Ash woke up sweating, breathing heavily. In her dreams, she had been in the reception area with Vance and a few others wrapped in darkness, watching out for someone to emerge. Karn emerged- in a trace, teeth bared, growling as he leapt for Vance.
Ash looked about and found the warden missing. It was early in the day and she would have a longer night tonight. Logically, she should sleep more. Yet, the dream left her no desire to close her eyes.
She was still annoyed at Vance but the emotion had watered down. She had been in the university less than a week- four days, to be precise and to feel so strongly for a someone only because they were good looking was irrational. She had to accept that she did have a crush on Vance but to accept that she was deeply affected by his relationship with others wasn't something she was willing to accept.
Her emotions towards a person shouldn't be thing strong when she barely knew him. The intensity of her emotions shocked herself. It didn't help that Vance was everywhere- in the meeting, in club, in between the attack, between her new friends, at the backwaters and near the dig site.
She needed a break from him. Break from her own thoughts and emotions that often got muddled because of him. She remembered the first time she had met him properly and found herself unable to speak, to refute his idealistic logic. Somewhere deep down she had been proud of his righteousness and the ability to distinguish right from wrong but she had also been trained to see the world in shades of grey which sparked her debating side.
As the warden opened the door, Ash fell back into her bed. She was till thinking about it. She needed a break. She called the chancellor's phone and the man answered after a long ring. She asked, "can I crash in your office after school... um college? I will help you sort the papers."
"Well, then, you are most welcome."
The warden looked at her with bright golden eyes and said, "the chancellor is going to be so happy that you offered to help. And you will have a great day ahead. It's safe, though it looks like the wolves have something to tell you."
Ash heart filled with cold dread, "STOP. Stop looking into my future."
The warden blinked once and smiled. "I promise I won't delve into any uncomfortable moments."
Ash felt every pore in her body on alert. "That's not it. Ummm..." she considered how to put this across as politely and finally said, "the high priestess said it might be dangerous to look into my future since my abilities are unknown and unstable. They can affect other's magic while in use. Thank you for looking out for me but I don't want any unwarranted mishaps to occur."
The warden smiled, "is that what the high priestess said?"
Ash nodded. If the warden looked into her past, she would know of her training. There was no use hiding from her. Ash nodded, "more or less this is what she said."
The warden agreed. "I will try not to but I still got to watch out for you, so I will give a mild poke every now and then. After classes or before. Is that alright?"
If she wasn't around or aware, the warden should be alright. "That should be alright."
Once she left the premises of the dorm, Mayra found her in one of the tables in the eating place and slid in beside her, "why didn't you wait for me?"
"Got up early and got hungry. While I am awake, I thought I might as well drop in with the chancellor and see if he can help me with other courses."
Mayra passed her a small stack of papers. "The list of all the non-supernatural courses in the university, their subjects and times. How dw id the training with the high priestess go?"
"She made me do a little something and I could do it. Easily." Ash smiled, remembering how she had been able to summon darkness in a well lit room. "I need to figure the extent of my ability first, so we need to train in a bigger room."
"Sounds like you made some progress."
Ash felt her heart lighter, "I wouldn't call it progress. It is more like exploring."
Mayra wrapped her arm around her and said, "I want to see it sometime."
Ash smiled back, "once I know what I can do and if I have control over it, I will tell you."
As they got up, C walked in from the other end of the cafetaria, looked at them and waved. Quickly, he took a seat in front of them. "Long time no see."
"Four days no see. I wouldn't mind not looking at your face for a few more days."
C ignored her, as his eye scanned Ash up and down. "What happened?"
Ash hesitated. "We should chat somewhere else."
Mayra cleared her throat and said, "no one listen in on us."
Though there were a few people around, none of them were close enough to listen. Irrespective, the siren word made her feel safer. She leaned forward and said, "someone tried to send their golem at me. It bit me on the arm but I am fine."
C glared at the table. "I should have been there."
Ash knew what he was thinking. She had gone through this with Mayra. "No. You are right where you need to be. I made this very clear when I left the island. From here on forth, you are not my security and I am not your princess. We are friends who will each choose a path to follow."
C grit his teeth and Ash smiled at him reassuringly. "Did you and Mayra train me for nothing? Mayra was there with me, and she knew I could take care of myself."
C looked at Mayra, who gave them a grave expression, "she did handle herself very well but she shouldn't have to. I still think we should transfer to the same classes as her but I know she wouldn't agree to this."
"I would never. Go back to your classes. I am doing just fine."
C opened his mouth to argue and Ash glared at him. "One word and you can go packing."
Mayra sighed. "there is one way you can keep her company though."
Ash glared at Mayra who ignored her. "I have little chance but you have a good chance. If you can get elected as the representative of your class, you can join the student council. She goes there for a meeting everyday and you can see her there."
C looked at Ash, bright eyed and determined. Ash warned, "I only went there for two days and will not be gong back there for sometime from now on. It will not necessary help."
C shrugged. "Fine by me."
And so Mayra and C lauched into their own conversation on how to win the representative election. Ash listened to them at length and asked, "I am the political expert here. Why not ask me?"
C asked, "you will help me win?"
Ash shook her head and Mayra turned away from her, "I am just as good as her. We can do this."
When Mayra checked the time again, it was time for her classes, which always started late afternoon. C and Ash made their way to the back of the campus and C asked the same thing as Mayra, "have you picked what you want to study yet? I saw the list on courses."
Ash shook her papers. "I just got them from Mayra. I will go over them in the coming week, take the time away from the council meetings and out it here. Once I have settled on something, I will tell you."
"I hope some our classes overlap. I am really worried about you princess. Only three days and you were already attacked. You did not even tell us. Think how upset golem will be when he finds out."
She explained, "the attack has little to do with me and more to do with the council itself. That is one reason I am taking time away from the council in the coming days."
C frowned, "why don't you drop out of that club all together.
Ash sighed, "because that is the only place, I feel I can make a difference."
None of them spoke after that. C knew how diligently she worked. Unlike Mayra who was her friend and her attendant, C was her security. He with her at all times, inside her home or outside. The island was no threat to her but the natural calamities were aplenty on her island. He was one person who knew how much she loved what she did. Every single aspect of it. Without it, a huge part of her identity was lost. Without it, she was fumbling though life. Trying this and that subject, dipping her toes in different paths and holding onto some measure of familiarity, if for sanity's sake.
"C. I know you communicate with my brother occasionally. Don't tell him about the attack or the fact that I am involved in the council."
C said, "he wouldn't mind. He doesn't see you like that."
Ash smiled. "I know yet I insist."
"I will not say a word." C said and Ash could feel a weight lifting, "thank you."
Ash went to her first class after chatting a bit more with C. The class was peceful compared to her first encounter. The nixies passed a tin raincloud back and forth between their seats, often wetting the shoes of those around her. It bothered no one by her. At the end of the class, she submitted her assignments, ready for her squelch walk when she found out that the other nixies hadn't. Their leader grumbled. "this is unfair. I cannot possibly finish all of them in a day's time."
The chancellor looked at the rest of the class, "the rest of you have one. What of it?"
Someone said, "I completed half," while another said, "mine got wet."
Everyone laughed.
The chancellor smiled too. "Unfortunately for you, the entire class is going to have more assignments to submit at the beginning of next week. And if you do not finish all your assignments by Monday, you can magic in your credits for we will not award you any for this subject."
The nixie leader shot up, her mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. "you cannot deny us the credits when we are taking a class."
The chancellor frowned. "the credits are not for the class. The credits are for passing the class and unfortunately for your class, the passing requirement is the assignments. You will be scored on your assignments and every two month's grades will add up to make a credit score."
"That's not how this works. You cannot fool us. We get graded at the end of semester and that grade will determine out credit score."
"Grading at the end of the semester is a common method but not all races use it. We adjust the pattern based on each race and year's requirements. If you's have done your assignments, you would have come across the factor that all your other water creatures like kelpies, selkies, and sirens follow this pattern. You seniors all showed excellent capability to follow along with the workload despite their mischievous nature which is why they were allowed the common pattern of examination. Same cannot be said for you."
The chancellor leaned to the side and looked at the small raincloud that had made a puddle of the classroom.
"That right there should be your talent and grading activity but it is instead serving as a distraction for you and your friends. Now please have a seat."
The nixie leader sat down slowly and the cloud floating around their knees turned to a hand-sized cotton cloud. The professor continued adressing the class.
"Since your next class will be on Monday, there will be two assignments to work on. For one, write a paper on the college's grading system and how it was established, what are the policies surrounding it and how it changes from race to race."
Ash felt like he was giving them a way to learn to defend themselves from his tyranncy. If the nixies could actually sit and do the assignment, they'd benefit from it greatly.
"And for the class assignment, I want all of you to pick a region. Compile a list of human folktales from that region and trace its origin back to the actual supernatural incidents in history. Submit a list of folktales and their real incidents Monday on my desk before class starts. Dismissed."
Ash heard a few, "why does she have to do it? Didn't she already sumbit hers?"
"Miss goody two shoes not deferent from the class and its a collective punishment."
Ash was surprised. Nixies were full of themselves- usually and this was pretty unusual. She looked back to check and found the leader of the nixies. She was likely to be the class representative in the coming election. Ash didn't see any opportunity so far to make her acquaintance. Even if there was one, Ash doubted the Nixie would want to talk to her. Yet, she could only wait for that opportunity.
The class for werewolves was as loud and active as she had first seen them. This time, Sven and Karn flanked her as she entered the class. Karlene, to her surprise, did not even look at her. Sven, however, looked at Karlene the entire time. She asked Karn, "what happened between them?"
"Something big. Will tell you in the council room. I am not coming today. Tell me after class."
Karn gave her a questioning look and Ash answered, "I have other things to do."
"It's not because of what happened yesterday. Is it?"
Ash shook her head, "not at all. As I said, I will get behind whatever Vance decides. But I do have to lay a lot of groundwork with other classes if I want to get ahead and settle some work. Let me know what he decides. Alright?"
Ash could get behind him, support him and agree with him, only and only if she kept a clear head. To keep a clear headed she needed not to see him.