The forest was freezing that night, and the cave's floor became a tundra. Tossing and turning, I leapt to my feet, impatient for coziness. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and envisioned a bed of leaves. A flurry of them swept in from the cave's entrance as I extended my arms.
The bed finished seconds before I collapsed onto it, and passed out from the exhaustion that took over. By the placement of the sun, I could tell when I woke up that it was a few hours later. I knew I wouldn't make it to class on time. I struggled to find motivation to get off the ground, so I decided to wait it out. Skipping class wasn't unheard of, and previous events would only distract further. It wasn't Eldritch's class, so I didn't mind much that I would be missing it. I would speak with Professor Hawkin the next time I had his class. Surely he wouldn't care, I turned in all of my assignments on time, and got good enough grades on them.
What felt like a few hours had passed by, and I didn't want to leave the peace and quiet, but I knew I'd have to leave the cave to avoid detection. Cafe' Aegeus was about a mile away, and near campus. Caffeine would be my saving grace for the rest of the day, and I bounded from the cave in its direction.
When I opened the door to the café, the sounds of mindless chatter echoed throughout my ears. Voices buzzed in my ear and I felt my hand creep up to caress one of my pointed ears. They were more sensitive today, and I made my way to the counter struggling to keep my hands from covering them. It's a little tougher to drown out voices when they're closer, but after I got my coffee and my bagel, I managed to calm my nerves a little bit.
I kept my head down and scurried to the exit. When I managed to exit the building I searched around for an acceptable tree to relax in before my next class. A few yards away I spotted one with a low hanging branch and made my way towards its trunk. I hadn't seen Cooper so far, so I wasn't as on edge as I had been the past two days, it was nice.
I enjoyed the last bit of my bagel and took a large sip of my drink after I settled into the tree. Soaking up the cool autumn air, and watching the clouds through holes in the leaves. It truly was peaceful, and enjoyable, until I heard someone clear their throat under the branch I was perched on.
"You weren't in your dorm last night." His voice was tight, and when I looked down to see who it was, my blood froze.
"What do you mean?" My voice fluttered, sweat collecting on my palms. Coop had struck one of the most sensitive nerves in my body.
"I went to see you last night, after you left. Where did you go?" He scratched the back of his neck and peered up at me through his thick lashes.
"Why is that any of your business, arrow boy?" I kept my tone friendly, and playful. Being cornered, kindness was going to be the only way to get out of this situation
I saw the corner of his mouth twitch into a smile, and he offered his hand for me to take. I put my hand to my chin, thinking about whether or not letting him help me out of the tree was worth it. After a few seconds of deliberating with my stubborn side, I decided to take his hand. He helped me out of the tree. I landed with a small thud onto the grass and shook out my curls for any stubborn leaves.
"Well, I wanted to see if you'd get coffee with me tomorrow, well today. You know, to start things over. I don't think being my friend isn't dangerous, and you are not an assignment. Okay? Let me prove it." Coop lowered his head, and neared the shell of my ear.
"If you still think I'm playing a game with you after we get coffee, then I will leave you alone. Pinky Promise, little nymph." Coop extended his pinky, and I smacked it away.
When he straightened himself to his full height, I lifted my head to gaze at him. His eyes were pleading, and mesmerizing, when they wandered back to me. It was hard to focus on my breathing with him this close, and forming a response was ten times harder, but I managed to steady my breath and give him a small smile.
"I already had coffee. What if we get coffee tomorrow morning? As friends." I gave him a pointed stare. "Look, I know I said that we could move past the whole near death stuff, but I'm not kidding when I say if I catch wind of of a game, the friendship is over." I spoke pointing to his miniature crossbow disguised as a bracelet.
"And no lifting that damn arrow in my direction again, got it?" I finished, motioning for Coop to respond.
Coop snickered and shoved his right hand in his pocket, and looked deep in thought for a moment.
I was being honest. I'd let him be my friend if he truly wanted it, but there was no way I was going to let him past the surface level. He seemed to relax a bit, and he smiled brightly at me before pulling me into a big hug. I stiffened at first, but reluctantly returned the hug, placing my arms around his waist, before pulling away.
"That sounds good to me, Oakley. I'll see you tomorrow." He smoothed some hair out of my face, and winked at me before striding over to a group of guys wrestling in the middle of the courtyard. I couldn't keep the smile off of my face, and that scared me the most.
I was letting him affect me past the point of just attraction, and I needed to find a way to control myself before things got out of hand. Maybe I did need to talk to Ainsley, but my stubbornness would deter me from that for a bit longer. Instead, I just headed in the direction of my next class. It would blur by, and it would be night again soon. I didn't want to go to another party for a little bit, so I would just hang out around the courtyards' fountain tonight. Until security kicked me out, that is.
I lifted my arms in a stretch above my head before entering the musty classroom. My back was killing me, and it was hard to focus on my steps. I fumbled into the classroom and got a massive amount of stares. I dusted myself off and found a seat at the back, mumbling a few curse words on my way to it.
I didn't hate this class, but it was easier to pay attention to the professor if I sat further away. His voice wouldn't be so loud at the back of the class. Advanced Herbal Knowledge was a good class, especially for forest dwellers, and I excelled at it anyway.
"Ms. Ellwood, would you please report to the headmaster's office please." The loudspeaker blasted through my ears. I covered my ears immediately and looked up to see all the students staring at me yet again.
"Oh, for fuck's sake." I muttered, grabbing my backpack and trudging out of the classroom. That apparently earned a few chuckles and I found myself holding back a grimace.
The headmaster's office was very old, but incredibly elegant. A sheen, dark ark oak desk and a leather black swivel chair was placed in the dead center of the room, in front of the huge stained glass window. It was the center window of the main building on campus, and gathered the attention of all the incoming students. Headmaster Vancejoy was a particularly elegant vampire, with thousands of years of life experience.
She was the epitome of power at this school, and she commanded the attention of anyone in the room. We had a bit of a tricky relationship. She knew of my need to sleep in the forest, but she also had to make sure that students followed the rules. The forest was off limits to students past midnight, and she knew that I knew that. Considering she's the one that's had to remind me time and time again.
I knew it wasn't anything serious when I entered, based on the smile that covered her face. "Ms. Ellwood, it's lovely to see you again. I'm sorry to interrupt you, but I have some questions." She gave me a knowing look, and proceeded to shake her head, and a slow sigh escaped her lips.
"Yes, Headmaster?" I suppressed a giggle, and she sharpened her glare. I straightened my shoulders, my eyes forming a silent apology.
"Your mother demands you change your major. She has left a multitude of emails this week, and the Semester has barely started." Vancejoy's expression turned sour, and I understood completely. My mother was, insistent, to say the least.
"I told you time and time again. I do not plan to change my major. Tell mother her desires are just that, desires. The deal was, I come here, experience socializing with other species, and gain knowledge. After that, I was free to live in the forest, where I belong." I was growing tired of my mothers antics, and pestering Vancejoy in an attempt to push me fueled my rebellion.
"Oakley. You know your mother, and the influences she has on the Seven's Council. I understand I can't force you to change your mind. It doesn't make this any less tense of a situation. The council's decisions affect the future of this academy. I will not put that future at risk." Her voice seemed more tired and concerned, than angry or frustrated now. There was something more to her statement, but knowing Headmaster Vancejoy, she wasn't going to elaborate.
"Is that all Headmaster Vancejoy? Or was there more?" I asked anyway, fidgeting with the leather couch's smooth edge.
"Well, I saw that you are graduating here at the end of the year. After all, I do double as your guidance counselor, and since you don't arrive to those meetings often, I thought I would catch you now. Seeing as how this is your future, which forest will you go to?" There was a smugness to her voice, and her face as she crossed her arms against her chest. She was right, I did tend to avoid counselor meetings, and she would know. I let out a defeated sigh, and sank further into the couch.
"The Northern Regions, Headmaster- I mean counselor Vancejoy" I smirked at her and her eyes widened in shock.
"Impossible! Those forests were ruined after the Seven Species War." Her mouth opened and closed furiously, as she tried to form her next words.
""Headmaster, I am going to restore them." I spoke, and her eyes met mine. She gave a curt nod and motioned me out of the room.
"Please do think about your mother's suggestion, Ms. Ellwood. You don't know what lurks in those forests. It would be such a waste of talent." Her cold tone spoke volumes. She was on my mom's side, and therefore the enemy.