KELANI POV"Are you hurt anywhere? I swear by the goddess, I'm gonna whoop his ass!" Riley declared, bristling. She repeated the question, and each time, I assured her that I was fine, mentioning Vesper coming to my rescue. Even though she seemed surprised about him helping me, considering his knack for being mean."Shane is part of the coven. He knows he shouldn't mess with you. I'm sure he's trying to get back at me," Riley muttered."Get back at you?" I asked with a frown."We messed around briefly, and I ended it soon after, but he wouldn't have it. Ever since, he's tried to make whoever was with me live a living hell. I never knew he would turn to you," she sighed."I'm sorry, Kelani. If I had known, I wouldn't have left you alone," she said."It's not your fault. You never asked for an ex like that. Besides, I was saved before he could hurt me," I said."I wouldn't have forgiven myself if something had happened," Riley muttered, then her face lit up. "Come on, let's go to the le

KELANI POVA few minutes later, I finished freshening up. The throbbing in my head had significantly lessened, too.Riley was right; the drug seemed to have a touch of magic because regular human drugs wouldn't have cured the hangover so quickly. But then, I had never experienced a hangover before, so I couldn't be sure if non-magical aspirin would work the same way.I put on my uniform since the infirmary was on school grounds, and it was a rule to wear uniforms during school days. I wondered if this rule might help identify students easily, although I hadn't really encountered students from other schools trying to pose as Mystic Academy students.Again, I pondered if the rule applied to students from the founding families or if they were exempt, maybe only required to wear uniforms in places like the cafeteria.I inserted my earpieces, even though knowing it was prohibited, but walking towards the school infirmary without any distracted wasn't something I fancied.I couldn't possibl

KELANI POVAfter taking a short stroll to clear my thoughts, I returned to the infirmary and spotted Riley outside.She was talking with a boy I hadn't seen before, probably one of the boys she often mentioned.Although Riley talked about many boys, I never saw her show real interest in any of them.Seemed like she preferred having fun rather than committing to a relationship.If I had someone in mind, I might have done the same, but I doubted I could mess around with any boy at Mystic Academy."Hey, Lani!" Riley waved me over as soon as she noticed me.Part of me wanted to ignore her, gaze elsewhere, and linger by the infirmary, waiting for my name to be called.Yet, ignoring Riley wouldn't solve my current problem. Besides, if I ignored her, she'd probably come to me.So, it was challenging not to acknowledge her and express what I wanted to say.Approaching her, the boy she had been talking to grinned at me."Hi Kelani, I'm Josh. Riley talked a lot about you," he said, his gaze mov

KELANI POV"Hey," I said, eyeing Riley as she slipped into her cheer uniform. It was my first time seeing her in it. I guess she only wore it on special occasions."Where are you off to?" I asked, still staring at what seemed to be the short skirt of the uniform.It wasn't really like a regular skirt, and I doubted stockings were allowed to be worn underneath. I didn't see her wearing any. The top barely covered her upper body, exposing her navel, and I could see her underwear as she bent to fix her shoelace."Is this appropriate?" I asked with a frown."I mean the outfit," I added as she raised a brow at me."It is," she said. "It's what our predecessor wore, though we modified it a teeny bit." I doubted anyone in their right mind would wear it, and knowing Riley, a major improvement had been made to the dress."Today is cheer, and I have exciting news for you," Riley said.Her eyes suddenly sparkled, and she stepped towards me. Riley was often excited, but I knew this excitement wou

VESPERI arrived home after a while, and the journey back was even longer than the one outside. Maybe it felt that way because I had used up all my strength, relying solely on my will to get home.Sighing, I pushed open the gate and stepped in. I hadn't locked it after leaving, but the surroundings were well-protected from intruders and wandering creatures.I wasn't staying in the dormitory like many of the students were. Even though it had been made compulsory for females as it was believed they were fragile and wouldn't be able to defend themselves when faced with danger, the male students had been given their freedom.However, not all male students enjoyed this privilege. It was reserved for those holding higher positions like team captains, co-captains, and even members of the founding family.This freedom was a matter of choice. Some eligible boys preferred dormitories for reasons unknown to me.Striding toward my apartment, situated beside two others, I breathed out, slid the ke