Nightworld Academy: Term One(Nightworld Academy #1)(25)

Katherine begins to carefully file a nail, complaining she broke it in potions class, and the tension grows.

"The new girl who works in the cafeteria seems nice, Andrei. Don't you think? Pretty. Rosy-cheeked. Some can be quite anaemic-looking."

"What are you saying?" he snaps.

She leans forward and whispers something to him. He blinks rapidly and his face darkens.

"Don't screw with me, Katherine. I'm not one of your followers."

"No, but you know who to keep on your side, don't you?" Her low tone holds a warning as she glances at Andrei's fists clenching on his knees. "You might need my help one day."

I'm relieved the questions about last night stopped, but the strange display intrigues me. Katherine is a queen bitch, that's apparent, but does she hold sway over the academy or pupils that allows her to maintain that position?

The rivalry isn't only between houses but within.

She tucks away her emery board and stands, adjusting her short skirt. The girl is immaculately turned out in her uniform, the poster girl for the academy.

"Laters."

I cringe at her expression as she walks away. I underestimated her. Katherine isn't a vapid mean girl, but a manipulative person whose influence spreads further than a small inner circle of hangers on.

Jamie closes his laptop and tucks it away before standing. "Time to go."

Amelia rubs her cheek and tries to catch Andrei's eye. The guy has returned to his phone, a technique I recognise. Avoidance.

"I just need to use the bathroom first," I say and stand too.

"Do you want me to come with you?" she asks.

"No. I can manage alone," I say and laugh.

"Okay. The next class is in room 505. That way, around the corner, left."

She hesitates momentarily before she leaves, and I watch as she walks away with less bounce in her step than usual.

"I hope you're not waiting back to talk to me," says Andrei.

"I wanted to thank you for helping me last night."

He looks up at me. "I was passing anyway and love an excuse to kick someone's arse. Don't go thinking I made a special effort for you."

"I never said you did."

A group walks between where we face each other on opposite benches, breaking our measured look of each other. I find Andrei's intensity overwhelming and understand how those green eyes could mesmerise.

The last person passes, and Andrei now stands with his scruffy canvas bag over a shoulder.

"But yeah, you're welcome. Don’t expect me to look out for you again."

"I'm not asking you to."

"Because you have others who will?" He looks at me with pity. "When I told you to be careful who you trusted, I meant it. Don't judge who the bad kids are or decide who must be the good ones. You'd probably be wrong."

I chew my bottom lip. "Like you? Is that what you mean?"

Andrei snorts derisively. "No. I'm one of the bad ones. I don't pretend to be anything else."

The chains on his belt jingle as he lopes away from me. He's claimed his 'bad boy' image as a badge of honour. But I think there's more going on behind those eyes.





Chapter Fifteen





MAEVE



Amelia stands with a book clasped against her chest and an anxious expression as she watches students pass into the classroom. Her face brightens as she sees me.

"What did Andrei say?"

I tense. "What do you mean?"

"You hung back to talk to him. I saw you." She purses her lips. "I know he helped last night, but be careful."

"Don’t stress. He's not exactly the most charming of guys; no way do I want to spend time with him. I thought I should thank Andrei for last night, that's all."

Amelia nods. "That's wise to keep away."

"Is this a house thing?" I ask. "Walcott versus Petrescu?"

"No, Maeve. This is an Andrei thing."

We're called into the next classroom. Runes run in a line across the threshold and they glow as each person steps over. I hesitate at the edge of the magical security screening.

"That's to stop humans walking in," she explains. "Occasionally nosy cleaning staff wander into the rooms they're supposed to leave alone."

"There wasn't one outside Professor Turlington's classroom."

"Most magical items are behind locked cupboards in there. The place looks like a chem lab. Professor Whitlock's classroom is covered in runes and shelved books that would make uninitiated humans accuse him of black magic."

I lift a foot and am relieved when nothing happens as I step into the room. For the first time, I feel as if I've stepped into something magical. Thick black curtains drape the windows and obscure the faint moonlight I saw from the potions classroom. A large runic circle is painted on the floor in the centre of the room, and a line of symbols printed on paper run around the wall close to the ceiling. The arrangement looks like a magical ABC chart that adorned the wall at my primary school. Will I have to learn these?

Amongst the dark and unsettling magic, a bright poster for the Christmas dance has been taped to the wall beside another which depicts small creatures that look like demons. I shudder. Please don't bring demons out for me to play with.