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As I staggered down the steep road, trying to hold on to the wind-whipped hem of my robe, I couldn't help but think about what Martha had told. To say that I was surprised was to say nothing — I was shocked!
The strange girl, in the minds of everyone, I had noticed on the first day. It was impossible not to notice her. She was tall enough, built like a teenager — though eighteen then — she had a perfectly straight posture, as if she had swallowed a pointer — so they sometimes joked about her; sharp shoulders, completely devoid of girlish slope, long neck, and a pale oval face on which almost black eyes were burning.
It was only after a while that I caught myself thinking that I couldn't see any other features. Her eyes attracted me with that irresistible force of the abyss when you can't help but look down.
I could stare at them intermittently. In the first year, especially at the beginning of the study, everyone was watching each other very carefully — looking closely, choosing friends and circle to stay in. They were deciding who would get the status of the outcast. I wasn't too surprised when Marta was chosen.
Not only was her appearance unusual — her height, build, and pallor were immediately noticeable — but there were other sophisticated features as well. Her dark hair, barely touched by the bronze burned on the top of her head, was worth mentioning. It was thick and unruly, as if it covered the girl with a half-folded veil.
She wore her uniform as some of our female professors, those who had devoted themselves to science and therefore had neither a refined appearance nor a family. Only she was not a blue-stocking yet — her age was too young to bury her private life — but one could not but admit that she had every chance of joining their ranks in the future. Besides, such women were always passionate about something important, be it magic, politics, science. I didn't see any inclination in Martha.
Her results in studies and magic were always average and she didn't seem to be interested in anything in particular. At least, I didn't see any enthusiasm in her classes or fervor for the other hobbies.
But I did notice something. I noticed that she was secretly watching me when she thought I wasn't looking. It was like that for all three years, and then at the beginning of the fourth, she let herself touch me. I was shocked, because I used to think we existed in different realities.
Now, after talking to her, I could definitely say that she did have an inclination. And not just an inclination, but a huge manic addiction, no, obsession. On me!
Once I was down the slope, I cursed as sharp arrows of rain poured down . A few fallen tips, as if dropped from a celestial quiver, shattered on the swirling dust; a few moments more, and a downpour began.
I didn't wait for the sky waterfalls and immediately turned to the side of the road. I ducked into the undergrowth, behind the trunk of an old, gnarled ash tree that grew a few feet from the road, snuggled up against the trunk, and pulled my hood tighter, intending to wait out the storm in the shelter before returning to the academy.
