Lapidary. [32]

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My heart was thundering in my head with every pounding beat as we descended the stairs, headed for the main entrance. Something in my gut told me to run away from the situation all together.

That it would do me more harm than good.

But Hiniku told me to go and see. That he had a feeling that it was important, even though neither of us knew why. Our entire friend group ensemble had ended up gathering for this, although I knew not why. Marco insisted that Alan should go back and convince Magnus to leave his hiding space, to which he responded by sticking out his tongue. Chi was extremely confused but told us that Alana had sent him.

I was not sure why everyone made a huge fuss of someone coming to see me. To me it was only unusual purely for the fact that I knew no one on Earth.  But the moment I had stepped out those doors, I knew different.

Of course I didn't recognize her. She had golden eyes and the hair to match, falling in waves over her shoulders. Her skin was a pale copper, a ruby necklace strapped around her neck with an intricate gold chain. She was wearing a fancy dress, bodice and all, but it only ended at her ankles. The collar was high and buttons adorned her chest from the neck down, sleeves loose on her arms and tight at the wrists. Her warm eyes took me in, first narrowed as if evaluating me. Then wide as she slugged Corinna in the shoulder. The brunette in question looked at Yuu and shrugged with some sort of tired look on her face.

And then I was almost knocked off my feet.

By a flying blonde.

I mean that figuratively, but it still scared me half to death. She was hugging me, a part of my mind processed blankly. But the rest of me was both terrified and uncomfortable. I warily looked to the man by my side, confused immensely.

"Yuu," I began. He looked as confused as I did.

"You're making him uncomfortable," he said quietly. Until that moment I had entirely forgotten how much he hated speaking.

"Oh, right," the woman said, pulling herself away from me. I neither missed nor understood the pain that lingered in her gaze. "Sorry. I got excited. Do you know me, by any chance?" She asked, leaving me and walking to the side of the school absently. I heard her heels tap on the concrete as she turned to face the entire group, back to the trees.

"No. I don't." There was no lie in my voice- I truly knew nothing of her.

"Corinna, love," the woman began, turning to the American governess. She held up her hands.

"Not my problem, Lorelei. I'm only here so you don't trigger the phantom pain again."

"Again?" Yuu and I said in unison. Lorelei grinned, eyeing the two of us as she leaned forward.

"You said something of it not being your problem? Now it is."

"Mikaela experiences phantom pains? From what?" Chi asked, now extremely worried. Min picked at her nails with a devilishly smug look.

"That just came back to bite you in the ass, didn't it?" She murmured.

"Who are they, Mika?" Lorelei asked curiously, gesturing to my friends.

"Two assholes, a drop dead gorgeous narcissist, Chi, and Mr. Know-it-all. But I must ask of the same, if you don't mind," I explained shortly. "Who are you?"

"Lorelei. Someone to help you. A strange blonde who hugs people she's just met. Whatever you wish," she said, a hand straying to her ruby. It was almost the size of her palm, shaped somewhat like a teardrop. "I am."

"She's my girlfriend," Corinna clarified from her spot by the gate. "Had an interest in you."

"Thank you," I sighed, glad to get at least something from the duo. "But Lorelei,"

"Hm?" She looked at me with a curious expression, gesturing for me to continue.

"You seem to be well acquainted with me. So I must ask, of all things,"

"Who am I really?"

A moment seemed to pass by. Yuu's breathing faltered at my words, my hand seeking his. A quick glance over my shoulder told me that my friends all wore similar looks of shock (apart from Min, of course).

Lorelei looked taken aback. Something about her was itchingly familiar to the point that it hurt my head, but nothing came up to the surface. She stared across the courtyard to Corinna. Her partner shook her head. And the stranger sighed.

"It is not my place to tell. But you and I," she announced with certainty, her necklace shimmering in the sunlight as she took wide steps to stand in front of me. I watched her lift up my right hand slowly. My bracelet. I had entirely forgotten about it, which seemed to be impossible. It was, in fact, constantly on my hand. "We are the same."

"Like, the same person kind of same?" Tetsuya asked. Marco and Min both hit his shoulder and stepped on his foot, silencing the poor blond. To my astonishment, Lorelei giggled.

"No, but that is a funny way of interpreting it."

I wasn't listening to their conversation.

I mean, how could I?

We are the same.

The necklace and the way it seemed so vaguely familiar struck me like a train.

She was a shifter.

It should have been obvious from the strangely outdated clothes she wore.

"You're... like me?" I asked, still beyond confused at the sudden situation.

"Yes, Mika. I'm a shifter. Or Anemoi. I'm not sure what you call them now."

Corinna sighed from the gate, giving me imitative to look at my friends.

"I told you he wasn't Albino. Too pretty," Alan was murmuring to Marco. Chi's brows were furrowed before his mouth formed the shape of an 'o'.

"He's pale enough," Min pointed out.

"You're an Anemoi? Yuu, did you know of this?" Tetsuya was asking, quite behind at this point. My poor lover tensed up in fear next to me at the sudden attention.

"I knew since the day we met," he said, voice quiet and strained. "But he would have been in danger."

"How many people knew?" Lorelei asked, turning her head to look at him.

"At first, no one. Then Min found out after she almost killed me, don't give me that look you guys I can explain later, and after that our literature professor, who was engaged to a shifter. I'm assuming Corinna pieced it together from... that. And my uncle Hitoshi guessed it from how appalled Mika was by the prospect of soda."

"No one who is against?"

"Not as far as I know. The Dean is suspicious but he is in no place to question a prince when he comes knocking."

"Good. Keep it that way. But there is something important I must ask you, Mika."

"Of course," I said.

"Do you know how to shift?"

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