Again, knowledge is power in our world. Unfortunately, Isla isn’t going to like what I’m about to tell her, for one of two reasons. Either she already knows, or she doesn’t.
“You were younger than me. I wasn’t certain it was even something you’d noticed.”
Isla laughs sharply. “Mirth, we all revolved around you and Armin. We ranked ourselves according to who was in your classes, how closely they sat next to you, who you talked to in the corridors or in the dining hall. Being selected to be your partner in class, or even better, with a joint assignment outside of regular hours? That elevated your partner’s status for the rest of the year!”
I blink at her.
“And … you had no idea we even existed.”
“Hey,” Christoph interjects.
Flustered, Isla raises a hand. “That’s not … that’s not what I meant.” She takes a breath. “So yes, I noticed. The rumors were rampant. No one knew why you left early.” She glances at Noah for confirmation.
Her awry chosen shakes his head, keeping his now deeply wary gaze fixed on me. “After my time, dou-dou. Way after.”
“When you didn’t come back, we heard that …” Isla glances around, dropping into a whisper, “I mean, of course, these sorts of rumors always follow …”
“The awry?” I interject ever so helpfully.
Noah snorts.
Isla huffs. “I’m just reporting what I heard, not what I thought. Even though it wasn’t in the papers or anything, the rumor was that you were attacked, that Armin was wounded, and maybe even other people died.”
“They did.”
“Goodness … everyone thought maybe Armin killed them, defending you. Was it a kidnapping?” Isla rears back, eyes widening as she covers her mouth in dismay. “Did you … did they succeed?”
I raise my hand to stop her from panicking. “It was an attempted kidnapping. I wasn’t … harmed. Armin didn’t kill anyone.”
Isla smiles, relieved. Then she transitions from concerned to slightly smug at uncovering the truth in almost an instant.
Until I add, “I did.”
Isla’s eyes widen. “But you … you …” She clamps her mouth shut.
I give her a moment more, but she shakes her head, just listening now.
“The timing seemed odd,” I say. “But if I’m honest, I barely gave it any thought in the aftermath. It’s only after a conversation with Elias and an incident that occurred last night that I’m starting to piece a bit more of it together.” My gaze drops to my abandoned sunglasses, and I resist the urge to put them back on as I recollect the evening. To hide my purple eyes as I continue hiding from my past, from what I’m truly capable of. Even from myself.
But I don’t. I don’t put the glasses back on.
“I was out unsupervised with Bolan that night at school. We had a … misunderstanding, and I headed back to the dorm alone. My power manifested, and I was … concerned about controlling it.”
“Happens to all of us,” Noah murmurs quietly.
I nod. “When one of the school security guards approached me outside the dorms, I ran instead of going back to my room. Armin eventually found me. But the guard must have been working with the kidnappers and watching for exactly that opportunity. They made an attempt to grab Armin and me.”
“Ridiculous,” Isla mutters. “To try to take you at the school. Plus everyone knows, knew, what Armin was capable of. And you, you, Mirth, have always been an unknown. That’s even more disconcerting.”
Christoph tugs his phone out of his suit jacket and slowly raises it, as if filming over my shoulder.
I glance in that direction. The occupants of the table two over and three across from us are in the process of leaving. Their food sits uneaten.
“What are you doing?” Isla hisses at Christoph. Then she cries, “Ouch!” and slaps Noah’s shoulder. Presumably, he’s squeezed her knee a little too firmly.
“Last night?” I ask Christoph.
He nods.
