismissed."
I rose and moved to the softly opening door, Tippy chattering away beside me while I inwardly cringed at the thought of having her as my second. I adored her, of course I did. She was one of the few friends I chose to have who didn't judge me or treat me differently. Unlike most of the rest of the student body who were either afraid of me or hated my guts for varying reasons having to do with family attachments.
I let Tippy talk, retreating as I considered the problem. While I wouldn't likely choose her, I knew I did have to make a decision. Any idea of doing what Tallah did and picking my own sister was out of the question. Not only was Meira more demon than I was on the outside, forced to hide her red skin and black horns, not to mention her glowing amber eyes behind a facade of humanity, she and I weren't really on talking terms at the moment.
Ever since her return from Demonicon, Meira was different, darker and more on edge. I hardly blamed her for the change. She'd been purposely hooked on nectar by Sassafras's evil mother, Sekaniphestat, used by Ameline to track and try to stop me from blocking Ameline's way to the Node keeping Demonicon together. And I hadn't been there for Meira, to protect her. To keep her safe.
Guilt, thy name is Syd.
But even if she forgave me and didn't act distant and cold when I managed to track her down, she was now heir to the Second Seat of Demonicon. That position trumped the coven.
My heart hurt thinking about my little sister. Now aged beyond her normal eleven-year old appearance thanks to the nectar, Mom decided sending her off to a different school for the year would be a good change for her. Which meant sending Meira to Europe, living with Council Leader Applegate. Yes, I could have reached her at any point, even ridden the veil across territories to visit. But she'd made it pretty clear when we'd parted just before I came to Harvard she needed space.
Namely, by closing me out completely.
I took the hint and the hit to my guilt and let her go.
Even worse, my ever-present support system, my silver Persian demon boy Sassafras, was on Demonicon for the next few weeks. An invitation to help Dad and my grandfather solidify their new rule wasn't something he could turn down. As much as I knew it was a huge honor and Sass was excited to go, I missed him every single day.
He deserved a life. Of course he did. I just wished he could live it around me at the moment.
I caught Shenka's eye as we cleared the exit to Coven Hall and passed through to the library on our way to lunch. She smiled, slowed to wait for me, even as my gaze drifted past her to a girl with long, black hair.
Ameline. No, of course not. The girl turned to smile at her companion, showing me her profile. Not my nemesis. And yet, the reminder was a jab to my guts and, I knew, the source of my discontent with attending college.
What did school matter when I should be out there hunting down Ameline Benoit?
And killing her.
***
