Call of the Water (COMPLETE)

10. A MISTAKE

After hearing the headmaster's question, I could feel my jaw drop. He was a human? That was something I never would have guessed.

"I didn't forget that you are human," Mathias answered Mr. August's question. "I just stopped thinking about you as one of them."

"Couldn't you then stop thinking about Azora's parents as one of them?" Mr. August asked in a calming voice.

"I don't know," Mathias said. His head was bowed and his stare was fixated to the parquet flooring. He shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his black hoodie.

"That's not good enough. Can you or can you not?" The headmaster wouldn't let him get away without a solid answer.

"It's not the same!" Mathias allowed his dark eyes only a quick glance in Mr. August's direction. "You've been a part of this world for so many years. I can trust you."

Mr. August stepped towards Mathias. He placed a palm on his shoulder, making him lift his eyes. "Then show me that you trust me. I would never let any harm come to any of my students. You need to know that. And when it comes to Azora's parents, I've had a chance to get to know them a little better. They are good people."

Mathias' head bowed again. His jaw bone kept moving under his skin. As if he felt my look, he glanced in my direction. I instantly looked away.

Mr. August walked up to his desk. He stayed in front of it, but placed his fingers on its surface. That way we were both within the reach of his chocolate colored eyes. "Like it or not, you're both students at this school and that's not going to change any time soon. For you, Mathias, that means you're going to stop taunting Azora. You will keep a promise you gave me."

"Fine," Mathias mumbled, head bowed in avoidance of further eye contact.

"And I think you owe Azora an apology."

Mathias first looked at Mr. August, then at me. His eyebrows were lowered, lips pressed close together.

"Well," the headmaster prompted.

Mathias pulled his hands out of his hoodie pockets and crossed them. "Sorry," he said barely moving his lips.

"Now say it like you mean it." Mr. August wouldn't let him get away with it. I wished I didn't have to be there. If the werewolf had a hard time tolerating me, this situation wouldn't change it. But I couldn't argue with the headmaster.

Mathias forced himself to look at me. He was much more articulate when he said, "I'm sorry."

"You can go back to your class now," Mr. August said and Mathias instantly left his office.

I did not follow his example.

Noticing me standing there, Mr August said, "I sense you have some questions for me."

That was very insightful. I did have questions. They were swirling in my mind like sea water sucked in a tornado.

"I thought this was a school for hidden races. How can a human be a part of it? And what's more, a headmaster?" I asked with surprise painted all over my face.

"Let me answer you with another question: Who better to connect hidden races and human beings than a human being? Especially if that human understands and accepts the fact that there is more to this world than meets the eye."

I gave his words a thought. I never really asked myself which race he might be, but there was something about his presence that just didn't seem to correspond with my perception of humans. "Yes, I guess you're right about that," I said. "But still, how are you just a human?"