Hybrid

Chapter 12

The next couple days Phantom waited for her raven to come back with a note. 

Gideon was also constantly at her side even when she was released from the infirmary. Noa was there too, a less constant reminder than Gideon but she was faintly worried when Phantom started zoning out. 

Gideon nudged her, making her look up from her writing assignment. Since she hadn’t been in class for about two weeks, making up the grade for Writing only consisted of her reading her creative writing piece. 

“Do you think you’ll get a good grade on it?” Gideon whispered. 

Phantom skimmed over the paper, her hands trembling slightly. “I hope so. It’s quite the piece.” She had decided to be stupid, making a creative writing piece off of her actual reality, she was more nervous to read it than she wanted to admit to herself. 

“I will agree with you, this is the one that you wanted me to listen to closely?” He was leaning over, the teacher's back was turned at the moment. 

Phantom swallowed her nerves. “Yes, but like I said, don’t ask questions until you have figured it out, mostly.” 

“Miss Holland,” she looked up to see the teacher eyeing her and Gideon, their whispered conversation clearly not going unnoticed. “Is your creative writing piece ready to read to the class?” 

“Of course ma’am.” Phantom stood, straightening her papers. “Are you ready for me to read it?” 

“Yes, it seems Mr. Lawrance needs the time away from you too.” The teacher clasped her hands. “The floor is yours.” 

Phantom looked at Gideon, “You got it.” 

“I hope so,” she muttered under her breath as she went up to the front of the room. 

Gideon watched Amy with worry, she looked pale as she looked at the teacher again before finally clearing her throat. “This is my creative writing piece because I was absent.” 

She shuffled her papers, nearly dropping them. He noticed her hands were trembling. 

Amy started. “We are all divided,” she said looking down at the papers in her hand. “The world was never together, it's like a puzzle with missing pieces or the wrong ones. The humans believe they live in a world where war is just a thing that helps ensure peace. That’s why the lycanthropes and elves separated.” 

Her mismatched eyes swept over the room, settling on Gideon a beat longer before fastening on her paper. Gideon could listen to her talk all day, somehow her accent made her words sharper, but somehow still soft.

“They separated from humans, from the cruel ways that they ruled, to the weapons that were used to kill and they made new lives. The wolf-people lived in peace, they didn’t care as much for bloodshed, living with the humans, they blended in. There were still packs of course, they just layed low, hiding from the shadow world of the elves. They followed the humans while the elves thought they prevailed. The laws with the old elvin people were harsh, after the separation.” She swallowed, something like pain flashing across her pretty face. 

Gideon leaned forward in his chair, an unusual curiosity stirring in his chest. 

Amy took a deep breath. “After the separation, they forbade the breeding between humans and elves, and werewolves and elves. The punishment for conceiving a hybrid is death. Travelling to the human world is strictly forbidden, the punishment is death by drowning. The elves ruled by terror, their harsh rules weren’t broken often, but when they were…” Amy closed her eyes, her face tightening. Something about her expression wasn’t convincing Gideon that the “creative writing” wasn’t completely made up. Her pain was clear, especially when her emotions were hidden behind a wall of fake emotions. Gideon knew that from watching her. When she thought nobody was watching, her mask slipped, showing something vulnerable and feral.