Status: Complete
Just a Feeling
19
Rowan walked into her first class, completely unsure of what to expect. “Why wasn’t I allowed to attend classes before?” she suddenly asked Ash, whose hand she was clinging to.
“They were worried that the students would be careless, and let something slip. They wanted you to avoid the general population, until you knew.”
“But what about Edwin? And Livy and Izzy?”
“Edwin… he was sent to befriend you, so that he could do a quick hook-up of a couple of surveillance cameras in your dorm room.” Ash winced. He knew that Rowan’s reaction to this wouldn’t be good.
“He… So he’s not really my friend.” She stared at the floor dejectedly. This hurt much more than she’d expected. She should have known, though, that something like this would happen.
Rowan realized then that she’d actually started feeling like genuine friends with these people. But Luke and now Edwin were turning out to just be by her side because of her royal status. That hurt, and it only served to enforce her old policy, the one that hadn’t let her get close to anyone.
“Hey, no. Look at me. Rowan,” Ash whispered, taking her chin and tilting her head up so that she had no choice but to look at him. “Only at first, he wasn’t. But he adores you. You know that.” Rowan shook her head.
“That was all pretend.”
“If it was pretend, why did he keep up the charade after the cameras were set up? Besides, you know he’s never felt anything but affection for you.” Rowan shut her eyes and breathed.
Maybe Ash was right. Maybe she was seeing demons where there weren’t any because she expected them to be there. That wasn’t a very healthy attitude, not at all.
Ash’s words were confirmed when they finally entered the classroom. Edwin glanced up, saw them, and started enthusiastically, and comically, flagging her down. Rowan took a seat across from him uncertainly, and Ash sat next to her.
Rowan realized then that Evan and Luke were nowhere to be found. She’d grown used to their constant presence. Ash saw her looking and explained in an undertone as the teacher began, “they’re not students. They both graduated last year. We’re figuring that it’s safe enough for you here, surrounded by so many people, that you don’t need your guards with you. You’ll see them again later.”
Rowan nodded almost imperceptibly and tried to ignore the growing feeling of discomfort that she refused to believe was because Luke wasn’t around.
Rowan took very, very detailed notes in an attempt to stop thinking about Luke.
It didn’t work, but it did have her brother affectionately labeling her a nerd.
As the day passed, Rowan realized how lucky she was to have already made friends here, because people were afraid to approach her. She stayed glued to whichever friends happened to be in the classroom at the time, and that was that.
Rowan could also see why the administrators hadn’t wanted her in classes until she knew that she wasn’t the only one with gifts. Izzy, for example, used her telekinesis openly, flipping pages without touching them and making words appear on paper without wielding any pen or pencil.
Izzy, the school’s resident flirt and spazz, was shockingly intense when it came to schoolwork. When they were both in chemistry, Rowan was Izzy’s lab partner for the day. She made one weak joke about the lab they were doing, and Izzy figuratively bit her head off.
Adam, who was at the table behind them, laughed uproariously. The teacher glared, but didn’t say a word.
Rowan found herself thinking that it was a wonder Adam was such a nice guy, considering the way people walked on shells around him. Did he ever get in trouble for anything? It must have been Mom and Dad, Rowan thought with a smile. They gave him a good foundation so that the perks that came with his royal blood didn’t turn him into an arrogant ass.
In lunch that day, Rowan looked around hopefully for Luke and Evan, but only Evan had shown up, and it was obvious he was only here so that he could see Lane. Not that the girl realized it, Rowan thought. She was hopelessly oblivious.
As Rowan walked to their usual table with Edwin and Livy, she saw Braden sitting a few tables over and stopped. “You two go on. I’ll be over there in a minute or two.” They exchanged glances, but walked away without comment.
Rowan approached Braden uncertainly. “Hi. I… Why were you there yesterday?” That wasn’t at all what Rowan had been planning on saying, and she blushed.
He blushed, too. “I can see how different choices will affect the future. I saw where they were taking you, and led them there.”
“Well, thank you. I don’t know what I would have done if they’d taken any longer to find me.”
“Just doing my civic duty, Princess,” Braden said, smiling faintly and saluting. Rowan looked around and saw that the lunch room was as full as it was going to get. Braden was sitting here alone.
“Come sit with me and my friends.” Braden looked up and watched her uncertainly. “I mean it. Come on. Please?”
Braden smiled at her and came. He fit in with her friends seamlessly, and his sitting there became a daily thing.
“They were worried that the students would be careless, and let something slip. They wanted you to avoid the general population, until you knew.”
“But what about Edwin? And Livy and Izzy?”
“Edwin… he was sent to befriend you, so that he could do a quick hook-up of a couple of surveillance cameras in your dorm room.” Ash winced. He knew that Rowan’s reaction to this wouldn’t be good.
“He… So he’s not really my friend.” She stared at the floor dejectedly. This hurt much more than she’d expected. She should have known, though, that something like this would happen.
Rowan realized then that she’d actually started feeling like genuine friends with these people. But Luke and now Edwin were turning out to just be by her side because of her royal status. That hurt, and it only served to enforce her old policy, the one that hadn’t let her get close to anyone.
“Hey, no. Look at me. Rowan,” Ash whispered, taking her chin and tilting her head up so that she had no choice but to look at him. “Only at first, he wasn’t. But he adores you. You know that.” Rowan shook her head.
“That was all pretend.”
“If it was pretend, why did he keep up the charade after the cameras were set up? Besides, you know he’s never felt anything but affection for you.” Rowan shut her eyes and breathed.
Maybe Ash was right. Maybe she was seeing demons where there weren’t any because she expected them to be there. That wasn’t a very healthy attitude, not at all.
Ash’s words were confirmed when they finally entered the classroom. Edwin glanced up, saw them, and started enthusiastically, and comically, flagging her down. Rowan took a seat across from him uncertainly, and Ash sat next to her.
Rowan realized then that Evan and Luke were nowhere to be found. She’d grown used to their constant presence. Ash saw her looking and explained in an undertone as the teacher began, “they’re not students. They both graduated last year. We’re figuring that it’s safe enough for you here, surrounded by so many people, that you don’t need your guards with you. You’ll see them again later.”
Rowan nodded almost imperceptibly and tried to ignore the growing feeling of discomfort that she refused to believe was because Luke wasn’t around.
Rowan took very, very detailed notes in an attempt to stop thinking about Luke.
It didn’t work, but it did have her brother affectionately labeling her a nerd.
As the day passed, Rowan realized how lucky she was to have already made friends here, because people were afraid to approach her. She stayed glued to whichever friends happened to be in the classroom at the time, and that was that.
Rowan could also see why the administrators hadn’t wanted her in classes until she knew that she wasn’t the only one with gifts. Izzy, for example, used her telekinesis openly, flipping pages without touching them and making words appear on paper without wielding any pen or pencil.
Izzy, the school’s resident flirt and spazz, was shockingly intense when it came to schoolwork. When they were both in chemistry, Rowan was Izzy’s lab partner for the day. She made one weak joke about the lab they were doing, and Izzy figuratively bit her head off.
Adam, who was at the table behind them, laughed uproariously. The teacher glared, but didn’t say a word.
Rowan found herself thinking that it was a wonder Adam was such a nice guy, considering the way people walked on shells around him. Did he ever get in trouble for anything? It must have been Mom and Dad, Rowan thought with a smile. They gave him a good foundation so that the perks that came with his royal blood didn’t turn him into an arrogant ass.
In lunch that day, Rowan looked around hopefully for Luke and Evan, but only Evan had shown up, and it was obvious he was only here so that he could see Lane. Not that the girl realized it, Rowan thought. She was hopelessly oblivious.
As Rowan walked to their usual table with Edwin and Livy, she saw Braden sitting a few tables over and stopped. “You two go on. I’ll be over there in a minute or two.” They exchanged glances, but walked away without comment.
Rowan approached Braden uncertainly. “Hi. I… Why were you there yesterday?” That wasn’t at all what Rowan had been planning on saying, and she blushed.
He blushed, too. “I can see how different choices will affect the future. I saw where they were taking you, and led them there.”
“Well, thank you. I don’t know what I would have done if they’d taken any longer to find me.”
“Just doing my civic duty, Princess,” Braden said, smiling faintly and saluting. Rowan looked around and saw that the lunch room was as full as it was going to get. Braden was sitting here alone.
“Come sit with me and my friends.” Braden looked up and watched her uncertainly. “I mean it. Come on. Please?”
Braden smiled at her and came. He fit in with her friends seamlessly, and his sitting there became a daily thing.