Page 26 of Darkened Wings
“Yeah, it wassonice to meet you.”
Chapter Fifteen
“An entirely new schedule?” I asked Ms. Leighton as she handed me a piece of paper that was crumpled and worn already. Maybe she’d had it in one of those piles on her desk.
“I’m afraid so. But the good news is that you haven’t been in the other classes for very long. Should be an easy transition.”
Nothing in this academy was easy, but I smiled politely and took the schedule anyway. The classes were much the same as the others, but there was an R beside each one. I assumed it meant remedial but giggled to myself at the other options that popped up in my mind. Ridiculous. Rampant. Rebel. Radical. Rambunctious.
Raddix.
Hell no, I was not thinking about that guy from the day before. Not his swoony eyes. Gods, he was handsome even when he snarled.
Nope. Not thinking about him.
But I would heed his warning about being careful who I spoke to. Just because I was in a raven academy didn’t mean there were only ravens here. A bit of my comfort level shredded with the knowledge.
Consulting my map, I made my way down the stairs to a hallway I hadn’t been to before. The thought dawned on me; at least the redheaded enemy I’d made in Raven History, minus the R, wouldn’t be in any of these classes.
And, of course, I was late.
I opened the door to the classroom but wasn’t shocked to see all conversation, motion, and teaching stop when I entered. This teacher was a little less stiff-lipped than the others. While she wore a skirt, it was paired with a band T-shirt and some red sneakers with matching red glasses. Her red hair was piled into a mess on top of her head and paired with a red bandana tied into it. Clearly, she was not going for intimidating as a style.
Also, I assumed red was her favorite color.
“Ms. Bellamina, I was expecting you earlier. I suppose that’s not your fault. Come in and take a seat by Callum.”
I hesitated. Did she really expect me to know who Callum was? Good thing there was only one seat available in the classroom. I assumed she meant that one and sat in the desk right next to a guy with sunglasses on.
Maybe R did stand for ridiculous. I knew these were remedial classes, but sunglasses seemed a bit rude and…uncaring.
“Callum, sunglasses off,” the teacher said to the guy as though she had read my thoughts. Gosh, I hoped no one hear could read thoughts. That would be beyond embarrassing—for all of us.
The guy next to me sat up but paused with his fingers on the arm of the sunglasses. He groaned softly but took them off and folded them up slowly before sticking them in his bag.
While the teacher continued her lecture after handing me a syllabus, I listened intently. I was silly enough to think that these classes would be easier and maybe require less than blood, tears, and sacrificed meals to pass. The R at the end of the classmate had fooled me again.
And there was another issue.
The guy next to me, well, it was better when he had the sunglasses on. I couldn’t tell where he was staring. Now I knew.
Another mistake of mine.
Thinking that maybe the people in the remedial classes wouldn’t be as mean. Not that he was being mean, per se, but his stare bore a hole right through me.
And my raven, she was confused as ever. She was scared and yet desired to know more about this guy.
Trepidatious and yet intrigued.
“You don’t have to write everything down. It’s just a waste of time,” he whispered to me, bending sideways to get closer.
I gasped when I looked at him. He was beyond handsome. His chiseled jaw begged to be touched and, when he winked at me, I nearly melted into a puddle and slithered right off my chair.
Especially when I realized one of his eyes was mint green while the other was a menacing brown, so dark it was almost black, no contrast between pupil and iris whatsoever. It was like there were two parts of him, one beautiful and gentle and the other mysterious and dangerous.
“I’m so behind,” I whispered back. Despite the shock of seeing his eyes and my muscles going to jelly, I had no problem speaking to him.
“Doesn’t matter. Everything is on the syllabus. Verbatim. There’s even a study guide, and it tells you all the answers.”
