Page 209 of A University of Betrayal

I looked at her insistently.

“You’re already talking like Adrian.” Larissa rolled her eyes and then moved closer to me to tap my chest with her index finger. “You should know that I don’t give a damn about all these rules. Especially when they come from a Senseque.”

“Larissa,” Bay hissed, looking at her friend in disbelief.

“What?” She looked back at me before grinning. “Little joke. I don’t care what you are. As long as you don’t smell like food or make me feel small for my new identity like the witches do, I have no problem with you hanging out with my best friend.”

She was actually trying to ignore the fact that our species were so extremely different. Maybe she didn’t know about the Senseque and Ruisangor’s past.

“DoIsmell like food to you?” asked Bay, almost timidly.

Larissa turned to her in bewilderment and her eyes began to glow in a threatening way. Then she took a step toward Bayla, and I immediately sensed her fear as she also flinched.

Nervousness spread through me.

Suddenly Larissa burst out laughing and her eyes took on their original brown.

“What do you think? That I wouldbiteyou?”

Bayla’s expression remained unchanged.

“Of course not! Besides, you still smell like nothing. I don’t know what’s wrong with you, but you just smell different compared to everyone else here.”

Bayla looked at me briefly, and I immediately understood that I shouldn’t say a word. I sensed that she was uncomfortable talking about it. And I would probably feel the same way.

“Now get over here!” Larissa approached her very quickly and took Bay into her arms. She looked surprised and looked to me for help, but I just smiled in the hope that I could calm her down a little.

If Larissa was telling the truth and Bay didn’t smell like anything to her, as she did to me, then everything was fine. She wouldn’t hurt her, not even unintentionally.

Suddenly, the door opened and Diana appeared on the porch.

“You’re alive...”

Larissa let go of Bay, and we all turned to Diana, who was holding something I hadn’t expected.

“Ms. Adams. I...”

“Mum!” Bayla gasped and stepped in front of Larissa.

“Get out of the way, Bayla,now!And get inside the house!”

Click. Then she pointed the shotgun at Larissa.

Larissa reacted in shock and jumped back, landing on both feet three meters away in the garden. Her eyes turned reddish.

“Oh, yes. That’s the right direction,” Diana growled, and one of Larissa’s dark blonde strands fell into her face.

“Diana, there’s no danger from her,” I added reassuringly, but Bayla’s mother ignored me completely.

“Get out of here and stay away from my daughter! You’ve gotten her into enough trouble already!”

Larissa said nothing. Her look only became more hostile, which worried me. What if I had underestimated Larissa after all?

“Get out now!”

Larissa jumped on her bike and started the engine, gave us both a look that I couldn’t interpret, and finally drove off at an inhuman speed until she disappeared.

Swept

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