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9: DARLING CROISSANT
Akio’s expression turns smug and he circles the cake under my nose enticingly. I try to make a grab for it but his reflexes are faster than the speed of light. With a self-satisfied smirk, he takes a ginormous bite, smoothing the sparse cluster of hairs on his upper lip that he likes to call a mustache.
I imitate the sound of a clipper and mimic shaving his mustache. He shifts back; putting a seat between us and truly looking horrified.
Bibah simply shakes her head at our childish shenanigans and takes a sip of her iced latte, metal straw clinking in the Hydro Flask. “The Awoo Book Club’s pick for this week is H.P Lovecraft.” She pats the voluminous book atop the pile and I notice it’s the library copy of H.P Lovecraft’s Omnibus 3. “I’m so excited to roast his ass.”
“You’re excited to roast a dead man’s ass.” Akio laughs, swinging his long legs on the seat he’d vacated seconds ag
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The Mate Agreement 10: THE LIBRARY
One of the many things Acadia Academy prides itself on is the magnificence and efficiency of its main library. Like the rest of the gothic structure, it’s lavish and extravagant in its architecture. Stained glass windows floor to ceiling that let in a stream of dimmed natural light. Bookshelves three storey high with a spiraling wooden staircase and railings of carved bronze. The pillars are made of ivory, the ceiling vaulted, the floor made of reflective brown tiles shiny enough to be a light source of its own. The whole library is massive, whimsical and enchanting; something straight out of a fairytale. The smell of old and new books alike mix with the smell of polish, leather, and varnish. It’s cold, so I pull my leather jacket tighter around me.And the silence is so empty it echoes through your consciousness; mind-numbing. Even the humming of the air conditioners seems to fade and hush into an ambiance that’s maddening.I don’t mind silence
The Mate Agreement 11: PRETTY LITTLE THING
“Why are you here, really?”I contemplate his question for a moment, debating with myself if I should be truthful and straight to the point or crafty with my inquiry. But it’s hard to form a coherent thought with William’s eyes pinning me.“Do you want me to help you keep your scholarship?”The question takes him off-guard like I had anticipated it would. His eyes widen before he blinks the surprise away, his jaw going taut. He glances around at the tables near us, very much within earshot considering I hadn’t bothered to keep my voice down when I spoke. Taking a deep, strained breath, he gets to his feet, shoving his phone into the pocket of his hoodie.A small flash of panic shoots through me, making my voice go defensive —something I abhor. “Principal Choi said if they—“He grabs my shoulder and pulls me to my feet like I might’ve been made of paper or something even lighter. I try to jerk away my arm, but his grip is iron-clad. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” I demand,
The Mate Agreement 12: HIS GOLDEN GIRL
My hands stop shaking when I make it to English class. Students are already filing in, the exhaustion of the day creeping into their faces and their sluggish movements although the afternoon has barely started. I hang back a little, searching the crowds for Bibah or Evin. I find neither. Instead, a heavy hand wraps around my shoulder, and the million dollar cologne alone tells me it’s Ben. I glance up at him sideways, not even bothering to offer a smile because I know it’ll look like I’ve swallowed a cracker fished out of an unflushed toilet. “For once our golden boy is early to English class.” I comment as I swat away the hand he tries to ruffle my hair with. “It’s once in a blue moon that football practice gets canceled early.” He replies, stealthily snaking his other hand towards my hair. “A good thing since I get to see more of my golden girl.” I smack the other hand away. He pouts, and somewhere in the heavens a baby cupid sighs because he’s oh so dreamy. I know, I see it all
The Mate Agreement 13: WE ARGUE ABOUT STEINBECK
“What John Steinbeck was trying to convey in Of Mice and Men wasn’t just moral dilemma. He explores themes of human nature and the line between right and wrong and how sometimes it gets blurry. Most people consider it a sad, depressing novel, which it is, but really, it’s more of Steinbeck bravely showing a side of human nature that man often times refuses to see. It’s like when we read Beowulf. Page ninety-six, last few lines of the second paragraph, he writes and I quote; ‘The men raced around the last stall. Their eyes found Curley’s wife in the gloom, they stopped and stood still and looked.’ At this point we can feel the collective grief of the men poring out of the page, we can see them knowing…” Miss Patricia Tartt drones on. With a dagger to my throat, I can’t tell you what exactly she is trying to explain in Of Mice and Men. I don’t think anyone in the class can. No one is paying attention. And it’s not like I haven't read the book. I’d stayed up at night, I’d ditched a part
The Mate Agreement 14: TWIN DAGGERS
The only class I look forward to on Mondays is combat training. Acadia believes in teaching it’s students not only how to fit into a general society that’s oblivious to the existence of werewolves, but also how to defend themselves. In combat training, my body is more than an object. It’s a weapon; the fishtail braid, the combat joggers, the long-sleeved crewneck. Teach me how to kill a man any day.“At ease!”I drop my arms and straighten my spine, focusing on regulating my breathing. On my left, Vahini Singh pants like an exhausted bulldog. On my right, Andy Rogers is gripping the arm of the boy next to him, struggling not to pass out. I roll my eyes. Yes the training drills are rigorous, but they’re not that excruciatingly hard.The burn and sore from my muscles begin to dull; my body naturally restoring itself to a stable condition just as Gojo Sensei passes our row. He gives a slight nod of approval at my stamina compared to the rest of the weaklings on my drill team, and I feel
The Mate Agreement 15: YELLOW
It happens so fast that for about three beats, no one moves a muscle, no one reacts; we all just stay frozen, immobile, watching William Ravenstone crumpled on the floor, unmoving.And then Akio rushes forward.Reality, confusion and panic slams into me at the same time. I’d seen the cut on his cheek healing. Is the blade poisoned? Why then haven’t I dropped too? I take a step forward towards him, suddenly feeling all of my energy drain out. But my vision doesn’t swim. The world doesn’t tilt. My legs don’t give out under me.Akio is on both knees, holding a finger under William’s nose. He quickly looks to Sensei, a little bit of relief in his voice. “Sore wa kare no byōkidesu.”Gojo Sensei nods, his face serious.“What’s going on?” I step forward again. It seems like my legs are too frozen to move at the pace I want them to. “What’s wrong with him?” My voice is rough, panicked. The dagger drops from my hand. “Akio, what the fuck is going on?”The rest of the class is deadly quiet.“He
The Mate Agreement 16: GRAVEYARD
“It’s not that I’m scared my future mate wouldn’t accept me as I am, I’m just sort of bummed that I’ll have to crash their expectations.” Evin explains as we walk through a clearing in the woods.It’s about fifteen minutes past midnight, and the short nap I’d intended on taking had turned into a four-hour sleep. I’d woken up, taken a shower and changed into more comfortable clothes, and now Evin and I were on our random night walks through the woods.The breeze ruffles the leaves softly, and somewhere in the thicket on either side of us, crickets do their very best to let us know they exist.“They might be aro-ace too you know…” I say after a while, trying to imagine how an asexual-aromantic person might feel about the whole werewolf mating concept. I wrap my arms around myself against the chilly air. “The mate paring is never wrong.”Evin scoffs and shakes her head. “It was wrong with my mum. Not in a thousand years will I ever believe that she deserved to be mated to the beat-up alc
The Mate Agreement 17: BLACK INK ON WHITE PAPER
The next day I go through all the motions again with Bibah. I keep an eye out for William, but he doesn’t show up to any of the classes, and doesn’t even try to get in contact with me about the assignment we’d been paired up for.The classes end up feeling long and boring despite everyone’s bubbling excitement over the mating ceremony being tonight. Teachers finished classes early, some lovebirds downright didn’t even bother to get out of their dorm rooms, and the overall anticipation was so thick I could barely breathe properly in the hallways. I felt a little cheated because when Jenny told me about the mating party, she’d worded it as the ceremony being in two days. I don’t know if that was a deliberate attempt to get me unprepared or not. If it was, then it had worked.Three days ago, I’d been looking forward to the mating ceremony. But now? I couldn’t force myself to give a rat’s ass about it.I toss the fifth black dress I’d tried on, and it lands on the pile of dresses next to
Latest chapter
- The Mate Agreement 111: EPILOGUE
- The Mate Agreement 110: THE END
- The Mate Agreement 109: PREMONITIONS OF CHAOS
- The Mate Agreement 108: MOTORBIKE
- The Mate Agreement 107: SPEEDBOAT DINNER
- The Mate Agreement 106: LUCKY GIRL
- The Mate Agreement 105: YOU’RE KINDA HOT WHEN YOU NAG
- The Mate Agreement 104: LOST TO WHIMSY
- The Mate Agreement 103: IMMERSED
