Chapter 21
Twenty-One
Varian is droning. This last two hours and fifty-three minutes have been the most boring time I’ve had in a class yet. I keep doodling on my tablet. Seven minutes until we’re out of here.
Jullia nudges my elbow with hers and when I glance over at her she’s glaring at my hangman scene.
I delete the image and try to focus on what’s being said.
I had tuned Varian out a while ago. Most of what he’s taught in this class I already know.
Intro to Power Compulsion is about learning aura, different magics and abilities, learning how they coincide, and partially training and strengthening your mental shields.
Most kids already have a grasp on it due to previous schooling and practicing their magics, but this class also dips into the psychological, scientific, and slight medical side of it. How our brain waves and neurons and aura impact it all.
It’s not like the External Controlling class second years and up get to take where they are able to train their magics and test their own limits. Personally, I think it’s dumb first years can’t take that considering learning how to control our magics sooner would be more beneficial.
Whatever. This class really is intriguing, it’s just that all week my concentration has been elsewhere.
Jullia nudges me again but I can’t focus on it. It is very loud in my head and trying to filter through all the whispers makes my head ache.
She knows this too. I’ve already told her everything. After we walked into our dorm and found our dresses and that note, I decided I would. Especially after she had told me everything about her and her family.
Jullia shakes my arm this time right as a deep voice says my name.
I look up from my tablet to red eyes encased in gold and my soul feels like a lock clicking into place. He looks. . . worried? This past week it was my turn to avoid all of them. Even Darian, I didn’t go to any of our sessions.
I have too many questions about how Thorne was able to touch me and about the image from the past and my wish.
And I am still waiting on him to answer my questions.
I glare. He glares right back.
“Have you memorized the intermediate locks within the neuronical transmitters that build up your aura to formulate your mental shields?”
I have no idea what he was talking about throughout class, and I have no idea what intermediate locks there are to create those walls within my mind.
“I have.”
His eyes narrow. “Then you wouldn’t mind demonstrating for me. I will proceed to enter your mind and you will need to block through those intermediate locks.”
Fucking shit.
Sitting up in my chair, I cross my arms and wait.
For what. . . ? I have absolutely no idea.
I don’t know if he can tell a difference between whatever locks there are verses the shields I constantly have up.
Everything I’ve been taught about magic before this school revolved around aura and feeling.
“I will begin now.”
FML.
I focus on keeping a steady beat of my heart and solid flow through my veins. My aura tucked away with my blood.
His brows twitch with a frown, but whatever he’s doing I can’t feel it. There’s no tightness around my skull or ache behind my eyes or pressure.
My mental shields are always up. Even when I’m sleeping Nana has said in later years she can’t break through. Which is saying something from a mind magic bone witch who has lived for somewhere around seven-ish thousand years.
Hmm. . . it makes me wonder then why she looked like a ten-year-old five thousand years ago. Earth and Miy have the same time system even if it takes three hundred and sixty-five point twenty-five days where on Miy it takes three hundred and sixty-four.
Same time system.
Why weren’t Ms. Elaycia and Nana looking for me during those first two month?
“Mavyn.”
“What?”
Oh shit. I focus my vision and the first thing I see is a pissed off devil.
“I asked,” he snaps right back, “who you trained with for your mental shields.”
He has no right to be mad at me.
“I taught myself,” I snark.
“How.”
I guess we’re back to the cold talking, dark toned, high-almighty devil.
“Psycho devils with mind magic like it when you scream as they skin pieces of your body.”
The room goes dead. Bells chime signaling the end of class, but no one makes a move to leave. Not even Jullia beside me twitches.
He hated it when I wouldn’t scream. That’s when he would get sloppy.
Sighing dramatically, I collect my tablet and stylus before shoving it into my bag and standing out of my chair. “If not even you can get into my mind then I’d say I did pretty well teaching myself. Have a good day professor.”
I don’t wait for him to dismiss us or for Jullia. They won’t be serving dinner for another thirty minutes but there are snacks and drinks and I just want an excuse to leave.
It was cloudy today so I didn’t bother with my umbrella and it’s dark now so it’s not like it matters.
The cold, almost Decim, air hits like a punch.
My breath fogs in front of me as I make my way down the corridors to the cafeteria.
At least it doesn’t make my scars ache. I haven’t worn my winter uniform yet and chose to stick with my blazer instead.
I unwind my earbuds and shove them in my ears before looking at the screen of the MP3 player. I press play on Madness by Ruelle and turn the volume to max. It seems fitting. Secrets and secrets and more secrets.
I make it to the cafeteria which is already holding groups of students. Most of them waiting for dinner to be served and others it looks like doing projects or work. I know there’s a library somewhere on campus, but I have yet to visit it.
I spot Hanna at the table we usually sit at and start making my way over. Pressing pause on my music as I approach her, Ricka, and that shifter.
His russet eyes track me as Ricka sarcastically salutes and Hanna arches a brow.
“Where’s my sister?”
I fling my hand behind me. “Coming.” I all but throw myself onto the bench and let my head thud on the table.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?”
“That’s not polite, Ricka.”
“Kyno. . . shut the fuck up.”
Hanna tisks at them and then pokes my head. “Did something happen between you and your devil?”
“She hasn’t spoken to either of her devils in a week,” Callahan inserts, right as he sits on my left side and I smell citrus and salmon. “Avoiding us as best she can and giving monosyllable responses when she can’t hum, grunt, or shrug.”
What an asshole.
I’m just. . . focusing on not imploding at the moment. You would think they would give a girl some slack.
“Well,” I grumble, “if five particular celestials would like to explain to me some things about certain family members of theirs and answer some simple questions then maybe I would be more open to conversation. It’s called communication.”
“Says the one giving us the silent treatment.”
I whip my head up so fast and level one of my signature glares at him. “Says the one who did it first. Who wanted to punish me for no fucking reason – “
“No reason,” he growls. “How would you feel if I went and slept with – “
“It’s fucking different!”
“HOW!?”
“HE’S MINE!”
I squeeze my eyes shut and inhale deeply before holding. My heart strains with wanting to pound and it just makes everything else inside feel cataclysmic.
I blow out the breath and open my eyes to another silent room.
In my peripheral I see Jullia and Asher.
They slowly begin rounding the table to sit on Hanna’s side with Ricka and the shifter.
Callahan in front of me is baring his soul to me, my own soul pulling to cement the bond like I have with Varian.
I still don’t know how that works since he hasn’t seen my soul.
“There are five ties within me, connected to five fated, and I know he is the fifth. He knows he’s the fifth.
Fate has just not clicked for us yet.” His anger disperses and his face drops.
Quieter, I say, “None of you listen. You all are so entitled thinking because of who you are and fate that I’m required to lay myself open.
Nothing I have done was ever with the intent to hurt any of you, but you are not entitled to know my every secret.
I have told you time and time again to stay out of my business.
You refuse to listen, and then blame me because you don’t understand. ”
I make to stand up, deciding I’d rather starve than be here when a heavy arm lays across my shoulders and pushes me back into my seat.
On my right side Thorne sits and pulls the tray Callahan brought closer to me. A juicy fillet of salmon with some sort of lemon butter seasoning and asparagus – or what look like asparagus – sit on the tray. There’s also a mound of charred broccoli in the same seasoning and a side of white rice.
“Eat,” is the only thing he says as everyone opposite of us is staring at me, Callahan, and Thorne.
I look up to his red eyes and they soften as his fingers stroke my arm. His arm is still draped over my shoulders and he doesn’t seem like he has a plan to move.
“I’m not hungry.”
His eyes narrow the slightest bit. “You are a very clever word-weaver, Mavyllora, but you are a shit liar.”
Those things flutter in my stomach. What are they called. . . ? Butterflies?
He takes his free hand to pick up the fork and stabs a piece of salmon. Then he brings it up to my mouth and waits.
My heart wants to trip and my lungs squeeze as I force the organ to not miss a beat.
“I – “ My eyes widen as he shoves the fork into my open mouth, cutting me off from saying I can feed myself.
What the literal fuck.
He stabs a piece of broccoli now and holds it up to my mouth before I snatch the fork from him. Not chewing, I swallow the piece of fish and turn away from both of them. Facing Hanna and Ricka who are staring at us with their mouths hung open.
Jullia meets my eye and widens her own while trying to hide her smile. It’s a losing battle when she opens her mouth a little to mouth something.
. . . alan minds?