Page 31 of Akarnae

Jordan looked even more uncomfortable. “Actually, Bear’s doing some extra credit Chemistry project with Fitzy. He only found out last night after you went to bed early, but he’s going to be locked away in a lab all of today, and probably tomorrow too.”

“Oh.” Alex tried not to show how disappointed she felt. “Well, maybe Connor and Mel will be free to hang out. They seem pretty cool.” Granted, Alex hadn’t spent much time with the cousins, but they’d acted friendly enough on the few occasions she’d been with them.

Jordan winced. “Uh, they’re not here, Alex. They take off home every weekend for some kind of family thing.”

Feeling disheartened, Alex only said, “I guess that means I’m on my own, huh?”

“I’m really sorry,” Jordan said. “But if it makes you feel any better, I’ll be free after dinner. Bear, too. We can all hang out in the Rec Room or something.”

She smiled weakly at him. “Yeah, that sounds good.”

“I’d better get going if I don’t want Finn to give me any extra work,” he said, nudging her knee affectionately. “But I’ll see you tonight, okay?”

“Sure thing,” she said, watching as he stood and walked to the door.

The moment Alex was alone again, she sighed and looked around her room. She had been in Medora for less than a week, but she was so used to having either Jordan or Bear—or both—around that she wasn’t sure what to do now that she found herself facing a large amount of time without them. She was surprised by her newfound sense of reliance, since she’d never been a clingy person before; she’d always maintained a strong sense of independence. But there was just somethingniceabout having friends—something she’d never personally experienced. She loved her parents, for sure, but she was only just beginning to realise how much she’d missed out on because of their career-driven lifestyles. Her upbringing had caused friendships to seem so overrated, but she knew that wasn’t the case anymore. It was just annoying that now, when she actuallyhadfriends, she still had to spend the weekend alone.

But then again, perhaps it was a good idea to create some distance between her and the boys. Eventually she would be going home, and it wasn’t like she’d be taking either of them with her. They belonged in Medora, and Alex belonged in Freya. It was as simple as that.

“Enough of this,” Alex muttered, scrunching her face up at her turbulent thoughts. She didn’t have to make a choice between having friends and not having them—it was already done. She would be foolish not to enjoy her time with them while she could, even if it meant that she would miss them when she was back in her world. Better to have loved and lost, and all that.

With a nod to herself, almost like she was mentally sealing her decision, Alex moved to her wardrobe, determined to make the most of her day regardless of who she was—or wasn’t—spending it with.

Alex was completely ravenous when lunchtime arrived. She’d successfully whittled her morning away by completing her pile of homework—mostly from Medical Science, surprise, surprise—and she planned to spend the rest of the afternoon reading through her Core Skills textbooks to research the topic of giftings. Despite seeing Jordan use his transcendence gift and Bear use his charm, she still found the concept difficult to grasp.

After eating a quick lunch, Alex hurried back to her dorm room and deliberated which of her three textbooks she should start with. They all sounded interesting:Unwrapping Your Gift: How To Grow Your Talent And Better Your Skillsby Miranda Crotchett;A Comprehensive Study Of Personal Giftingsby Phillippe R. Brandon; andSo, You Think You’re Gifted?by Laurence Tillman.

In the end, Alex decided on the comprehensive study. She didn’t think she was gifted, so that eliminated the third option, and since she didn’t have a gift to unwrap, she skirted away from the first.

Heading outside, she settled underneath a tree by the lake. It didn’t take long before she was mesmerised by the book in front of her. Hours passed as the sun slowly moved across the horizon. A late afternoon breeze stirred up the grass and whistled through the trees. And still, Alex kept on reading.

While some scholars claim that only a minority of individuals have the ability to access personalised giftings, notable theorist Fredérike Von Duffé suggests otherwise. Von Duffé believes that every single human being has the potential to use and develop their own personal gift, but it is only the minority who have the natural biological and psychological connection to their gift that allows for easier access. Von Duffé writes in his book,For Richer or Poorer: Gift Equality for the Common Man, “Why would one person be given such great power and another not? Perhaps the better question is, why would one person be able toaccesssuch power and another not?”

While the theorist’s beliefs are stirring, especially for those desiring such gifts, Von Duffé’s research lacks supportive data and empirical evidence, and thus is generally discredited by other professionals in the field…

The feeling of hot air blowing against her ear startled Alex. Standing directly behind her was Monster, a shaggy little pony Tayla had assigned Alex to care for in her Equestrian Skills class. He was only the size of a large dog, barely coming up to her hip, but he had more than enough personality to cover his diminished height and he’d quickly found his way into her heart.

“Hey, little fella,” she cooed, scratching behind his ears. “What are you doing sneaking up on me?”

Looking out at the setting sun, Alex realised just how late it was. She’d been so caught up in her reading that she hadn’t noticed how fast the afternoon had passed.

Alex picked herself up off the ground and gave Monster one last pat before heading off to her dorm building. She was surprised when he followed along beside her like a shaggy pet dog.

“Looks like you’ve made a friend.”

Alex glanced up to find Bear leaning casually beside the entry to the dorm.

“It wasn’t hard,” she said. “I gave him an apple the other day. We’re best friends for life now.”

“If only it was always that easy,” Bear said.

Monster chose that moment to nudge Alex with his rather solid head, causing her to stumble forward. Bear laughed at the display and Alex turned her glare from the pony to her friend.

“What are you doing out here, anyway?” she asked, trying to shoo Monster away.

“I was waiting for one of you guys to get back so we can go for dinner. Have you seen Jordan yet?”

Alex shook her head. “Not since this morning. How long do you think Finn’ll keep him out?”

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