Chapter 15

...a couple weeks later…

The last three weeks had been crazy.

She hadn’t had a meltdown outside of her room since that first day, thank God, but she almost had a panic attack when a guy with fire as hair started conjuring shadow bats to scare everyone in the cafeteria. Thankfully, one of the nymphs, or someone with water-abilities used their power to create and dump water over his head. It had distracted him enough that the bats had disappeared, and he sat back down.

Jayde had also learned that the school and the surrounding area were pretty much in a magic bubble to keep the weather nice year round. Mr. Crea had explained it to her when she had asked why it wasn’t as cold outside as her weather app said it should be, considering it was around seventy degrees outside and the app said it should have been forty. Mr. King didn’t enjoy extreme heat or cold and made it so his home would be what he thought of as ‘perfect’ all the time. She couldn’t complain because it was nice to be able to wear leggings, sandals and t-shirts everyday. Comfy clothes that didn’t make you feel heavy from the weight or caught in the material because of its thickness.

The boy satyr, half-boy half-goat, had been very concerned for her when she had fainted, bringing her a carnation the next day to class. Jayde had been beyond embarrassed, but had accepted it and assured him she was fine. She learned his name was Ross, and they started becoming friends. Ross was a very intelligent guy and used long words that Jayde usually didn’t know or understand, but if she asked about what one meant, he would take the time to break it down so she understood it better.

It worked about seventy-five percent of the time.

The only times she had really seen or ran into Ryuu was during dinner. He didn’t seem to ever be in a classroom, and asking around about him, it was because he was either focused on playing football or taking private tutoring lessons because he was a prince. Jayde had been shocked when Pheli had told her that. How were they in the presence of royalty as mere peasants? Wasn’t he supposed to have someone who guarded him twenty-four-seven? Pheli had just laughed, shaking her head, as she explained that Ryuu was a type of shifter and didn’t need a guard when he could shift and knock whoever was attacking him into outer space.

Jayde had decided she didn’t want to know anymore about him, and had continued to their English class. It hadn’t helped her curiosity, or the subtle attraction she felt every time she saw him.

She had decided that the teachers she had now were much better than the human teachers she had had back home. Ms. Canna had been really helpful in getting Jayde comfortable in her presence. She had explained how centaurs had come to be, that females were often referred to as centaurides, and had pretty much let Jayde pepper her with a thousand questions. The lady had a lot of patience. She was also a great teacher, helping Jayde through the first three chapters of the book they had started at the beginning of September so that she could then keep up with the rest of the chapters. Mr. Crea had also helped her research the basics of the most common creatures she would now see in her everyday life. It helped to know more about what she was seeing and how they were made. It somehow made them more real than she could originally process them as. Mr. Sharie was weird as usual, but his class was fun. He didn’t just drone on all the time, he actually encouraged students to read ahead and then they would lead the class the next day. It was amazing how much students actually learned when another student was teaching them the material.

Jayde had also sent the email to her mother. She hadn’t yet opened the response that had been sent back, but she considered it a success that she had sent an email in the first place. Her brother, Alyxander, had also texted her, wondering how school was. Jayde figured his “private” school was also another ‘monster’ school. She had wondered why he hadn’t come with them to drop her off, had even asked him, and his response was just that he didn’t want to be where the drama was.

Brat twelve-year-old brother.

Her door opened and Pheli poked her head around it, smiling at Jayde’s laugh before bouncing into the room. Her friend’s excitement almost had her laughing, though Jayde did enjoy the energy that Pheli had brought with her. Said friend bounced onto the bed, red hair flying up in the air.

“Hellooo, dear vampire. What are you doing?”

“Homework, dear mermaid,” Jayde couldn’t help but chuckle, turning in her chair to watch Pheli bounce on the bed like a five-year-old.

Over the past week or so it had become routine for Pheli to show up and hang out in the room as Jayde finished homework. On a few occasions, when Jayde wasn’t working on homework, they had watched movies or walked around outside. Pheli had shown Jayde the ridiculous swings the school had built for them, then they’d swung for like two hours. They had developed a close bond, choosing to be with each other whenever possible. Classes, homework, and sometimes the need for personal space were the only things that usually got in the way of being together.

“Oh, how boring! Let’s go on an adventure, Jay!” Pheli bounced off the bed to throw her arms around Jayde. “Forget about your math equations and come have some fun with me!”

Her best friend gave Jayde puppy eyes, her bottom lip out in a pout even as she pleaded with Jayde. She laughed, rolling her eyes even as she nodded her head in acceptance, putting her laptop to sleep. “It’s actually English, an essay, but I can take a break, go do something. It’s not due until next week.”

It was Pheli’s turn to roll her eyes, but then she was on her feet, clapping excitedly. “Good! Now, what do you have clothing wise that would be great for a party? I’m talking short skirts, tighter than skin pants, something that will have the guys drooling over you.”

Jayde frowned, picking at the edge of the old hoodie she wore. “Yeah, I have stuff that fits either of those categories, but… is this really a good idea? I’ve heard of some of the parties that happen around here, and I’m not so sure I’m ready for one.”

And Ryuu would be there.