Page 67 of Validus Vale Academy 1
“Naomi Watson,” she breathes out at last.
Ahh…I see.
“It’s bad,” she murmurs. “I’ve got it bad, Theo”.—Gods, Naomi’s legs in those ankle boots—“The only reason I joined the movie club is because I overheard her saying she’d be there.” Willow is blushing bright red. “I was walking behind her and her friend group, and overheard them talking about it.”
“Stalker much?” I grin, “because I can’t condone that.”
“Just a tiny smidge of stalkerness,” she replies, holding up her thumb and forefinger a fraction apart. “I promise. But, Gods, she’s really got me. I’m a mess. Can’t sleep, can’t eat…”
“Uh-huh,” I say, my eyes pointedly settling on the pile of half-eaten donuts in front of her. “So I can see.”
“Oh, shut it,” she grins, throwing a corner of an apple cruller at me as I laugh.
“Sorry, Wills, I’ll take your yearning seriously. Talk to me about Naomi.” I’m teasing, but I’ll support my friend. Gods knows she’s had to put up with me banging on about the twins for hours.
She groans. “It’s just unrequited love. I had to tell you, but now can we change the topic? I realize I’m ridiculous.”
“Are you kidding? Naomi would be lucky to have a second of your attention.”
“Theo....”
“Alright, topic change. What’s your history paper on?” I ask.
She makes a face. “The prompt is so loose, I have no clue.”
Professor Bilderblast has us doing a research project in the library. It’s one of the papers that teachers set to ensure youare familiar with all the research tools at your disposal. He’d somehow spelled our assignment so that he’d know if we used any technology, so we had to go old-school. “Yeah, research a question you don’t know the answer to. That covers just about everything in the universe.”
“Maybe I’ll get inspiration from my donut,” Willow grumbles. “Why is a donut called a donut when it doesn’t contain any nuts? Hey! That’s not bad—subject sorted.”
We head off to the library with Willow bouncing around as she comes up with more foods with incongruous names. “Rocky Road, no road in it. Or, Devil’s Food Cake—never once have I had a bite of devil in my cake. Hot dogs? Hmm, no. It’s all too possible pooches may be in that mystery meat.”
“Ugh, terrible. What about Spotted Dick?” I suggest.
She cracks up. “Not a real thing.”
I tell her to Google it.
The Validus Vale library, on the far side of the main school buildings, looks like a small mansion. The stone steps are flanked by Roman pillars, and gargoyles perch along the roof’s edge. Inside, shelves packed with books tower over students working at the long tables. There’s a section of cozy armchairs filled with Elite and Ordinarii. I don’t imagine Defectivum students would be welcome to use them. We, no doubt, would be directed to the hard wooden benches in the far corner.
I’d read that the library housed the most extensive collection of magical writings in the world. Books and studies about all elements of magic and witchcraft. Even papers from fully human scholars. Maybe if my spark never awoke, I could get a job as a librarian? That would be a tempting alternative to a life of delivering sandwiches.
I dolovebooks.
Though organizing and filing? Nope, sadly not my forte. Still, I do need to think about my future at some point, but looking around the neatly organized stacks, I know this potential career is a non-starter. The Dewey Decimal System will be safe from the haphazard hands of Theodora Wilson.
Willow wanders off, already tucking various books under her arm. I’m still waiting to be inspired, so perch on a stool and stare at the beautifully painted ceiling. Hmm, what’s my topic?
I like Willow’s whole absurd foods thing, but I think I want to do something more focused on magical history. There is so much I don't know about the world. I barely even know anything about Validus Vale.
Validus Vale.
Ooh, like, how did the school get its name?
I gaze around the library, as if it will instantly give me direction. Where to begin? There’s the geography section…do I even know what a vale is? Hmm, I know what a ‘veil’ is, but V A L E?
OK, so I’m dumb. The thrillingly titled ‘Glossary of Geomorphological Terms’ (a massive brown leather thing that weighs a ton) tells me it’s another name for a valley. I move next to the Latin dictionary, also the size of a baby elephant, and find the definition of Validus is ‘a place of strength’.
Validus Vale = Strong Valley.
