Page 33 of An Arcane Education
Before I can respond, Joanna appears from the crowd and joins us. “Hey! I wasn’t sure if you’d be coming. I’m so glad you’re here,” she says with a genuine smile.
“I wasn’t sure if I’d come either,” I admit. “You should keep an eye on this one, though,” I tease, nodding my head toward AJ.
“Hey, I’m perfectly fine,” he protests, then immediately contradicts himself by stumbling slightly.
Joanna rolls her eyes but laughs, and I intentionallyshift to switch places with her. I’ve seen how she looks at him in class, and I can tell she has a thing for him.
“I’m going to see if I can find my friend who invited me,” I say. “You two behave.”
Joanna blushes slightly, and AJ says, “No promises.”
I end up walking the perimeter of the room and find Callista at the edge of the dance floor. She’s wearing a silver crop top that’s draped around her neck and shows off her curves. When the song that’s playing ends, she turns to leave the dance floor and catches sight of me.
“Oh my god, you came!”
I smile at her genuine excitement. “Yep, I’m here, though I’m definitelynotdancing,” I laugh.
“Let’s go sit. I need a break.” She drags me to an area along the wall where a dozen floor cushions are scattered, and we each take a seat on one. Someone I don’t recognize brings her a drink, and she’s sucked into conversation with them for a moment while I simply sit back and observe, content to listen rather than speak.
That is, until I hear a conversation that commands my attention.
“Did you hear about the vampire?” a man with white-blonde hair beside me says to his friend. His tone drips with disdain. “Apparently she's been holed up in her room every night, practicing blood magic in secret.”
“That's not possible,” his friend interjects. “Blood magic is strictly prohibited on campus. She'd be expelled immediately.”
“Well, why else would she be here instead of Avalon with the rest of her kind? It’s a lot easier to perform blood magic with unsuspecting humans.”
Discomfort bubbles in my chest, and I’m not sure whether to defend my roommate or stay silent. I don’t want to make myself a social pariah by defending my vampire roommate, but at the same time, hearing people talk about her like she’s some sort of monster when they don’t even know her sits wrong with me.
Thankfully, someone else speaks up, saying, “Maybe she didn’t want to be like others, and that’s why she came here.”
The conversation shifts again as people discuss their new classes and professors for the semester.
“I have Dr. Vale again this semester, andoh my god,” one of the women says.
My ears perk up at the mention of Alaric's name.
“Is he new?” The blonde guy asks.
“He just came here last year, apparently. Nobody knows very much about him, but he’s supposed to be super smart, and I’ve heard rumors that he’s here to do some sort of super secret research that will give him somemajorcredibility in the field.”
“Where’d you hear that?”
She shrugs. “Just rumors. I have a cousin who works in one of the administrative offices, and she said that Dr. Vale told the administration that he wanted to transfer here to finish his research. That’s kind of all I know, though.”
“Don’t you also have a family member who sent you some Fae wine?” the blonde, whose name I learn is Victor, asks. “Rumor has it that you have a stash.”
Fae wine? So not only are vampires real, but so are the Fae? What else is real? Ghosts, demons, werewolves?
The woman, Talia, grins. “Yes, but I’m saving that for the next party. That stuff isstrong.”
Victor makes a comment about her saving some for him before he turns his attention toward me. “Are you a freshman? I don’t think I’ve seen you before.” His gaze is sharp and assessing, and he projects a serious demeanor even when he’s joking. It’s slightly unsettling.
“No,” I answer. “I’m just new to the academy. If I’m being honest, I just discovered that magic exists a few weeks ago, so I’m trying to learn as much as I can about… well, everything to do with magic and the academies.”
“How much do you know?”
“Hardly anything,” I admit. “I didn’t even know that Fae were real until literally just now. I have no clue what sort of beings exist.”
