It was getting late. The mana test had finished earlier that day, with Cleo being in first place, despite the protests of many examinees. The teachers had reviewed the results, and could not seem to find anything wrong about the magic orb. Cecil had ranked second, and he honestly did not care.
Cleo was back in her room. She had watched the rankings get announced from her window. In the end, Marianne's protests had all been for nothing. Cecil was second, and Rosa had placed seventh, even though Cleo had snuck in and stole first. Maybe that was because Mirabelle had died, so she could no longer take her place as rank five. Marianne had ranked third, and was boasting about her skill to all the other examinees. Cleo wondered why Marianne could flaunt her abilities, and she could not. Why were the popular kids always able to do whatever they wanted and not have anyone hate them for it? And when Cleo tried to succeed, all she would be faced with would be hardship after hardship, trying to put her down.
Cleo was about to go to bed, when she heard an ear-piercing scream from somewhere outside in the hallway. She wondered what had happened, but she decided to stay in her room. The screams continued one after another, each as sudden as the last. Cleo heard thumping, scraping, and the clanging of weapons, but she did not leave her room. As far as she could tell, staying put and staying silent would be the safest option.
***
"Don't you think that you're being a bit harsh on the students, headmaster?"
The teachers of the Eldritch Academy of Magic were casually sipping tea in the teachers' lounge while watching the events of the practical test unfold through a very large and shiny crystal ball sitting in the center of the table.
"Now, now, Scylla. The kids can handle themselves."
"I sure hope so, headmaster."
***
Cleo was huddled in a corner of her room. She could hear the piercing screams of the other students as they were attacked by the creature. Suddenly, a knock sounded at her door. Cleo did not move. The knocking grew more desperate. Still, Cleo did not move.
"Open the door..." a voice said from out in the hall. "Please."
Cleo cautiously pulled her bedroom door open. The monster was charging towards her. She looked down. Cecil was sitting on the floor outside her room, hand cupped over his bleeding shoulder. His clothes sported many scratches and gashes all over the place, but not many of them had slit his skin.
"Get inside!" she said, dragging Cecil along. "Quickly!"
Cecil had barely made it inside Cleo's room when the monster came charging in. Cleo quickly slammed the door in its face. The walls rattled with the impact. Cleo was sweating. The monster was stronger than her. But she held firm. Eventually, after bashing into the door several times, the creature retreated, slinking down the hall in search of somebody else to fight.
Cecil and Cleo both let out a sigh simultaneously.
"Are you okay?" Cleo rushed over to Cecil, examining his wound. The gash was not too deep, but it was still a very painful injury.
"I'm...fine." he flinched, moving away from her hand.
Cleo went digging through the drawers of her room, searching for medical supplies she could use. Finally, she returned to Cecil with a roll of gauze, a towel, and a bottle of disinfectant. Cleo reached out to remove Cecil's jacket.
"W-what are you doing?" he asked, backing away from her.
"I need to clean and bandage the wound to prevent it from being infected."
"C-can't you just heal me?" Cecil said, realizing a moment too late that not all magic-users could cast healing spells.
Cleo blinked at him.
"Sorry," Cecil said, ashamed of himself for assuming that she could directly heal him.
"Oh, I forgot I could do that!" Cleo exclaimed, happy since she had no idea how to clean and bandage a wound. "But I still need you to take your shirt off or else I might accidentally merge your skin with your clothes."
"Aren't you supposed to be a prodigy?" Cecil said, backing himself against a wall in his futile attempt to escape Cleo. "Can't you control your magic?"
Cleo waved his words away. "Come on! We don't have much time, so I have to heal you so you can go take down that werebear."
Cecil was shocked. How had a werebear managed to pass the tight security of the academy?
Making the most of his moment of surprise, Cleo slid Cecil's injured limb out of his sleeve, revealing muscular, but lean arm with scars scattered across the skin. By this time, Cecil was already trying to scooch away from Cleo, but she pinned him down. The impact caused the jacket to slide off of Cecil's other arm, exposing his entire upper body. He screamed. Not a powerful scream, but a rather faint and weak sound. Cecil held his hands over his body, watching Cleo as if he had just been violated.
"W-what are you doing?" he said, trying his best to keep his cool, despite his voice shaking.
Cleo blinked. "Oh, sorry." She looked away, embarrassed. But her hand, despite the commands of her mind, reached out to touch Cecil's bare chest. He flinched as the cold skin of Cleo's hand made contact with his body. His chest was warm from fighting the werebear, and Cleo could feel his heart beating faster and faster inside of him. As if in a trance, Cleo's hand continued to slide down Cecil's chest until it was almost at his waist.
Cecil shrieked.