I yawn once, then again.
Just need to get through this chapter. Then I can sleep.
I read the same paragraph three times without absorbing a single word.
The Dragon Wars were a devastating period in history, spanning nearly two decades...
My head drops forward, jerking me awake. I blink hard and sit up straighter, rubbing my eyes. I take a sip of water from the mug on my desk, trying to wake myself up.
Focus. I can do this.
I try again.
The Dragon Wars were a devastating period in history...
The candle on my desk flickers, casting dancing shadows across the page. I watch them for a moment, mesmerized by the way they move. Like the prairie fish Poppy and I saw on our way to Faunwood.
Poppy.
I should tell her about the study schedule I made. She’ll probably have suggestions for making it more efficient. She’s good at that kind of thing. Maybe we could—
My head drops forward again, and this time, I let it fall.
I’ll close my eyes, but just for a few minutes. Then . . . back to . . . studying . . .
“ARIC.”
Someone is shaking my shoulder. I mumble something even I can’t make out and try to wave them away.
“You fell asleep at your desk. Again.”
I crack one eye open to find Felex standing over me, already wearing his crisp button-down with a crimson vest over the top—his everyday attire. One of his pale brows is arched, and his lips are set in a concerned frown. The candle on my desk has burned down to a stub, and my neck is screaming in protest from the angle I slept at.
“What time is it?” I croak, my voice rough.
“Almost eight. You’ve been here all night.”
I sit up slowly, wincing as my spine pops. When I reach up to scrub a hand over my face, I feel an imprint of the book’s binding on my cheek. Great.
“What day is it?” I ask, my brain still trying to wake up.
“Wednesday,” Felex says. He adjusts his sleeves and cuff links. Seriously, he’s the only student I know who wears them.
Then the word settles in, dousing me like a bucket of icy water.
“Wait... Wednesday?” I bolt upright, ignoring the lingering ache in every muscle in my body. “It can’t be Wednesday. Yesterday was Monday. Today should be—”
“Tuesday was yesterday,” Felex says calmly. “Which makes today Wednesday.”
“No, no, no, no.” My heart starts racing as the realization crashes over me.
Tuesday. I missed my tutoring session with Poppy.
“Fuck!” I scramble out of the chair so fast I knock it over.
“What’s the matter?” Felex asks. “You still have time to get to class.” He wrinkles his nose slightly. “But maybe take a bath first. You smell like jock.”
I ignore the dig. “I had a tutoring session with Poppy yesterday. I completely missed it.” I’m yanking open drawers now, looking for a clean shirt. Everything I own is dirty or wrinkled or both. Ireallyneed to do laundry. “Fuck, fuck, fuck.”
