Chapter 104 104- Do Not Touch Anything That’s Smoking
LEXI
I’m seated in my usual spot, waiting for class to start. Blake is off in his corner, exactly where Layla put him, reading like he has absolutely no interest in anything else going on in the room. He looks relaxed, almost bored, but I know better. Every now and then his eyes flick up briefly as students file in, tracking movement without being obvious about it. I reach into my desk and pull out my textbook, flipping it open to the last page we were on. I’m just starting to skim over it when I hear the soft sound of someone clearing their throat. I look up. There’s a girl standing beside my desk. She’s slight, smaller than me, actually, and there’s something delicate about the way she holds herself, like she’s trying to take up as little space as possible. Her skin is dark, but not quite as dark as her hair, which falls straight to her shoulders in a smooth, blunt cut. The contrast makes her eyes stand out immediately. And they really stand out. One is a deep hazel-green, warm and earthy. The other is a bright, almost glowing shade of purple. It’s striking. Beautiful. A little unsettling in the way unusual things always are at first. She’s also rocking slightly where she stands, shifting her weight back and forth in a small, repetitive motion like she’s trying to work up the courage to speak. Her gaze keeps flicking toward the back of the room where Blake is sitting. Blake, who is still very obviously looking at his book. Blake, who I am one hundred percent certain is aware of everything happening right now.
“Hello.” I say gently, making my voice as warm and inviting as I can. She doesn’t feel like a threat. If anything, she looks like she’s trying not to bolt.
“Uhm… H–Hi… I… I just wanted to… Thank you?” She says, her voice quiet and a little shaky. I frown slightly in confusion for a second, then it clicks.
“Oh!” I sit up a little straighter.
“You’re from Potions.” I blurt out. She nods quickly. The girl who got poisoned. She looks completely different now. No pallor, no sweat, no tension in her face. Just… Normal. Healthy. A little nervous, but otherwise fine.
“You’re welcome.” I say, smiling.
“You look a lot better. Are you feeling okay?” I ask.
“Yeah.” She says quickly.
“I’m okay. I just… I wanted to come say thank you sooner, but I wasn’t sure about… Uh…” She trails off as her eyes flick back toward Blake again. Right.
“Ah, yeah. That makes sense.” I say with a small laugh.
“But he’s not going to do anything to you as long as you don’t mess with his stuff or mess with me. You’ll be fine.” I assure her. I’m at least ninety-nine percent sure that’s true. Blake isn’t randomly violent. Intimidating? Yes. Overprotective? Definitely. But not unpredictable. He doesn’t do things for no reason.
“I… Kind of thought that.” She admits quietly.
“I know there were a lot of… Pictures and stories and stuff… About him on SCRI. And about how he was treating you. But… I don’t really think they were true.” She says. I tilt my head slightly, curious.
“I… I saw a bit of what happened when you shifted.” She continues, her voice still hesitant.
“I don’t remember everything, but… He was really… Soft with you.” She points out. My chest warms slightly at that.
“And when you walk around with him…” She glances toward the back again before looking back at me.
“Well… You don’t look scared. You look… Relaxed.” She explains, then shrugs a little, like she’s unsure if she’s overstepping.
“I don’t think you’d look like that if he was treating you badly.” She finishes. I beam at her. Finally, someone who actually pays attention instead of blindly believing gossip.
“You’re exactly right.” I say warmly.
“Would you like to sit with me?” I gesture to the empty seat beside me. She hesitates for a moment, clearly weighing the decision, then carefully sits down, more like perching on the edge of the chair than actually settling into it.
“I’m pretty sure you already know, but I’m Lexi.” I add.
“Hi, Lexi.” She says softly.
“My name is Ellorie-Rae. You can call me Ellorie if you like.” She introduces herself. Ellorie-Rae. That is such a pretty name.
“I would love to.” I say, smiling a little wider. And I have to actively stop myself from doing something ridiculous like squealing or hugging her. Because I’m pretty sure, I just made another friend. FINALLY
I’m so thrilled that once class starts I can barely focus. Layla is explaining the task, but the words just sort of… Slide past me. I nod along like I’m listening, but I’m not really taking anything in. Because I’m sitting next to someone. Someone who chose to come talk to me. Someone who isn’t scared of the consequences of talking to me. Or at least… Not scared enough to stay away. As soon as Layla tells us to start working, I turn straight back to Ellorie. I don’t even pretend to take out my materials. I need to make this stick.
“So… As you obviously know I’m a shifter.” I say quickly.
“I had no idea I was a unicorn until that potions class. What kind of magic and stuff do you have? Obviously something that allows for healing, right?” I ask. She blinks at me like I’ve just thrown a question at her way too fast. Oh no.
“Sorry, was that rude?” I add immediately.
“Are there like… Rules about asking that? I have no idea. I was adopted and my parents are both human so I’m kind of just, guessing everything.” I explain, then stop myself there. Barely. Wow. I am so close to just dumping my entire life story on her. Calm down. Give her a chance to speak.
“N-No.” She says quickly, shaking her head.
“It’s not rude. That’s… A normal question.” She answers as she fidgets slightly with the sleeve of her shirt.
“I just didn’t expect you to be so…” She trails off again. I grin.
“So pushy?” I offer. Her eyes widen and she shakes her head quickly.
“No! Not pushy. Just… Normal.” She responds. I blink. Normal?
“Really? What did you expect?” I ask, leaning slightly closer. She hesitates again, glancing briefly toward Blake before looking back at me.
“Well… You’re a unicorn.” She says slowly.
“That’s… Kind of a big deal. Even before people thought they were extinct, they were really private. Mysterious.” She explains. Okay, fair
“And you hang out with a dragon.” She adds, her voice dropping slightly.
“Which is… Kind of intimidating.” She points out awkwardly. Also fair.
“And you just… Appeared.” She finishes.
“I thought you might be more… I don’t know. Reserved? Or… Intense? Like you’d have some big secret or something.” She clarifies. I laugh softly and shake my head.
“Nope. No big secret. I’ve lived near here with my parents my whole life, or at least as long as I can remember. I’m really not that interesting.” I tell her. She watches me for a second, like she’s trying to reconcile that with what she expected.
“I think you might be wrong about that.” She says quietly.
“But… You’re definitely different than I thought.” She concludes.
“Huh… Well… I’ll take that as a good thing.” I say. I tilt my head slightly.
“So what about you? You didn’t answer my question.” I remind her.
“Oh, right.” She straightens a little, like she’s bracing herself.
“I’m… A bit unusual too. Not as much as you though. My mum is a witch, but my dad is a djinn. So I’m half of each.” She tells me. I blink. Okay, that is very cool.
“I have to admit, I know absolutely nothing about djinn.” I say honestly.
“I read a bit about witches when I got here, but I’m still trying to figure everything else out.” I admit.
“That’s okay.” She says quickly, a little more relaxed now.
“Most people don’t know much about djinn. We’re kind of… Private.” She hesitates again.
“Also… We’re not always very popular. We kind of have a reputation for being… Malevolent.” She explains. I raise an eyebrow. This girl? Malevolent? Yeah, no. I’m not buying that.
“Malevolent?” I repeat when she says it, unable to hide my disbelief.
“You?” I ask. She gives a small, awkward shrug.
“It’s… A reputation thing.” She explains.
“Some djinn can be dangerous. Especially ifrit. We’re more connected to fire, destruction… Intensity. And we’re kind of well known for… Vengeance.” She adds. That tracks. A little.
“But it’s not really that simple.” She adds quickly.
“It depends on the individual. Like anything else.” She says firmly.
“Tell me more.” I say, leaning in slightly, genuinely interested now.
“Well… Ifrit are kind of like beings made of smoke and fire. Some of them can fully shape shift, but I can’t since I’m only half. I can kind of… Alter small things. Not a full transformation.” She explains. She holds up her hand slightly, like she’s considering demonstrating something, then seems to think better of it.
“But I’m really good with fire. And my magic is… Fairly strong.” She continues. Fairly. Yeah, I don’t believe that for a second. She sounds embarrassed to say that much, so while she isn’t lying I am sure that she is being modest.
“That’s really cool. Honestly that sounds amazing.” I say, meaning it. She gives a small, surprised smile at that.
“You said djinn are private too.” I continue.
“Is there a reason? Like… For unicorns it’s pretty obvious. I’m apparently being hunted now. Yay.” I add sarcastically. She nods slowly, her expression shifting.
“Yeah… It’s kind of similar.” She admits.
“People don’t really HUNT djinn. But… They used to capture us.” She tells me. Something in my chest tightens.
“Capture?” I repeat quietly. She nods.
“Keep us as slaves. Because our magic is powerful. Useful. More versatile than most.” She says, her voice soft but steady. Oh. Oh, that’s… That’s not really better.
“It’s not as common now. It’s extremely illegal. Like… Immediate life sentence if someone’s caught doing it.” She adds quickly. Good. Very good.
“And freed djinn usually…” She hesitates, then shrugs slightly
“They don’t let that go. And most people don’t interfere with their vengeance.” She tells me. That also makes sense.
“Still, there are always some people who think it’s worth the risk. But… I’m only half djinn. I don’t think anyone would bother with me.” She says, quieter now. I look at her. REALLY look at her. And something settles in my chest. Because I get that. Not the same way. But close enough.
“I think you’re underestimating yourself. “You seem pretty worth bothering with to me.” I say gently. Her eyes widen slightly at that. And just like that, I feel it. That small, fragile shift. From stranger to friend. And I realise, no one else is going to understand that feeling the way I do right now. I know being hunted is awful, but that understanding… It’s nice.