Call of the Water (COMPLETE)

15. CALM AFTER THE STORM

Professor Fortius' face was dead serious. No surprise there. "So?" he asked. Nothing more, just the one word.

"We're good," Mathias answered, followed by energetic nodding of my head.

"What exactly does that mean, boy?" Professor Fortius crossed his brawny arms, demanding an explanation.

"It means that we have no reason to go at each other anymore," Mathias' voice remained calm despite the obvious tension in his body.

"We?" Professor Fortius' eyes pierced the werewolf.

"Al right, me. I have no reason to go at her anymore." Mathias shifted his glance from Professor Fortius to me before lowering his head.

"Do you have anything to add?" professor Fortius focused on me.

"No. He said everything," I responded, struggling to keep the panic away. The sight of angry Professor Fortius brought to mind the memory of the PE class when I unleashed my inner Aquantien. His face then looked much like it did now.

"Good." He relaxed a bit. "Because if any of your outbursts happen again, I have a green light to handle it my way," he said to Mathias.

I didn't like the smug expression on his face. I just knew he would enjoy handling things his own way, to Mathias' misfortune. I really hopped our differences were resolved.

"Now, get to your classes! Both of you!" he commanded, and we both complied.

I came back to Ms. Cyan's classroom twenty minutes prior to the end of the class.

She was sitting on her blue chair, dressed in a turtleneck sweater the colour of dark lavender. Her hands rested on the table before her. Midnight blue gloves this time, I noticed. Dark hair framed her serious face as she spoke of our upcoming homework assignment.

On the white board behind her stood the words written in blue marker: Legends of the Hidden Races.

I quietly walked up to my chair and sat down, trying not to disturb her lecture. Ms. Cyan's classroom always had an aura of tranquility and it often seemed to me that we unknowingly tried to maintain it while we were there.

"You will have until the beginning of the next semester to complete this homework," Ms. Cyan was explaining in a voice so calm it almost felt hypnotizing. "Your grade will depend on your creativity. Through exploring the legends, you will have an opportunity to deepen our knowledge of your race. For that reason, merely scratching the surface will not suffice. Broaden your horizons. Don't be afraid to dig deeper. The first person you have to amaze is yourself. If you succeed in that, your task is already completed."

"Do not procrastinate. This semester ends in few short weeks, you will go home to your families, so use that time to speak to your elders. The most interesting stories can often be found in their memories."

After hearing those words, I peeked at Opal's notes. The title from the board was written on top of the page. Under it, Opal already scrawled two notes in her wide handwriting:

- the time Rubion found hidden treasure of our ancestors buried at the foot of the mountain

- the time Aureo dug out diamonds from the volcanic rock and accidentally found a dragon skeleton.

Nia sat on my right, so I glanced at her notebook. She scribbled something I could not understand. The whole page was filled with tendrils that, although beautiful, had no meaning to me.

Next to Nia, Lissa's pencil was rushing over the surface of the paper, guided by her hand, writing words in letters too small for me to make them out.