Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
Ender
Iwas vaguely aware of the cool, hard surface of the stone pillar pressing into my shoulder as I leaned against it.
Each time someone exited the west dorms, my heart beat a little faster with anticipation.
Crowds made me nervous—not that anyone knew—but waiting for Selene as my date did something else to me.
Her cheeks had flushed when I had asked her to the ball during lunch in front of her classmates.
It was merely to get a reaction from her, but to my surprise, she had narrowed her eyes in defiance and said yes.
A flash of white caught my attention and I looked over at the dorm entrance again.
Selene walked through this time, and my heart stilled.
She had ditched her buns and braids combo for loose waves that fell just below her shoulders, and her white pantsuit hugged her curves elegantly and flowed as she walked, her low heels clicking against the stone.
The perfect formal attire to still fight in.
I pushed off the pillar, brushing the dust off my black suit and telling myself to stop gawking. Selene stopped in front of me, and I held her gaze. I was about to tell her she looked beautiful, but someone else spoke.
“Are you two just going to stand there and ogle each other all night or are you actually going to make it to the ball?” Sydney started toward the gym. “I’m going to go dance.”
I hadn’t realized Sydney had come out right behind her.
“Shall we?” I held out my arm.
Selene nodded, slipping an arm into mine, and I steered her toward the gym. A stone path led to each building and the grounds behind the main building were covered in snow, the air a bit cooler than normal. They went the whole nine yards every year for the Winter Ball.
A medium-sized wooden sign was staked by the pathway to the entrance:
NO magic or any elemental use.
NO alcohol.
You must sign in and sign out.
A sign-in book lay open on a small wooden table just outside the entrance. A guard stood next to the door, wearing his typical black garb with his gold insignia jacket.
“Okay.” Sydney dropped the elegant wood pen on the sign-in book and turned to face us. “Let’s go.”
“You signed us in?” Selene strode over to check the book as Sydney took off through the entrance. “Looks like she did.”
Selene glanced up at me, and I held out my arm once again for her to take.
Inside, the gym was turned into a winter wonderland, but the temperature felt like a spring day.
Small pine trees scattered about, sprouting from low flowerpots, and the walls were decorated in fake cotton to resemble snow—one of the few things not created from magic.
The lighting made the ceiling dark like the night sky as snowflakes fell, vaporizing before they hit the ground.
Selene held out her free hand, catching a snowflake in her palm before it disappeared.
She glanced around, her shoulders dropping as she took everything in.
She was clearly well-rehearsed in elemental magic, but she must’ve never experienced something like this.
The upbeat pop music was a bit out of place, complements of one of my classmates the Winter Ball Committee had deemed fit to be the DJ.
“It’s a bit much.” I leaned in toward her.
“It is.” She looked out into the rows of tables next to the dance floor, her gaze fixating on something. “There’s Viv.”
We made our way toward the table where her sister, April, Sydney, Denise, David, and Joseph sat, passing Ivy in the process.
Gwen stood next to her with Nick’s arm wrapped around her waist. I gave him a nod, and he winked in response.
Gwen must’ve finally said yes to coming to the ball with him after all these years.
Ivy didn’t glance at us, to my shock. Her constant need to follow me around and tell me her melodramatic stories had been nonexistent lately—which was to a relief.
As soon as we reached the table, Vivian began enthusiastically discussing the decorations with Selene.
Focusing on the discourse of ornate flowers sprouting from the tables was not easy, and the hum of conversations and thumping of the awful pop music drowned my thoughts.
Wanting to slow the rising anxiety in my chest, I concentrated on Selene and the touch of her arm still wrapped around mine.
She wore a gold chain necklace with a white pearl complementing her pantsuit.
A slight glimmer of gold powder was dashed across her cheeks, matching her eye shadow.
The color brought out the warmth in her brown eyes, diluting the fire I’d grown attached to that usually resided there.
Sydney started laughing, which trailed off into a cough, bringing me back to my surroundings. She tapped her chest and I glanced around the table, realizing no one had any drinks.
“If you’ll excuse me,” I slid my arm from Selene’s and rested my hand at the small of her back, “I’ll go get the table some punch.”
She gave me a nod, her gaze lingering a little longer with mine, before giving her attention to Sydney.
The crowd parted for me as I made my way over to a large punch bowl. I was filling the third cup when Miss Lee joined me.
“What a handsome young gentleman you are. Getting all the ladies punch?” Miss Lee asked. She often chaperoned these events, saying it made her feel youthful again.
“I wouldn’t say a gentleman, but yes to the handsome.” I smiled.
“Ah. Typical Ender.” She laughed. “Ruffle any feathers yet?”
“Not yet.” I gave her a friendly wink.
Miss Lee glanced behind me.
“I see you finally came—and with a date,” she said.
“I did.” I turned to look at Selene.
“I’d be careful with that one. She seems to be hiding something.” Miss Lee looked down her pointed nose as she tilted her chin up. “Take warning.”
“Shouldn’t all women come with a warning label?
” I laughed, hiding behind the truth of her statement.
Selene was hiding something, and I wasn’t about to share what that was.
Miss Lee was an old, sweet lady, and she was very knowledgeable.
I wasn’t surprised she suspected something even though Selene didn’t have a strong scent or multiple scents of each element.
“Just be careful. Enjoy your night.” Miss Lee nodded and walked away.
I glanced at the cups that annoyingly lacked handles. Getting them to the table without magic wouldn’t be possible.
“Can I help with those?” David walked up next to me.
“Please.” I nodded, thankful for his offer. I had doubted his character, but he was always friendly. Still, something about him bothered me. It wasn’t that he didn’t say anything about himself. I didn’t, either. But something bugged me.
We brought the drinks back to the table.
“Aww! Thanks, Ender and David!” April beamed at the sight of the drinks and reached for two of them, handing one to Vivian.
The blaring music and everyone’s conversations started to pound against my eardrums, urging me to seek quiet.
On top of all the decorations and that fact that the gym rarely held this many students at once, it was overwhelming.
The impulse to leave was strong, but what I really found myself desiring was to be alone with Selene.
It didn’t take long for Sydney to convince everyone—everyone but Selene, David, and me—to go dance. I had asked Selene to join me for one slow song, but there was no persuading her.
“Do this many students always attend?” David asked.
“This is my first time attending.”
“It is?” Selene’s gaze drifted from the dance floor to me and I nodded.
“It is very cool.” David glanced up at the snow that fell from the dark ceiling.
“Have you been to anything like this at your old school?” Selene asked David.
He shook his head. “I didn’t get the option to attend something like this.”
I didn’t ask questions, not wanting to overstep. Selene didn’t comment either. We all had our background, and that story was ours to share if we wanted to.
“I don’t bite.” David smiled. “Whenever I mention something about my past, everyone goes quiet.” He paused before asking, “Can I confide something with you both?”
We nodded and David leaned across the table.
“I know you’ve heard the rumors about me, specifically the one where I may have offed my parents.
I’m actually here because the council sent me.
I was deprived of any training during my childhood and was a fire mage orphan—not because I did something to my parents, but because I never knew them.
The council believed Fives Academy would be the best location for me because of this.
Head Trainer Murphy meets with me multiple times a week.
These gloves are enchanted to help contain my magic so I don’t accidentally burn things. ”
“The council made you wear enchanted gloves?” Selene’s brows knitted together.
“Yes.” He shrugged. “It was a part of my agreement.”
“That’s rude,” Selene said and I agreed. The gloves were almost like nullifying cuffs.
“It’s truly fine.” He waved his gloves in the air for emphasis. “They provide a sense of security, and I don’t mind them. They also add fuel to the rumors—apparently.”
“Couldn’t they have made ones that weren’t leather? They sent you to a school where it’s usually hot and sunny,” I said.
“They could have given me snow mittens.” He laughed and held out his covered hand, catching a snowflake.
“Touché.” I took a sip of my punch. “I hope that your training helps. Trainer Murphy is excellent.”
He nodded. Maybe that was what bugged me about David. He was friends with Selene. Could he be a potential danger to her if his gloves came off?