Gemstone Academy

Chapter 16

Monday afternoon I sat in Etiquette class wishing I was anywhere else but here. Today we were studying how different colors meant different things in countries. You could accidentally offend certain countries with certain colors. I really wanted someone to hit me with a frying pan at this point.

"Did you hear about Jacob?" Blair whispered while Professor Natasha Lordsbee monologued on the other side of the classroom about what certain popular colors represented in Japan.

"No," I whispered back. "What about him?"

"He was the most recent victim. I just heard Layla say he screamed and passed out during lunch."

I glanced over at Layla who sat at the table next to us. She did look pretty upset. She was talking very rapidly in Arabic to Majida next to her. Majida looked at her friend with a sympathetic look.

I cocked my head at Blair. "You speak Arabic?"

"No!" Blair hissed. "Layla was speaking English a minute ago when she was telling the story to Thomas. And that's not what you should be concerned about!"

Oh, right, my bad. The whole speaking Arabic thing distracted me. "So, another person passed out?" I asked.

Blair nodded. "That vampire boy and Elridge better figure this thing out fast because people are dropping like flies."

As much as I hated to agree with Blair, she was right.

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That night I sat in my room doing my homework that was due tomorrow. So much for not procrastinating. It didn't matter to me as long as no one told Lazarus. I didn't want to have to deal with him scolding me like a frickin' child again. Blair was also doing her homework over on her bed. Zoey had been missing for a while until she came strolling into the room with a stack of envelopes in her hands.

"Delivery," Zoey said tossing a few letters to Blair. She flipped through a couple of envelopes before tossing one to me. Then she took the rest and flopped them on her nightstand. She sat on her bed without giving them a second glance.

The letter was probably from my parents. Their letters to me usually just informed me of what was going on at home. Things about Jame's training and what new shenanigans Tori has gotten herself into. Interested to see what was new, I tore open the envelope to see the beautiful slanting familiar hand writing of my mother.

Dear Elizabeth,

I was pleased to hear in your last letter that school is going well. I'm sorry to hear about Lilia though, and I hope that she will be okay. As for your standing in our decision for you to become queen, I think that you should know that in the eyes of our people you are behind. While they agree that your brother can be scatter brained, they still think that he is better suited for the job. I have heard people say that you come across as bitchy and insensitive. Just something for you to think about. I hope School continues to go well.
Love,
Mother.

I crumpled the letter as soon as I was done reading it and chucked it across the room towards the garbage. It didn't go in. It bounced off the wall and landed on the floor next to the trash bin.

"What's wrong?" Zoey asked.

"Nothing," I said standing up. "I'm going for a walk."

"It's past curfew!" Blair called after me.

"I don't give a damn!" I called back after leaving the room. Honestly, she should know by now that I don't care about curfew.

So, my mother wanted to tell me that my brother was winning this little competition of ours. And it was because my people in my country didn't like me. What a wonderful thing to receive in a letter! Ugh. So, I'm bitchy? I seem insensitive? Every time we have a party I always talk to people like I care, even if I don't. Perhaps I'll have to become a better actress. I thought I was already a pretty good one, but I could be wrong. Or I could introduce them all to Blair, then I would seem nice by comparison. It was an evil plan, but apparently, I was already a bitch so who cares.