“Okay what in the world is up, Quil.” Alissa finally burst out with a laugh.
Looking up out of my thoughts about the fact I was ever becoming worried about Keten not even passing by or stopping at lunch, what if he hated me now! Putting my head into my hands I realized it was time to fess up and see what Alissa thought, even if I knew I was never going to hear the end of it.
“I kissed Keten and I have not seen him since and I’m worried he hates me for it.” I said slightly dazed and not really caring what escaped my lips in a hurry.
“WHAT!” Alissa nearly squealed and I practically jumped at her to keep her voice down as two boys playing mage pool looked up at us.
“What!” Alissa mouthed again, this time holding her hands over her mouth and whispering, though her eyes and mouth told me she wanted to scream it.
Floundering as I came back to my senses I scowled.
“You know what.” I said back and Alissa giggled lightly.
“I would NEVER have expected you to kiss Keten on the lips after what, only a few months?” She asked and stated like the sister she was ever becoming to me.
My whole face burned and I felt sweat bead on my eyelids as if to pester me further.
“I kissed his cheek, Alissa...” I hissed back to her as I glanced around the game room that even tonight felt sparse.
Alissa frowned and then shrugged.
“It’s still not what I would have expected. I mean after or at the dance maybe… but before! Man, I lost five bucks to Zac.” Alissa sighed.
My eyes widened as I turned swiftly to glare at her.
“You two had bets on when we would kiss?” I asked mortified.
Alissa’s eyes now went wide and she bit her lip,
“Kinda...” she said clasping her hands before her and smiling like a broken doll might try.
I tried to keep a straight angry face. Yet the idea of the conversation I had not been privy to where they could have engaged this bet was the last straw as I burst into laughter.
For a moment, Alissa just watched me and then she too laughed. When we both found we could speak again without cracking up, Alissa tilted her head and then looked seriously at me.
“What?” I asked glancing at her.
“Didn’t you say at the start of this conversation that what was on your mind was Keten hasn’t been around?” Alissa asked coming back to a calmer air.
Nodding, the light flutter of happiness fell like a bird shot from the heavens as I looked to the ground.
“I haven’t seen him once in the last four days.” I said remembering how the first day after the kiss I considered I might blush around him and that made me watch for him.
Yet when the second, third and fourth day came I had become a nervous wreck assuming I had easily screwed up the friendship I gained. The fact it was not just a friend, but the boy who was taking me to the dance, made me even more nervous.
“Oh, come on, Quil, cheer up.” Alissa said, knocking my arm with her hand and making me look up to her, “Keten helps all over the place. To be honest I am surprised when he was always at our table for lunch with how he helps the faculty out.” Alissa added with a nod.
Scrunching my face, I looked to her,
“You really think he’s not just avoiding me?” I asked sounding much to my internal mind’s despair like all the girls I had once called stupid for falling for a boy at school.
Alissa smiled, laughed lightly and for one moment I considered if she was laughing at me.
“Quil, before he asked you to the ball I asked him if he liked you.” She said.
I gaped at her.
“ALISSA!” I scolded and she smiled innocently.
“I’m your friend and I wanted to know if he was a good guy for you.” she said with a wink as she continued. “Anyway, his answer might have beat my idea of cute because he told me he loved how interesting and unique you are and that he wants to know more about you.” She said with a large smile.
I felt the conviction of her words heal the fear that had spread over days of worry in a matter of seconds by my friend’s truths.
“He really said that?” I asked and Alissa rolled her eyes.
“Well duh! You think I am saying this just to make you feel better?” She asked, “It makes me want to know if the boy who asked me even knows me at all.” She said with a laugh.
For the rest of the night I felt comforted by Alissa’s words. I soon realized that Keten, during the past months, had been busy lots of times for more than four days and so for the next day I was calm about it all and started looking forward to the ball that was in less than a week and a half’s time.
During classes, the school was abuzz with euphoria, which in turn meant after my other classes we entered Mr. Sheplar’s class, he had to yell and nearly scare half of us to death before the room fell silent.
“Good, now that we have the room at ease, today we are having an on the spot Skyjump competition,” he stated and the class rose in excitement as I felt like shrinking in the corner.
Alissa caught sight of me as I slipped further back than we already were and she scooted farther back with me.
“Worried about your dad?” She asked kindly.
I nodded and we both looked back to listen.
“Only those who want to compete will, the rest the day will be note taking.” He stated and a few boys nodded to each other and seemed pleased with another day off.
Glancing back to the front, I knew it would not be that easy, in this class especially. I watched as Mr. Sheplar, still waited as most students seemed to enjoy either the idea of a competition or a free ride through the class for the day.
“Mind you that you must have a twenty-page essay done before the midterm formal next week if you choose to watch and I alone have the topic: What have you learned from classes over the past months?” He questioned sternly.
While the class groaned, I felt relieved as I knew I desperately did not want to violate my father’s wishes knowing the severity of the letter that still vexed my every action. So, while almost all the students, save about two in class besides me did not participate in the competition, though I rooted heavily for Alissa who in the end beat all the other competitors.
When it was time to go, Alissa was the only one who did not have to write an essay where those who competed still had to submit a ten-page essay to Mr. Sheplar before the midterm formal.
“Why did you not compete, Deshion?” Mr. Sheplar asked before I could leave as he almost always did as Alissa and I exited last.
I froze and Alissa nodded and said she would save our usual seats. Tunring, I found both Mr. Sheplar and Delphine who came in half way through the class both looking to me.
Pursing my lips as I walked to them, I felt my heart stutter.
“Don’t need to compete after beating the best, huh?” Delphine asked smoothly.
I almost felt a sharp flint hidden within her words.
Mr. Sheplar’s eyes gave away the fact that Delphine’s words were slightly harsh by the flick of his eyes to her but he waited for my reply.
I knew this might be another test for myself and so for once I wanted a true answer.
“I promised my father I would not SkyJump if I could avoid it. He worries about me.” I said simply, and never before did a look of admiration pass over Mr. Sheplar’s eyes as it did in that moment.
He nodded to me,
“Your reason is very admirable. I simply wanted to know,” he said and then his brow hardened slightly though Delphine looked at me like a cat, ever watching, “But don’t think you get out of the essay,” he said nodding firmly.
I smiled knowing he had just put on a hard face and I felt certain that under it all he was a nice teacher.
“I will do it too, don’t worry.” I said and thanking them, I left for lunch.
Coming in late as I often did for food I was surprised to find Keten’s sister, Trish, looking all over with her mass of hair flowing easily around her shoulde
rs making her easily stand out of the crowd.
“Everything ok?” I asked her and looking up in a daze she suddenly realized it was me and smiled.
“Equila.” She said kindly and again after meeting her I felt guilty for ever hating Keten’s sister. “Have you seen Keten at all?” She asked, I tilted my head and shook it.
My heart flopped around within me as I looked to her.
“No, I haven’t.” I said and that hope and faith I had, suddenly slipped away from me as her lips slanted into a frown and then she smiled.
I felt confused until she looked up to my face and nodded.
“He’s just so busy today. I thought I would have seen him here already. The oaf.” She said glancing around the road though I could tell she cared for him.
“Have you seen him the past few days?” I asked, the question felt dry on my lips as if I did not entirely want to know the answer.
She looked up out of thought as we stood beside the food line. She shook her head with a smile putting a hand to my arm.
“Yes I have. I seem to have worried you about him.” She said looking to me like a sister and she continued. “He’s helping get the atrium ready for the formal with the other Mages so he is always gone this time of year, but don’t worry I’m sure he’ll make it up to you by how grand of a bash it will be when you two are together.” She said with a smile, and wished me well.
Yet again, that day as I tried to recover from acting like a fool and letting my thoughts destroy me I came back feeling as if I needed to work on fearing less.
The rest of the day I practiced not jumping to conclusions. That was until walking back to my room, to go do my homework and finally get to that letter for Alissa’s little sister. When my ear caught a conversation that made me slow in the hallway next to Mr. Sheplar’s class.
“…I know but it’s strange how flaky Mr. Avborn has been.” Mr. Sheplar’s words stopped me at the mention of Keten’s last name, I froze and tried to discreetly listen in from the hall.
“Don’t worry about Keten, he’s a good kid and I hear from Jean he’s helping out with the midterm formal preparations so his time is really taken between that and classes.” Delphine sympathized.
Cursing myself as I started walking again while Mr. Sheplar stated he needed to get to his class’s made me feel stupid all over. Why was I so worried? The thought of the kiss I gave him made my feet shuffle and for once I considered going to check on him in the atrium, yet I felt too tired to do so. Maybe, I hoped he would stop by tomorrow at Zac’s fencing competition just to come and say hi.
Thinking about his smile and the way he kissed my hand on the test day and the way he defended me from Jack’s harsh hand gripping my wrist made me slow my writing as I sat back in my room as the night drew on later and later. Pursing my lips, I thought about the harsh feeling and suddenly felt it was familiar somehow, like a recent happening.
Sighing, I finished writing the letter and walked over to switch off my light when a deep void held in my chest, the feeling of eyes watching me.
Freezing, as if turned to stone, something caught my attention in front of me. Glancing up slowly, as if my neck was stiff, I looked to the glass window that gave me a taste of the world yet withheld it from me by the unconventional glass. That was not what made my body tense so quickly it shook. There, outside my window, two raging hot embers of eyes blazed as if a demon from an abyss watched me through the warped stained glass.
I had no idea what to do with my body slightly numb. I hit the switch to my lamp and watched with cold sweat unknowing of what to do as before my eyes the red fires blinked and with a sickening lurch of my stomach I wished the window was a sooty black that would keep the eyes of that demon away.
Before another shaky breath left my lips, the window turned to a deep black as if poisoned and I was submerged into darkness as the light from the window was gone.
A moments hesitation sent me moving to the lamp and flicking it on as my heart jumped about my ribs and my mind beat with a pounding rhythm. Before I told them to, my feet rushed me into the small bathroom and I shut the door. I fell to the ground grasping the knob as sobs escaped my lips and my eyes filled with frightened tears.
The thing that had seen me at the atrium so many nights ago was back, but how it was outside or how it knew where I was made me all the more scared.
For a long while I sat on the tiny bathroom floor and for the first time since coming to La’ket, all I wanted was to know my father was near so he could protect me from whatever I had captured in a photograph and had stood blinking outside my window.
***
I think saying I did not sleep well that night, or that I did not undo the magic I had sent into the glass, might cement how scared I was. Maybe even the fact I had fallen asleep on the bathroom floor clutching the door knob like a child as the truth of my father’s warnings suddenly felt like a real threat, not some word or character I heard about but never seen.
Could it have been an Earthen Brethren? I questioned throughout the next few days, even while at Zac’s competition I had fallen asleep and finally retired back to my room of which I found no comfort. Even when I slept in the day, keeping my lamp on for light, I felt threatened and not at all at peace over the weekend.
By the time the first few days of school had started into a new week I think I may have slept through one of my math classes considering I got a, “D,” on a paper and it was one you took back and did for the night, and there was a slight amount of drool on it wrinkling one corner.
Huffing after classes one day before I met Alissa to go to the market room, I found myself in the library that was deserted with the days to the dance ever lingering closer and closer nobody, save me, was studying.
Looking through a book on Earthen Brethren that had more about Mages then them, I soon closed it as I wanted to believe I was trying to find out if the red eyed thing was them. Meanwhile, my mind had a million thoughts racing and catching as if unable to compute sensible thought.
Keten had yet to pass me in the hall and no longer was I worried about the kiss but I just wanted to see him and know he was ok and that the red eyed thing had not gotten him.
A door behind me opened and shut and for one moment I hoped it was Keten, but the step of heels soon excluded that idea.
“Hey, Equila.” Jean’s voice came and turning, I found her walking over and sitting down beside me.
“Hi.” I said not very enthusiastically, that was until I considered she might have a letter from my father. “Do you have a letter?” I questioned with a hope burning back to a rumble of flames within me.
Jean seemed surprised by the question,
“No, I’m sorry. Did you already send another to your father when I was out of the office?” She asked with a smile.
My shoulders fell slightly.
“No, he’s traveling a lot right now. I’m waiting to hear when I can send a letter again.” I said and as the words left my lips my mind considered how easy it would be if someone knew who I was what those words could mean and what they could be used for by the wrong people.
Jean easily moved past the thought and tilted her head to me.
“What’s the matter, dear?” She asked kindly.
I knew from the way my mind whirled with things that plagued me, I could not sum up how I felt in words at present.
“Just a lot going on and I’m trying to find some peace of mind.” I said glancing up at the books and fingering the books I held before me.
Jean nodded and a sincere smile crossed her lips.
“It always gets hectic around this time and the library is a good place to find peace in but…” she motioned to her head, “…Finding it up here is a lot harder than just finding somewhere without audible noise.”
Her words made me wish my father had heard them. I was sure he would enjoy her statement and I would have, if not for the realization I could not escape the noise in my head before I could find answers.
�
�Thanks.” I said to Jean with a smile that felt as halfhearted as it was.
She nodded, not noticing completely and then put a gentle hand to my shoulder.
“If anything is happening with Lucy bothering you, you will let me know… right?” She asked and with a real smile, I nodded.
“Of course, if it was her that was the problem I would.” I laughed slightly as she and I both stood.
Seeing that I seemed in a slightly better spirits, we walked to the doors. Before we left I considered that Jean would see Keten often.
“Tell Keten I miss seeing him.” I said, changing the subject and though feeling slightly dumb for having her tell him, I was at a cross roads.
The idea of not being able to go to the dance, or have him not show, was too hard a thought to comprehend.
Jean tilted her head slightly as she held the door open.
“He told me you both have been studying together for the past week. I’m sure you’ll see him again but I will let him know.” She said with a laugh as we walked out, I thanked her though as I felt suddenly stiff.
The sojourn to the market; where I talked and vaguely pretended to be human as we looked at carts, made me feel stiff and hollow.
Why would he lie to his own cousin? Was my kiss the blow that broke the bridge between us?
“Do you like the blue one or the grey?” Alissa asked as she held up a fancy spiral silver necklace with a blue gem that was not high quality but still looked nice.
“Huh?” I asked, coming out of thought. “Oh, the beige.” I replied and looked back around to see if I spotted Keten anywhere in desperate hopes to have him clear up the fact he was avoiding me.
“Quil to land, Quil to land.” Alissa chided and I looked up to her as she held out her necklace choices. “You just told me to buy a beige necklace.” She waited as I looked at her waiting for what she meant when I realized no beige necklace was even available.
Putting a hand to my face I rubbed my eyes.
Sky Jump Page 33
