Page 15 of Darkened Wings
I sighed while heaving my bag onto the other shoulder since the right one had gone numb a few classes ago. While my other classes hadn’t had the encyclopedia of a syllabus like history, they came with their own weighty textbooks. I made an effort to check the publishing information in the inside cover to find there was an Unkindness Press that apparently published all of the textbooks for the school.
Interesting.
I’d made some use of my locker but, in an attempt not to be late, I’d not used it until lunchtime.
The entire lunch hour was spent trying to get reorganized so I could finish out the day like less of a scatterbrain.
And in doing so, I’d lost my chance to eat—again.
I wasn’t rail thin by any stretch, but I also wasn’t a girl who could afford to miss two meals in a row.
“Mrs. Bellamina, class is over.” My last class professor knocked on my desk. I was still taking notes, writing down everything I remembered and drawing tiny stars to the side of what the man had insinuated would be important to know.
“Yes, sir. I’m getting everything down.”
The man, clean cut and dressed up with a button-down shirt and suspenders, crouched down near my desk after scanning the area for onlookers. “Gwendoline, tomorrow and every day after, I start the class by reiterating what was important from the lecture the day before. I’m not saying don’t pay attention in class but if I were you, I would take notes on what I go over in the summary more than anything else. Trust me.”
I took a breath and sighed, looking at him to gauge the level of truth in his eyes.
You could always see the truth in the way someone looked at you.
This man’s eyes were honest, and he was truly looking at me, not through me.
“Summary tomorrow. Got it. Thank you.”
He stood up. “They’re not going to make it easy on you, but you’re strong as a raven’s beak, just like your mother and father. You’ve got it in you, Gwen. Now, go on to dinner. Study hard.”
I was shocked to hear someone else supporting me, even in secret. But I expected I would need all the encouragement I could get around this place, secret or not. I didn’t blame him. Being linked to me in any way might jeopardize his reputation and maybe more.
At least he tried.
He walked away, picking up his briefcase before exiting the room. That was the second professor of the day and the third person in this academy to hint at knowing my parents and apparently knowing them better than me.
I had to admit my memories of them were fading. In my possession were a few pictures of them, but the sound of their voices, the touch of their skin, I couldn’t remember them anymore.
They were my only anchor in this world and I was losing my grip on it.
I went back to my room, all the books and things I’d gathered from the day in my hands. I could barely balance it all, but in time I made it to my room. Astra had left me a note telling me to meet her in the dining hall.
P.S. Everyone wears their regular clothes to dinner.
I smiled at the note. Astra knew how it felt to be the outcast, and she was giving me hints at how to be less blaring to the others.
With glee, I kicked off the tall socks and cursed the skirt after hanging it back in my closet. I might hate it, but that was no reason to let it get wrinkled. A sigh poured from my mouth as I pulled on my favorite pair of jeans and a plain white V-neck shirt. I paired it with some flip-flops and pulled my hair up into a messy bun.
Making my way to the dining hall, I noticed all the other students were in normal clothing as well. Better quality, more stylish clothing, but I was a plain girl anyway. Even if I had more funds, I would still pick the same clothes, maybe better quality, but I was a function-over-fashion kind of gal. I stuck my hands in my pockets and focused on the snap and pop of my sandals against my bare feet. Given the choice, I would go barefoot all my life, but social standards and all made me wear shoes.
Shoes were the worst.
I closed my eyes for a moment, feeling the cool evening wind on my face. I inhaled deeply, loving the scents of the trees here, the savory smells of meat, vegetables, and maybe pie coming from the dining hall every time someone opened the door, wafting the smells toward me.
A small taste of lovely freedom.
I opened my eyes just in time to watch my own disaster. The sidewalk changed levels, and I tripped on the higher level, not quite a step but large enough to make me stumble. I flailed and tried to grab onto something.
Something grabbed onto me instead.
“Could you be any clumsier?” The deep, dark voice pushed right through me, warming my chest, but the words iced my heart.
