Winter Ball: The Northern Academy

Chapter 2.4. The Winter Ball.

Aurora.

"Get away from me, Sky. Your help for today has been more than enough," I hissed quietly at the flustered dragon, swinging my handbag hard at his arm.

Aside from my bruised knee, I noticed a large tear in the hem of my dress. Trying to keep myself from panicking, I glanced at Skylar.

He didn't grasp what had happened, and by the determined look on his face and the anger in his shining eyes, he was about to rush me again, until noticed the ruined dress.

He opened his mouth but shut it quickly without saying a word. Giving me a sympathetic look, Sky glanced toward the hall, just around the corner. He was clearly worried about Camilla.

"Go, Sky. If you run into Maximilian, explain what happened. If I can fix this, I'll come; if not, tell him I'm sorry," I said quietly, fingering the torn fabric.

Before attempting to fix it with a spell, I needed to calm down first. Otherwise, I'd end up returning to my room half-naked. I stroked the soft fur of my coat, grateful that if the spell failed, at least I wouldn't be completely exposed.

Muttering a quiet "sorry," Sky finally left, leaving me to entertain the gathered students.

My friendship with dragons hadn't gone unnoticed; none of the support magicians made any attempt to help, their curious eyes fixed on my torn dress and bruised knee.

Somehow, I managed to get to my feet and limped over to the nearest windowsill, leaning against it to inspect the tear in my skirt.

In class or back in my room, I'd easily be able to deal with something like this. But not here, not with a dozen students watching me, their smirking faces ready to disrupt my spell on purpose.

I took a deep breath, looking around, trying to figure out what to do next. There was no way I could attend the ball like this, and I had no backup dress.

I had turned down the dress I'd ordered earlier, when Maximilian had firmly stated that I was going to the ball in this one, and he didn't want to hear anything more. Perhaps it was foolish to refuse a second dress, but when I got that tiny, rare artifact in my hands, thoughts of attire vanished completely.

While I waited for the pain in my knee to subside and gathered the courage to leave the main hall, I heard the sound of quick footsteps echoing through the corridor.

I hadn't noticed how alone I'd become. All the students were already inside, and it sounded like the rector was delivering his festive speech. Only the sharp, approaching footsteps prevented me from hearing Rector Marinex's words.

When a tall, well-dressed young man appeared from around the corner, tears finally betrayed me, rolling down my cheek. Dressed in a formal coat with his black hair neatly styled, the black dragon was striding toward me swiftly.

His usually grey eyes had darkened completely, revealing the extreme level of his anger. I could only hope it wasn't because of my clumsiness or the ruined dress.

Maximilian stopped just short of me, his gaze sweeping over me as he silently assessed the extent of the catastrophe.

"Frosty, I thought you'd end up stark naked, but it's just a tear in your skirt. Girl, why are you crying alone in an empty hallway instead of fixing your dress and dancing at the ball with your handsome date?" The dragon spoke in his usual manner, skipping any greetings or questions.

His words instantly put an end to my tears. Knowing that I wouldn't get an ounce of sympathy from this cold-blooded creature, I no longer felt like crying.

"My name's Aurora. Have you forgotten my name again, dragon?" I growled in response, glancing once more at the tear in my dress before sighing. "I was afraid I'd ruin it completely if I tried to fix it with a spell," I admitted, lowering my head.