Page 54 of Firestorm
Probably,I replied with a laugh.
Zephyr laughed, not offended at all.So what happened?
I gave my brother a quick play-by-play of the situation, carefully leaving out the Aiden part. Zephyr would throw a field day if he knew I was into a guy with red hair. Knowing my brother, he’d probably give Aiden some insufferable nickname that would make me want to bash his face in.
Zephyr cackled, and I closed my eyes, willing away the impending headache.
What an idiot. You really knocked him out, though? No affinity?
No affinity needed,I replied, chewing my lip anxiously. I was still surprised I’d been able to do it.
And he wasout, alright. Someone from the Health Center had come to collect the unconscious Landon from the mats while the rest of the class watched, whispering.
Aiden had looked like he wanted to disappear. I wasn’t surprised. After what I’d learned of his shitty family, I’d almost felt bad for how things had played out. I’d never forgive myself if Aiden ended up in trouble because of something stupid I’d done.
That’s pretty metal, Skye.
I snorted to myself. I’d almost forgotten I was speaking to Zephyr.
Thanks,I replied.I have no idea what came over me.
The office door opened suddenly, and a small, blonde woman appeared in the doorway.
“Ms. Aria,” she drawled. “Headmaster Earl will see you now.”
Gotta go,I said to Zephyr as I stood.
Don’t talk back. Just get in and out,Zephyr said, and I almost laughed. Levi used to say the same thing to us anytime we were about to be scolded.
“Ms. Aria,” A deep voice called out, and I offered a tight smile to the mountain of a man who greeted me. “Please have a seat.”
Headmaster Earl was huge, easily standing way over six feet tall.He had all the charm of an attractive older man, with gray and white streaked through the temples of his black, textured hair, standing out against his dark skin. His face was shaved, though he already had a thick stubble coming in. He wore a nice suit, something way too expensive for a headmaster to be wearing for a regular day of work. An expensive watch sat on his right wrist, telling me he was left-handed.
“Aren’t you interesting?” he murmured as I took a seat across from him, on the other side of his massive mahogany desk.
“I guess,” I replied. Earl’s dark eyes watched me a little too carefully, and we stared each other down for a moment, each of us not sure what to make of the other.
“So, you had a little altercation during Health class. Care to explain?” Earl asked.
“It wasn’t an altercation, we were sparring.” I replied.
“Sparring with affinities. So how did Mr. Iykos end up unconscious?”
“He tried to punch me, then grabbed my arm and pulled me, so I punched him.” I explained. “Are you going to question him once he’s awake? Will you ask him why he grabbed, then jerked me around during anaffinitysparring match?”
Earl watched me thoughtfully, his lips pursed, his face otherwise betraying nothing. He blew out a breath before speaking.
“I’m going to level with you. Landon Iykos has been a thorn in my paw for quite a while, Ms. Aria. I can’t officially thank you for laying him out but…well, there it is.” Earl leaned back in his chair, a pleased expression on his face.
I stared at him.
Earl cleared his throat, his expression shifting to something more uncomfortable. “Ms. Aria,” he continued. “Exactly how long have you known of your water affinity?”
“A few weeks,” I replied, pointedly looking at the paperwork on his desk, which was no doubt about me and my ‘affinities’.
“I see that here, yes. How is it possible you were able to control the water so fluidly?” he asked.
“My roommate helps me,” I lied.
