I headed back across campus in a daze, Professor Reeves’s words replaying through my brain on a loop. Private sessions. After hours. Just the two of us. Either she wanted to study my abilities or she wanted to "study my abilities." The air quotes were doing a lot of work there.
I stopped at the campus coffee kiosk, desperately needing caffeine to sort through the ss of this morning. The barista—a business track junior nad Miko—looked up from her phone when I approached.
"Holy shit, it’s the vigilante," she said, eyes widening. "I saw you on Channel Seven this weekend. That thing with your arm was crazy!"
Great. That was spreading fast.
"Just coffee," I said, sliding my card across the counter. "Black. Large."
She took my paynt but kept staring. "So what else can you do besides that stretchy thing? The news said you opened a portal too. That true?"
"Classified," I replied, tapping my finger against the counter. "Coffee?"
She rolled her eyes but turned to make my drink. Two girls at a nearby table whispered and pointed in my direction. One of them pulled out her phone and snapped a photo. Fantastic. I was officially a walking zoo exhibit.
Miko handed over my coffee with a wink. "On the house, hero. Next ti those robbers should think twice before hitting up Saito’s."
I nodded my thanks and hurried toward Building C, keeping my head down. More whispers followed . More pointing. More phone caras. If this was what being famous felt like, I’d pass.
My phone buzzed with another ssage, this ti from Cheon: How did it go? Do we need to prepare a legal defense?
I texted back: Not arrested yet. Professor offered private "research sessions" instead.
Her response ca quickly: What kind of research?
The kind done after hours with no witnesses. I added a shrug emoji for good asure.
That’s completely inappropriate! Three angry face emojis followed.
I smiled despite myself. For soone who regularly shared my bed with another woman present, Cheon had surprisingly rigid views on propriety.
I reached Building C just as the first bell rang. Students stread toward their classrooms, many of them doing double-takes when they spotted . I’d gone from anonymous transfer student to campus celebrity overnight. Usually that would stroke my ego, but I had too many other problems to enjoy the spotlight.
Problem one materialized outside the classroom in the form of Noel Stark, arms crossed tight enough to cut circulation, violet hair perfectly coiffed despite it being seven thirty in the morning. Her grey eyes found mine and refused to let go.
"Conference room. Four o’clock. Do not be late, D’Angelo."
The clipped delivery made it sound like she was scheduling a corporate execution. My execution, specifically.
"Good morning to you too, Short Stack." I let the smirk land exactly where it needed to. "Sleep well?"
Pink flooded her cheeks so fast I could track the progression. Pale to rose to nearly crimson in under three seconds. "I told you to stop calling that."
"You did. I didn’t listen. Tale as old as ti." I moved to step past her but she shifted to block , which given our height difference just ant she had to crane her neck at a steeper angle to maintain the glare.
"Four. O’clock," she repeated, each word sharp enough to draw blood. "We have business to discuss."
"Business," I echoed. "Right. Very professional. Should I bring a lawyer?"
Her fingers twitched at her sides like she was physically restraining the impulse to swing at . I could see the internal war playing out behind her eyes—pride versus propriety, the desire to maintain her pristine image battling the very obvious urge to commit violence in a public hallway.
Pride won. Barely.
Her fingers twitched like she wanted to slap . Instead, she spun on her heel and marched into the classroom ahead of .
Problem two: Aurora sat at her usual table with Nolan, but when I entered, her head snapped up, our eyes t, and her cheeks instantly colored. She looked away so fast I thought she might strain a muscle.
I took my seat at the back row, and problem three slid into place beside : ra, her yellow eyes gleaming with mischief.
"So," she whispered, tail wrapping around my ankle under the desk. "Tell about this proposition from the scary professor lady."
I kept my voice low. "She knows sothing’s up with my abilities. Offered a chance to ’explore their boundaries’ with her after hours."
"Wow, she’s not subtle." ra’s grin widened. "You gonna do it?"
"She might report to the NEA if I don’t."
ra’s tail tightened around my leg. "She totally wants to fuck you."
"Language, Ms. Cross," Solana called from the front of the room without looking up from her papers.
ra’s red skin darkened with embarrassnt. "How does she do that?" she whispered.
I shrugged, scanning the room. Cheon sat perfectly upright three rows ahead, but I could tell from the set of her shoulders that she was listening to us. Her control freak tendencies ant she couldn’t help but try to monitor all variables—including my conversations with ra.
Solana started the lesson, sothing about hero regulations and the legal limits of ability use in civilian areas. Normally I would have paid attention, given my recent brush with vigilantism, but my mind kept drifting to my upcoming eting with Noel.
What would I tell her? The truth was off the table. I couldn’t admit that I drained abilities from people I slept with. But she was too smart for a simple lie, especially after seeing use multiple distinct abilities during the trials. She’d demand answers, and if I didn’t provide them, she’d go digging for them herself.
My phone vibrated against my leg. A text from Cheon: Stop staring at Aurora. You look like a stalker.
I hadn’t even realized I was doing it. I glanced up and found Aurora stealing glances at too. When our eyes t again, she didn’t look away imdiately. For a brief mont, sothing electric passed between us—the mory of her lips against mine, the taste of her Essentia flooding through the drain, sumr mornings and clean skies. Then Nolan said sothing to her, and the connection broke.
"She’s going to be trouble," ra whispered, following my gaze.
"Focus, Ms. Cross," Solana called out again. "The next interruption earns you detention."
The rest of the morning passed in a blur. By lunch, the whole school buzzed with talk about "the vigilante hero" and my exhibition match in the semifinals later today. I found a quiet corner of the cafeteria to eat in peace, but peace never lasted long.
"Is this seat taken?" Aurora stood across the table, holding a tray and looking unsure.
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