"Yes, Professor Xin," Dimitri replied.
"You have her number?" Ryuu asked.
"Yeah. She gave it to me for emergencies when I stayed over during the holidays. Her mom expressed that she always worries about Scarlet and Silver because of how her husband died so suddenly," Dimitri admitted.
Mom...
"That's why Silver freaked out," Ryuu whispered. "She could be scared of falling ill like her Dad?"
"That and the fact we just started second semester. Silver's dreamed of being here. If she misses too many classes and falls behind, she'll either be kicked out or have to use one of her strikes to restart." Dimitri sighed.
"She doesn't want to lose this chance...and I'm sure she wouldn't want to be left behind," Wolfgang mumbled. I heard footsteps and a heavy sigh.
"Let's get her to the nurse's office. I don't care what happens. As long as Silver gets better, I'm staying by her. Even if it means we potentially have to use our strike to start again next year," Yuriel declared.
"I still got two strikes. No problem there," Dimitri replied while I heard a dialing noise.
"We're both down," Ryuu declared.
"Yup," Wolfgang agreed.
"Your four are really something," Professor Xin muttered. "Stay close. I'm about to teleport us."
Something gently laid upon my cheek, lightly stroking it. "It'll be okay, Silver. Rest."
Yuriel's soft voice caressed my ears. My mind immediately began to drift, until the world went dark.
"Silver?" Scarlet's quiet voice pulled me out of the dream I was having. It was a memory from the past, but I couldn't remember exactly what. I opened my eyes slowly, and the blurred image of someone looking down at me began to come into focus.
Blinking a few times, I realized Scarlet was looking down at me. "There's my baby sister," Scarlet sweetly announced.
"Sis? What are you doing here?" I asked.
"Your stalker boyfriend called me," Scarlet smiled.
"I'm not a stalker."
I slowly turned my head to see Dimitri's pouting expression.
He was sitting next to Yuriel, who looked to be asleep. I glanced over to the end of the bed where Wolfgang and Ryuu both were, their heads resting on their crossed arms.
Professor Xin was leaning against the wall to my left. His eyes were also closed, leaving me to wonder if he was asleep.
Within a few seconds, I realized I was in a medical bed, similar to a hospital one but without the fancy gadgets.
A woman with short blue hair and golden cat ears smiled at me as she walked over to stand next to Scarlet, who appeared relieved.
"That did the trick. I knew with a boost from you and Daichi would restore her balance, Scarlet," the woman in a pink uniform announced.
Her voice was really high-pitched, but not enough to annoy my ears.
The woman was 5’7” and wore a white coat with the S.S.S. school logo on it. I noticed the other side of the coat had NURSE embroidered in pink lettering.
"You're right. I'm glad I didn't have work this week. Mom would have freaked out." Scarlet sighed, swiping the small beads of sweat off her forehead. "How are you feeling, sis?"
I frowned and looked between her and the nurse. "Fine? Wait, was I sick?" I asked, suddenly unsure how I even landed here.
"Ah." The cat lady scratched the side of her face with her hand like it was a paw. "She'll need a few minutes for her memories of it all to come back. We give all our clients temporary amnesia for the first twenty-four hours. It helps so they don't freak out upon awakening."
"What happened?" I asked, looking from one side to the other.
Dimitri reached out to hold my hand.
"You had an imbalance of a sort," Dimitri admitted. "It was as though you were coming down with a cold or the flu. We tried to convince you to go to the nurse's office, but you freaked out when we kept saying you were unwell. You passed out and Professor Xin caught you. He teleported us here after Ryuu cooled your body temperature down and we figured out the problem. I called your sister because you needed a magic boost from a witch. Your angel energy was too high and the culprit of the disturbance."
"That's...a little confusing," I confessed. "My angel energy? As in the shifter half of me? Wait...am I supposed to say that?" I asked, looking back at the cat lady.
She smiled while Scarlet reached out to ruffle my hair. "Aside from those in the room now, no one else is here and I've made sure the room is spelled to keep our words in here.”
"That's my sis for you." I sighed. "It's okay for the um...you're the nurse, right?" I asked the cat lady.
"Right. I’m Mitten, Nya. I'm the head nurse here. Don't worry about your confidentiality being breached. All cases are protected and in no way am I allowed to tell anyone about your witch status. I was informed at the beginning of the year," Mitten assured me, bowing her head slightly.
Nya? I wonder if she adds that to the end of sentences?
Her ears twitched and she looked back at Profession Xin, whose tired eyes slowly opened. He blinked a few times and yawned.
"Only you could sleep standing," Mitten noted to him. Professor Xin frowned, giving her a tired look. "I wasn't sleeping,"
"Sure, Nya." Mitten shrugged. "If you were awake, you'd know your student woke up three minutes ago."
Professor Xin turned his attention to me. Relief formed on his face, reminding me so much of Yuriel that I had to blink a few times.
"Good to see you're okay, Ms. Solange."
"Thank you," I replied, giving him an appreciative nod.
"You know, school hours are over. You can just call her Silver," Mitten noted. Professor Xin's cheeks began to grow red and he side-eyed Mitten.
"You always pester me."
"I pester you because you're so by the book, Nya. You were fine saying her first name when she was asleep," Mitten countered.
"That's because I was talking to her sister," Professor Xin argued.
"If you say so, Daichi." Mitten smiled sweetly. "Now, come help me fill out forms! I already informed the dean that you had to assist a student and that Ms. Nutella had to cover for you, Nya." Mitten walked over to him, slipping her hand around his arm.
His face grew even redder, and he groaned. "You're too touchy. Students are watching," he scolded.
"Uh huh. To the report room, Daichi, Nya," she cheered.
"So annoying," he grumbled but snapped his fingers. They were gone in a flash, leaving Dimitri, Scarlet, and I in a confused moment of silence.
"Those two are so dating," Scarlet and I said in unison.
"Hmm? Isn't that obvious?" Dimitri asked.
"You think that's obvious?" I questioned.
"Well, you were asleep, but Professor Xin kept watching Mitten work the whole time she was taking care of you. He also asked her quietly if she'd taken a break today or if she needed any more assistance," Dimitri explained. "I see something there, but we can ask Yuriel when he wakes up."
"I'll go call Mom and tell her you're okay. She was home when Dimitri called, and I couldn't explain what happened. Don't want her flooding the house with her tears," Scarlet announced. She leaned over and gave me a kiss on the cheek. "I'm happy you're okay, sis. Just next time you're feeling unwell, come straight here and see Mitten, all right?"
I looked back and saw a hint of fear in her eyes. She wasn't asking me. She was begging me to seek help when I needed it.
"All right. Sorry for worrying you," I apologized. She gave me a small smile and headed out of the room. I let out a long sigh.
"Sorry for causing you guys trouble," I whispered to Dimitri. He placed his hand on my cheek, stroking it lightly.
"It's all right. We were a bit afraid, but Scarlet and Professor Xin worked super fast once Mitten assessed you. Professor Xin was able to transfer a boost to Mitten and then she was able to morph it into an orb of energy. Scarlet gathered her magic in an orb and they combined the two. Then Mitten slowly administered the energy into you in stages."
"That sounds complicated," I admitted.
Dimitri nodded. "Took a while. The others tried to stay awake but dozed off. Professor Xin ended up falling asleep since he used quite a bit of energy to create the orb."
"Why did he do it when Yuriel can?" I asked.
"Ah, you were out when we talked about it. Yuriel's a fallen angel. You, on the other hand, are a regular angel shifter, or that's what the ring granted you. The energies are different. Therefore, it wouldn't benefit if you received a boost from Yuriel. Professor Xin couldn't give it to you directly, if you know what I mean," Dimitri elaborated.
"Yeah. That makes sen...wait! Y-you guys know? That Yuriel is...you know?" I had to lower my voice near the end, noticing Yuriel tense up for a few seconds. We waited to see if he'd wake, but seconds passed and his body relaxed, his breathing still at a slow pace.
"We've known for a while, Silver. We kinda figured it out before we brought you to the nurse's office, but we told Yuriel we knew he was a fallen angel ages ago. Wolfgang knew right away, and Ryuu and I noticed the shift in his wings from white to black later on but didn't see the need to bring it up."
"Oh..." I trailed off. "Yeah. I cast a spell to hide the blackness of his wings. Unless the person peering at him won't judge him, his true form will stay hidden."
"We figured. Took us a bit after you were stable to assure him that we still wanted to be his friends. He thought we'd want him out of the harem," Dimitri admitted.
"Out of the harem. I guess that's what we are, but he can't leave. He's one of my boyfriends," I mumbled.
"He's not going anywhere. We called him an idiot and said he's stuck for three and a half more years." Dimitri beamed proudly.
"Thank goodness," I whispered. "Do I have to stay here?"
"No. Mitten said once you woke up and she finished reports and did a quick check on you, we could go home," he replied.
"That's good. I don't like being in rooms that remind me of the hospital," I admitted.
"We get it," he whispered. "You panicked because of what happened to your dad, right?"
"Yeah," I whispered, the memories slowly coming back to me. I recalled everything in a flash and groaned.
"Are you okay?" Dimitri asked.
"I just remembered," I confessed, giving him a pitiful look. "I'm so sorry. I have to apologize to the others and Professor Xin. I caused so much trouble. I'm also the reason why Yuriel's wings came out."
"It's all good, Blossom. You didn't hurt anyone, and again, we knew about Yuriel. Don't stress about it," Dimitri comforted, slipping his hand back in mine.
"Thanks for being understanding." I gave him a relieved smile. He returned my smile with his own and leaned over to give me a kiss on the cheek. "Just be careful. I get the situation we're in with school...but we'd be in big trouble if you got seriously hurt or ill. Don't sacrifice your health over the school. If we have to, we’re willing to pause our studies so that we can continue together."
"You shouldn't need to," I whispered.
"We are a team, remember? We promised to be your boyfriends and that promise still stands. We all have strikes to spare. If we have to start all over again to ensure we graduate together as a team, we certainly will."
"I really wonder how I got so lucky in meeting the four of you," I whispered.
Dimitri chuckled, and I looked at him right when he claimed my lips.
We stared into each other's eyes and I allowed mine to close. Our kiss was deliberately slow, and I enjoyed every bit of it.
He released my lips and whispered, “We're just as lucky for meeting a woman like you. We never would have met if you hadn’t had the courage to apply."
He stroked the palm of my hand. "Now rest a little while we wait for Mitten and Professor Xin to come back. Professor Xin said we'd have to start training you on how to activate your angel attributes."
"Would that help so this doesn't happen again?" I asked, resting against the pillows behind my head.
"Yes, and we may need it for the final exam. You're going to have to demonstrate a shifter quality. All students are required to. It won't be an on-the-spot display, but throughout the mission at some point."
"Great." I sighed but nodded my head. "I've been able to conquer everything so far. This should be a piece of cake. Maybe I'll learn how to fly!" I happily suggested.
"That's all Yuriel, but Professor Xin said he's willing to help too. As long as it's off school property."
"That's nice of him."
"I think it’s because of your impact on Yuriel. He mentioned when Yuriel fell asleep that he hasn't lost his cool like that in a long time. He only does when he's super upset or extremely worried," Dimitri admitted.
"He was mad that he couldn't help me with the boost."
Dimitri nodded. "Give him some time. I'm sure he won't worry too much about it now that you're better."
I nodded, closing my eyes for a moment. "Guess when we go home, I’ll be forced to sleep."
"Yes, but we could enjoy some time in the hot tub, too."
"All of us?"
"All of us," he repeated.
I opened my eyes slightly to see his mischievous grin. "No fluffy stuff."
"I don't know what fluffy stuff you are referring to." He acted all innocent with a wide smile.
"Sure." I quietly giggled but squeezed his hand as my eyes fell to a close once more.
"You guys are the best boyfriends I could have ever asked for."
I meant every word.
32
Angel Training 101
"NOPE! This is a bad idea. Yuri-EEP!"
I shrieked when he tossed me off the cliff, sending me plummeting into the vast water below. My body crashed into the water, and I quickly gathered my bearings and swam back up to the surface.
Gasping for air, I looked up to the cliff to give Yuriel the best glare I could muster.
"IT DIDN'T WORK, DAMMIT!" I screamed.
My sensitive hearing picked up on his reply.
"Hmm. That didn't go as expected." He looked over his shoulder. "Hey bro? You threw me just like that when you forced me to learn how to fly. What happened in this case?"
"Sometimes I wonder which parent you got your stupidity from," Professor Xin groaned.
"You okay, Blossom?" Dimitri called out. "I'd help you, but I'm not feeling the water."
"Ugh," I replied. "I'm fine."
With a grunt, I began to swim to where Dimitri, Wolfgang, and Ryuu stood at their watchful post.
"I can't believe we're testing this out in the middle of winter," Wolfgang declared.
"Says the man in shorts," Dimitri sighed.
"At least we're all warm-bodied shifters," Ryuu reminded.
"Except for Yuriel and Professor Xin," Wolfgang pointed out. "Silver doesn't count since she can use her magic to regulate her temperature."
I reached the partially snow-covered shore, snapping both my fingers to summon a warm whirlwind that wrapped around me and dried me off in seconds. I crossed my arms under my breasts and glared at the three.
"I DO count! I didn't know he was going to throw me off the damn cliff!"
The three of them just looked me up and down, and I groaned. "Pay attention and stop checking me out!"
"It's not our fault, Blossom. You look hot in a bikini," Dimitri complimented, walking toward me. He wrapped me in a hug and kissed my neck. "So, so hot." His husky whisper wasn't helping me remain angry.
"Ugh. I hate you," I said, muffled against his broad shoulder as I returned his hug.
"Hmm. You don't mean that, Blossom." He nipped my neck and I held back the moan that threatened to escape.
"If we're going to get all romantic, shouldn't we do that when Professor Xin isn't around?" Wolfgang suggested in an amused tone.
"When Dimitri's involved, Silver forgets the world. It's a stalker tactic. That's how they get you," Ryuu stressed
"I'm not a stalker," Dimitri huffed, giving me a quick kiss before letting me go.
Yuriel and Professor Xin flew down from the cliff, landing a few feet away from us.
Both of them were wearing black sweatpants, but Yuriel wore a black turtleneck sweater while Profession Xin wore a loose white one.
It was weird seeing Professor Xin in casual clothes, and what was even more shocking was how big his wings were. They were at least double the size of Yuriel's and were so white I was sure they could exorcise a demon with one flap.
He wore silver glasses today, which wasn't very common either. It made him look very intellectual while maintaining his attractiveness, but I definitely wasn't interested in a romantic way.
The two of them approached us.
"Guess Plan A doesn't work," Yuriel concluded.
I gave him a look and he shuffled over to give me a hug from behind. "It sounded like a good idea at the time," he muttered. "Don't hate me."
I rolled my eyes but sighed. "I really don't think the wing thing is going to work. Isn't there something else I can do?" I suggested.
The others looked at Professor Xin, who fixed his glasses. "Firstly, we need to get spectacles made for you."
"Glasses?" Ryuu questioned. "Why does she need glasses?"
"I can see perfectly fine," I noted.
"When you first felt unwell, you had a lot of eye strain, correct?" Profession Xin clarified.
"Well...yea. It wasn't all the time, but once in a while my vision would blur and then return to normal," I thought out loud, realizing that was the first symptom I noticed.
"High ranking mages normally wear glasses unless they're about to go into training or a mission. You should know magic loves to dwell within your chest, eyes, and fingertips. Wearing glasses during class will aid in stabilizing your magic and not letting an excessive amount affect your eyes," he explained.
"Is that why you're wearing glasses?" Wolfgang asked.
"Yes. I simply don't wear them during class because I get hit on more." Professor Xin shrugged.
"That hard life." Yuriel rolled his eyes. "Now, if only you'd hook up with Mi—ow!"
"Stop speaking nonsense and pay attention," Professor Xin huffed. "Anyway, you could try healing magic. The only difference is you'll be using your angel energy and not your usual magic. The tricky part is telling the difference."
SSS: Year One (Supernatural Spy School Book 1) Page 38