Chapter 180 Split Up
Chapter 180 Split Up
Arabella’s POV
Before he could say anything, I spun around, rushed back inside, and slammed the door behind me. Nope. Absolutely not. I wasn’t dealing with his arrogant ass right now.
The image of him standing outside room 315 was already irritating enough. The academy was enormous. Massive. Ridiculously huge. Yet somehow the universe had decided that Mr. Lizard Boy needed to live right beside me. Because apparently my life wasn’t stressful enough.
I stormed into the sitting room where my brothers were spread across the furniture discussing schedules and comparing classes.
The suite itself was beautiful. Tall windows overlooked the academy grounds while warm lighting reflected off polished hardwood floors. Expensive furniture filled the room, and a large stone fireplace stretched across one wall. Normally I would’ve appreciated it. Right now I was too annoyed.
I dropped into one of the chairs. “You all won’t believe who’s staying beside us.”
The second the words left my mouth, a grin appeared on Kieran’s face. “It’s your prince, isn’t it?”
I stared at him giving him a look of annoyance.
He pointed triumphantly. “I told you he’d be here.”
The three idiots immediately started laughing. But I wasn’t amused. Not even a little.
“Mr. Lizard Boy occupies room 315.” I threw my hands into the air.
The laughter only got worse. Dominic’s smile disappeared first. “No way.” A low growl escaped him as he dragged both hands down his face. “You’re kidding.”
I shook my head. “Unfortunately, no. I was planning on finding snacks or something. I made it exactly one step outside the door before my entire evening was ruined.”
Another laugh escaped Xavier. Evidently he seems to find this amusing.
“Why would they even put him there?” Dominic asked, still looking personally offended. “There are only a handful of suites on this floor.”
I shrugged my shoulders. “No idea. All I know is if I have classes with his scaly ass, somebody is getting launched into the air.” The threat felt completely reasonable.
Nobody agreed. Nobody disagreed either.
I reached for my schedule and unfolded it across my lap. The academy emblem decorated the top while my assigned classes filled the page below. My eyes immediately landed on the first entry.
Magic Control.
I looked up. “Do any of you have Magic Control first thing tomorrow?”
Xavier checked his schedule first. “Nope.”
Dominic glanced down. “Combat Training.”
Kieran nodded. “Same.”
A frown came upon my face. “You’re kidding.”
All three of them shook their heads simultaneously.
Fantastic. Just fantastic. The four of us had attended practically everything together growing up. Training. Lessons. Events. Family functions. Now the academy had decided to split us apart on the first day. That seemed rude.
Xavier noticed immediately. “What do you have after that?”
“Combat Training,” I sighed.
His shoulders relaxed. “See? There you go.”
I wasn’t convinced. “Why can’t they put everyone in the same classes?”
Dominic looked up from his schedule. “Because there are almost a hundred students here. That would be chaos.”
I narrowed my eyes but he ignored me. Kieran leaned back against the couch. “They haven’t offered this program in a couple years.”
My attention shifted toward him. “What?”
“That’s what one of the staff members said.” He motioned around the room. “Apparently they had to recruit additional instructors before opening enrollment again.”
That explained the larger number of students. The place felt crowded compared to what I’d expected.
For several minutes we continued comparing schedules. Eventually I noticed something strange. “Wait.”
They all three lifted their heads. I pointed toward Xavier. “You have Advanced Combat.”
He nodded his head and motioned to the other two. “We all do. Our schedule is identical tomorrow.”
The conversation shifted toward instructors, training schedules, and academy rumors. Apparently several students had already started placing bets on which bloodline would dominate the combat rankings. That’s just completely ridiculous. Yet somehow I already wanted to know who was winning.
A sudden burning sensation flared across the back of my neck. My smile vanished. The pain wasn’t nearly as severe as the episode during orientation. But it was there. Sharp. Unpleasant.
My fingers drifted toward the pain automatically. Nobody missed the movement. The room immediately grew quieter. The kind of quiet that settled whenever something serious entered the conversation. I hated it. Because it reminded me that on top of the academy and our training we have other things to worry about and try to fix.
The curse.
The countdown. Three months. Only three months. After that the curse will hit us fully. Then after that we have until we turn 21.
Kieran sat forward slowly. His expression had changed. The amusement from earlier was gone. “Hey guys.” Something in his voice made all of us look at him. His eyes moved between each of us. Stopping briefly on the back of my hand where my fingers still rested against my neck. “Have any of you been having more pain lately?”
The question hung in the air. Nobody answered immediately.
Kieran swallowed hard. Then he continued. “Especially around the marks.”
A knot formed in my stomach. Because I already knew the answer. And judging by the expressions on my brothers’ faces… So did they.