Poppy
THE WORLD OUTSIDE THE CASTLE windows is bathed in shimmering white. Snow fell overnight, covering the courtyard and the trees and the castle’s spiraling towers. But this morning, the sun is out, and it makes all the snow glitter.
The castle corridors buzz with excitement. Finals are over, the big runeball game between Hexrush and the Sigil Strikers is tomorrow, and tonight is the Blue Moon Ball at Ravenscroft Castle. Needless to say, there’s a lot to be excited for.
Yet I find my stomach twisting into knots as I walk toward the east tower.Aric’stower.
I had to try so hard yesterday not to stare at him during our Kitchen Spellwork exam. I kept feeling his gaze on me, and when I turned to glance at him, our eyes met.
And that was all it took to remind me of what Professor Silvermoon said:Sometimes the things most worth having are the things we have to fight for.
Itold her I’m not a fighter. And maybe that’s true. But I can become one. And I can become one for him. Because Aric means something to me, even if I might not mean the same thing to him. And I want to tell him the truth of how I feel—even if nothing changes between us. At least I’ll have gotten it off my chest.
My feet hesitate at the first stair that’ll lead me up the east tower. Fourth-years stream up and down the staircase, talking about the ball and their plans for the Yuletide holiday. But none of them are Aric.
I take a deep breath of the cool castle air, then steel my nerves and start up the staircase, not letting my feet turn around despite how badly they want to.
Outside Aric’s dorm room—ET27—I stop. The door is closed, and for a brief moment, the stairwell is quiet.
Is this ridiculous? Maybe I should just turn around and—
“No,” I whisper to myself, curling my fingers into the fabric of my skirt. “Don’t give up now. Be brave.”
Before I can talk myself out of it, I reach for the door and rap my knuckles against the wood. Then I step back. And I wait.
And wait.
And wait.
No one’s here.
Which means I got my courage up for nothing.
My shoulders droop. It took so much work for me to get here, and nothing will come of it.
With a sigh, I start to turn.
And then the door opens, making my pulse skyrocket.
But it’s not Aric standing in the open doorway; it’s hisroommate, Felex. Aric has told me plenty about his reclusive vampire roommate, but I’ve never met him before.
“Poppy?” he says, voice tinged with what sounds like surprise.
I blink up at him. “Um, y-yes. You... You know me?”
Slowly, his lips pull up on one side, and if I look carefully enough, I can see the point of a razor-sharp canine tooth. “Of course. Aric speaks of you incessantly. It gets rather old, to be frank.” He’s still wearing that small smile as he reaches up to adjust the collar of his crisp long-sleeved shirt, then continues doing up the buttons on his gold vest.
“Is he here?” I ask, glancing past him into the dorm room, but I don’t see any movement.
“No. He had something important to do this morning,” Felex says.
Something important? My stomach drops.
Aric used to tell me about the important things in his life. But now I feel like a stranger, like someone who can only glance into his life from a distance and not actually be invited inside.
“Oh, okay,” I say, then shift back a step. “Well, thank you.” I start to turn, but Felex’s voice makes me pause.
“He’ll be there tonight. At the ball.”
