Chapter 14
Lost cause, he told me I’m a lost cause. Dejected like I haven’t been in a long time, I have to fight not to groan out loud as I march down the hallway leading back to the Entrance Hall.
It’s just as I turn the corner at the intersection that Raven appears in front of me, making me double back.
I catch the movement just as she puts another one of those sticks in her bag. A smile tugs at my lips, until I see her peer into my eyes with concern in hers. “You don’t look so well, Anna.” And there’s this spark in her eyes as she asks, “Do you need help with anything?”
For a second, I just look at her. She is a shifter and it’s shifting that’s my biggest problem, but I shake my head. “It’s just one of those days, Raven.”
“Which days, Anna?” she asks, tilting her head at me in confusion.
I blow a soft laugh through my nose. “Bad ones,” I say, I give her an awkward pat on the shoulder and walk past her, adding, “I’ve got to run now, but maybe I’ll see you later and you can tell me what kind of criteria you have for sticks that go in the bag?”
This seems to take her by surprise. “Of course, Anna,” she says with a determined nod and the slightest smile.
And I’m already putting distance between us, hearing her soft little footsteps going in the opposite direction, when it hits me.
Frowning, I turn on my heel and start going back, following her straight into the Junkyard, where I find her sitting in the usual alcove with Alaric reading something to her out loud.
I come to stand in front of them. “Hey,” I say with a suspicious little squint, their eyes snapping up to me. “Shouldn’t you two be on your way to Foundational with me?”
Alaric makes a face. “I found this book,” he says as he lazily leans back. “It’s kind of interesting, so I’m taking it as a sign that we shouldn’t go to class today. We should stay here and enjoy this beautiful day.”
This makes me laugh. “Really?” I glance around. “The weather couldn’t be more crappy than it is, and a book that’s kind of interesting…”
I reach out my hand and he gives me the book. “The Unabridged History of the Development of Pull Chambers,” I read. “Do you really find this more interesting than the vampire wars or the nature of Divine Magic?” Which are the things that will be in the tests.
“I do,” he says a little defiantly.
It makes me feel sorry for both of them, when the unexpected defiance in his voice makes me suddenly become aware of how isolated they are here at the Academy. I’ve never seen them with anyone else, and they’re among the rare few who are repeating the first year.
I make myself snap out of it. “Well,” I finally say, “to each his own. So you’re definitely not coming to Foundational?”
He shakes his head.
“Raven?” I turn to ask her.
“No, you’re not,” Alaric says as he leans a little closer to her. “You’re staying here with me. You should let weird, powerless shifter ladies fend for themselves.”
I snort out a laugh. “That’s some solid advice there, Alaric. I think you’re one of those people who are simply too mature for school.”
He throws me a playful scowl.
“Um,” Raven starts hesitantly.
I turn to look at her. She’s getting up and motioning for the two of us to step aside. A little surprised, I nod and I follow, finding myself walking around the yard with her.
“I could help you,” she tells me in a low voice, “if it’s shifting that’s still troubling you. You can rely on me, Anna.”
“That’s really sweet, Raven,” I say as I come to a stop to throw her a grateful look, ignoring how uneasy the words make me.
When has relying on others ever gotten me anything but trouble?
Everything I’ve done in my life so far, I’ve had to do on my own.
Why should this be any different?
But that makes an idea start to take shape in my head.
“Maybe I could pass the mid-term exam without shifting,” I say, more to myself. “I mean, it’s an obstacle course, isn’t it?” I don’t wait for an answer. “Why shouldn’t I try to pass it as Anna the human instead of Anna the shifter?”
“No, Anna,” Raven says with conviction in her voice, “I don’t think there’s ever been a human who passed it.”
“Of course there hasn’t,” I say with growing excitement. I throw her a mischievous smile. “But only because none have ever been given a chance.”