Jordan shrugs and goes back to his food with a relish. And I am left to be the recipient of a dozen pair of eyes wordlessly demanding an explanation.
"Guys .." I begin and then luckily my phone rings . I get up instantly "I got to take this " I shrug and hope my face has the correct amount of feigned regret .
And that is how I escape making a complete ass of myself. Thank you very much.
________________________________________
The next few days were an assortment of classes, new professors and hollow eyed night snacks with Beth Camper. She would sneak in several down time snacks and we would chew while gossiping at nights. I was beginning to like her. Exclude the fangs though. They still scare me. Once I had watched her go for hunting. Sneaking out through the window at midnight while I pretended to be asleep and coming in two hours later, all bloodied and licking her red mouth.
Gross. Urghhh.
There was still the small problem of a cocky individual with frozen eyes. Jordan Files. Okay. So we sit through classes and I try my best to pretend his presence does not make me want to puke. Everything about him irritates me. His brown hair. His signature smirks. His self confident cockiness. And the way Minata Straus and Ginger always ogled him when ever he waltzed into class ( in the few times he didn't do that weirdo poof thing called Lupine Teleportation or whatever ).
It is worse at lunch breaks when I sit with the Black Colony Colonels. Moon Sol are all Peach and Cassidy prat about. I am very much irked at this.
So far, three weeks in The Academy and I am alive.... I haven't had a vision since I came here. Does this mean that my life has taken a turn for brighter things ?
Well, today is not looking so bright. I have been standing at Minata Straus' desk for over thirty minutes and she's pretending not to see me.
"Please" I whine for the hundredth time. This is nothing short of a grovel. But if I want to ace that upcoming test in Spellcraft Trigonometry, I need Minata Straus. Angles are not literally my thing. Magic angles ? Pfft. I can barely keep awake during Templeman's classes. And he has warned me quite loudly to borrow a leaf from his priced A list student.
"I don't have a free day any day." She says for the hundredth time. "I have dance lessons on Fridays and classes are choked up during the week."
Yes. I know that classes are choked up. Somedays I wonder if Beetleshock is intensely punishing us for something unspecified.
"What about Saturdays?" I say pleadingly "I could come to your dorm to study."
She wants to say no but I hastily add a very quiet helpless "Please".
Minata close her doe eyes for a couple of seconds while I shuffle uneasily on my feet praying she runs out of the word 'no.'
"How bout this " Her eyes pop open and so does her mouth "You could help me do something now. In return, I help you with Spellcraft Trigonometry."
I am hoping she doesn't say something stupid but what she says sounds stupider than what I expect. Minata leans forward, lowers her voice and whispers to me "You could pass a note from me to Jordan Files. Founders Fest is in six days and I want him to be my date."
I stiffle a groan and try to sound sweet when I say "I would love to. But Jordan has been absent for a couple of days now. I'm sure Scott would love to go with you."
"Jordan is seated calmly at the third seat right " Minata drums into my ears.
My eyes dart instantly and yes he really is seated calmly at the third seat. If flaunting his feet relaxedly atop the desk and laughing idiotically at something on his phone can be referred to as seating calmly. Needless to say, I am incensed. But I look at Minata Straus and a broad smile spreads across my face.
"I see" I mutter calmly, my patience level slowly thining.
"So would you, please please please " Her eyes look like they would burst into tears soon.
"Wouldn't it be better if you pass him the note yourself?" I spit out with a smirk that I hope is mild enough to appear affectionate.
"Duh " Minata scowls "Jordan's ego is as famous as his name. " At least we agree on the ego part.
"Exactly" I say sternly "His arrogance is so overwhelming. Which is why..."
"I never said anything about arrogance" Minata looks like she wants to bite my head off "And even if he has a tiny speck of it, it is what makes him alluring. Now are you passing the note or not" She folds her arms across her chest with a big frown.
I am tongue tied and all I can do is nod my head in a daze and extend my hand for the wretched note. She presses it to me. A piece of paper creatively folded to look like a butterfly. Childish but somehow sweet. If it was been passed to the right person and not so overly unreasonable idiot drenched in cockiness.
I am livid but I need to pass this wretched test .And I need Miranda Straus. I exhale slowly, trying to let out some bits of rage and disgust. After all passing a note won't kill me. But it would kill my dignity, I fume.
Minata draws me back . And whispers "Don't just pass it to him. Plead my case." She sniffles "I think I am in love with him. God I am so emotional right now. " She grabs her back and runs out of the classroom while I stare in amusement and the papered butterfly sits in my hands.
_____________________________________________
I fling the papered butterfly right unto Jordan's desk defiantly. He takes his legs down and is forced to turn off whatever nonsense he's watching on his phone because I stand with a hiss on my lips and the largest frown on my face.
"Read it" I manage to say. It sounds more like a command.
Okay. He laughs and far from having a pleasing sound, that laughter irks me further. This close, those eyes are completely transparent and I am afraid I am staring too much , fascinated sort of. Or maybe frightened. Yes. Frightened it definitely is.
"And if I don't ?" He asks with a bored scowl.
I take in a few deep breaths and pray I don't give in to the reckless urge to hook his shirt (bold blue by the way and quite expensive) and shake life out of him.
"Fine" I pick up the papered butterfly, twist it open, smoothen it and read aloud the completely idiotic few lines that Minata has scribbled.
:"Your eyes are the most daring thing about you. Your smile is another priceless gem. Would you be my date for Founder's Fest.
signed
Minata Straus".
"And please say yes so I don't have to smash your head" I blurt out in conclusion.
"I could teach you Trig instead. Asides a smart mouth and a very admirable temper, we both know where you are on the academic ladder" . His shrug is bold and so is that smirk.
I swallow the insult and take another deep breath to prevent me from committing murder.
"Bold of you to assume I need your help " I am amazed my voice sounds smooth. Too smooth. "And what is this about Trig?" I make a face "Pfffh. The simplest thing aff ever come across? You should take notes from me instead."
"Didn't sound like the simplest thing when you flunked the mock test yesterday" He clicks his fingers for emphasis and adds to my eternal chagrin "Again."
I blame Dr. Templeman for ruining my life. Because why on Earth would he announce my really flat scores in class yesterday.
I am about to reply when my head burns slightly and my eyes.... well my eyes are not mine anymore. The thing about my visions is that they come unannounced, often accompanied by a mild migraine. I am looking at Jordan Files but I am not seeing him. There's a girl instead, sprawled in the woods, bleeding profusely and very much...well not so very much alive.
The pain in my head is intense now. The girl's face is a bit smeered with dirt but the pink hair and the too familiar haughty lips. I am staring at the unmistakable face of Peach Thubman.
"Bloody Christ" I exclaim , bouncing back just as suddenly into reality, panic surging through my skin. I slump into the nearest seat, my chest heaving at alarming rate and my fingers crossing and uncrossing helplessly. I am a Dark Magian and for five years since these doomed visions started, all of them have in one way or another come to pass. The realization hits me like a sledgehammer. Peach Thubman is going to die.
"Peach Thubman is going to die?" A pair of glass ice eyes are only an inch away from my face and Jordan Files has a worried, horrified look on his cocky face.
"Bloody Christ " I exclaim once again, tensed but not too tense not to realize that Jordan has somehow penetrated my mind and read my thoughts. And that realization has me staring at him, shock making my mouth hang open.
"Do you do this often ?" I finally splurt out.
"Do what often?" He stands upright and stares flatly at me.
"Prowl peoples mind, you idiot" My voice is a half yell.
"Oh that" He shrugs nonchalantly "Is one of my many flaws."
I seethe through my teeth. "Can you not do that with me?" I am calm. Too calm.
"Do what with you?" His dumb stare is infuriating.
"Prowl my mind, you idiot" Finally my patience has flayed and my voice is a full yell. Minata Straus pokes her head through the door and gives me a questioning glare before darting out again. I am suddenly reminded of why I was talking to this frost eyed idiot in the first place.
"You know what, forget it " I am forced to sound sweet and pacified. "Would you please go with Minata to Founders Fest" I wince and add reluctantly "Please"
"Say please one more time " Jordan's lips sends goosebumps up my spine and his breath is hot on my neck . Which is a not so endearing thought.
For Templeman's stupid Spellcraft Trigonometry course, I am reduced to this undignified grovelling "Please".