Page 33 of Akarnae

Jordan and Bear had seemed impressed through most of her response, at least until she’d segued into the potential chanting—then they’d just looked entertained.

When she finished, there was a moment of silence before Bear grinned and said, “Supernatural gifts? Really?”

“What else am I supposed to call them?”

“Fair enough,” he accepted. “But for the record, there’s nothing magical about our abilities. It’s just biology.”

“If you say so,” Alex said, stepping forward to lead the way inside. “But if that’s the case, I still think I’m missing that strand of DNA.”

“We’ll see,” Jordan said cryptically. “You never know what the future might bring.”

Ten

The weeks passed surprisingly quicklyand soon enough almost a whole month had disappeared. Alex’s lessons continued in much the same way as her first week—they were still completely insane. Her weekdays were filled with classes, classes and more classes, while her weekends were spent catching up on her endless pile of homework and hanging out with Jordan and Bear. Despite knowing that she didn’t belong in Medora, Alex soon began to enjoy the absolute randomness of Akarnae, as well as the people who inhabited the school.

Four weeks after her arrival in Medora, Alex sat in the food court deliberating what to eat for lunch when someone sat down beside her.

“I heard about what happened this morning. Are you okay?”

Alex looked up from her menu to see Mel’s concerned expression.

“It was a bit of a shock, but I’m all right now,” Alex said, recalling the near-catastrophic events of the morning. Compared to what might have been, Alex’s sore throat and chest were nothing to complain about.

Their PE class had been held in the massive Lake Fee that morning so Finn could test their ‘water survival skills’. In the act of trying to save one of her classmates from what she’d thought was an actual drowning, Alex had nearly lost consciousness under the water. Finn had pulled her to the surface at the last second and thumped what had seemed like the entire lake out of her lungs before she’d been able to breathe freely again. Then he’d asked her if she was an idiot, becauseof coursethe entire exercise had been a set-up and her classmates had never been in actual danger to begin with.

Mel leaned in closer. “I heard you nearlydrowned.” She shuddered. “I’m so glad I’m only a Beta for PE. Finn’s a real pain in the you-know-what, but he doesn’t make us do anythingdangerous.”

“It’s not so bad,” Alex said weakly, trying to convince them both.

Jordan snorted from across the table and she realised how untrue her statement really was. He and Bear had been beside themselves with worry for her when she hadn’t resurfaced for so long, but they’d both been too far away to do anything. She was just lucky that the PE teacher had been nearby, otherwise… well…

Just as she decided to change the topic, she felt a tap on her shoulder and turned to find Fletcher standing behind her.

“Finn told me about your class this morning, Alex,” the doctor said. “How’re you feeling?”

“I’m okay,” she answered, fidgeting under his watchful gaze. He must have heard the strained tone of her raw vocal chords, since his eyes narrowed in concern. Thankfully, he didn’t press the issue.

“Very well, then,” Fletcher said after a pause in which Mel quietly excused herself to go and find her cousin. “If you’re at all concerned, please drop in to see me.”

“I will,” she promised.

Fletcher nodded and began to walk away, calling over his shoulder, “By the way, Maggie asked me to tell you that if you ever skip her class again, she’ll give you detention for a month.”

Alex groaned as soon as Fletcher was far enough away not to hear, and she looked up to see Jordan and Bear’s amused expressions. Neither of them had known she’d skipped her Archery class in favour of a hot shower and some warm clothes after PE.

“Don’t tell me that Miss Goodie-Two-Shoes skipped class?” Jordan teased.

She shrugged, trying to downplay the situation.

“Our little girl’s growing up,” he said, wiping away a fake tear.

“You’re one to talk, mate,” Bear said with a laugh. “It’s not like you’ve never skipped before.”

“It’s hardly the same,” Jordan said, “since I get permission first.”

“Permission?” Alex asked. “How can you get permission to skip class?”

They both looked at her pointedly, waiting for her to catch on. When she didn’t, Jordan leaned in to whisper in her ear. “When your best friend is a charmer, it’s easy. Remember Finn?”

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