Chapter 21 How did she get here?
Rex.
I didn't quite understand the grading system here. I had been staring at the sheet in front of me with students' names, not knowing exactly how to put the marks. We hadn't even had close to ten classes, and I was already expected to fill in the marks. I was still in confusion when I heard a knock at my office door. I kept the pen and paper down and glanced at the door, waiting for whoever it was to knock again. I didn't open my doors with just the first knock. It was like that in Aetheria as well. This gave me some time to adjust myself.
The knock came this time, even harsher than before. I left my seat, walked to the door, and opened it up. Okay, I was expecting him. The person who was at my door, Julian, stood in his signature school uniform, his hands tucked into the pockets of his pants. He looked like he would have left if I hadn't shown up in the next minute. He took his hands out of his pockets and faced me. I noticed he always wore a black or white sleeve under his school shirt. Maybe it was due to the cold Teran weather.
"Okay. How can I help you? You didn't bang on my door for me to open up so that you could stand and watch me." I left the door open and resumed my seat.
Now that he was here, he could perhaps help me with the students' sheets. We didn't start off on the right foot, but helping me with this was not going to be a problem.
He didn't walk inside, but rather stood at the door with his hands across his chest and his ankles crossed as well.
"I wanted to ask about Naomi."
That immediately caught my attention. My gaze focused on him. What could he possibly want to ask? Why not just go ask her instead of coming to me?
"Okay." I shrugged, wanting to hear it. I leaned against my seat, my hands behind my head.
He pushed himself off the doorframe and started pacing slowly in front of me.
"Something is off with her, and I don't know what that is." He stopped pacing and looked at me like I was supposed to give him the answer to that.
"Okay... what does that have to do with me?" Some enlightenment would be better.
"It does," he confirmed with no doubt in his voice.
I was about to ask how when he started explaining.
"I have seen you around a lot of times, and then at the library. You seemed to know each other."
I held back my smirk and stood up, my knuckles pressed into the table.
"I don't know what you mean by that, but I would never get involved with my students. And if you have any worries, I would appreciate it if you talked to her and not me."
She was the right person to give him the answer and not me. Unless he wanted something else.
He looked at me for a while before stepping out of the door without a word.
I stared at the empty space where he was standing, wondering why he would come to ask me something like that.
If he had any doubts about her, he should go to her and ask her. I didn't have any relationship with her.
She made it known the other day that she didn't know me. I had been driving around the city, trying to get familiar with places when I ran right into her. She had an apron around her body. I later found out that she was working at Dean's Diner, a small restaurant not too far from her house.
Naomi. Did she have any idea of what she was? The signs were there. So clear like the bright morning sun. She must have a history. Something I was willing to uncover. Maybe she was under disguise, just like I was. Though mine was quite different.
And if she turned out to be who she was hiding from, then it would be a gain on my end.
My wolf identified her as our mate. I couldn’t just go openly to her like that. I had to first find out who she was and then cajole her into knowing it, after which I was going to use her for my redemption. I had a clear plan of that mapped out.
Her wounds got healed quickly. The wound she had sustained when the werewolves attacked had mysteriously healed. I learned that an ambulance had come to take her to the hospital the next day, since she hadn't followed the other injured students to the hospital on the night of the attack. They checked her hand, but there was nothing there. And Julian had been the one to check on her.
I understood why he had come to me. But he had no reason to ask me about that.
I checked social media, but she wasn't there. Not even one piece of information about her was on the media.
I knew social media wasn't everyone's business, but something was definitely off. Her school documents had just her name and that of her grandmother. No father, mother. No family member, dead or alive.
My eyes moved to the door when I noticed a shadow.
Talk about the devil.
The corners of my lips curved up, and I stood up from my seat.
Naomi stood at the door, hands down at her sides, holding the corner of her school skirt and a timid expression on her face.
"Come inside," I urged. She looked hesitant before taking slow steps into my office.
I walked to lean against my table, waiting for her to tell me what was up with her.
"I was wondering if you could..." She took in a deep breath like the words were heavy to leave her mouth.
My eyes moved from her face to her hand. She had a long sleeve on, just like Julian.
"Come on, tell me. Anything, and I will do it for you."
Her hand left her skirt to the back of her head, and she cringed a little.
"Are you okay?" I started moving towards her. She nodded.
"I'm sorry about the other day. I didn't want to lose my job. That's why I pretended not to know you."
Her shoulders slumped. I moved to stand behind her. My hands balled into fists at the plaster behind her head.
"Who did this?" I asked, my fingers reaching for the plaster as I gently touched it.
"Calix and her..."
There was a loud squeal at the door, cutting off what Naomi wanted to say.
I remained rooted behind her, not because I didn't want to turn around, but because I knew that voice and who it belonged to.
"Z!" She screamed and trotted into the room, her hands wrapped around me from the back.
Xanthe.
How did she get here?