Recover: Book 2 of the Magic Mutations Series | ✓

5: Her Emerald Eyes

There was a different look and feel to English literature students. Most of them barely seemed like they were trying to look presentable, which amused me at first, though a few dotting the room had made an effort. The class was a mixture of second and third year students—me being the singular first year as far as I could tell based on surrounding chatter. I assumed the third year students were the ones who had given up on their appearances, too consumed in the stress that came with managing their studies alongside life.

I decided to sit in the middle of the lecture theatre until I sussed out the best place. In business classes, Erica always wanted to be up the back so that she could send emails and sort her admin without the lecturer noticing. I had no say on the matter, but, to be fair, the classes were a bore.

"Frankenstein," the old man said as he opened the door to the classroom, sauntering across the floor until he reached the desk to the side of the podium. Ditching the microphone that was there to project to the class, he chose to rely on everyone to fall silent to hear him. "What's it about?"

An array of hands shot up around the room, each taking their time to speak their answer as the lecturer called on them.

"Monsters," one said, causing a frown to spread across the professor's face. Too obvious, I deduced from his reaction.

"Society," said another, causing an ever-so-slight eye roll that the humans probably didn't even notice. Too broad, I concluded.

"Electricity," another tried, causing his eyes to narrow. I mean, yeah, but it's not about that...

"Family," said one near me. The man pursed his lips—it seemed we were getting close.

But before I could raise my hand to try to put the professor and my classmates out of their misery, a confident, lilting voice behind me called out, "Parenthood. And in that respect, motherhood, orphanhood, and childhood."

He hadn't called on her. But as the corners of his lips turned upwards and a satisfied gleam shone in his eyes, I couldn't help but turn in my seat alongside everyone else to take a look at her.

Sitting on her own in the row behind me, her eyes were a brilliant emerald and hair the colour of copper, framing her angular features. She stared back at the lecturer, a smug smile gracing her face as she realised she had cited the very answer he was searching for.

When I first met Anja all those years ago, I knew the reason I stopped in my tracks when I saw her was mostly because I had never met a mutant my age in Windeck before. As the first beautiful person I had ever laid eyes on, I thought I had fallen for her at first sight. Though it was, of course, lust at first sight. Hormones had permeated my fifteen-year-old body, desperate for any connection with someone my age after being surrounded by aging researchers and more often locked up in my uncle's basement.

I wasn't 'in love' with this girl in my class—I didn't know the first thing about her. But after some time passed and I finally drew air into my lungs, I realised how long I had been holding still, just looking at her. Like some cheesy character from a romance novel, I had quite literally had my breath taken away.

She didn't notice me at first, keeping her eyes on her notes, every now and then glancing up as the professor began his lecture on the novel. Though her focus gave me time to continue taking her in.

Her porcelain skin was masked in makeup, concealing the slight bumps and pigmentation scars underneath. But despite her blemishes, this did not hinder her beauty. As she tucked a curled strand of hair behind her ear then reached to her right to pull a highlighter out of her pencil case, she finally glanced my way. Depths of pain and loneliness mirrored my own in her forestry eyes.