Page 108 of A Dusk Of Stars

Raven’s eyebrows shoot up. “You think so?” She glances around and then blinks at him. “I don’t know, I am not entirely sure what kind of feeling ‘lame’ is yet.”

A smile tugs at my lips. “It’s not a feeling, Raven,” I explain with a soft shake of my head. She turns to look at me with curiosity in her eyes. “It’s a quality that things can have, one thatcausesfeelings of boredom or some kind of aversion like contempt.”

“Oh,” she says simply, turning back to Alaric. “Then no, I don’t think this is lame, Alaric.”

“Yeah, no, I meant ironically,” he rushes to say.

“Ironically?” Raven asks.

Now Alaric is getting all flushed and I really don’t want someone stealing Raven from under his nose, so I take a look around and immediately spot a lonely table in the far right corner.

“I have an idea,” I say. They both look at me. “Why don’t the two of you grab a table for us? Look, that one over there, for example.”

Alaric’s eyes light up, making me almost let out a chuckle.

“What about you, Anna?” Raven asks.

“I’m just going to mingle a little.”

I don’t give them time to protest. I turn on my heel and start looking around for Bane. The plan is not to go talk to him. It’s just to be seen having fun like a normal, self-sufficient person.

It makes my eyebrows pull down, when I realize he’s nowhere to be seen.

Now what?

It’s the very next moment that I spot her. Serra, sitting in one of the few chairs they haven’t moved for the occasion. She seems to be immersed in a book, not minding the noise.

Perfect. I’ll nonchalantly make her tell me whether Bane’s even coming to this thing.

“Serra, hi,” I say as I walk up to her. She looks up and throws me a smile, putting her book down.

It’s with a conspiratorial little smile that I ask, “Where’s Professor MacArthur?”

She lets out a chuckle. “I’m happy to say I have no idea. But I also have to say I’m surprised to seeyouhere.”

“I guess I needed a break from everything.”

“Good for you. I’m sure it’ll help speed things up with your wolf.”

Her words leave a sting. “Exactly,” I say with a smile. I can’t resist adding, “And we’re not on good terms right now.”

There’s a flash of concern in her eyes. “No?”

“No,” I reply with a nervous laugh. “In fact, it seems she’s cut off all connection.” And I’m part thinking out loud and part trying to lead the conversation where I want it to go. “But let’s say I took the next week off.” I glance around the room.“Something I’ll need to discuss with Professor Bane, of course, but—”

“A whole week?” she cuts me off. “Another one?”

“Yeah,” I say as I turn my eyes back onto her.

She’s pressing her lips tight.

“What?” I ask.

She hesitates for a second. “I’d just be careful if I were you. You absolutely do need your rest,” she rushes to say, “but it’s not like you’re a student whose only responsibility is to give a couple of exams.”

It’s at that exact moment that my phone pings. A text from Bane. “I’m finding it hard to believe you’re not up yet, Novak.”

I look back at Serra, but I’ve forgotten what we were talking about. “Yeah, Serra, thanks for the advice,” I tell her. “I’m going to go grab a drink now.”

---