Starr Academy: Year One

Part 21

Twenty-one

For the next three weeks, things have been... interesting. Interesting with Zander’s ploys to win me over that is. He doesn’t seem to have an end. When he wants something, he goes all out for it.

That Sunday after the open house, I came back into my dorm room after sparring with Marek as we decided we wanted for alone time together to my room filled with flowers. Roses. And they were everywhere. On my bed. On my desk. In my bathroom.

I had frowned. I’m not a roses kind of girl. Don’t get me wrong, roses were pretty, but not what I liked. No matter the color, the weren’t me.

I liked what Marek did to them for me. He piled them all up together in a corner and reformed them into a mini weeping willow. He even made a pot for the little willow. I’ve been watering it several times a day as Marek had instructed me.

It was getting easier to water it too. I’ve been learning how to use my water element. I can move it about the air. Shape it into shapes and have them move. I’ve actually made animals and have them move like them. My favorite is making a bird that looked like the school’s phoenix.

After the flowers, Zander had mists a box of chocolates in front of me at lunch one day. I’m not much into chocolates. Never really had. I let Danielle and Zera. They were more than happy to polish off my sweets for me. They even moaned at the delicacy of the finest chocolates they ever had by their own admission. I was glad they got to have them.

Then there were the jewelry. The most expensive looking. The most gaudiest necklaces and earrings I ever saw. I wrote Zander a note apologizing for not liking them but they weren’t my tastes. He begged to know what my tastes were so he could get it. I never answered him back.

He had cornered me in the hall between classes a few days ago. He looked so desperate to learn what will sway me. I told him I didn’t know what to tell him. I’ve never had a romantic interest before and wish he’d just be my friend. He told me he wouldn’t stop till he had persuaded me and walked away.

Marek had been pissed. In the tournament the next day, Marek was upset that he couldn’t battle Zander. Zander’s group in the first stage had failed. Marek wanted to release some of his anger towards Zander on Zander himself. I calmed Marek down afterwards by just hugging him and telling him it was alright.

Now it was Sunday and I am working in the library finishing up a paper for history. I was doing the paper on Joan D’arch. Joan of Arch. She was a young woman gifted with magic. She just gave the rouse of hearing the voice of God to mask her true gift. She could see that which would be with certain choices. She knew that by doing what she did would cause her death.

I thought she was brave for giving up her future to save her people. She was willing to do what it took for the good of the many. She was selfless. I admired her for that. That’s why I was writing the paper.

I sat back and rubbed my eyes. I had been here all day and I was feeling exhausted. Thankfully my paper was nearly complete. Just the conclusion was left. Just need to wrap everything up.

I jumped slightly when someone’s hands started to massage my shoulders. I looked behind me to see Zander. He smiled that same smile that said he wanted me. That he was trying anything to get me. Though deep inside his eyes I saw that he just wanted to accept him. He wanted to be accepted.

“You looked like you needed to relax for a bit. You’ve been in here working for hours.” He turned me back so I was looking away from him. He started to massage my shoulders. “I thought I’d help you out. And a good thing too, you’re full of knots.”