Alpha Academy: Misfit's Rise

Chapter fourteen

Thea and Iris were gone when I woke up the next morning, leaving me alone with Artemis. I waited for the inevitable gloating, but it didn't come. She seemed to be pretending I didn't exist. I kept watching her as we got ready, assuming she was just trying to lull me into a false sense of security, but she didn't say a single word. The only sign she gave that she even knew I was there was to slam the door as hard as she could when she left.

I did my best to avoid looking at anyone in the halls as I made my way down to breakfast, but it was hard. News of my disaster must have spread, because everyone went out of their way to avoid me. It was like they were afraid they'd catch my Misfit disease.

Once inside the dining hall, I immediately walked to where Thea and Iris were sitting.

"Can I sit here?" I asked, indicating to the spot where they'd placed their bags. Iris glanced at me with her huge, fearful eyes before hastily looking down at her plate. Thea, however, pretended she didn't hear me.

"I think that's a no, Rusty," said one of the boys, while everyone around him laughed.

I ignored him and said again, "Thea?"

She couldn't ignore me twice. Her shoulders stiffened and she bit her lower lip, but she didn't look at me. She just stared straight forward with a determined expression on her face.

My chest fell. I'd hoped that Thea, out of everyone else I had met, would be different. Willing to look outside of the box even for a second. But I was wrong.

"I guess you're like Artemis then, aren't you?" I spat. "Worried you're going to get infected with my Rustiness?"

At least she had the decency to blush.

"I warned you," she said quietly, still not looking at me. "I warned you not to get mixed up with her."

"So, what, you're just going to bend over backwards and let Artemis run all over you?" She looked at me then. I expected her to be angry, or defiant. I definitely didn't expect her to look close to tears.

She looked away quickly. "I have nothing else to say to you,"

"Why?" I said through clenched teeth.

She didn't answer me again, but I could see the way her hands shook under the table.

"Isn't it obvious, Rusty? She wants nothing to do with you," the same boy blurted out.

"Is that true?" I asked, my voice icy. "Could you at least tell me yourself instead of letting this kid talk for you?"

Her shaking was getting worse, and she was forced to look at her lap to avoid my gaze. But she still didn't say anything.

"You know, we were right before. You are nothing like me."

"Leave me alone!" she practically shouted. She looked shocked by her own outburst, but it didn't matter. The damage had already been done.

"That good enough for you,

Rusty?" The same boy said, his voice like acid. "Even your own roommate doesn't want to be around you."

I didn't bother to respond. I had nothing left to say. I turned and walked as quickly as I could to the exit. I was lucky. I almost made it out before the tears began to fall.

I learned to get to the dining hall early, grab my food, and get out before anyone else got there. Then I made my way to the third-floor window in the east corner. I should probably get my name printed on the windowsill, since I spent almost all my time there. It was the only place I'd found where I could work on getting my magic back without an audience. Not that I was making any progress. I'd tried reading through all my textbooks, desperate for something—anything— but they hadn't helped either. It did mean that I knew the answers to a lot of questions in class, but the teachers didn't call on me. Most of them just ignored me. They were probably waiting until I was officially out, and they wouldn't have to deal with me anymore.