Chapter 22 The mysterious twin
Eloise
“I just don't understand why he would give you more homework after your very first class. What's the point of it?” Aeron said, his brows creased as he tried to find an answer to his own question.
“Maybe because she couldn't do the thing we all did easily. She broke an orb. There's no hidden agenda behind it, Aeron. Just drop it.” Raihn groaned.
Aside from the occasional taunts, they hadn't tried to fight each other physically. Lidia and I sat between them to prevent that from happening. But she was clearly tired of their bickering.
I didn't understand why she stuck with me when she could have left, but I didn't question it. I was starting to doubt if it was just because I saved her life during The Descent. She hadn't seem like she cared about that.
“What if there was? Have you ever seen an Heir give a student such a powerful object? That orb is clearly meant to hold strong magic.” Aeron turned to me while Raihn groaned in frustration. “El, can I see the orb?”
“It's in my room.”
I had asked Raihn to take me to my room before we came to history class. I didn't want to lose something that powerful. Raihn had agreed with me.
“Can I see it after class?” Aeron asked again.
Raihn cut in before I could respond. “No, you're not seeing it. Just drop it.”
“I wasn't talking to you.”
An argument was definitely brewing between them. I curled into myself and hoped they didn't argue so much. I hated when people argued.
I wish I had it in me to tell them to stop. But as I parted my lips, panic gripped me and I immediately shut it back. I wondered why the history teacher was taking so long to appear. It would be nice if he came in now and stopped the fight from happening. Everyone here seem to enjoy being late.
“Okay, timeout.” Lidia said firmly and the both of them stopped their argument immediately. “I don't understand why you're fighting over an extra homework. Eloise isn't very familiar with dragon magic, and she broke an orb. It only made sense that she got extra training. There's no hidden agenda. So will you drop it?”
“But there might be…”
“Aeron has gone crazy…”
“I said drop it.” Lidia said, interrupting the both of them. They glared at each other but fortunately didn't utter more words. I admired how she was able to shut them up without even doing much.
I wished I had the courage to speak my mind instead of cowering every single time.
The history teacher entered shortly after. He was a tall and very young man. It seems all the teachers in this place were young. He did seem a bit older than Professor Geneva.
It was almost impossible to assume the age of any supernaturals. There are magic capable of making someone look younger than they actually are.
“What's his name?” I whispered.
“Professor Micah.” Aeron whispered back.
The professor set his pack on his desk. Despite that he seems young, he moved like someone much older, someone knowledgeable. He turned towards the class slowly, a crooked smile on his lips.
I felt chills run down my spine as he directed his gaze on me. So far, the only teacher who hadn't stared at me before they began their class was Geneva.
I understood their curiosity. The sight of a werewolf among them wasn't one they were used to. But it would be nice if they acted subtly about it.
For some reasons, I didn't feel like professor Micah was fascinated by me. I felt the opposite. A weird sense of recognition. The feeling dissipated as he averted his gaze from me.
“Can anyone remind me what our last topic was?” He asked.
Someone raised their hand from the back.
“Yes, Aubrey.” Professor Micah called.
“The history of Dragons.” the first year responded.
“Thank you Aubrey. Now can someone give a summary of the topic?” Professor Micah scanned the class again.
The first year who had raised his hand raised it again eagerly. I turned slightly to get a better view of the girl. She was a Waterborn and she was strikingly beautiful.
Beside her, an exact mirror of her stared ahead, seemingly disinterested in class.
“Aubrey and Aurelia Vega. Identical twins yet different in every way. One is mysterious while the other is mischievous. They're the only Waterborn twins in Drakmor.” Raihn whispered to me.
My eyes met with Aubrey, who still had her hand raised, and she gave me a small smile. I was so shocked by her reaction that I tore my gaze away immediately, but not before I witnessed the exchange between the other sister and Raihn. He winked at her and she gave him a smirk in return.
“Gross.” Aeron groaned. Lidia rolled her eyes. Again, I was the only one left wondering what their interaction meant.
“Aubrey, again.” Professor Micah finally called.
“The history of dragons began from the Hearth, which is the Mother of all things. Dragons were created from the Hearthfire and molded into different kinds.
The ones created from the Hearthfire with the combination of air and water became the Waterborn dragons. The ones created with the essence of the sun and the Hearthfire became the Fireborn dragons. They’re also known as dragons of the day as they are most active when the sun is out. The last breed of the dragons, The Shadowborns, also known as the dragons of the night, originate from the smoke of the Hearth and the shadows of the night.
Along with the Hearthfire, which became the dragonfire, each breeds can wield the magic of the source they were created from. Waterborn can wield air and water and their magic is recharged during dawn. Fireborn can wield fire, their fire is stronger than all other breeds of dragons. It is rumoured to have the capacity to kill other dragons. The Shadowborns have the power of smoke and shadows, along with dragonfire. They have the ability to vanish from one place to another, create things using smoke and shadows, and cloak something in darkness. They're considered rarer than other dragon breeds.
In the early days, the three breeds competed for everything. They were enemies. But as time passed and threats from other supernaturals grew. They decided to come together to defeat their enemies. This event led to The First Great War.”
By the time Aubrey finished her summary, more than half of the class had fallen asleep, including her twin sister, Raihn, and Lidia. But not me.
My confusion grew with each word Aubrey spoke, but not because I didn't understand what she was saying. I knew about the history of the dragons. Mae made me read every book on histories of almost all supernaturals.
“Knowing your enemy's past is the first step towards defeating them. Supernaturals aren't the most powerful people on earth, Eloise. Historians are.” Maevyth always said.
I knew the history of the very first people to walk our world. I didn't know much about the dragons but I knew about the Hearth, the Mother. And everything Aubrey just said contradicted what I knew about the Hearth and the Great War.
“Is there a problem here?” I couldn't rein in my flinch quickly as Professor Micah suddenly appeared in front of me. Raihn and Lidia jolted out of their sleep, Aeron straightened in his seat.
“No, professor. There's no problem. Everything is fine here.” Raihn answered while fighting a yawn.
Professor Micah narrowed his gaze on me. I restrained myself from shivering under his scrutiny. After what felt like eternity, he nodded and walked away. I released a sigh of relief.
“That man is intense.” Aeron sighed.
“Yeah, no shit.” Raihn nodded.
My eyes traveled to meet Aubrey's and she smiled at me again, a bit wider than her first smile. This time, I didn't avert my gaze but I didn't return her smile either.
As if Aubrey understood my confusion, she dipped her head slightly. She averted hee gaze quickly after that, but that interaction was imprinted in my mind.
The class ended with another assignment, an essay on the Great War. I knew about the Great War so I wasn't worried about the homework. As students began to walk out of class, I slipped away while Aeron and Raihn were arguing.
I managed to catch Aubrey before she got far. She smiled at me again but her sister didn't seem impressed.
“What do you want, Wolf?” Aurelia sneered.
“Lia.” Aubrey called softly and placed a hand on her sister's shoulders. They exchanged some eye communication that I didn't understand. Aurelia sighed and walked away, but not before throwing me a stern look.
“I didn't think you would come.” Aubrey said as soon as her sister left.
My confusion deepened. “What?”
I realized then that the hallway was empty. I was so focused on catching up with her that I didn't pay attention to my surroundings. The memory of the last time I followed someone into an empty hallway flashed across my mind.
“I'm not going to hurt you. I need your help. You're…” Aubrey paused, her eyes grew wide with panic.
All traces of niceness disappeared from her face as she gripped my arm.
“Meet me at the library at nightfall. Come alone.” she said quickly.
I didn't get the chance to ask her what she meant before she vanished right in front of my eyes, her body turning into smoke.