A new year at Nine Petal Academy means a new crop of students, including a boy who can't control his magic, a thief, an angel, and even a suit of armor? Adela, Lei, and their friends are tasked with welcoming the new class of first years and helping...
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I glanced up at Aurelius and the others as soon as I landed on the train. My gaze met Kanja's, causing me to turn my head away. Could we trust her? My dad gave my brother's kidnappers a chance at repentance, but some of them ended up hurting him again. I didn't want to see Carter or anyone else get hurt by her later on.
"Hey, Nate!" Carter yelled. Much to my shock, he jumped out of Aurelius' wind barrier and landed next to me.
How could a Xelerian have such endurance?
"Something wrong?" I asked.
He scoffed as he rose to his full height. "I should be asking you that."
I looked down. Did I worry him and Aurelius? Perhaps I should've been more subtle with my disdain toward Kanja.
Carter grabbed my face and pulled my head up until I was looking directly at his orange eyes. "Don't try to lie! Aurelius told me-" He let go of me and turned away to curse himself.
I blinked. "He told you what?"
"N-nothing!" He laughed nervously and ran off.
What in the world was wrong with him? Maybe he was hungry. I did hear that people weren't always themselves when in need of nourishment. And I could believe that. Sometimes my big brother Alex would react all grumpy when hungry.
I gasped. Wait. Could it be that Aurelius told him about Dan? I laughed. No wonder he shut up. Aurelius probably told Carter not to give away his source.
"Is everything fine with Carter?" Aurelius asked as he and Kanja landed.
"You told him about I told you a few days ago, didn't you?" I asked.
Aurelius bit his lip. "Yeah. Wait, is that why Carter ran off? Because he broke his word?"
I smiled impishly. "He stopped himself from telling me what you said."
"What a weird guy," Kanja said, snickering.
"Me?"
"No, Carter." She shifted her eyes toward the right. "Listen, if you don't want me here, then I'll go. I'm only here because that guy dragged me here."
The look in her eyes was a sad one.
"You're lying," I said, turning away.
"Huh? About what?" she asked angrily.
"You aren't only here because of him. There's something you're longing for, isn't there?"
Kanja ruffled her curly silver hair. "What do you care?"
My eyes widened for a second. I laughed. She sounded a bit like my big brothers and Amun.
"W-what's so funny?" she yelled, glaring at me.
I covered my mouth. "Nothing. I'm just a little out of it, is all." I dropped to one knee as the fatigue finally set in. I'd burned through more prana than I initially thought.
