by Kant, Komal
I waited for her to elaborate, but when she didn’t, I decided to prompt her. “With what?”
She sighed and stood up, walking a few steps away from me. “I can’t really get into it, Honey.”
Wow. What could be so bad that my mom couldn’t tell me?
“Anyway, I will look into it,” she said, quickly changing the topic. “I’ll let you know if I find out anything, but I think for now just focus on finding the blade here.”
“Okay,” I said, wondering how this visit had suddenly taken a turn for the weird.
Mom was about to say something else, but a sharp knock on the door interrupted her. She jerked her head towards the sound, frowning. “I guess our time is up.”
Reluctantly, I released her hand and slowly walked to the door. When I opened it, Loire was standing on the other side with a half-smile on his face. A thrill ran through my stomach at the way his eyes roamed over me, but I quickly pushed it away and shot him a glare.
“You couldn’t give us a few more minutes?” I demanded.
He lifted up his arm and practically shoved it in my face. It took me a second to realize that he was showing me his watch. “It’s 8:40. I gave you ten extra minutes. Didn’t anyone ever teach you how to read the time?”
Damn. He had me there, which only worsened my mood. “Yeah, well,” I grumbled.
“Kat, are you giving this poor man a hard time?” Mom asked, appearing beside me. “He’s only doing his job.”
Loire bowed his head. “It’s very nice to meet you, Mrs. Lyrille. I’m Loire Beaumont, I also work for SRECON and am part of the triad currently guarding your charming daughter.”
I gaped at Loire and his show of being charming. Seriously, where had this politeness come from? He was always so cocky around me.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Loire,” she said. “Thank you for taking such great care of my daughter.”
Loire smirked at me. “Not a problem, Mrs. Lyrille.”
Mom reached over and ruffled my hair. “Well, I need to go. The headmaster and I have some things to discuss before I return to the Draconis’. You call me if you need anything, okay?”
“I will, Mom.”
“I love you, Katerina,” she said, planting a kiss on my cheek.
“I love you too,” I whispered.
Mom straightened up and, with a final look at me, walked out of the room and down the corridor. As she disappeared from my sight, I put all my energy into not letting a single tear escape my eyes.
***
When I walked into Supernatural History ten minutes later, everyone had already taken their seats. Misha looked at me expectantly as I took the seat beside her.
“Spill,” she said. “Who was your mysterious visitor?”
Anna leaned over from the desk beside me, her wavy blonde hair spilling to the side. “You had a visitor? Is that why you weren’t at breakfast?”
“You didn’t tell her?” I hissed at Misha, who merely shrugged. I turned back to Anna. “My mom came to visit me. She wanted to know about you-know-what.”
“Did you tell her about the stuff?” Anna asked. It sounded like we were running a covert drug operation.
“Sort of. I told her about the prophecy, but not the blood promise-” I promptly shut my mouth as Professor Elba walked into the room.
She was a slim, pretty woman probably in her early thirties, who was one of six mortal teachers in the school. Most mortals went into the reconnaissance field, so it was unusual to find one who chose to focus on the academic side. Any angel or demon could have done the job.
Professor Elba began by writing down our lesson on the board before diving straight into our student assigned textbook and reading aloud from it.
“In 87 A.D. legislation was passed in Parlum detailing the importance of maintaining platonic relationships between angels and demons due to the volatile outcome which could result from the union of unrelated species…”
Immediately, I zoned out and glanced to my right where Anna was staring at Professor Elba, completely enraptured by what she was saying. To my left, Misha was furiously scribbling in her notebook which surprised me since she wasn’t very academic. But then she tore out the page and slid it onto my desk without looking at me.
Anna’s still not talking 2 me. Can u believe that! Yes, I could believe it. Angels were very sensitive and became very stubborn when their sensibilities were offended.
What did you expect? Hugs and kisses? I passed the paper back.
I thought she’d be over it by now. Angels r soooo unforgiving
You probably shouldn’t have said that she was having an affair with Greggy
Jeez honesty is so overrated
You should say sorry to her
WAT! Y do I always have 2 say sorry 1st?
Cuz you’re always the one who starts it
Misha promptly stopped passing me notes and slumped down in her chair, scowling as she watched Professor Elba write down a summary of what she’d just read from the textbook.
It is imperative that angels and demons do not engage in anything other than a platonic relationship. Not following this law will result in both guilty parties either being punished by death or being punished at Parlum’s discretion. It is also discouraged for an angel and human, or a demon and a human to mate. Such behavior is frowned upon in our society.
“Why is it so bad, though?” The words fell out of my mouth before I could stop myself.
Professor Elba turned away from the board and studied me with a startled expression. “Excuse me?” she asked.
Damn. I was supposed to be keeping a low profile, not drawing more attention to myself. It was too late to back down now. Elba was staring right at me. “Why is it so bad for an angel and a demon to be together? Why is it considered dirty for an angel or a demon to be with a mortal?”
Every student in the room whipped their heads around to stare at me. I noticed that Talon was also watching me in alarm, and I couldn’t help but feel smug that I still affected him. No doubt my words had gotten to him considering he’d kept our relationship a secret.
“That’s the way it has always been.” Elba smoothed back her sleek, white-blonde hair, looking ruffled. “That’s the way Parlum wants it to be.”
“But why is it so wrong?” I persisted, wanting to know the exact reason these laws were in place.
“I’m not sure-” Elba’s voice trailed off.
“Because we cannot have angel blood being tainted by inferior blood,” an angel with a mass of ginger curls said from the front row.
Anna’s roommate, Contessa Delorne, was the one who had spoken. I wasn’t surprised by her sentiment. She had always hated that Anna was best friends with a mortal and a demon.
“Are you saying that demon blood is inferior to angel blood?” Cedee demanded from where she was sitting next to Talon.
Contessa seemed affronted that a demon had addressed her. “We all know that angel blood is far superior to all the races. Even our hair is so powerful that a single strand cancels out demon powers.” She sneered at Cedee.
“It cancels out angel powers too, so you can’t be that great,” Cedee shot back.
“What’s so good about you angels, anyway? You’re all snot-nosed bitches.” The guy who had spoken was Lysander Emperel, an ero demon—specializing in air—infamous for bedding any human or demon he could find.
All the angels in the class gasped at Sander’s choice of words, including Anna. Misha snickered from beside me, and I shot her a glare.
“That’s enough,” Elba cut in. “While I encourage debates in my class, name calling will not be tolerated. Mr. Emperel, you will report to the Headmaster at the end of the day to discuss your choice of language. As for your question, Miss Lyrille,” Elba said, turning her gaze back to me, “it is wrong because thousands of years ago, angel and demon offspring were born with severe deformities. The two blood lines are simply not supposed to mix and Parlum decided it was unfair on the offspring to suff
er because of the parents choices.”
Right on cue, the bell sounded, signaling the start of second period. I quickly began to stuff my things into my bag. Anna and Misha both waved at me as they left, adamantly ignoring one another. They were off to their angel and demon classes while I had Martial Arts in the gym.
Slinging my bag over my shoulder, I began to walk towards the front door, one of the last to leave. I was so preoccupied by my thoughts that I almost didn’t notice Professor Elba waiting for me expectantly.
“Miss Lyrille, may I have a word?”
Surprised, I came to a standstill as she approached me. “Yes, Professor Elba?”
“That was a very controversial question that you brought up in class today,” she stated simply.
“I was just curious, that’s all.”
“I can understand why you would be curious. They are a lot of strict laws in our world.” Elba paused. “However, Parlum frowns upon anyone who shows disloyalty to the laws that they have set out and I am sure that you are already on their radar. I think it would be best if you were to remain politically correct. Do you understand what I mean?”
I nodded, realizing that Elba was warning me to watch what I said. She was right to caution me. Parlum already had it in for me and if they thought I was trying to create an uprising, they’d prosecute me just to stop me from causing trouble. Staying under the radar was a good idea.
“Thank you for your advice, Professor.”
She gave me a tight smile. “Not a problem, Miss Lyrille. Enjoy the rest of your day.”
Loire was standing outside and joined me as I left the class, her words weighing heavily on my mind.
Chapter Nine
Five minutes before the bell rang for the end of the day, a messenger walked into my Stealth class and handed Professor Vella a note. He surveyed the room, locking eyes with me.
“This is for you, Katerina,” Professor Vella said, striding up the aisle and handing me the note. “You can pack up and leave.”
I heard the scattered whispers of the few students in the class, but I ignored them. I was so used to people talking about me that it no longer bothered me.
I studied the hastily scrawled note with a frown before handing it to Loire who was standing behind me against the wall.
Katerina Lyrille is to report to the headmaster’s office immediately.
What could Delware possibly want now? I was catching up on my school work, I was keeping a low profile, and I hadn’t tried to kill anyone yet. Had someone figured out that my parents had played a part in my escape?
Scrunching up the note and stuffing it into my bag, I stood up and walked past the curious stares of the other mortals with Loire following after me. I was glad to leave early and be away from their judgemental eyes, but I knew my early departure from class would spread to the other mortals.
Since there were only a small amount of mortal students in the school, we were split into three groups of fifteen to twenty students for the mortal classes. Mortals of a certain age range were grouped together; my group was between the ages of seventeen and eighteen. Basically, everyone knew each other’s business.
A feeling of uneasiness settled around my stomach as I hurried to the Administration building. Delware’s ditzy receptionist was manning the desk as usual. She dropped the phone when Loire and I entered and made a cross with her fingers.
“I’m not a vampire,” I said, trying to hide my amusement.
She let out a strangled noise and took a step back just as the door to Delware’s office opened. Sander sauntered out like he had no care in the world and stopped short of me, looking pleased with himself.
I hadn’t noticed in class earlier, but he was overdressed as usual in black slacks and a blazer, with a scarf draped around his neck. I assumed he was here because of the comment he’d made in Elba’s class.
“Well, well, you never stray too far from trouble, do you?” he asked, looking me up and down like I was a piece of medium-rare steak.
“I assume you’re the trouble?”
Sander leaned in and flashed me what he probably thought was a seductive smile. “I’m whatever you want me to be.” Girls probably went weak at the knees for that smile, but I wasn’t impressed.
“How about,” I said, tapping a finger against my chin in thought, “you make yourself scarce?”
“You want me to take my clothes off?” he asked, wriggling his eyebrows up and down in a suggestive manner.
From somewhere behind me, Loire uttered a low sound in his throat that reminded me of a growl before storming off to the opposite end of the room. What the hell was up with him?
I rolled my eyes, wondering how the hell Sander had managed to interpret my words into something sexual. “I need to see Delware. Sorry I can’t stand around and chat.”
Sander brought his lips to my ear, keeping his voice low. “There’s a party in my dorm tonight after lights out. I would love to continue our conversation there.”
Sander was known for hosting the best parties in his dorm room. He was very selective about who he invited, so it was a big deal if you were asked. His parties were popular for the alcohol factor. Somehow, he managed to sneak alcohol into the school without any teachers finding out.
I wasn’t new to one of his exclusive parties, but it was surprising he’d invited me after my reputation had taken a nosedive. “We’ll see,” I said coolly.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” He stepped back and grinned at me. “See you later, Kat.” He sauntered off without looking back.
As I was about to enter Delware’s office, I passed Loire. “What the hell did he say to you?”
I stopped in my tracks. “What?”
“Nothing,” he muttered, looking the other way, his jaw tense.
He really was acting weird.
As I entered Delware’s office, Sander’s invitation lingered on my mind. I was supposed to be staying out of trouble, but how could I pass up an opportunity to be a normal teenager for once? I was tired of being trapped and guarded twenty-four hours a day. I wanted to be free and let loose the way I’d used to before I’d run away.
“Good afternoon, Katerina,” Delware said from his seat behind the desk, giving me one his usual pleasant smiles. “How are you settling back into the school routine?”
“It’s alright, I guess.”
As I sat down in the plush chair across from him, my eyes fell on the hourglass that sat on the table. It’d been there ever since Melkane’s time as Headmistress. It was a pretty ornament with three gold handles in the shape of vines. The sand inside looked like thick flecks of gold.
Delware folded his hands in front of him and peered at me over the top of his glasses. “The reason I wanted to see you was because I know your mother came to see you. How was her visit?”
Of course he wanted to know about that. No doubt his telepathic receptionist was listening in on my thoughts.
“It was good to see her again.” I was mentally picturing Delware making out with the receptionist. That ought to throw her off.
“Did you talk about anything you did on the outside?” He seemed to be analyzing me with those hazel eyes of his. I didn’t like the way he was staring at me, and normally I really did like Misha’s uncle.
“Yes, I told her all about the five-star hotels I stayed at and all the tanning I did.” I met his gaze evenly, unnerved by his questions. “Was there anything else?”
“There is one other thing,” he began slowly, like he wasn’t sure if he should bring it up or not. “Professor Elba mentioned that you instigated a rather colorful debate in her class. Is this true?”
I sighed, wondering how many more lectures I was going to get over this. “All I did was ask a question.”
“In our world,” Delware said, giving me a look which sent shivers down my spine, “asking certain questions can give off the wrong impression. I admire your compassion on this topic, but I don’t think Parlum would feel the same way. Do you?”
/> I shook my head slowly. “I guess not.” I knew he was just trying to look out for me, so I couldn’t really get annoyed about it.
After changing the topic to my upcoming mid-terms and enquiring about Misha and Anna, Delware finally let me leave his office.
Loire was waiting for me, and as we headed out, I grinned at the receptionist who seemed a little red in the face.
As we cut across the courtyard and began heading back to my room, Delware’s words were reverberating around in my head. I didn’t get why it was such a big deal if I disagreed with a law that a bunch of pompous, old men had created in the Cretaceous period. It wasn’t right that you couldn’t be with who you wanted to be with.
When the Unity dorms loomed up ahead, Loire stopped walking. “I’m leaving you now. Tyrone texted me and said he’s up in your room already.” His tone was stiff and stand-offish, like he didn’t really want to talk to me.
“Um, okay.” I didn’t know what else to say as I watched him walk away.
He was acting so strange. What was up with him? The only thing I could think of that could have him acting this way was when Sander and I had spoken briefly; Loire had seemed annoyed after that.
Trying to clear my thoughts, I headed upstairs and entered my room. Inside, I discovered Misha, Anna, and Tyrone hanging out. Tyrone was lounging on my bed, creating rings of flame as Misha shot bursts of electricity through them. Anna watched on in half-fascination and half-disapproval.
“I need to get changed,” I said, shooting Tyrone a pointed look.
“I don’t mind,” he said lazily.
When I continued to glare at him, he finally left the room, pretending to pout. I looked from Anna to Misha. “Are you two talking again?”
“I came here to find you,” Anna said, stiffly.
“I live here,” Misha said, stretching her arms over her head. “Did you hear about Sander’s party?”
I nodded. “Are we going?”
“Of course!” Misha clapped her hands together like a seal. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
“You two have lost your minds,” Anna said in disbelief. “Kat just came back to school!”