Akarnae

  “Have either of you seen D.C. since then?” she asked when she finished.

  “Only in classes,” Bear said. “And when… um…”

  “When she was brought into the Med Ward with you,” Jordan finished for him. “She was really protective of you, pretty much yelling at everyone to stay out of Fletcher’s way so he could see to you. She was downright scary, really, and drenched from head to toe in your blood.”

  Alex shuddered at the image of what her friends must have seen—her collapsed on a stretcher and her bloodied roommate screaming at everyone. It must have been quite the scene.

  “We were under the impression that you two didn’t exactly get along?” Bear said hesitantly.

  “Desperate times,” Alex said, smiling when she recalled D.C. using the same excuse days earlier. “She’s really not that bad.”

  Both Jordan and Bear looked a little incredulous at her words.

  “Are we talking about the same person here?” Jordan asked.

  “She saved my life, remember?” she said, and that shut them up.

  In her mind it was true. Aven had ordered Alex to kill D.C., and if she hadn’t been so opposed to the idea of murder, she never would have broken through his control over her—gift or no gift. Essentially, D.C. had saved her life, not to mention everyone else’s by default.

  “You’re right,” Jordan said quietly, still clearly shocked by her entire story but trying not to show it. “And in that case, any friend of yours is a friend of ours.”

  Alex looked at Bear and saw the same unquestioning acceptance on his face. She realised they both meant it, despite the fact that they had disliked her roommate for much longer than they’d even known Alex.

  “Aww, you guys…”

  “You’re not going to start crying are you?” Jordan asked, leaning away from her. “Because I’ll have to find an excuse to leave and it may not be believable on such short notice.”

  She laughed again. “No, I promise. No tears. Not even happy ones.”

  “Happy ones are okay,” Bear told her. “It’s the others that all men fear.”

  “I’ll try to remember that,” Alex said.

  “Just so you’re aware, our kindness towards her isn’t purely out of our generous hearts, as large as they are,” Jordan said, sharing a mischievous grin with Bear. “It helps that she’s totally hot.”

  “Jordan!” Alex laughed. “I can’t believe you just said that!”

  He shrugged unashamedly. “It’s true.”

  “You know, sometimes I wonder what you two say about me when I’m not around.”

  “Only good things,” Bear said, patting her hand comfortingly.

  “Very good things,” Jordan corrected, looking her up and down and winking at her.

  “Perv,” she muttered, but she couldn’t help laughing with them.

  He opened his mouth to respond—probably to say something completely inappropriate—just as Fletcher walked in the room.

  “I hope you’re not bothering my patient, Jordan?”

  “Of course not, Fletch,” he replied, trying to pull off an innocent look.

  Fletcher shook his head in exasperation and turned to Alex. “How are you feeling today?”

  “Much better,” she said. “Back to my old self, I’d say.”

  “I’ll be the judge of that,” he said, asking the boys to move away so he could check her over.

  “It looks like everything has healed nicely,” he said when he was finished. “Just so you’re aware, you have a small scar on your back from where the dagger entered your flesh. Like your hand, I was unable to heal it completely, and it also has a slight… glow.”

  “Awesome,” Alex said sarcastically. But at least she wouldn’t have to look at that scar every day.

  “It’s barely noticeable,” Fletcher promised. “While my Regenevators restored the internal damage caused by the weapon, they were useless at the point of entry. But the wound sealed shut on its own once the dagger was pulled out, as strange as that was to witness.”

  “That’s what happened with my hand,” Alex told him. “It healed right before my eyes.”

  “Fascinating,” the doctor said. “I’m curious whether it was Aven’s Meyarin blood or the unusual weapon itself that prompted the healing in both cases.”

  “I have no idea,” Alex admitted. “And I hope never to have to find out again.”

  “I too would prefer it if you could avoid any similar situations in the future,” Fletcher agreed seriously.

  Alex noticed the concern deep in his eyes. He really must have been worried about her. She smiled reassuringly and said, “Good thing I’ve got a great doctor just in case it does happen again.”

  He chuckled modestly and then he was all business again. “As I was saying, all your injuries from your encounter with Aven have healed, and your shoulder has realigned perfectly from your Combat exam. All in all, I’d say you’re pretty well recovered.”

  “You’re incredible, Fletcher,” Alex said, amazed that she was back to normal already.

  “That’s the wonder of modern medicine,” he said.

  “And a doctor who knows exactly what he’s doing.” Alex wanted him to understand how grateful she was for all his help.

  He straightened his lab coat awkwardly and even blushed a little. She smiled at his embarrassment, but she knew better than to call him on it. “When can I get out of here?” she asked instead.

  “Now, as a matter of fact,” he answered. “You just have to take it easy for the rest of the night. It’s almost curfew, so you’ll be heading to bed soon, anyway. You should be fine for classes tomorrow and Friday, but do be careful. I’d rather not see you again until next term, and I mean that in the nicest possible way.”

  Alex laughed. “Gee, thanks, Fletcher. And here I thought you said I was your favourite patient.”

  “I have no idea how you got that idea in your head, but you’re certainly my most frequent visitor.”

  He helped her stand, and after a momentary bout of dizziness, she was good to go. Bear and Jordan were called back in and given strict instructions to make sure she had a quiet night—to which they solemnly promised to take her straight to her room without supper. Fletcher wasn’t as amused as Alex, if his frown was anything to judge by.

  As they were walking out the door, Fletcher called out to her. “Remember, Alex. I’ll see you next term.”

  “I’ll do my best,” she said, grinning at him and walking out with her friends.

  As the three headed across the grounds, she wondered if Fletcher’s parting message had simply been him banning her from injury for her last two days of classes, or if there was more to it than that. Perhaps he was confiding to her that he believed she would be coming back when term restarted.

  Alex hoped he’d meant both.

  True, she had no idea how she would return. As it was, she still needed to find a way back to Freya in the first place—but now that the headmaster was residing on campus again, she presumed he would be able to solve that problem for her, as promised. And maybe, just maybe, he could provide her with a way to come back to the academy for the next school year. It would mean the best of both worlds for her—literally. Because if it came down to it, if she could only pick one, she didn’t know which world she would choose. Her parents were back in Freya, but there was nothing else tying her there. The rest of her life was in Medora. She couldn’t deny it anymore, not even to herself.

  It was an impossible decision, and Alex could only hope that she wouldn’t have to make the choice. Because she had absolutely no idea what she would do.

  Forty-Six

  Alex was woken up by the sound of a door slamming. The last thing she remembered was waiting up for D.C. after Jordan and Bear had left her dorm the night before, but her roommate hadn’t arrived and Alex must have fallen asleep.

  I guess nothing has changed after all, she realised sadly. She had hoped D.C. had meant what she’d said about them being friends, but the s
ound of her roommate leaving in the morning was just the same as it had always been.

  “You’re back!”

  Alex snapped her eyes open, feeling disoriented because it wasn’t morning and D.C. hadn’t slammed the door while leaving the room, but while entering it.

  Alex looked at the beaming smile on her roommate’s face and she mirrored the expression. “I’m back,” she confirmed.

  D.C. stood there just grinning for a moment before she launched herself onto the bed, smothering Alex in a hug.

  “You’re so stupid!” D.C. yelled, even while hugging her. “What were you thinking? You almost died!”

  “Need to breathe!” Alex gasped, and D.C. eased up a little but still gripped her tightly.

  “I can’t believe you did that,” D.C. said. At least she wasn’t yelling anymore.

  “I didn’t exactly plan it, if that makes you feel any better. It just sort of happened,” Alex said. “It’s not that big of a deal, really.”

  “You jumped in front of a dagger that was aimed for my heart,” D.C. said, backing away so that Alex could see the oh so familiar sardonic look on her face. “I’d say that falls into the category of big deals. Huge deals, in fact.”

  Alex sat up, pulling her legs underneath her so that she was sitting cross-legged on the bed. “It was the least I could do,” she said quietly. “Especially since I nearly killed you before that.”

  She expected an awkward silence, but D.C. just laughed and said, “I think you had that pretty well in hand.”

  Alex gaped at her. “Are you serious? I was about a second away from slicing you in half!”

  “You would have stopped in time, even without me screaming at you,” D.C. said, smirking. “You were much too afraid of killing the heir to the Medoran throne. Imagine how that would have looked on your résumé?”

  “I can’t believe you can joke about this,” Alex said, not quite sure if she wanted to laugh… or throw up.

  D.C. sobered immediately. “I have to joke about it. It’s the only thing that’s helped me get through the last few days.”

  Alex looked closely at the other girl and noticed the dark shadows under her eyes.

  “I came to visit you,” D.C. said after a pause. “A few times. But you were always asleep.”

  “Thank you,” Alex whispered, touched by the gesture.

  “I meant what I said about us being friends.” D.C.’s blue-green eyes were steady but her hands fidgeted nervously. “I think we should make it official, now that we’re not under duress. If you still want to, I mean. No pressure or anything.”

  “Are you kidding?” Alex asked. Then she realised how her comment could be taken and hurried on to say, “Of course I still want to!”

  D.C. grinned and reached out her hand. “To a new start?”

  “A new start,” Alex agreed, and they shook on it.

  “I think introductions are necessary if we’re to begin with a clean slate,” D.C. said, sitting up straighter. “I’m Delucia Marsina Cavelle, royal princess and heir to the Medoran throne.”

  “I thought you wanted me to quit with the princess reminders?”

  “It’s called being polite,” D.C. said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “Something you clearly don’t know much about, since you still haven’t introduced yourself.”

  “You already know who I am, D.C.,” Alex said, shaking her head at her friend’s antics.

  “Call me Dix.”

  “Huh?”

  “Dix,” D.C. repeated. “It’s an actual nickname, not just my initials. It feels more personal.”

  “Dix,” Alex repeated. “I like it.”

  D.C. snorted. “I’m so pleased I have your approval. Now hurry up and introduce yourself.”

  Alex groaned. “You can’t be serious.”

  “Humour me.”

  “Fine. I’m Alexandra Rose Jennings. Good enough?”

  “No,” D.C. said, frowning. “You didn’t tell me anything about yourself.”

  “You already know about me!” Alex said, but at the look on her roommate’s face she huffed and elaborated. “I’m originally from Freya and I’m Chosen by the Library. Happy?”

  D.C. smiled. “Immensely. And I’m very pleased to meet you.”

  “You’re impossible,” Alex said, but she was smiling too.

  They talked long into the night, finally having the chance to share their secrets with someone who understood the importance of keeping them. The subject of giftings eventually came up, and D.C. was amazed when Alex explained her newfound ability and how it had saved them from Aven. For someone in D.C.’s position where power-plays and manipulations were all a part of court intrigue, Alex’s gift was highly enviable.

  Alex herself thought the same about D.C.’s gift.

  “I dream about the future,” her roommate said. “They’re real dreams, of things that will actually happen.”

  “You’re psychic?” Alex asked, slightly awed and a little sceptical.

  “Not psychic. More like prophetic, I guess,” D.C. replied. “Unlike most gifts, I can’t turn mine on and off at will. The real dreams aren’t very common, but when they happen, they almost always come true. My gift also allows me to revisit the dreams over and over again if I want. Sometimes I get more information, but more often than not I just see the same images repeated.”

  Alex was amazed by some of the examples D.C. gave her, and one in particular that occurred over the Kaldoras holidays where she’d dreamt of being abducted in a dark place and made to walk through a corridor of doors before being tied to Alex. That was why she’d grilled Alex on her return to the academy after the Gala, because she’d known something bad was going to happen to them. A voice in the dream had repeated the words ‘I haven’t found it yet!’ over and over again, which was how she’d been able to assure Alex in the Library that letting Aven through the first doorway wasn’t going to do any immediate damage. She hadn’t dreamt anything new after the imprisonment dream, despite trying to revisit the image on numerous occasions—all of which had only showed her the same events and nothing more.

  “Incredible,” Alex said, before they moved to a less serious topic.

  Hours went by while they caught up on a year’s worth of knowing each other, and soon they were slurring their words together. It was no surprise to Alex when she woke in the morning and found D.C. still curled up at the end of her bed, both of them having fallen asleep mid-conversation.

  “Wake up, Dix,” she said.

  “Wha—?” D.C. mumbled as Alex nudged her with her foot.

  “We’ve got to get up if we want breakfast before classes,” Alex mumbled, yawning.

  “Mmkay.” D.C. curled up even tighter.

  Alex kicked the other girl off her bed, much to the red-head’s displeasure.

  “Hey!” D.C. cried. She raised herself up from the ground and delivered her best quality glare.

  “That doesn’t work anymore,” Alex said. “I know you don’t mean it now.”

  “That’s what you think,” D.C. grumbled, but she couldn’t keep the smile off her face. Their newfound friendship was still such a novelty for them both.

  “Come on, I’m starving,” Alex said. She hadn’t eaten real food in four days.

  They quickly got ready and headed to the food court. Alex half expected everyone to fall silent at the sight of them entering the room together—their enmity had been fairly obvious to everyone—but no one paid them any attention.

  “Alex! D.C.! Over here!”

  She smiled at Jordan, grateful that he’d included her roommate in his invitation.

  “Are you ready for this?” Alex asked the other girl.

  “Please,” D.C. snorted. “I could go up against Sparkie and his pet Bear with my eyes closed and still come out on top.”

  “That’s great and all,” Alex said, “but here’s another idea. Why don’t you demonstrate the politeness you lectured me about last night and put on your nice-girl personality for a chan
ge? I know you have one—even if it is buried deep, deep, down.”

  D.C. scrunched her face up but nodded in resignation. “All right. But only because I know they mean so much to you. And only if they behave themselves.”

  Alex patted her on the shoulder. “They will.”

  Together they walked over to the table where the boys had saved them both seats.

  “Morning!” Alex said brightly as she ordered the first thing on her menu, so hungry that she didn’t care what she ate.

  An uncomfortable silence surrounded them, and Alex didn’t know how to change it. She nudged D.C.’s rigid frame, encouraging her to relax.

  Her roommate sighed quietly and then leaned forward, placing her elbows on the table. “Did you guys watch the last Warriors’ game?”

  Instantly the tension around them disappeared as Jordan, Bear and D.C. launched into a passionate discussion about some kind of sporting event. Alex had no idea what they were talking about, but she couldn’t keep the smile off her face as her closest friends began to bond.

  Alex was on her way to her Combat class after lunch when Professor Marmaduke approached her.

  “Miss Jennings, I’ve been made aware that you may have developed your gift, is that correct?”

  Alex tried to ignore the ‘finally’ that was practically screaming from the older woman and said, “Yes, Professor.”

  “Excellent,” Marmaduke replied. “If you’ll come with me, I’ll give you your exam. Better late than never, and this way you won’t have to repeat my class next term.”

  Alex looked at the woman before glancing at the Arena. Karter would kill her if he heard she’d skipped out on his class.

  Marmaduke noticed her indecision and said, “I’ve spoken with the headmaster and he’s cleared it with Karter. You’re exempt from today’s class.”

  Reassured, Alex followed Marmaduke back to her classroom where the professor tested her control. It was almost as if her gift was making up for lost time because, after an hour, Marmaduke was sweating with the effort of trying to use her own gift to break through Alex’s mind and manipulate her or even just read her, but to no avail.