Page 52 of House of Ydril

With that, to my disappointment, he just pushes past me and keeps walking.

Damn it. Not biting, despite my stellar performance. But at least I can go see Professor Mistila, I think to myself as I keep walking. Letting out a sigh, I start turning corners and climbing stairs as I head straight for the cabinets where the professors spend their time between classes.

To get to Professor Mistila’s, I have to walk past countless others. Not all of them are occupied, but some have their doors wide open. And as I go, I see professors chatting amongst themselves, leafing through enormous leather-bound volumes and even doing experiments with strange-looking contraptions. I have to force myself not to stare when I walk past this one room where an old professor has a black vortex open right at its center, seemingly talking to someone on the other side.

But before I even reach her cabinet, I see Professor Mistila walking back with a cup of steaming-hot coffee in her hand. When her eyes land on mine, I notice her flinch for a second.

Suspicious, I think to myself, but I throw on a wide smile and I walk straight up to her. “Professor, I was wondering if I could have a moment of your time.”

“Can it wait?” she says with a tentative smile. “I have a class.”

Lying once again. I’d know because I’ve memorized her entire schedule. “Sure, I’ll just come see you again in a couple of hours,” I reply as I give her a wide, innocent smile.

While I wait for her imaginary class to end, I take a walk around the castle grounds. It just so happens that my general direction is the training grounds, where the Vipers can usually be found working out. And there she is, Zelda. Since I first saw her, I’ve found out that she’s probably to blame for the death of one of her neighbors. And now she’s stretching as if she’s just some girl in a yoga class. What can I say? Fate just keeps bringing me to them, I smile as I try to keep my eagerness in check.

“Mind if I join?” I ask as I approach her, choosing a less explosive method than with her colleague. I don’t even know where I’m going with it and it does seem a bit stupid, but hey, at least I’ve got her attention. She’s looking up at me as she gets out of the position.

It’s like freezing cold out here, but she’s in shorts and a tank top, looking as if the temperature isn’t getting to her at all.

For a second, I think she’s going to smile, but she just frowns and walks away.

Sheesh. I’m on fire here.

Luckily, I think it’s just about time to go back to chasing after Professor Mistila. I find her walking out of the classroom, chatting with one of her students.

This time, she doesn’t flinch when she sees me, but I can tell she’s not happy about it. “Quinn,” she says when I get close. And for a second, I expect her to blow me off again. “I guess I have some time right now, if you want to go for a walk.”

I nod happily and fall into step with her as she heads for the Elevator. “So what did you want to discuss? Are you interested in taking one of my classes?”

There are others in the Elevator with us so I wait until we’re out to say, “Actually, I wanted to talk to you about my parents.”

I don’t stare, but I pay close attention to her reaction. She lets out a small sigh and asks, “What about them?”

“You helped me learn who my family is, but I still don’t know who brought me into this world.”

She stops to look at me. “For whatever reason, your parents aren’t in any of the records. Perhaps one of them was a bastard, or they’ve done something unforgivable. In any case, I don’t think you’ll be able to track them down.”

Really, I think to myself. How convenient. But when I reply, I make sure to look heartbroken. “That’s fine. I just want to know who they are. Or were,” I add in a sad voice. “And I thought you might help me with that.”

The professor just looks at me and for a second, I think she’ll finally give in. “I’m sorry, Quinn,” she finally says. “I just don’t know how.”

And with that, she leaves me standing in the garden, near a fountain that apparently froze over the holidays, its weathered stone cracked a little on the side.

For a moment, I just stare at it, frustration bubbling under my skin. But I shrug it off because there’s still one thing I can do. I don’t want to, but if I have to, I will.

It’s just that I’d rather wait for it to get dark. And until then, I can do some more work on trying to get close to the Vipers.

I wander around the castle grounds, stopping at a few spots to pretend I’m reading a book. But I don’t run into any of them.

It’s only a couple of hours later that I walk into the cafeteria to get some lunch and there she is. Sarya. And for the first time ever, she’s not with Harry and Zelda.

Ugh. I hate for her to be the one I have to talk to, simply because I think she’s a real bitch, but hey, it’s not like the rest of them wouldn’t be rated PG-18.

So I draw in a breath, whip out my phone and take a seat right next to her, even though there’s like a million other empty spots all around me.

I feel her looking up and staring at me, but I just keep pretending I’m texting. I’m hoping to piss her off enough to start talking to me.

But before I know it, I’m letting go of my phone, my hands flying to my neck because the scarf I have wrapped around it is becoming too tight.

---