Drex hauled me up by the front of my toga, sat me down in the chair, then tucked it in tightly before I could fall out of it.
“T-T-Tanks,” I garbled.
He grunted and nodded,then collapsed into his own seat across from me.
Shaking, I could barely grab my textbook and open it.
An index card fluttered out.
Messy words were scratched hastily inink:
I stared at it.
Oh.
My.
God.
Leo was dead because of me.
A person purposefully set the Titan free.
I’m being hunted.
After the momentary shock passed, I felt—absolutely nothing. Yep, it was official. I was too exhausted to care.
Nihilism (the crucible) had robbed me of all emotions.
Life was meaningless.
Death wasn’t scary because . . . I wasn’t alive.
Slowly, I tucked the paper away in the back of the book, then I gingerly kicked my feet back and forth to check, but there was nothing under my chair.
Nice. It was just a note this time.
“Are you okay?” Drex asked, and I realized I’d been staring down at the tabletop with wide eyes.
I looked up at him. “No.”
He blanched. “Uh—do you not want to study today? I understand it’s been a lot. Maybe we should sleep in front of the fire and?—”
“Give me your textbook,” I ordered and cut him off as Maximum sat down next to me.
Drex pushed it forward.
“Ugh, this is miserable,” Maximum said as he slumped next to us.
I ignored him.
With unfeeling lips, I walked Drex through equations. Every few seconds, he glanced at me with a worried expression, like he was concerned for my well-being.
Who’s going to tell him that ship sailed nineteen years ago?
Hours later, General Cleandro screamed something, and Drex dragged me back into the classroom.
Unfortunately, no one remembered to get Alessander.
