15

Following the map to the dining hall, I can’t help but wonder if this day could get any worse. First resonating with three elements and put a massive target on my back, then being humiliated in Kaz’s class, and finally, learning I’ll have to spend every day with him for a month just so I’d meet the Academy’s standards.

I’ll tell them where they can stick their standards. I’m only here for Zari, and the truth is, if I had half the resources this place had, I would have never stepped foot into this shallow death trap.

But as I enter the room and pause to take it all in once more, I use a moment to rather list the upsides I’ve encountered so far – seeing as I pride myself for being an optimist. One, I get to spend more time with my cousin. Two, I might actually learn something about magic to improve myself. And three, if I succeed in finding a cure, I will be helping a lot of supernatural beings.

My fourth upside would’ve been making new friends, but I ignore that thought. The less attachments I form, the better. I’m only here for a month, and besides, who’d want to risk befriending a Magian who wields wild magic?

Weaving through the tables, I keep my eyes peeled for Eisley, or for a girl with fiery hair. Elsa probably stands out the most in a crowd. Finally, I spot them on the balcony terrace and hurry to claim the seat between my cousin and Delphi. It seems we’re dining outdoors today.

“Ah, there she is,” Delphi says and stares at me sympathetically. “Elsa told us what happened in Professor D’s class. How horrible of him. Aere you okay?”

I shrug, refraining from telling them how crappy his behaviour truly made me feel. “I’ll live – longer than him, at least. Did you know, people with a positive outlook on life tend to live longer?”

Elsa snorts. “That’s the spirit. If it was me up there, I would’ve burned the class down.”

“She can’t handle first hand humiliation,” Delphi clarifies.

As pessimistic and strict as he might me,” Eisley cuts in while shoving the onions out of her salad with her fork, “you’re lucky to qualify for his class. He’s the best professor in the entire Academy. If my aptitude was good enough, I would’ve been proud to be in his class.”

“Sounds as if you admire him,” I mutter, scoffing into the distance. “Don’t understand why, though. He might be powerful and experienced, but that means nothing if his attitude sucks. And what’s with the shades? Is it a fashion thing? Or is his ego really that big?”

Silence dawns on the table after I said that. Delphi looks at her plate awkwardly, Elsa tries avoiding eye contact by swirling her water around in her glass, and Eisley only sits there with her lips set in a thin line. Now I know something’s up.

Either Kaz does have a Godzilla-sized ego and I hit the nail on the head, or there’s something else that I don’t know about.

Well, consider me curious. Nudging Eisley in the side, I urge her to tell me. “What? You’re just going to sit there and say nothing? Come on, Eis, tell me. Please?”

She clears her throat awkwardly and looks between her other two roommates. “Well, I suppose we can tell you, seeing as you’re new here. But you didn’t hear it from us, okay? It’s a…sensitive matter.”

I nod eagerly, scooting my chair closer to her as if she’s about to let me in on a deep, dark secret. Sometimes I forget that I’m a grown adult and not a teenager eating up gossip.

“We don’t know all the details,” she begins, shifting her eyes about to ensure no one was listening in, “but we heard rumours. Apparently, Professor D was cursed when he was a child.”

“By someone in his own family,” Delphi adds with big eyes.

“We’re not sure what effects the curse had, only that it affected his eyes and forced him to cover them from that day on.” Eisley frowns. I know that frown – it’s her ‘I hate not knowing’ frown. She’s always been fond of mysteries and solving them; a little trait we share. “That’s all we know, and that no one has ever seen Professor D’s eyes. Never.”

Well, at least that has my mind occupied enough to forget about my horrible, terrible, no-good morning. I sit back in my chair and mull over everything she said.

Recalling the day Kaz appeared in my shop the first time, I immediately thought the shades were part of his attire. He looked more like a secret agent than a professor then, the shades a mere accessory to make him seem more intimidating.

Only now I know it was not the case.

He truly needed them for whatever that curse did to him.

For a moment, my heart sinks in sympathy for him. I might not know the full extent of his trauma or childhood, but at least I know how it feels to hide a part of yourself that you can’t help or change. It doesn’t matter that I had to hide my entire self and he only his eyes, the fact remains, it’s something that neither of us can control.

If I could change my magic at will to protect myself, to fit in, I would’ve done so in a heartbeat. And I’m sure he would’ve done the same for himself. Shades are cool, but for him, it’s a means – an attempt – to fit in.
Or to hide.

I don’t know him well enough to know which is which.

While I was pondering and poking around the food that magically appeared on my plate, more Acolytes have chosen to dine on the balcony, and the girls around my table started conversing about Magnus knows what.

So deep in thought, I jump a bit when Delphi utters a shrill squeal and nudges me wildly in the side. “Oh, look who is stealing glimpses of you!”

Slightly dazed, I follow to where she’s nodding her head and spot a familiar face at a table not far from ours. My heart skips when Gilbert looks away after I caught him red-handed, twisting in his chair so quickly, he almost falls off it. Even then, he deliberately peeks at me over his shoulder, comically looking away every time he realizes I’m still staring.

It’s cute, really.

For someone claimed to be the most eligible and ‘lusted after’ person in Alcove Academy, he’s giving golden retriever energy. And if I can take it a step further, I’d almost say he’s the complete opposite of Kaz.

Elsa hums knowingly. “Yep, that boy’s drooling in his pants. It won’t surprise me if he has a breeding kink. With features like that, I’m sure he’s all for populating the world with mini versions of himself.”

Eisley looks at her blankly. “Really? While we’re eating, Els?”

“Hey, not my problem you’re a prude who’s saving yourself for marriage.” Elsa holds her hands up in defence.

“And there’s nothing wrong with that,” Delphi adds quickly, sounding supportive. “I think it’s admirable, Eis. Everyone should do what makes them happy.”

“Rather do *who* makes them happy,” Elsa says smugly.

I only hear half of the conversation as I continue to steal glimpses of Gilbert. He was in my class earlier, which means his aptitude had to be good enough to meet Kaz’s standards. Which leaves me curious to how many elements Gilbert resonated with, and how skilled he is with magic. You know, just in case I need an extra tutor for when Kaz threatens to kill me.

Little did I know I’ve been staring so long; lunch had ended in the meantime. Which meant only one thing…

I had one more class before my first tutor session with Kaz.