The two weeks we had together were spent studying, training, and simply hanging out. I showed him the coffee shop that I managed, and he even volunteered to help over the summer if I needed an extra pair of hands once we were on break.
He also took care of me when I got sick with a cold. I was still recovering from it, but I couldn't figure out a spell or remedy to help me out.
We came back to school right on time, but the others were just as worried as Dimitri with how unwell I looked.
During classes, I did my best to up my mana usage to alter my appearance, so I didn't look like a mess, but it was getting harder to keep even that up.
I wished school was done and I could go home and sleep.
Two more classes. I can last that long.
"Blossom. You're not going to the last two classes," Dimitri quietly whispered in my ear.
"How did you know what I was thinking," I mumbled dreamily. I was trying not to drift off.
"You said that out loud, Silver," Dimitri noted.
"Oh," I replied. "I can last."
"Uh huh," Dimitri replied. He tilted my head up so he could look down at my weak eyes as I opened them. "You look like a zombie in that walking show."
"Walking show?" I inquired.
"Walking Sick Silver, season one," Dimitri mocked.
"I'd be an awesome main character." My voice was weak.
"Silver. You need to go to the nurse's office," Dimitri concluded.
"I can't miss the test, stalker," I mumbled, with a sad face.
He bit his lip, conflicted. "After the next class, you're going to the nurse's office. I'll explain to the teacher you aren't feeling well. Can you survive one more class?"
I slowly moved back against the wall to kind of prove I could support myself. With a weak fist pump, I whispered. "Y...a...a."
"That was a horrible reply." Dimitri looked helplessly at me.
"Dimitri? Silver?"
We looked to our left to see Yuriel approaching us. One look at me and his calm expression fell to a worried one. "Why does Silver look like she's dying?"
"I'm not dying," I grumbled, but shuffled to him. Giving him a hug, I relaxed against him. "Hi."
"Yup, she's dying," Yuriel concluded. "We should have forced her to stay home when you two arrived back."
"She didn't look that bad then, but I think she was using magic to make herself not look like she's a zombie," Dimitri explained. "You guys have a test, though. She can't bail out of it."
"No. Not without a class notice. My brother may be kind, but if he's not as strict with Silver, he'll be called out for it," Yuriel admitted. "Silver?"
"Mhm?"
"Can you last for one more class?" Yuriel gently stroked my head.
"Yeah...ace...this damn...test," I mumbled.
"Not reassuring at all," Yuriel mumbled, while Dimitri sighed. "This may help her a little bit, but it'll only give her enough energy for one class."
"What?" Yuriel asked.
I lifted my head and slowly glanced to my right to see Dimitri was standing next to us. He held my chin and pressed his lips lightly against mine.
My eyes automatically closed, while my lips pressed back against his as they grew really warm. It reminded me of when Ryuu had kissed me to give me a bit of his flame.
I wonder if that's what Dimitri's doing? But he's a hellhound.
He released my lips, but I felt a warm tingling trickle through me. It started from my head and went down to my toes. My chest especially felt really warm, as well as the band on my ring finger.
It took a full minute for the tingling to stop, but my mind was less fuzzy, and I didn't feel like I was dying. "What did you do?" I asked in shock.
"Hmm. It's similar to what dragon shifters do when giving their mate or loved one a bit of their flame. Hellhound flames are from the depths of hell, but when it comes to our mates or those we truly love, the effect of our flame can be a positive energy boost. I know how to use it since it’s a required skill hellhounds learn as kids, but I haven't performed it until now. I'm unsure how long it'll last, but it should give you a good boost to focus on the test and the rest of your class," Dimitri elaborated.
"How are you feeling now, Silver?" Yuriel asked.
"Better than before. My body still aches and I'm a little warmer than before, but I don't feel lightheaded and my headache seems tolerable," I confessed.
"Enough symptoms to tell us you're sick," Dimitri concluded.
I gave him a shy smile. "We should go. Class is about to start."
Dimitri sighed but pressed his lips to my forehead.
"Don't push yourself. After class, the rest of us will come over and we'll take you to the nurse's office together before gym. Just to get checked. If the nurse thinks you need rest, she can write a note to excuse you," Dimitri suggested.
"All right," I replied. There was no point in arguing.
Yuriel slipped his hand in mine. "I'll watch her during class."
Dimitri gave him a firm nod. "Thanks. I'll head to my class. I should make it before the bell." He patted Yuriel's shoulder and gave me one last look. "Good luck on the test."
"Thanks, Dimitri," I replied, giving him a small wave.
We watched him run off in the other direction and I moved my attention to Yuriel, who was eyeing me carefully.
"What?"
"If we had more time, I'd try to heal you," he whispered. "I wish I could do more, like what Dimitri did. Give you a boost too,”
I gave him a relieved smile, leaning up to kiss him gently. "If I kiss you, that gives me a boost," I whispered. "Though...won’t I get the both of you sick?"
"No." He gave me a small smile. "Shifters have strong immune systems. I rarely get sick. Hellhounds don't get sick often either."
"I need to find a spell to heighten my immune system," I grumbled.
"Could it be your recent usage of magic?" Yuriel suggested.
"I haven't done anything differently. Sure, I trained over the holidays, but I used to go through twelve hours of magic school with no problem," I explained.
"You just need a break. Let's get this class over with and then get you checked," Yuriel encouraged.
"Okay," I replied, giving him one last hug. "Having you here is a nice boost, too. Thanks for caring."
He kissed the top of my head, his hand rubbing my back lightly. "Just a little longer and you can rest, all right? Sorry I can't take your pain away. Mages are a lot more complicated for me than shifters."
"Don't apologize, silly. You caring is more than enough," I assured him.
We leaned back and exchanged a final kiss before we held hands and made our way to our next class.
"Pencils down. You may leave your papers on the desk and head to gym class. I'm allowing you all to leave fifteen minutes early. Don't arrive to gym late, because I'll be conducting today's class," Professor Xin announced.
Various students said their thanks while others groaned at their test papers. I let out a weak sigh, my eyes barely staying open as I put my pencil down.
The test wasn't hard at all, but I had finished it twenty minutes ago and wished I could have left to go to the nurse's office then.
Now I just felt like shit.
Yuriel slipped his hand on my back, rubbing it gently. "Silver?"
"I'm all right. Although, I think I'll take your guys’ advice and go see the nurse. I feel horrible," I concluded.
"Let's wait till everyone else leaves," Yuriel whispered. Obviously, I didn't want anyone knowing or getting an idea that I wasn't feeling well. Even though I felt like shit, I was fighting with the little energy I had left to keep my "healthy" appearance.
I simply nodded, placing my head down on the desk. The throbbing in my head had returned with a vengeance, and it was already hard to keep my eyes open, let alone deal with how bright the lights were.
I wasn't sure if I completely zoned out, but I felt a nudge on my shoulder.
"Silver?"
"Why did she come to class whe
n she's in this condition?" Professor Xin’s voice sounded a tad upset.
"This is S.S.S. school. Even if you guys are kind at times, it doesn't mean we can get away with being sick and missing class. If this was a mission, none of you would feel sympathy and tell us to stay back," Yuriel defended.
I heard a sigh. "Even so, this is different."
"That's favoritism in other people's eyes," Yuriel noted.
"Yes, but when you’re a student or even a spy getting straight triple S scores, I believe you deserve a sick day. Better than her being dead, don't you think?" Professor Xin argued.
Yuriel was quiet, and I finally lifted my heavy head to look at him. He had an angry expression on his face, unlike Professor Xin, who was calm as usual. I must have missed something in between.
"I don't get why you two are angry...but...I'm fine. I'll be on my way to the nurse's office...and then go to gym class," I announced. Pushing my chair back, I rose up and began to gather my stuff.
"Silver, stop. You're not going to walk to the office," Yuriel huffed.
"My head hurts too bad to teleport, and I won't have you carry me. This is a spy school. People see weakness and will take every bit of advantage and try to jump us or some stupid nonsense," I rambled all in one breath, feeling a little irritated.
"We'll figure something out, but sit back down," he ordered.
"I don't need to listen to you," I huffed back, feeling even more annoyed.
"You're sick!"
"I'm not sick!" I snapped back. "I don't need you to tell me anything. I'm going to go to the nurse and then class! I don't even know why the hell you're mad."
"Because you're unwell and won't listen to me to sit back down."
"Bullshit," I argued back, pointing my finger in his face. "I'm not blind. A little blurry vision, but I can see right through you. You're upset over something stupid and just want me to listen to you," I barked.
Yuriel gritted his teeth, his eyes darkening to pure black that flooded the tiny silver stars that usually reflected within.
Professor Xin sighed. "Enough, you two. Brother, stop. I get you're worried about Silver and upset because you can't exchange energy with her but that doesn't mean you should be yelling at her."
He then turned to me. "And Silver. You. Are. Sick. I can't believe you didn't stay home to begin with. Sit down and wait for the others."
"I don't need to listen to you either," I huffed, moving my accusing finger to point it right in his chest. "I don't care if you're my professor. I won't fucking listen to you. I'm healthy. I'm strong. I'm not sick!"
He blinked a few times, staring at me with a slightly shocked expression. The door opened, and I noticed out of the corner of my eye that Wolfgang, Ryuu, and Dimitri had arrived.
They closed the door and froze.
"Um...is there a confrontation going on?" Wolfgang asked.
"Is Silver even allowed to have her finger pointing to Professor Xin's chest like that?" Ryuu inquired.
"Silver. You look horrendous. Why have you guys not taken her to the nurse's office?" Dimitri demanded.
"We're trying to," Professor Xin sighed.
Yuriel stood up. "It's because she won't acknowledge she's sick!"
"I'm not sick!" I snapped, a gust of wind rushing out of me and sending Professor Xin and Yuriel flying.
Yuriel cursed, and in seconds his wings were out to stop him from crashing into the walls. Professor Xin didn't go as far, stopping himself with what I'd assumed was levitation magic.
I bit my lip, fighting back tears as I gathered my remaining stuff. "Leave me alone. I'm not sick. I can go to the nurse's office myself...and...just get a checkup...or something!" I breathed, my whole body trembling.
I'm not sick. I can't be sick. Nope. Not me. Dad was sick and look what happened. I'm perfectly fine. A checkup and a good night’s sleep will heal me right up. I don't need anyone's help. No need at all.
Yuriel took a step forward, catching my attention. A sound rumbled inside my throat, and they all froze as I glared at my four men.
"Shit...uh...are angels’ eyes supposed to be pure white like that?" Wolfgang questioned.
"And are they supposed to growl?" Ryuu asked.
"Or is this a whole mage thing we missed out on?" Dimitri questioned hesitantly.
Yuriel was silent, his eyes still locked on mine. I could see how upset he was, but I also saw past the anger.
The worry, pain, and desire to help me.
I knew they wanted to ease the pain pounding in my head and the aches taking over my body, but there was no possible way I could fall ill. I wasn't going to let a cold or whatever was going on with me stop me from this one dream.
It was the first day of second semester. I had to do well if I wanted to make it to the finals and second year.
I won't let this stop me. Just...focus...on...getting out of here.
Lifting my bag onto my shoulder, I moved my gaze to the floor, noticing that Star was quietly sitting at my feet.
"Mewr?"
I blinked and stared at her. She knew what my fear was. What I was trying to hide with my short temper. I crouched down and scooped her up, pressing her to my chest.
You understand me, right, Star? You get it.
"Mewr." She snuggled against me, nudging me with her head and rubbing it against my chest. I fought with every bit of strength to rise back up, ignoring the dizziness that plagued me.
"I'm going...to the nurse's office," I repeated.
I took a step forward, or I thought I did. My body crashed into someone, but from the foreign scent of cologne, I automatically knew it wasn't one of my men.
"Shit, Silver," Dimitri shouted.
There were shuffling noises around me, but the world was spinning, and my head felt like weights were on it. I simply couldn't open my eyes.
"Fuck, she's burning up," Wolfgang cursed.
"Move. I can cool her down," Ryuu announced. My body felt like I was lying in someone's embrace, my back against their chest while a hand pressed against my forehead.
I tried to move, but my body wouldn't budge. That left me in intense fear, and I muffled a sob. A hand held mine. "Shh, Blossom. You're okay. We're right here," Dimitri's tender voice whispered into my ear.
"Daichi. What's going on?" Yuriel questioned, his voice filled with worry.
"You guys have had no time to check into the ring still." Professor Xin sighed. "Silver is half shifter right now. Can you recall one time she's used healing magic or even attempted to do something angel-like? Has she summoned her wings at all?"
The room was silent until Yuriel quietly cursed. "Shit."
"It’s a side effect of her not using her angel powers. The ring is what granted her the camouflage of being a shifter, but she hasn't used the power in return."
"So instead, she's been using more and more magic for training, but her shifter energy is simply sitting there," Ryuu mumbled.
"Which is why she's overheating. Her body isn't used to shifter energy like us. It thinks of it as something foreign," Dimitri mumbled.
"Shifter energy and Witch magic are two different types of powers. Yes, Silver is able to handle the ring's magic due to her being chosen by it. Her high magic capabilities and mana storage also assist in keeping the balance. However, with how things have gone throughout the semester and with her training over the holidays, her body hasn't been given enough time to recuperate," Professor Xin noted.
"Can't Yuriel just transfer energy to Silver? Like how I can transfer a bit of my flame?" Ryuu asked.
"I gave her a boost before class as well," Dimitri admitted.
"Yeah. If Yuriel does it, wouldn't it be more productive in giving her a temporary boost until we can restore her magic levels?" Wolfgang suggested.
"We can call her sister. I remember she said she's off until next week. She'd come here in two seconds to help," Dimitri explained.
"I can't," Yuriel whispered.
Everyone else was silent for a long mome
nt, and I felt something lick my cheek. I fought to open my eyes, getting only a squint of vision that was blurry and spinning. I could see that Ryuu was kneeling down next to me on my right and Dimitri was on my left, still holding my hand. Wolfgang was at my feet and seeing as Yuriel was standing where his desk was, Professors Xin was definitely the one cradling me.
I stared at Yuriel's feathers, unsure why they were black now when my spell had worked like a charm.
Is it because I barely have any magic left? No. Star's still here. Why aren't they white? Is that why he's mad at me?
"Why not?" Wolfgang asked. "You're an angel shifter."
Yuriel didn't reply and I heard a soft sigh from behind me.
"Silver's half shifter form is a regular angel shifter. She can't be treated by Yuriel."
"Why? Because he's a fallen angel?" Wolfgang asked.
I was shocked by Wolfgang's question, and I wished I could see the others’ expressions at his statement.
No one said a word until Yuriel whispered. "You...know?"
"Was it supposed to be a secret?" Wolfgang questioned, looking over at Dimitri and then Ryuu. The two of them shrugged.
"We knew that a while ago, Yuriel," Ryuu announced.
"I mean. Your wings are black. Or at least they have been for a while now. During our entrance exam they were white, but after a while, they were black to me," Dimitri confessed.
"Me too," Ryuu agreed.
"They were black from the get-go to me." Wolfgang shrugged. "I figured you were a fallen angel, but I didn't see the big deal about it. When Ryuu and Dimitri mentioned they were white, I simply assumed you did some spell of some sorts. I know some shifters place spells to protect themselves and those around them only see their true form when they've accepted them for who they are."
"Hmm. Is that why you and Silver took so long in the vent?" Dimitri asked.
"She found out and put the spell on you so no one would pester you about it?" Ryuu suggested.
"Yes..." Yuriel whispered. I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore, letting them fall as I did my best to fight the urge to sleep.
Professor Xin cleared his throat, grabbing their attention. "Why don't we continue this later? Now that you've figured out the details, let's get Silver to the nurse's office. Dimitri. Contact Silver's sister. It's a good idea to have another witch boost her up."
SSS: Year One (Supernatural Spy School Book 1) Page 37