Chapter Fifteen
It’s been a few days since my encounter with Ryder.
I still get butterflies when I think about him.
It’s been hard staying away. The humblebee vine works, so no more seeing Ryder in my dreams. I should be happy, right?
I have been trying to make sense of the missing Moon people.
No one at Sun has mentioned it yet. I wonder if they even know.
The sudden sound of books smashing against the wall pulls me out of my thoughts.
“Sorry about that.” Nala looks embarrassed at the dent caved in the wall next to me.
“Still struggling to control your Gifts I see.” I chuckle, helping her pick up the books she was levitating.
“It’s a real ball ache; you get these Gifts and feel all shiny and new until you accidentally stab yourself in the leg with a pen.” She sits down next to me on the viewing benches in the second courtyard, her hand emphasising the plaster stuck midway up her thigh.
“No one expects you to be a master overnight. That’s why we go to this school, so they can teach us how to use them,” I reply, shuffling back in my seat.
“I know, but it sucks that I have all this power and can’t use it properly. You’ll know exactly how I feel tomorrow,” She adds, her eyes widening and a grin forming on her face.
“Don’t remind me.” My body tenses just thinking about it. I’ll finally be given my Gift after eighteen years of waiting.
“I know you’re scared, but honestly, it’s fine. I thought meeting my God would be awkward and terrifying, but it was amazing…just amazing.” Her smile softens, and her eyes travel to mine. I can tell her heart is warmed by the encounter.
“Hey, don’t get all mushy on me,” I joke and prod at her arm. “Come on, we’ve got to get to History.”
She follows me off the bench, her arms wrapping tightly around her books.
***
“The divide between Moon and Sun is centuries old,” Mr Vivian reads the words on the chalkboard.
His bald head is shining under the warm lights of the room.
“But it wasn’t always like this.” His long ginger beard jiggles as he talks.
“Who can tell me what event caused the divide to manifest?” He uses a red handkerchief to dab at the sweat droplets on his forehead.
The class is silent. “Right, well, I guess I’ll pick someone then.
” His eyes scan around the room and fall on William.
“You, Mr… with the yellow scarf, want to take a crack at it?”
“Ermmm, was it something to do with the Great Blackout?” William’s voice is shaky and unsure.
“DING DING DING!” Mr Vivian chimes loudly, causing us all to jump a little. “Correct Mr…?”
“Watson, sir… William Watson.” The attention causes his cheeks to redden, but he smiles at the small triumph.
“Excellent. That’s today’s topic. The Great Blackout.
” He emphasises each syllable, creating a sort of rhythm with his sentences.
“What caused the Great Blackout?” His eyes scan the room again.
“You with the eyes.” His chubby finger points at me, and the heads of all the students pivot to look at me.
“Asha… My name’s Asha,” I reply matter-of-factly.
“Moonkind’s strongest shadow wielders conjured shadow hawks to fly around the sun, creating darkness for thirty days.
This was in retaliation to the new law Sunkind had created after a member of the RHE was killed by a sky serpent; it allowed the slaughter of any sky serpents that came within ten feet of Palidonia’s villages.
The Sunkind were weak and could not draw their power for thirty days, so they eventually had to dismiss the law.
The relationship between Moon and Sun was never the same,” I parrot the section from ‘The History of Palidonia’ book I’ve read a hundred times.
“Very good, Asha….” His voice bellows as he seeks out his next victim. “Why are ‘interdaecial’ relationships forbidden?” His chubby finger wafts at Alex, who is slumped in his chair.
“Cos the Moonkind are all ugly freaks,” he retorts sarcastically, making the class chuckle.
He grins at the ones chuckling and revels in their amusement. He couldn’t be further from the truth.
“What is your name?” Mr Vivian’s voice is strong and bold. Alex’s smirk is quickly wiped off his smug face.
“Alex, sir… Alex Rotherman,” he says shakily.
“Well, Mr Rotherman, you seem to have strong opinions on the Moonkind.” Mr Vivian’s face hardens as he walks towards Alex.
“I guess you won’t mind skipping second meals to write me a thousand-word essay on the formalities of ‘interdaecial’ relationships,” he states, leaning over Alex’s desk and sending him an unapologetic smile.
Alex goes quiet and sinks back into his chair.
“It is forbidden for a Sun and Moon to engage in a physical or sexual relationship because the Gods do not allow it. The very nature of the bloodlines is said to repel each other like two positively charged magnets; therefore, procreation is not possible.”
I can’t help but let out a slight chuckle at this. My blood is drawn to Ryder’s like a moth to a flame. My whole body yearns for him, and yet my genetic makeup is supposed to cringe at the thought.
“The Gods made the hypothesis that the coming together of Moon and Sun, as opposites, would cause catastrophic damage to our world and therefore, anyone who defies this will be stripped of their Gifts and exiled.”
I think again of Ryder. The punishment is harsh. I couldn’t bear to see him stripped of his Gifts and exiled. He’s right. I am playing a dangerous game. I need to keep my feelings out of this. Maybe it’s a good thing I haven’t seen him since the archives.
“During The Great Blackout, does anyone know how the Gods portrayed their unrest?” Mr Vivian asks, and hands rise in the air. Guess they know that if they don’t, they will get picked on, anyway. Nala has her hand up. Go on girl!
“Yes, you, black hair at the back!”
“It’s Nala,” she says, and he nods in acknowledgement. “The Gods caused natural disasters to take place. There were countless earthquakes and floods. I heard that thunder and lightning struck Palidonia almost every day.”
“Indeed, it did… That shows you the great power our Gods possess.”
He raises his rectangular glasses to the bridge of his nose and looks around at the class.
“Today’s homework will be to research the effects that The Great Blackout had on Palidonia i.e.
Moon and Sun relationships, the economy, the RHE and any other environmental effects.
Please make notes, as you will be asked about your findings in class next week.
” He clears his throat. “We will be covering The Battle of Verdona. You are not required to research this, but those of you who do will be receiving extra credit. Class dismissed.”
I look over at Nala and smile as we stand and shove our books into our bags.
“You know how I love extra credit,” I wink at her, causing a smile to elongate across her face.
“You really are a nerd,” she laughs. “Can you believe two classes, and he still doesn’t know our names. He doesn’t deserve your extra credit.” She gestures to Mr Vivian, who is now wiping his chalkboard with a stained cloth.
“It’s true. I’ll probably be known as ‘the girl with the eyes’ for the rest of the year!” Laughter breaks out between us as we wade through the tables and chairs scattered around the room.
The castle’s bell rings loudly.
“Come on, let’s go get some food! Got to have a full belly for taming class.”
This will be our first taming class since we almost became dinner.
Nala seems so unfazed. She was born to be a tamer, but not me.
I’m only here because of the incident last time.
Nala convinced me to take the class after seeing the way that elion reacted to me.
If it knows my mother, then I suppose it’s one way to feel closer to her.
Maybe it can tell me about her. He clicked at me before, but I couldn’t decipher what he said.
Maybe I can ask Veronica or find a book on their language.
“How could I forget…” I trail behind Nala, who is skipping down the hall. She really is crazy. I feel a presence behind me and turn to confront it. I suspect who it may be.
“Are you following me?” I torment River, and he raises his hands in a surrendering motion.
“You caught me.” He grins, his blonde hair swaying with his words. “But seriously, I’m glad I found you. There’s a games night tonight in the archives, shall I put your name down for strip poker?” he jokes and bites his lip. I fight the urge to smile.
“As much as I love seeing you and the guys arguing over childish games, I’m gonna have to pass,” I say, turning on my heels and continuing my way to the dining hall.
“Oh, really…” He catches up with me again.
“I’m getting my Gifts tonight. Got to be in bed early for when my God visits.”
River steps in front of me, his eyes bright as he begins walking backwards.
“Oh, that’s tonight? Well, we’ll have to do something tomorrow to celebrate.”
Oh, I get it now. He wants to take me on a date. This may be a good distraction from Ryder. I mean, River is lovely and gorgeous, and he likes me a lot. I think back to Professor Vivian’s words; there’s no way I am going to risk me or Ryder becoming exiled.
“Yeah, that sounds nice.” I send him a warm smile, and his eyes smile back at me.
“Brilliant!! I mean, okay, yeah, cool.” He tries to suppress his happiness, and I let out a small giggle.
“Okay then, cool guy.” I raise my brow and let out a chuckle; his hazel eyes sparkle under the warm lights in the dining hall. He throws his hand up to his head and tugs at his sandy curls, his cheeks warming slightly.
“See you then, princess.” He blows me a sarcastic kiss and smirks as he heads over to the far table where Ty and Jaxon are sitting. I can feel Nala’s eyes watching me, I walk towards the table of first years and perch myself next to her.
“You are that boy’s Achilles heel.” Her grin is wide as she playfully nudges my arm. “I’ve never seen him so giddy.”
I look back at him laughing and joking with Ty and Jaxon, and a smile plays on my lips.
“He wants to take me on a date tomorrow to celebrate getting my Gifts.” I pull myself in closer to the table and pluck a cheese and ham baguette off one of the many trays of food laid on its oak. I place it on my plate and pick up the jug of orange juice, filling up my glass and taking a swig.
“A date in Sun Sovereign? Where’s he gonna take you? The library?” she jokes, picking up her chicken and bacon roll. She plunges it into a glob of mayonnaise and takes a large bite.
“I don’t know. Knowing River, it will probably be down the archives again,” I chuckle and take another mouthful of my orange juice.
“As long as none of that pink liquor is involved.” She raises her eyebrows, and my laughter catches me off guard, spraying my orange juice out of my mouth.
“I will not be touching that stuff again.”
I think about my interaction with Ryder that night, how his touch made me quiver and his smirk weakened my knees. I take another large bite out of my baguette to distract myself from the sensation.
“Really? I was considering taking potions just so I could make my own batch,” Nala jokes, which brings me back down to earth. I laugh hard and squeeze her arm.
“Does Charlie know about this?” I retort and laugh harder.
“What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.” She pauses.
“But it might make him super horny for me.” She gives me a playful wink, and I can’t control my laughter.
We’re both giggling till we are red in the face and have to remind each other to take a breath.
I finish my baguette and pinch the remaining crumbs from my plate into my mouth.
I look at Nala concentrating hard. Her face is shaking slightly, and her eyebrows are furrowed. I watch as the jug of orange juice vibrates clumsily, and Nala’s eyes narrow in on it. Sweat drips from her brow as her focus increases, and the jug begins to levitate a centimetre or so above the table.
“Come on, just a little higher,” Nala whispers to herself.
The jug floats a little higher. She tilts her hand over to the left, and the jug tilts on its axis, pouring its contents into her glass.
Nala is ecstatic and raises her hand in triumph, her smile reaches her ears, but it is quickly interrupted by the crash of the jug and her glass onto the table.
Looks like she broke her concentration for a moment too long.
“For fuck’s sake,” Nala whines, bowing her head in disappointment.
“You almost had it, Nala. A bit more practice and you’ll be able to pour ten of those without breaking a sweat,” I encourage, dabbing at the spillage with a napkin.
“You really think so?” she hangs on my reply.
“I know so.” I grab her hand and give it a consoling squeeze; she rests her head on my shoulder and sighs.
“Thanks, Asha.”
We sit like this for a moment until the bell chimes. Nala perks up instantly.
“Time for taming!” There is joy in her voice as her frown is replaced by a huge smile.
Yep. Definitely crazy.