Boarding School 101

Chapter 9 - a_force_of_nature

Chapter 9 was written by a_force_of_nature

Silas

Crouching down beside the open oven door, I slid the heavy tray out and shifted it to the countertop. Pushing the door shut quickly, I cut off the blast of hot air that washed over me and then pushed up off my knees. I cursed softly as I realised I'd missed my mark, meaning that I was in danger of damaging the expensive, polished counter. I scooped up the offending tray and slid it into place on the thick, heatproof mat. Then I shucked the oven mitts I'd been wearing, dumping them in a heap beside the stainless-steel sink behind me.

Done. I was done. It had been a labour of love, one that I dreaded and savoured in equal measure, but now, three hours in, I was ready to clear up and lay it to rest for another year. I started to pile my dirty bowls into the sink, wondering whether I'd be able to persuade North to make a trip to the gym this afternoon, when I heard an unfamiliar voice from just outside the open kitchen door.

"Doesn't this look delicious, Victor?" The voice was light, soft and unmistakably feminine. I didn't even need to look to know that this was the girl that had my brothers all twist-turned upside-down right now. I didn't need to look—I turned anyway, unable to stop myself. I had to see her, to know what the fuss was about. Perfect, Gabriel had said. Kota's choice of words had been even more outrageous. We'd just see about that.

"It sure does." Objectively, I heard the words that came from Victor's mouth, but I couldn't have responded if I'd tried. I'm sure my jaw was on the floor, sweeping up the remnants of my morning in the kitchen, but nothing mattered anymore. Nothing, save for the goddess who had just breezed into my life like Aphrodite herself.

Sang Sorenson was tiny, smaller than I could have imagined, but her delicate features looked like they might have been chiselled from the purest ivory. Her eyes, locked on the tray of kourabiedes on the counter beside me, took me back to the crystal-clear oceans of my motherland, where jewel-toned shoals of fish would dart in and out of wafting mazes of underwater greenery. A glimmer of sorrow flickered in their emerald depths, spearing deep into the heart of me, and I felt a sudden urge to comfort her, even as I held my own pain close.

I sensed Victor's eyes on me, so I swallowed hard, forcing my lips to press together in a tight line. All of my brothers knew how much today meant to me, how changeable my mood could be from hour to hour, so I nodded to let him know that I was comfortable with their presence. More than comfortable, in fact. Perhaps this angel—this aggele—was exactly what I needed to pull me from my funk today.

"I'll have to try some later," Victor said quickly, gaze flicking from me to Sang and back. "I have some business to take care of, so I'll see you later, Sang!" His eyes told me that he was passing on the torch, giving me the space to meet our new arrival in my own timing, and, for that, I was grateful. Of all my brothers, Victor understood the importance of space better than most.

With one last, lingering glance at the beautiful girl between us, he turned and disappeared down the corridor. Turning my attention back to Sang, I realised that she still hadn't noticed my presence. I didn't move, watching her approach the rapidly cooling tray of food. My heart clenched, silently willing her not to touch any of them, but I didn't want to scare her. For this tiny, sorrow-filled angel, I'd sacrifice my rituals if I had to. I just had to know her.

"What are they?" she breathed. She wasn't talking to me. The words were low and husky, like she had even meant to utter them at all. Her fingers stretched out, suspended just a few inches above the golden pastry, but then, to my relief, she pulled back.

"They're called kourabiedes," I whispered, shifting slowly so that I didn't scare her. She jumped anyway, hands flying to her lips as she spun to face me. Her eyes met my chest, widening as she noticed my size, then trailed up toward the ceiling. She paused, reaching the point where my face would have been, were I North, then traced the last few inches up to meet my gaze. I waited, as she processed what she was looking at, then continued. "Almond sugar cookies. They're Greek, like me."