Chapter 10

ELVIRA'S POV

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I glanced over my shoulder to find Rafael standing at my back. And for once there's no trademark scowl anywhere on his face. He actually smiles whenever our eyes meet.

"Um — the teacher was about to show me in a min—" I started, but he was already sliding the knife out of my fingers.

I lost the rest of the sentence the second our skin touched. I felt the same static shock as before, minus the sting, zipping straight up to my arm. Rafael took the knife, stepped in close, and rested a hand lightly against my lower back. My skin prickles under it.

"First — you'll want almost double the distance you've got now," he says with his voice low.

We walked back together, with five extra feet backwards.

"You might need to adjust it on each throw, find your own range." He hands the knife back to me, then reaches over and corrects my grip, tip angled skyward. "Use medium force with a deep breath, find your aim and throw."

I inhaled, got my focus on the target, exhaled as I stepped forward and released it. It spun once through the air and lodged into the target — nowhere near center, but it stuck.

"Oh my god!" I bounced on the spot where I took my throw and jubilated.

Rafael watched me with an amused half-smile. "Thank you, Rafael," I told him.

"No problem, Elvira."

Hearing my name in his voice did something distinctly delightful to my stomach. I retrieved my knife, yanking it free with real effort. When I turned back around, he was already gone.

The rest of Skills was genuinely fun. The four of us — me, Anika, Daphne, Lexa — chatted about our new throwing arms the whole walk back to the dorm, comparing bruises from where the nunchaku got away from the other two more than once. I showered first immediately we got to the dorm, wiping the hot water condensation off the mirror once I was done bathing.

My tanned skin stares back, freckles still holding on from summer. My eyes look more reddish-brown than maroon as autumn creeps in. My white hair — always white, since birth — will need a trim in a month or two.

"Elvi!"

I poked my head out of the bathroom. "Yeah, Daphne?"

"Benjamin's on FaceTime with me! Come say hi to him!" Daphne called to me.

I dried off fast, threw on my sweats and a hoodie; my hair was still wet, and I joined the huddle around Anika's phone.

Friday went by quickly. A mini mathematics test I aced without breaking a sweat, thanks to a summer I spent voluntarily doing extra revision like some kind of overachiever. Alchemy's calm next — there was no practical today, just theory copied off the board while half of the class were dozing off. Philosophy was better: ancient text study, plus clips of human film and TV depicting shifters and vampires. Everyone loses it over originals take on us; Dracula gets a surprising amount of grudging respect. I now get why humans binge that stuff.

Business studies was boring, but every lesson lately comes with some flavor of eye contact from one of The Three. I don't know when this was going to stop.

Will they get bored of the new girl eventually? Who knows.

Independent study was the last period of the day; I shared it with Eliano. Mrs. Cooper mentioned a test coming up in her subject, so we used the hour to revise.

"Seriously, how do you know all these?" Eliano asks after testing me for the third time. "Like you read the textbook for fun."

I shrug, aiming for nonchalant. "I studied most of our subjects over the summer last year."

He gives me a flat look. "What the hell. Are you for real?"

"Who studies upcoming subjects ahead of time? Who does that?"

"People who want to succeed in life, apparently."

He narrows his eyes, clearly not buying the excuse…Eliano was sharper than his grades suggest — especially when it comes to reading people thoroughly.

I lean in, checking no one's close enough to overhear.

"You know I wasn't here last year."

"Yeah. No one really knows why.

"Last year, I..." I stare at my hands, forcing the words out. "Something bad happened to me. Werewolf hunters caught up with me. I was badly hurt before I was rescued by our clan elders who came searching for me.  I needed time to heal. My parents got me a tutor to help me catch up with classes I missed while I was at home recovering."

He went quiet. I looked up to gauge his reaction.

"That's why I already know half of what we are being taught here in the class," I added, filling up the silence. "I learnt all of it at home."

"Why didn't you just tell people you were hurt?"

I shrugged. "They will then ask me more questions, and I don't want to talk about it. It was the worst stretch of my life. I don't want to relive it while answering their questions."

His eyes softened; there was real compassion in them for the first time since I've known him. "I'm sorry, Elvi. You don't owe me anything else, and I won't ask again."

"Thank you," I said with a smile. "Now let's actually revise our books for the upcoming test."

Back at the dorm, Daphne and Lexa handed me a mug of coffee the second I walked into the dorm.

"What's this for?"

"Anika made her ground meat balls soaked in chocolate!" Lexa says. "Look here, Elvi…"

She handed me one — a golf-ball-sized, dense, meant to be dropped into the mug.

"Drop it in. It melts and releases the flesh scent — totally fresh, muntjac she caught this afternoon."

"That's genuinely impressive."

I watch it dissolve, deep red threading through the chocolate, and I take a sip, licking the residue off my lip.

"Damn, this is cool."

"Right?"

"How's your first week in Wolford going?" Anika asks, dropping beside me. "You survived it!"

"Better than I thought I would. I was terrified before coming in."

"New schools always are challenging for new students. But we're a decent bunch," Lexa says, winking over her own mug.

"You really are."

We watched bad human films with pizza until we were all too full to move. Later that night, I called my parents. Dad first, then Mum.

"Hey, darling. How was your first week?"

"It was really good, Mummy. I actually like it here."

"Oh, that's such a relief to hear you say that. We were worried you would hate it over there."

"I don't hate it, Mummy. I promise. And honestly, the tutor last year really paid off — I'm acing every one of my subjects here."

"That's wonderful to hear, well done! Never forget how proud we are of you."

My eyes sting, thinking of home. As the only child of my parents. They've always been my entire world.

"I love you, Mummy"

"Love you too, sweetheart. Any weekend plans? Like hunting?"

"Maybe. Went once this week already, with a friend. Might do that again."

"You need to start planning something special for Tuesday. I can't believe I won't be there for my baby's eighteenth birthday."

That is true. With everything going on, I'd genuinely forgotten.

I  will be turning eighteen on Tuesday.