Page 11 of Monster's Mistake

I frown and pick up the cup, staring at that particular part of the tea leaves. “I think...it’s saying that I’m going to fail an exam?”

“Let me see?”

I hand the cup to him, hyper-aware of how close our fingers come to touching. A tiny voice in my head urges me to let it happen, but there’s also the feeling I normally get of not wanting to touch other people either.

I let go of the cup without doing anything and he proceeds to look into it.

“Ah, I see. You’re almost there. It’s more that you’re worrying you’re going to fail an exam, but if you keep doing that, then you will. If you relax, you’ll probably pass.”

I snort. “Seriously? That’s supposed to help me pass?”

“I’m just telling you what the leaves say,” he responds and hands me my cup back.

I look back down at the drawing, comparing it to what the textbook says. “I think this part is about my...er...my sex life.” I run my finger over a few squiggles at the bottom of my drawing.

Meic clears his throat. “Yes.”

“Well, this is going to be interesting,” I mutter, picking up the cup and trying to focus on what that part says. My vision blurs and a sense of the future comes to me, stronger than before. “This can’t be right.”

“What is it?” Meic asks.

“It’s saying that I’m going to discover something new.”

“That doesn’t sound unbelievable.” He takes the cup from me and then clears his throat. “Yes, that’s what it says.”

“There’s something else, isn’t there?”

“No.” The way he says it makes me think his denial is a little too quick.

“Meic...”

“It’s nothing,” he responds. “You got that one right.”

“It’s still not believable. How am I going to try something new when I don’t have a boyfriend?”

He shrugs. “One night stand?”

“Not my thing.” And dangerous when it comes to the snakes. I wouldn’t trust a stranger’s health to chance in that situation.

“Maybe it’s something else,” he says. “Last week it said you were going to accept your fated mate.”

“Hmm. True.”

“So, yeah, maybe that’s it.” He looks everywhere but at me and fidgets in a way that makes me feel like he’s hiding something.

I frown. “Are you feeling okay?”

“Of course, why wouldn’t I be?”

“No reason.” Only that he missed an opportunity to suggest that he could be the one to teach me something new. I don’t know what’s gotten into Meic, but it’s weird.

And I’m not sure I actually like it.

CHAPTER 5

Nati

The corridors are empty,which is to be expected when it’s almost curfew, and I know that if we’re not back in our dorms in the next ten minutes, we could be in real trouble. But if there really is a party in the secret tunnels of the academy, then it’ll be worth it.

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