Page 11 of Monster's Delight

The rest of the student body slowly filtered in while I ate and flipped through the first couple pages of the grimoire. It was fascinating reading, absorbing me entirely until it was time for my first class.

Day one, out of a six-day rotation, had each of the six classes take place in a shortened time. It allowed for one day in each rotation to focus on taking up homework or extra help. It wasn’t a mandatory class day for the students. It also meant that I would meet each of my teachers on the first day.

I headed for the second floor, where the classrooms were located, and wondered which wing Ancient Languages would be in. It was my third year course that was replacing Mathemagics, and I was a little nervous about being in a class a grade level above me.

“Not with the labs,” I muttered to myself, peeking down one of the wings and shaking my head. I consulted my schedule, wishing that it had room numbers on it. This was the only class I had no idea where it was.

“Looking for someone, my little sheep?”

“Chuck!” I exclaimed, hand over my heart. It was beating faster than usual from the scare. “Stop that!”

“If I don’t sneak up on you, you run away,” he said cheerfully.

“You’resoclose to getting the point,” I muttered.

“What was that, my cunning fox?” He cocked his head in a way that I used to find attractive. Now it was just irritating.

“I’m looking for Ancient Languages.”

“How serendipitous! I know where that is.” He took my hand. “This way.”

I managed to shake him off halfway down the hall that contained the lecture halls for history and geography. He got to the last door and held it open for me. “After you.”

“You’re in this class too?” I groaned.

“Of course.” His eyes twinkled. “How else are you going to compete against me?”

Better the devil you know, I suppose,I thought to myself, entering the hall and taking a seat near the front. Chuck, annoyingly, sat beside me. I could feel some of the third years looking at us, wondering who we were.

After the first class, my mind buzzing with words like “dialect” and “syntax”, I changed wings to get to Qualitative Spellcraft, Chuck following in my wake.

I wasn’t exactlysurprisedthat he was in all my classes; we were very similar in our strengths. It didn’t mean I had to like it.

I sat in the front row again, my attention on Professor Reynolds. Unnervingly, pretty much every other female student in the class was also focused on him. A couple were whispering behind their hands, and when he bent to grab something from his briefcase on the floor, I heard a couple gasps.

Oh,I thought, looking at him with fresh eyes. He looked young, not much older than a fourth year student. He had wavy brown hair and a full beard to match. His square-rimmed glasses perched on a thin nose, his brown eyes blinking out at us from behind them. His body filled out his clothing rather well.

He’s fairly good looking.

I wasn’t going to lose my head over him like some of the girls in my class obviously were, but he was definitely easy on the eyes.

“Good morning, class. I hope you’re having a good first day so far,” Professor Reynolds greeted them. “Welcome to Qualitative Spellcraft, where you’ll learn to describe the spells you see. You’ll be analyzing and dissecting them, learning what parts of each spell work in the delicate balance that is magic. Who can list the branches of magic?”

I put my hand up, as did several other students, and the lesson began.

My last class before lunch was Magical Nexuses. It was probably the class I was most excited about this term. I slid into my front row seat, watching Professor Akhtar as he pulled several leather-bound books out of his satchel. I’d heard about him from the students last year; he was rumored to be tough, but fair. His tests were extremely difficult, but the project work was supposed to be fascinating.

“Good morning,” the professor said, drawing my attention out of my daydreaming. “In this class, you will be learning about ley lines and how they affect the world around us, including some of the most magical locations we have discovered so far. You will be tested on countries and their capitals next week, day six.”

A girl raised her hand from the back row and he nodded at her.

“Excuse me, but which countries will we be tested on? Europe?” she asked.

“All of them,” he replied sternly.

Several gasps met his statement.

“You are in university, so we won’t coddle you like when you were in high school. You are to put in the work expected ofallBlackthorn students, as that is why you are here.” He stared impassively around the room. “Anyone who has a problem with that, you may leave at any time.” He pointed at the door. “Otherwise, what is the point of you being here?”

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