LEXI
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“Great, well, I will let you get on with your evening. I’m sure Blake will be here any moment to collect you.” Layla teases, leaning back in
her chair with a knowing look. Heat floods my cheeks immediately.
“I’m kind of surprised he isn’t here already, to be honest.” I admit, fiddling with the hem of my skirt. That sounds worse out loud. Like
I’m expecting him to appear on command. Layla’s smirk widens.
“He is basically your shadow at this point.” She says lightly.
“Your very large, very intimidating shadow.” She adds. I roll my eyes, but I’m smiling as she waves me out. The hallway outside medicinal
magic is quiet. Too quiet. I pause just outside the door and glance left. Then right. No Blake. I wait. He’s shown up without warning
before. Outside classrooms. Outside the dorms. Once outside the cafeteria like he’d just materialised out of thin air. So it isn’t
unreasonable to expect him to be here. A minute passes. Then another. Still nothing. We didn’t exactly make plans to meet up after
tutoring. But that hasn’t stopped him before. Normally he just… Appears. Like he’s magnetised to wherever I am. I pull out my phone,
thumb hovering over his name. I could text him. But that feels… Clingy? Or worse, like I’m upset he didn’t show up. I’m not upset. Just…
Confused. After another moment of indecision, I tuck my phone away. Fine. I will go with the totally reasonable and not at all stalkerish
option. I pull the compass necklace from beneath my shirt and hold it out in front of me. I’m about ninety percent sure he was wearing
his this morning. So this should work. The needle gives a faint twitch. Then settles. Oh. It definitely works. I follow it, winding through
corridors, turning corners without thinking too much about where I’m going. It feels oddly natural, like following a tug rather than
reading directions. Down one hall. Up another staircase. Past a few confused students who give me odd looks as I stride past them staring
at a compass. Eventually, the direction pulls me outside. The air is cooler here. The needle swings toward the side of the building. Library.
Of course. It takes me about five seconds once I step inside to spot him. Same couch I napped on last time. A fortress of books
surrounding him like he’s claimed the territory. A stack on the table. Two open on either side of him. One in his hands. His nose is
practically buried in it. He’s so focused that he doesn’t even notice me approaching. That alone is shocking.
“Blake?” I say. He startles. Actually startles. His head snaps up and for half a second he looks genuinely caught off guard. It’s the first
time I’ve ever managed to sneak up on him. It is deeply satisfying.
“Lexi? Don’t you have your tutoring?” He asks immediately, brows knitting together.
“I finished that already…” I trail off, watching his expression shift. His eyes widen slightly. He pulls his phone out and checks the time.
“Oh shit. I didn’t realise the time.” He mutters, running a hand through his hair before frowning at himself.
“You should have called me. I would have come to get you.” He informs me, like that’s the obvious solution.
“That’s sweet.” I say, settling into teasing territory because the guilt on his face is almost ridiculous.
“But there’s no reason I couldn’t come to you. You’re clearly busy anyway. Homework?” I ask. He snorts.
“No.” He says flatly. He taps the book in his hand.
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Chapter 79 79- Never Let Him Guard Your Books
“I’m trying to work out what you are.” He explains. Oh. That pulls me up short.
“Oh… Dare I ask if you’ve had any luck?” I ask carefully. He exhales heavily, frustration flickering across his features.
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“I just can’t find anything that makes sense. Some of these explain a few of your interests. Some account for certain abilities. But none of them account for everything. And the ones that cover more are… Unlikely.” He gestures vaguely to the surrounding stacks.
“So far, nothing fits.” He grumbles. There’s real irritation there. Focused, intense irritation. Like he’s losing a puzzle he refuses to let beat
him.
“It’s beyond frustrating.” He adds under his breath. I collapse onto the couch beside him, nudging a book out of the way to make room.
“Sorry about that.” I say lightly.
“You know, you don’t have to research it for me. I can just… Wait to find out whenever I shift.” I tell him. Layla’s voice echoes faintly in
my head about patience. Blake slowly turns his head to look at me. The expression he gives me is somewhere between disbelief and
offence. Message received. He is not waiting. He is not leaving this up to fate. Fine. If he’s going to obsess over it, he’s not doing it alone.
I reach over, grab one of the books from the stack, and flip it open.
“Alright. Let’s see what we’ve got.” I say, settling in beside him.
Three weeks, about a hundred books, two more dinners at my parents‘ place, roughly fifteen movie nights and one more picnic date later, Blake and I still haven’t made any more progress on figuring out what I am. Three weeks sounds short. It feels longer. Honestly, I’m barely even trying anymore. Not because I don’t want to, I do. I would love answers. I would love clarity. But we’re running out of books. We’ve started stacking them in smaller piles now because the original ‘research mountain‘ was getting ridiculous. And I don’t see the point in re–reading ones we’ve already checked. The information hasn’t magically changed in the last few days. The answers will still be the same. Blake refuses to admit defeat. He just mutters something about obscure classifications and misfiled subcategories and keeps digging. I mostly sit beside him and read quietly. Actually… Basically everything else is the same too. I’m doing well in medicinal magic. Really well. Layla has let me move on to slightly more complicated wounds now. Small cuts, minor abrasions, nothing dramatic, but still progress. Real progress. Other classes? Less impressive. Spellcasting is getting better, slowly. I can consistently manage the light spell now. My barrier spell still works, though I haven’t tested it as dramatically again. I don’t particularly want to. Shifter basics… Still a disaster. The headache still comes. The wall. The frustration. And the other students? Still harassing me whenever they get the chance. Not as boldly as before. Not with Blake nearby. But in the gaps. In the corridors. In the seconds when no professor is watching. The Academy is still intervening too. At first, I didn’t even notice all of it. I thought it was just the occasional creaky chair or mysteriously inconvenient door. But then I started scrolling through SCRI more carefully. Instead of every second post being about Blake and me, there are now dozens about the Academy. One person complaining that their dorm room is permanently freezing. Another swearing theirs is sweltering no matter how many windows they open. Someone else furious that the tap in their room drips constantly, no matter how tightly they turn it off. A couple of girls whining that all the clothes they’re being given are three sizes too big. Or hideous. Or ‘literally cursed with bad taste.‘ One guy writes an entire rant about how the shoes provided already had holes in them before he even put them on. I stare at the screen and have to press my lips together to stop myself from smiling. The Academy might be the most petty being I have ever encountered. But it is thorough. Every time someone is rude to me. Every time someone steals something of mine. Every time someone ‘accidentally‘ bumps into me. Something small and irritating seems to happen to them later. They strike at me. The Academy strikes at them. They remain oblivious. And everything carries on. It’s satisfying. It really is. But it’s not a solution. Even with the Academy’s help, it’s still slowly eating away at me. The comments. The whispers. The looks. The little inconveniences they insist on adding to my day just to see if I’ll crack. Some days I walk back to the dorms and feel… Worn thin. Like sandpaper’s been dragged over me all day. Unless I’m with Blake, the only real respite I get is medicinal magic. Not one person dares to harass me there. Probably
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Chapter 79 79- Never Let Him Guard Your Books
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because the one time someone tried, Layla spotted it immediately and sent them straight to the principal. No hesitation. No warning. She
does not mess around. And I adore her for it. At this point, she is basically my idol.
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Layla is about ten minutes into a lecture about the differences between human and shifter- in- human- form anatomy when a sudden puff
of smoke goes off on her desk. It’s not loud. Not dramatic. Just a soft, contained burst, like someone snapped their fingers too close to a
candle. Half the class jumps anyway. The smoke curls upward in a lazy spiral before thinning into nothing. When it fades, a single folded
note is sitting neatly in the center of Layla’s desk. Of course it is. I will never cease to be amazed at the interesting ways this school
operates. No emails. No messengers. Just spontaneous magical smoke delivery. Layla pauses mid–sentence, blinking down at the paper.
“Well… That’s new.” She mutters mildly, reaching for it. She unfolds it and reads quickly, her eyes scanning the page once before lifting to
find me.
“Lexi, there has been a temporary change in your schedule. You are required to report to the main courtyard immediately. Don’t worry
about your class, you’re ahead anyway. I’ll see you at your tutoring after class.” She says calmly. I blink.
“The courtyard?” I repeat, a little stupidly. Why would I be needed there? If I’m in medicinal magic right now, then flying basics should be happening in the courtyard. Which means Blake is out there. My stomach gives a tiny, involuntary twist.
“Professor, do you know why I’m supposed to go there?” I ask, trying to sound casual and failing slightly. Layla shrugs, completely
unbothered.
“No clue. But the school knows what it’s doing.” She answers. That is not reassuring.
“Take your schedule and show it to Professor Harkness.” She continues.
“You’d better hurry. It was a very last–minute change, you’re already late.” She informs me. Already late. Of course I am.
Comments
Ulrica Nilsson
Love The Academy! Guessing Lexi is a Unicorn.
5 days ago
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
