Chapter Nine #2
She turned to face me, her arms crossing over her chest. “This entire thing.” She waved her hand at the space between us with a conflicted stare. Not at all similar to the smirking eyes she wore in the parlour.
I tilted my head and regarded her with a blank look.
We all had our reasons to refuse Thaddeus’ offer of a way out. Paris was, from what I’d gathered, ambitious and quick-witted. I wouldn’t deny her the flattery because it would be dangerous not to.
I was well aware of her flare of anger at Ajax’s earlier words. Though, I wouldn’t blame her for the slight pain in my leg. It was his thin-skinned-nature that would one day get him into trouble he wouldn’t be able to get out of.
Everyone revealed a little more about themselves today, however unintentional, and among them all, Paris seemed the most likely to survive to the end of the year.
Wolf was too kind.
Rain was overly diplomatic; anyone could see from a mile away that she was constantly plotting. It made her distrustful upon introduction.
Ajax held resentment, for whatever reason, which in turn made him angry at even the smallest of things.
August might hold on well enough on his own if he’d only learn to hold his cards and words close when times required it.
Marigold was a non-factor. However, I wouldn’t ignorantly assume she was completely useless considering her place among us.
Everyone was chosen for their skill.
But what those skills were, only time could tell.
Though maybe I was getting ahead of myself. I didn’t know everything about these people, and until, at least, the weekly dinner, I couldn’t properly classify them.
Of course, I wouldn’t think highly of myself either. I didn’t believe I’d find myself fully fitting within the lot, and although I was constantly at odds with my self-image, I lacked the attachment.
I spent close to my entire life running, sometimes it was the only thing I knew, and that didn’t leave time or space to understand what I truly wanted out of my life. If I even found a purpose to continue it.
I already had one foot out of the gate of Castle Hill, only because I didn’t know how to live any other way.
And maybe that was why I’d been so unbothered by my unintentional joining of a pseudo-cult without a deep and honest care.
“Having second thoughts?”
Paris scoffed a laugh. “You’d like that, I bet.”
When I only raised a brow, she rolled her eyes at my lack of response. “No… only that it’s strange to go from an unassuming student to… having to choose your future in all of three seconds.”
I shrugged and went to move around her, pushing away the little voice telling me to wait for Wolf. “Life has ways of doing that.”
She followed after me. “You know, you seem to always be analyzing everything, and yet I know absolutely nothing about you.”
Her words had come out of nowhere, and I hadn’t meant to tense, but it seemed that was all she’d needed.
Her footsteps sped up as we reached a wide corridor, and she moved to walk slightly a step ahead, most likely to watch for any reactions.
I didn’t give her any. “I guess you’ll have to start analyzing everything like I do. ”
She jutted out her bottom lip in a mock pout before letting out a deep sigh and continuing in silence.
She seemed to have grown bored by the time we’d reached the exit, and when I’d held the door open for her, she placed a hand on her chest with a wide expression. “They teach you chivalry in public school.”
I’ll admit, I almost let out a chuckle at her words, but instead, I opted to roll my eyes, suppressing the smile threatening to grow.
When I continued down the library steps and headed towards the road leading back to the Fourth Quarter, Paris didn’t follow.
I turned with a curious stare when I failed to hear the click of her heels against the cobblestone. She was where I’d left her, at the bottom of the stairs and looking utterly exhausted with her head thrown back to the dark sky above.
“You okay?”
Her head lowered to meet my eyes. “Hmm? Of course. You head back on your own. I’ve got a few errands I’ve got to get done.”
I didn’t ask that errands had to be completed at what I guessed was ten o’clock at night. She didn’t look like she was open to answering. So instead, I replied with a polite nod before continuing on my path back to my room.
I’d noticed it was quiet, too quiet, and couldn’t help but look over my shoulder for someone, anyone. I half expected August to pop out of nowhere and throw his unsolicited arm over my shoulder, or for Wolf to hover over me with his simple smile.
Spending so much time on my own, and then all of a sudden being surrounded by so many people, having to engage with them, react to them, was exhausting.
And I hadn’t realized the toll it’d taken on me until the uncannily silent walk back.
Until my head hit my pillow and my eyes closed involuntarily.
The only thing I could keep note of was that I hadn’t heard Wolf return to his room before I let myself be pulled under by a thick blanket of sleep.
I had been listening attentively when Professor Julias Caddel assigned the history essay, and it was partly because he was an easy-going professor who took pride in his Welsh heritage. I found that I wouldn’t take a history lesson from anyone else besides him.
His lectures were intellectually stimulating, and he didn’t mind calling on students and putting them on the spot, but he never ridiculed them for lack of answer, or lack of detail in their answer.
He corrected with a smile and bantered with anyone willing to ask a ‘stupid question’.
Except, I was already tuning out the rest of the conversation after the class discussion had begun.
At times, a sense of inferiority filled me at the lack of ability in keeping up when they’d use such terminology; terminology I’d never heard of.
When he had begun his lesson on the Canadian political system, a girl named Ayana raised her hand and asked for confirmation on whether the confidence-and-supply agreement was separate from a coalition government.
I’d never heard of such an agreement, let alone knew what a coalition government was, but from her hand came another, and another.
Before I knew it, the page of my notebook had been filled with points on what I needed to study.
I turned the page for more space and continued at a speed I hadn’t known I was capable of where school was concerned.
I wasn’t entirely stupid, but Castle Hill was on a level I hadn’t been prepared for. My teachers back in the United States wouldn’t have cared enough to answer each question so enthusiastically and with such eagerness, but then again, I bet the paychecks here were considerably more attractive.
After class, when I was too relaxed in packing up my belongings, the girl, Ayana, skittered over with a boy by her side. I noticed him sitting next to her, but I hadn’t thought they were friends.
“Hi, I’m Ayana Savané,” she said, holding her books to her chest and gesturing to the boy next to her, who nodded in greeting. “And this is Cole. Cole Coldwell.”
The first thing I’d noticed was that Ayana had an accent I couldn’t pinpoint.
The second was that she had a wide smile, her eyes bright.
She had deep ebony skin that glowed, even under the gloomy lights of the classroom.
Her hair was styled in a mix of braids and curls that she moved over her shoulder with a delighted shrug.
Cole, on the other hand, looked… to put it simply, too plain standing next to her. His skin was too pale, his hair a generic brown, and his smile clearly forced.
I paused while grabbing my bag and watched the pair blocking my exit from the back row. “Hi… I’m Alexandr.”
She waved my words away with her hand before lifting her knee to stop her books from toppling over her arms. “Oh, I’ve heard. News travels fast around here.”
I finished shoving my notebook into my bag with a scoffed laugh. “I’ve noticed.”
She giggled at the words I’d muttered. “Yeah, well, I just wanted to introduce myself–and Cole. We were wondering if you were looking for any extracurriculars, though it’s kind of hard to tell.”
Throwing my bag over my shoulder, I sent her a questioning look, having lost me at extracurriculars. “I’m sorry–what?”
She noted the wrinkles forming between my brows and nodded quickly. “It’s kind of hard, you know, you don’t really seem interested in anything.”
I didn’t understand what she was getting at, and I wasn’t willing to chance that this wasn’t a recruitment pitch, so I eyed the door behind them, hoping they’d get the hint.
They didn’t.
It wasn’t that Ayana was a threat of any sort, she seemed good-natured.
But I wasn’t looking for anything more from my studies. The Founder’s Society was already taking up too much space, more than it deserved, in my mind, and I didn’t need any other distractions or strange clubs to stumble upon.
Speaking of the Founder’s Society, I hadn’t spoken to Wolf since I last saw him at the meeting. He returned too late for me to notice, and this class, being the first of the day, hadn’t given me the proper opportunity.
I caught August, however, on his walk to Remington Tower, the building facing Thirteenth Chamber where my class was now.
He was, as he proudly stated, in the advanced placement program and wouldn’t be joining me for History. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that if he were, I would most likely pretend I didn’t know him.
On the walk, he raved and rambled about the Founder’s Society, promising to share the research he’d done during lunch. He claimed he hadn’t slept all night, wasn’t able to, and I could tell from the dark circles under his eyes, but I wasn’t going to be the one raining on his parade.
Cole brought me back to the present with his words, “Ayana wanted to know if you were interested in theatre.”
I blinked and tuned back to the pair standing in front of me.
Had they gotten closer?
“Uhm… like to watch?”