Chapter 63 CHAPTER 63
When we got to the library, many students were already in there, milling about, books in hand, and hushed discussion happening between them.
I pitied Zade again, used to silence and quiet, but now, per his actions, he'll have to deal with us being noisy.
When I found a comfortable place to sit, I laid out my books for the evening, hiding that slip of paper well underneath it all.
My plan today was to get through a large part of the curriculum, I was still far behind but my pace was impressive to me and I planned to utilise this free time to get through it as much as possible.
The disparity between me and the others while sparring always came from the fact that they were far ahead and I was only getting half of the lessons but every time I managed to get through one fighting technique, I found I could perfect it better during class.
It propelled me to read more, joining both forms of training to get ahead.
Maybe I won't need to leave anymore.
That hope was dangerous but it was a seed that kept growing in my heart.
It was why I wanted to find out who my parents were.
Maybe they had a…
No.
There's no justifiable reason why they threw me into another world, the least they could have done was come with me.
I'm not Clark Kent, I didn't quickly acclimatize to the strange world and became their hero.
I was the stuff of nightmares, without even meaning to or knowing how.
Fire just flowed out of my veins, and like Erin, I was going around hurting people that I connected with, leaving me riddled with guilt.
But now that I needed that fire, it decided I wasn't worthy of it.
It's weird because people don't develop fire at that age, yet there I was, burning buildings to a crisp.
“What are you reading?” I smelled him before I saw him, yet when I looked up, he was all the way in the second aisle, his hand behind his back as he spoke to a student, a girl in second year.
She launched into a speech about the complexity of dragon blood and I couldn't stop my heart from clenching in jealousy.
If he asked me, I wouldn't be able to answer so well, and he won't be able to engage in conversation with me like he was doing with her.
It felt like a punch to the throat, how I'd gone from being the favourite student while back on earth to this… dullard here.
And it didn't matter how much I read more, practiced in the dark of night, I was still far behind.
He did this around the library, checking in on everyone, and all through it, I can proudly tell you I read this page thoroughly.
Five times…
Although I still can't remember what it's about.
I do know Mara is very good at flying in the storm, Kiston can go as close to the two suns as physically possible, and…
You get the image.
When he got to our aisle, finally, my heart rose an octave higher.
“What about you –”
“I –”
“Akua?”
I clamped my lips shut, my cheeks reddening in embarrassment.
“Sir, it's this joint dragon flight strategy Miss Tessa tested us on in class today,” she replied, trying to hide her laugh.
“That's nice, you don't think you did well in the test?”
“I did my very best, she's taught extensively on it. Her questions just had a different edge to them. Like she'd expected us to do our own research.”
“You should always do further research on every topic. Your teachers cannot teach you everything in one class. Dragon blood alone can take an entire semester to cover, what will happen to the other topics?”
“You're right, Master Zade.”
“And you, Alira? What's got your brows furrowed like that?” He asked me, his attention on me making my hair and scales stand on end straight.
“It's um..” My brain went blank even though I was looking at the book itself. “I have a uh…”
“Sir she's still struggling to understand our version of Pallavi, you'll have to forgive her,” Akua came to my rescue but she didn't know he'd seen me read.
Heard me read.
His eyes furrowed at the obvious lie.
“I'll get you some books to help with that. You can't take it out of the library though,” he said and then turned to another student.
Unaffected, like his tongue wasn't shoved down my throat yesterday.
“You really like him that much?” Akua whispered in my ear?
Thank the stars Mira wasn't here with her, both of them would have driven me insane with mockery.
“I don't know what you're talking about.”
“He's a perfect choice you know?” She continued, as though I hadn't just denied feeling anything for the instructor.
“How?”
She grinned, a gotcha moment for her to gloat about later but then, I was caught, there was no point denying it.
I'd not just frozen up, I'd spent the last fifteen minutes trailing his movement across the entire room, staring at him as though my eyes could pull him to my direction.
And when he was here, my skin reacted, my neck too, and my lips struggled to connect with my brain.
That kiss unlocked something I had no idea what to do with.
“Think of it,” Akua whispered, “he's a recluse and no one will ever know. Also, you're an adult where you fell from so it won't really count as… whatever I don't care for morality so I don't know how to justify that. But the point is, he's hidden in here. But with the Principal, you're going to get into a lot of trouble, with Master Zade, safety, and orgasms. Who wouldn't want that?”
“I don't have anything to do with the Principal,” I protested, avoiding her eyes.
“Oh so you do have something to do with the Library beast,” she giggled, “Mira is gonna have a field day with this!”
Blood drained from my face.
Okay, time to leave, I couldn't read a single word again, and that incident with Zade...
If I stayed behind afterwards, people would talk.
Well, more than they already do.
It didn't take Akua anything to figure out what was happening and now she was going to go spread the word.
I'm royally fucked, and not in the way I'd like.