33. Loveleena
LOVELEENA
Loveleena’s body felt heavy as she crossed the grounds back to the castle. Her soaked hair clung to her neck, making it itchy, but at least her boots kept her feet dry. The rain had grown thick, and everyone had gone inside; suddenly, she wished she had done the same.
While the students banded together to clean after the Blind Bat break in, Loveleena snuck off, hiding in the trees behind Defender Village to sort out her thoughts.
The longer time stretched without any new information about Park, the more she felt like she was losing him forever.
The pain inside of her was nothing new—Park had been missing for well over a year now.
But learning of his final days had made a clotted wound bleed again, no matter what she did to stop it.
Park didn’t deserve to be forgotten like this.
He could be buried, rotting in the ground somewhere, his beautiful body torn apart without anyone here even thinking twice about it.
This place deserved the break in. She wished the Bats would have ripped out the eyes of anyone who had become complacent in Park’s disappearance.
Ren clearly didn’t want to help. Not with finding Park and not with helping her get in with the Slayers. She didn’t care that he was a revered Defender. Growing up around society’s most influential meant she wasn’t impressed by much anymore. Certainly not accomplishment, status, or popularity.
As she turned the corner and looped around the greenhouse, she spotted Ahmina crawling out of the window, greenery in hand.
“Girl what in the Moon Goddess’s name are you doing? You know there’s a door, right?”
Ahmina froze, just as her feet hit the ground. “I-I-was just testing out the window.”
“Testing out the window?”
“Part of my training routine,” Ahmina said deadpan.
“Does that mean cleanup is done?” The Bat colony attack had left an extensive path of destruction in its wake, and Ahmina wasn’t one to leave required student duties early.
“Thank the Goddess, it sounded awful.” Trying to avoid Ahmina’s wide, prey-like stare, Loveleena peeled her eyes away to the bushel of small red flowers in her hands.
“What’s that?” she asked, eyes narrowed.
Ahmina’s grip tightened. “It’s for a potion.”
“What does it do?”
“Sedative.”
“Hmmm…” Loveleena thought about that. “What do you need that for?”
“Sleep.”
It made sense that Ahmina would want to use a sleeping potion, but she could just buy it in the village instead of sneaking around, stealing materials to make her own.
It hadn’t been that long since she was attacked by the Venom Viper, and everyone had been gossiping about her since then.
She was sure Ahmina was stressed with all the schoolwork she had missed.
Maybe she didn’t want people to know she had trouble sleeping.
“Do you know how to make a truth potion?” Loveleena asked, more interested in how she could get information out of Ren than Ahmina’s social life. Kumani was excellent in Alchemy, but Loveleena couldn’t ask her. She already had a hard enough time keeping her off her back.
Ahmina thought for a moment. “Yes.”
Loveleena’s face lit up. “Will you make it for me? I’ll help you with anything in return. I’ll owe you one.”
“No.”
“What do you mean no?”
“I said no. I won’t help you.” She walked forward, and Loveleena had to jog to keep up with her.
“Wait!” Her combat boots squished in the mud, suctioning her to the ground.
“I’ll help you with anything you want. Anything!
” If she had a truth potion, she could use it on Ren and finally find out what he knew about Park.
He would have to tell her the truth, even if it was something she didn’t want to hear.
As awful as it may be, it was still better than being stuck in the dark, waiting.
Ahmina stopped, turning just slightly. “Make sure I pass the second assessment.”
“Okay,” Loveleena said slowly. “Sure, no problem. After you give me the potion, I will.”
“No.” She turned to face her, voice eerily calm. “The second assessment will be soon. This potion will take weeks.”
Loveleena sighed, annoyed. “Fine, whatever. But you better hold up your end.”
Ahmina said nothing else before hurrying off, her head hung low. The girl had multiple personalities, Loveleena thought as she followed her footsteps. One minute she was spouting out random facts and the next she was rushing off like she’d seen a ghoul.
“You should see an Alchemist about your personality disorder!” she called after her, not really caring if Ahmina was out of earshot or not.
When she arrived back to the Academy, clean up was still well underway, which she found odd, considering Ahmina’s predisposition to follow rules.
And when Professor Harlan spotted her and beckoned her over to help, she wished she had stayed out in the rain longer.
But it didn’t matter because once she got the truth potion, she would use it on Ren and find out what happened to Park once and for all.