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The entire day was incredibly hectic, leaving Josie with little time for conversations with her friends, even Regulus, despite sharing several classes.
Her last class of the day is with Evan. He can't help but notice her fatigued appearance and asks, "Are you okay? You look tired."
"I am tired; I don't sleep well," Josie admits, revealing yet another restless night filled with nightmares, this time centered around the haunting images of her parents' deaths. Then of course at the end of the nightmare they blamed her. The only thing that makes her feel slightly better was that she finally learned to keep people out of her mind. Although she still needs to practice it.
Evan furrows his brows, preparing to express his concern, but their teacher abruptly announces the end of the class, cutting the conversation short. After packing their bags, Evan waits patiently for her, and together, they leave the classroom.
As soon as they step out, Evan resumes his inquiry, "You haven't been sleeping well?"
Josie dismisses his concern, saying, "I'm fine, Evan." However, Evan continues to wear a worried expression.
"What do you want to do?" Evan asks, fiddling with his bag as they stroll through the corridors.
Josie contemplates for a moment before suggesting, "How about we sit outside in the courtyard, and I can help you with Ancient Runes?"
"Sure," Evan agrees.
They meander through the halls until they reach the courtyard, where they find an unoccupied bench and settle down side by side. The weather is gradually warming up, with the remnants of snow melting during the day, making it tolerable to sit outside.
Josie retrieves her notes on Ancient Runes from her bag and inquires, "You've been having trouble with the new set of runes, right?"
"Yeah," Evan confirms.
She pulls out a piece of parchment and begins writing down each rune along with its meanings. "Study this for a few minutes, and then I'll quiz you on them."
Evan nods and focuses on reading the notes.
As Josie's eyes wander around the courtyard, they land on Pandora and Regulus, who are engrossed in their own world. Pandora observes a small plant while Regulus stands behind her.
Josie smiles at the sight but receives no acknowledgment, as they are facing the other way. Returning her attention to Evan, she sees that he is still engrossed in his reading. However, she soon hears the sound of approaching footsteps.
Turning her gaze in their direction, Josie sees Regulus and Pandora heading towards her and Evan. She greets them with a warm smile. "Hey."
Evan looks up from the paper, and Pandora inquires, "What are you guys doing?"
"Josette's helping me with runes," Evan explains, returning his attention to the notes. Regulus settles down on the ground next to Josie, mirroring Pandora's position.
Josie greets Regulus with another smile before refocusing on Evan. "Okay, give me the paper; it's time for your quiz." As she begins quizzing Evan, she feels a rhythmic tapping on her leg and glances down to see Regulus lost in thought, absentmindedly tapping on her tights.
Her gaze returns to the parchment. "Which rune symbolizes wealth or possessions?" She arches an eyebrow when she looks back at Evan.
"Uh, Fehu?" Evan ventures.
"Good job," she acknowledges with a nod before clearing her throat and proceeding. "And which one signifies protection, defense, but can also mean chaos?"
"Thurisaz," Evan responds, albeit with a pronunciation that almost makes her cringe.
"Thurisaz," she repeats slowly to help him grasp it. "Good job, though."
Despite Regulus's continued tapping on her leg, she presses on. "Now, which rune represents communication, knowledge, and wisdom?"
Evan furrows his brow and bites his lip in contemplation. "Wunjo?"
"Do you want the correct answer or do you want to keep guessing?" She tilts her head, teasing him.
Evan sighs in resignation. "Just tell me the answer."
"It's Ansuz."
"Yeah, I'm probably going to fail the exam," Evan laments.
"You won't fail; you just need to study," she reassures him.
He sighs again, and then Pandora offers her assistance. "I'll help you study later if you want, Evan."
"Sure," Evan agrees before taking the parchment from Josephine's hand. "Let me quiz you?"
"Sure," she replies, sitting up straight.
"Which rune is associated with protection, shields, and defense?"
"Algiz," she responds promptly.
"There's no point in even quizzing you," Evan playfully rolls his eyes. "You know them all."
Pandora turns her head back to them and asks, "How many do you know?"
"Uhh, Uruz signifies physical health and endurance. Raido represents travel, journeys, and personal growth. Kuan symbolizes fire, passion, and creativity. Perthro stands for mystery, fate, and chance."
"See! She's going to get top marks on the exam," Evan remarks.
Josie tries to refocus on the conversation. Fate. Her parents' fate had been death, and she can't help but wonder about her own. Fate is an intriguing word, really. No one has any control over what their fate will be.
The tapping on her leg brings her back to the present. Regulus is now looking at her with a questioning expression. She nods, signaling that she is fine.
She dislikes how he never fully believes her when she says she is fine. Perhaps she secretly appreciates that he doesn't take those words at face value, unlike everyone else.
