Page 54 of A Blackened Bond

I glance up toward the clock on the reception wall.8:35 am.

Maybe I had enough time before Annex came back to get my interview done and over with?

“Let’s go, Ms. Bane,” Mr. Heinley states, his voice sounding a little more rushed as we walk. “We can’t keep them waiting.”

He fixes the patterned brown tie around his neck, loosening it as he takes a quick breath before straightening it back again and twisting toward me. I give him a nod before making my way beside him.

He leads me down the long corridor before turning right at the last room. It opens into a large, spacious classroom, where most of the usual student tables and chairs are neatly pressed against the back wall. A giant table with three chairs on one side sits at the front of the room, with one small chair in front.

Immediately, I’m drawn to the figures sitting in those three seats; the figure to my left is a man wearing all-black. His hair is as dark as his suit and slicked back. His skin is a pale white shade and a stark contrast to the rest of him. His dark brown eyes flicker my way before quickly turning away in disinterest, a look of annoyance taking over his features. He ignores my presence as I make my way over.

A deep chuckle rumbles from the figure to the far right, his large beard and bulky frame moving with his slight laughter. His brown shoulder-length hair frames his masculine-looking features, light flecks of caramel tones running through both his beard and hair.

He has a rugged sort of beauty to him, yet his heavy patched leather coat makes him look like he crawled out from the forest and could wrestle a bear with ease.And for fun.

His hazel-brown eyes turn my way, catching my gaze as a softer look forms in them—a complete contrast to the other male representative.

A woman is sitting between the two men, her hair as black as night and slicked in waves to one side—the female representative from the hall.

She’s wearing a tight black dress with a small white belt, the fabric fitting her lithe figure like a glove. Her eyes meet mine before slightly narrowing and calling to someone from the corner of the room.

I’m shuffled forward by Mr. Heinley and into the small seat in front of them as we begin.

“Micai, third year…” the woman states as she glances at a big stack of papers in front of her. “And your specialty is…”

Her eyes skim the paper before flicking her gaze back to the figure she called, whom I now recognise as Mr. Finch. He scurries forward at her beckoning, whispering something hurriedly in her ear before being shooed away again.

“You’re MicaiBane. The eldest daughter of Greere Bane, I see.” Her expression is one I’ve seen many times before as she stares at me. “The onewithoutany magic or ability.”

She sighs, pushing the papers in her hand away.

“Let’s make this quick, then. Recant your whereabouts on the night of the attack—who you were with, what you did, what yousaw, and so on.” She waves her hand, a dull tone taking over her voice as a slightly bothered look forms in her gaze toward me.

“Her statement won’t be of much use.” The pale, black-haired man calls. “What could she have possibly done other than run and hide?”

He looks at me, disdain dripping from his features. “She’s too weak—”

“Verod,” the large bear of a man barks. “Don’t speak so horribly to a child.” He spins my way, his features softening. “Strength and true power don’t always come in the same forms.”

Verodscoffs. “There’s no power in her case.”

“Let’s hurry this up. We have many more students to see and can’t waste time, " the woman calls before sighing.

“Imelda, it’s—” Begins the bulky man before she raises her hand to shush him, his eyes instantly glaring at the tiny hand positioned in front of him.

“We cannot waste valuable time.” She waves her hand again while looking at me before turning toward her papers. “Begin…Ms. Bane.”

A light scoff leaves my lips, my gaze hardening toward the two assholes in front of me. Clearly, they had already made up their minds.

Fine.You think I’m weak and helpless? Then I’ll tell you what you want to hear. It works for me anyway. There’s no need to draw unnecessary attention to myself.

For the next ten minutes, I recant the details of the night, keeping everything to the bare minimum and leaving out any parts of me fighting. I also leave out anything that happened after Creed arrived, just telling them I hid in the forest like they wanted.

Since they assumed I would turn tail and hide because I was ‘weak’, they can continue to believe that.

Imelda dismisses me as soon as I finish, with Verod murmuring something about‘useless information’. Marcus gives me a sympathetic smile, his eyes softening as I leave the room.

I make my way out and quickly down the corridor, hoping I catch Annex trying to creep in through my window or picking the lock on my door.

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