Page 29 of House of Ydril

“Seriously?” she blurts out, but I’m too focused on my next step to want to discuss it.

So I just give her shoulder a quick squeeze and I leave her there. I’m already stomping down the hallway leading towards the Library when I hear her yell, “Just don’t forget the Favorday party is tonight.”

“Can’t fucking wait,” I snap back.

When I get to the Archives, I’m no less miserable. The last billion times I was here, I was focused solely on the House Olarel and its members. Right now, I choose to find records of all the professors who’ve ever taught here. It’s practically the only thing I know about Professor Byrne, but it’s as good a place to start as any.

I walk down an aisle dedicated to records of births, deaths, marriages et cetera. All the most boring stuff you could ever imagine. And at the end of the row, I finally see a shelf labeled ‘Grimm Academy Professors’.

Bingo, I think to myself as my eyes dart over the individual books, stopping on one titledGrimm Academy Professors 1900-1999.

Who knows how old Professor Byrne really is, but he should be mentioned here for sure. I pull the book out, struggling to release it from the grip of the ones surrounding it. And I crack it open, planning to start my search with the year 1900. But the book opens on 1983, where a single word has me frozen in place.

Olarel.

My mind racing, I read the first name. Drannor. And right below his name, another Olarel. Syllia.

I don’t move a muscle, but my heart is beating wildly.

Chapter fourteen

Mymindisstillbuzzing, but more importantly, I’mpissed. I’m in Nuala’s room in the House of Lycan and the Favorday party is in half an hour, so we’re multitasking. She’s trying on outfits while I’m recounting my newest findings.

“Professors, Nuala,” I tell her. “My parents were professors here.”

“What the fuck?” Nuala asks, stopping to throw me a confused look. “But that’s good, isn’t it?”

“It’s both good and bad,” I reply, fighting to keep myself from snapping. “It’s information I didn’t have yesterday, but it also makes the whole thing more complicated. More sinister. I mean, I’ve asked all the professors who were here back then.Allof them. And they all said they’ve no idea who I’m talking about.”

Nuala turns around to get a comment on her latest choice. A simple sleeveless green dress.

I give her a low whistle, smiling weakly as I say, “I think we have a winner.”

“You think?” she asks, a shy smile forming on her lips.

I nod vigorously, but I’m intrigued. I myself have thrown on a simple black dress, just to avoid repeating what turned out to be such a horrid disrespect from last time. But Nuala is really putting in effort. Who is she so eager to impress, I wonder.

She takes a seat next to me and puts her hand on mine. “I know it’s all weird and frustrating as hell, but we have all the time in the world to learn what the fuck is going on.”

I give her a grateful smile and choose to snap out of it. I’m not looking forward to the party myself, but my only friend in this godforsaken place clearly is.

So I jump up off the bed and I clap my hands. “You’re right, my dear Fionnuala. Now is the time to show those people what having fun actually looks like.”

Laughing and chatting, we soon barge into the Main Hall, where the party has already started. There’s a bar, a little fountain in the center, a corner with parlor games… But it’s the people that draw the eye. They’re all dressed even more lavishly than they were for the Showing. Me? I’m perfectly happy not standing out.

I grab Nuala and myself two pitchers of beer and we find a good spot in the center of the room, at one of the few high tables that aren’t already taken. I scan the Hall, recognizing only a couple of the twenty four Chosen. A certain someone isn’t here yet, or so it would seem. I down almost half of my beer, just thinking abouthimshowing up at some point making me break out in cold sweat. I tug on the hem of my dress, sure that as soon as he lays his eyes on me, he’ll findsomethingto complain about.

“Look,” Nuala jabs me with her elbow. “Sarya has been asked out by someone from my House.”

“How can you tell?” I ask, squinting to take a better look at her.

“See the corsage on her wrist? That’s moon vine.”

“Ah,” I just say, glancing around the room again. Most of the Chosen have either a corsage around their wrists or a boutonniere on their lapels. “So there’s only a few that are still available.”

“Including yourself,” Nuala whispers. “But not for long, it seems,” she adds with a chuckle as she motions at Leo staring at me intently from his table, looking handsome as hell even with the ridiculous sideburns.

I wave my hand in dismissal. “Nah, he’s saving himself for Prince Charming. You’ve seen how they flirt with each other, I’m sure.”

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