Chapter 52
Poppy
THE WORLD OUTSIDE THE CASTLE windows is bathed in shimmering white. Snow fell overnight, covering the courtyard and the trees and the castle’s spiraling towers. But this morning, the sun is out, and it makes all the snow glitter.
The castle corridors buzz with excitement. Finals are over, the big runeball game between Hexrush and the Sigil Strikers is tomorrow, and tonight is the Blue Moon Ball at Ravenscroft Castle. Needless to say, there’s a lot to be excited for.
Yet I find my stomach twisting into knots as I walk toward the east tower. Aric’s tower.
I had to try so hard yesterday not to stare at him during our Kitchen Spellwork exam. I kept feeling his gaze on me, and when I turned to glance at him, our eyes met.
And that was all it took to remind me of what Professor Silvermoon said: Sometimes the things most worth having are the things we have to fight for.
I told her I’m not a fighter. And maybe that’s true.
But I can become one. And I can become one for him.
Because Aric means something to me, even if I might not mean the same thing to him.
And I want to tell him the truth of how I feel—even if nothing changes between us.
At least I’ll have gotten it off my chest.
My feet hesitate at the first stair that’ll lead me up the east tower. Fourth-years stream up and down the staircase, talking about the ball and their plans for the Yuletide holiday. But none of them are Aric.
I take a deep breath of the cool castle air, then steel my nerves and start up the staircase, not letting my feet turn around despite how badly they want to.
Outside Aric’s dorm room—ET27—I stop. The door is closed, and for a brief moment, the stairwell is quiet.
Is this ridiculous? Maybe I should just turn around and—
“No,” I whisper to myself, curling my fingers into the fabric of my skirt. “Don’t give up now. Be brave.”
Before I can talk myself out of it, I reach for the door and rap my knuckles against the wood. Then I step back. And I wait.
And wait.
And wait.
No one’s here.
Which means I got my courage up for nothing.
My shoulders droop. It took so much work for me to get here, and nothing will come of it.
With a sigh, I start to turn.
And then the door opens, making my pulse skyrocket.
But it’s not Aric standing in the open doorway; it’s his roommate, Felex. Aric has told me plenty about his reclusive vampire roommate, but I’ve never met him before.
“Poppy?” he says, voice tinged with what sounds like surprise.
I blink up at him. “Um, y-yes. You . . . You know me?”
Slowly, his lips pull up on one side, and if I look carefully enough, I can see the point of a razor-sharp canine tooth.
“Of course. Aric speaks of you incessantly. It gets rather old, to be frank.” He’s still wearing that small smile as he reaches up to adjust the collar of his crisp long-sleeved shirt, then continues doing up the buttons on his gold vest.
“Is he here?” I ask, glancing past him into the dorm room, but I don’t see any movement.
“No. He had something important to do this morning,” Felex says.
Something important? My stomach drops.
Aric used to tell me about the important things in his life. But now I feel like a stranger, like someone who can only glance into his life from a distance and not actually be invited inside.
“Oh, okay,” I say, then shift back a step. “Well, thank you.” I start to turn, but Felex’s voice makes me pause.
“He’ll be there tonight. At the ball.”
I glance back. He’s finished doing up his vest buttons, and now he leans in the doorway, reminding me of one of those flowers that lures you in with its pretty petals, only to swallow you whole. Vampires are terrifying like that. I almost take another step back.
“He will?”
Felex nods. “He’s planning on it. And I wish I could watch him try to waltz with those two left feet of his, but alas, I have another engagement. So you’ll have to watch it for me.” His mouth twists into a smirk, and he tips his head. “You’re still going, aren’t you? To the ball?”
I blink, then quickly say, “Um, y-yes. I’ll be there.”
“Good.” This time when Felex smiles, his teeth do show, and I can’t help but wonder how many necks he’s sunk them into. It makes a shiver go down my spine. “Aric will be pleased.”
My heart jumps.
He will?
I open my mouth, wanting to ask Felex what he means, whether Aric has said something, but he’s already straightening up and reaching for the open door.
“It was lovely meeting you, Poppy Waverly. Remind Aric that he’s damn lucky. And also a bloody idiot.”
Then the door closes in my face, and I’m left standing in the stairwell, blinking in confusion.
But behind my ribs, my heart beats with just a bit more hope.
Because if Aric is going tonight, I might have one last chance to talk to him and tell him how I feel.
I turn and start back down the east tower, more resolve settling into my bones.
Whatever happens, I’m going to that ball, and I’m going to wear my pretty purple dress, and I’m going to tell Aric the truth—the truth I’ve been concealing even from myself.
That I think I might love him.
And above all, I’m going to have courage. Because falling in love is terrifying, but I’m going to do it anyway.