We spent the next few minutes talking, till we noticed the librarian was walking around, giving everyone the "we're closing soon" look.
"We should probably go," Des said.
"Yeah," Pearl agreed, packing up her notes.
We gathered our stuff and headed toward the exit. The library was quiet now, just the sound of our footsteps and the occasional rustle of pages.
As we walked, I realized something.
I'd had fun tonight.
I hadn't thought about hiding or pretending.
It was really nice.
We said goodbye to Kai as he headed towards the noble dorms, and we headed towards ours. Pearl suddenly grabbed my arm and pulled me back.
"What?" I started.
"So," Pearl said, her eyes sparkling with amusement. "Kai, huh?"
"What about Kai?" I asked, already knowing I wasn't going to like where this was going.
"Since when are you two best friends?" she asked. "Like, a week ago you found him annoying, and now his having study sessions with us and he's basically attached to your hip."
"He's just... persistent," I said.
Des laughed. "Yeah, he is. You know what I think?"
"I'm sure you're going to tell me anyway."
"I think Kai has a thing for you," he completed, grinning.
"What? No," I said immediately. "That's not... He doesn't."
"He totally does," Pearl said. "The way he looks at you? Come on."
"Guys, stop," I said, feeling my face get hot.
"I'm just saying," she continued, clearly enjoying my discomfort. "It would be cute. You two would be cute together."
"We're not..." I took a breath. "He doesn't have a thing for me."
"Sure," Pearl said, not sounding convinced at all.
"You're the worst," I muttered.
Pearl just laughed, looping her arm through mine as we walked. Des was a few steps ahead, humming something under his breath.
We turned the corner toward our dorms when Pearl suddenly stopped short. I stumbled, nearly tripping over my own feet.
"Watch it—" I started, but the words died in my throat.
Xavier stood in the middle of the hallway, hands in his pockets, looking at us with a look that was hard to explain. His eyes swept over our group before settling on me.
"Hello, Amara," he said, his voice smooth and warm. He smiled, and it should have been friendly, but something about me wasn't buying it.
I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. I couldn't explain the eerie vibe I got from him.
Xavier's gaze shifted to Pearl, and his smile changed. It was still there, but much colder now.
"Be careful when you're walking," he said in a calm tone. "So you don't slip, pretty girl."
Then he walked past us, his footsteps echoing down the hallway until he disappeared around the corner.
For a moment, none of us moved.
"What the hell was that?" Des finally said.
Pearl turned to me, her eyes wide. "Amara. How do you know Master Xavier?"
"I don't," I said quickly. Too quickly.
"He just said your name," Pearl pressed. "He knew who you were."
"I don't know him," I repeated, my heart pounding for no reason. "I've never talked to him before."
"But..."
"Can we just drop it?" I said, pulling away from her. "I'm tired. I'll see you guys tomorrow."
I didn't wait for them to respond. I just walked to my room, shut the door behind me, and leaned against it.
That guy gave me the creeps...
---
The next morning came too early.
I dragged myself out of bed and got ready for Combat class. Professor Ginsberry had finally moved Combat classes to early in the morning because he believed in making us sweat before breakfast.
When I walked into the training area, I immediately noticed Malachi.
He was back.
He stood near the far wall, talking to some students who had gathered around him. He looked tired, with shadows under his eyes that hadn't been there before.
I told myself not to stare. I told myself to just find a spot and start warming up.
But then his eyes moved toward me.
For half a second, our gazes met.
Then he looked away, turning his attention back to the other student as if I wasn't even there.
My heart was stunned. Normally, he would stare, smile, or offer some form of acknowledgement. But he didn't.
Instead, he ignored me. Why?
Did something happen after he left the infirmary?
"Alright, everyone!" Professor Ginsberry's voice rang out, pulling me away from my thoughts. "Pair up. We're working on disarming techniques today."
I partnered with the same girl from my last combat class... the one before my "fainting" incident. I'd since learned her name was Senna, and we went through the drills. Block, twist, disarm. Over and over until my arms ached.
But I couldn't focus.
Every few minutes, I'd glance over at Malachi. And every time I did, I'd catch him looking at me. But the second our eyes met, he'd turn away.
It was driving me insane.
What was his problem? He was the one who'd been gone for days without a word. He was the one acting strange.
"Amara, it feels like you're distracted," Senna said, yanking the practice blade from my hand with ease.
"Sorry," I muttered.
"Is something wrong?"
"No. I'm fine."
She didn't look convinced, but she didn't push it.
When class finally ended, Professor Ginsberry called out, "Amara, Kai. Put the weapons away before you leave."
I groaned internally but nodded. Kai appeared beside me, grinning.
"Guess we're on cleanup duty," he said.
"Yeah. Lucky us."
We gathered the practice swords and daggers, carrying them toward the storage room at the back of the training hall. Kai pushed the door open with his shoulder, and we stepped inside.
The room was small and cramped, lined with shelves holding all kinds of weapons. Swords, shields, staffs, bows, arrows. Everything smelled faintly of oil and leather.
I set my armful of swords on the rack while Kai did the same with the daggers.
"You okay?" he asked, glancing at me. "You seemed distracted during class."
"I'm fine," I said automatically.
"You sure? Because you've said 'I'm fine' about ten times in the last two days, and I'm starting to think you're not actually fine."
I sighed, turning to face him. "It's nothing. Just... tired."
"Is it about Malachi?
My stomach sank. "What?"
"I saw him staring at you," Kai said, leaning against the shelf. "And you staring at him. It was kind of hard to miss."
"I wasn't staring."
"Sure you weren't."
"Kai—"
"I'm just saying, if something's going on..."
"Nothing's going on," I said, more sharply than I meant to. "Can we just finish this and go?"
Kai held up his hands. "Alright. Alright."
We worked in silence for a minute, putting the last of the weapons away. I was about to head for the door when Kai reached for it first.
He pulled.
Nothing happened.
He pulled again, harder this time, but it didn't work.
"Uh," he said, jiggling the handle. "I think it's locked."
"What?" I stepped forward, trying the handle myself. It didn't budge. "How is it locked? We're inside."
"I don't know!" Kai said, pulling harder. "It just... won't open."
"Move," I said, shoving him aside. I grabbed the handle with both hands and yanked.
Nothing.
"Great," I muttered. "We're stuck."
"Maybe someone locked it from the outside?" Kai suggested.
"Why would someone do that?"
"I don't know! Maybe they didn't see us come in?"
I banged on the door. "Hello? Professor Ginsberry? Anyone?"
No response.
Kai joined me, pounding on the door. "Hey! We're in here!"
Still nothing.
I stepped back, running a hand through my hair. "This is ridiculous."
"Okay, don't panic," Kai said, though he sounded a bit panicked himself. "Someone will notice we're missing eventually."
"Eventually? Class is over. Everyone's probably gone by now."
"Professor Ginsberry will come back to check the room."
"Will he?"
Kai paused. "Probably?"
I groaned and slid to the floor, with Kai following me seconds later. We sat there for a moment, the silence stretching between us.
"Wait," I said suddenly. "Can't you just use an unlock spell?"
Kai blinked. "Oh. Yeah. I should've thought of that."
He stood up, brushing off his pants, and walked to the door. I watched as he placed his hand on the handle, closing his eyes in concentration as a small spell circle appeared.
"Aperio," he said, his voice steady.
Nothing happened.
He frowned, trying again. "Aperio."
Still nothing.
"That's weird," he muttered. He pressed his palm flat against the door, and I could see the faint glow of magic around his fingers. "Resero. Clavis. Aperio maxima."
The door didn't budge.
"Why isn't it working?" I asked, standing up.
"I don't know." Kai stepped back, staring at the door with frustration written all over his face. "It should work. These are basic unlocking spells."
"Maybe the lock is enchanted?"
"Maybe." He ran a hand through his hair. "Or maybe something's blocking the magic."
A chill ran down my spine. "What do you mean, blocking it?"
"I mean the spell isn't even reaching the lock. It's just... stopping." He looked at me, and I could see the worry in his eyes. "That shouldn't be possible."
I leaned forward slightly and looked at him. "So what do we do?"
Kai exhaled quietly. "We break it down."
"What?"
"Stand back," he said, already raising his hand toward the door.
"Kai, wait..."
But he was already casting. Lightning crackled around his fingers, filling the small room with the smell of ozone. He thrust his hand forward, and a bolt of electricity shot toward the door and hit the wood with a loud crack.
And then it just... fizzled out.
The door didn't even have a scorch mark.
"What the hell?" Kai said, staring at his hand. He tried again, summoning more lightning. The bolts were brighter this time, more powerful. They struck the door with enough force that I felt the air vibrate.
But the door remained perfectly intact.
"This doesn't make sense," Kai said, sounding confused (and probably a little self-doubt). "That should've blown the door off its hinges."
I opened my mouth to respond, but then pain exploded in my chest.
It was sharp and stabbing. Like someone had driven a knife between my ribs.
I gasped, stumbling backward. My hand flew to my chest, pressing against the spot where it hurt most.
"Amara?" Kai's voice sounded far away. "Amara, what's wrong?"