“Sure,” Tala says at the same time I ask, “Is that an issue?”
Maeve shakes her head. “We’re used to getting berserkr students anytime because of the unpredictable nature of our powers. That’s why we like to partner up students to help make the transition a bit easier on everyone.”
Great. Tala seems fine, but she’s also a berserkr, which means I want nothing to do with her. I’d much rather take classes with Nils andEmilía. Too bad I’m not actually a witch. The door swings open, startling me. Students start streaming in, one boy after another. A lot of them remind me of Jason and his friends.
“Are we the only girls?” I ask Tala.
“Welcome to my world,” she says with an exasperated sigh. “There aren’t many of us, unfortunately. Well, there are. But most never awaken. Anger isn’t exactly something a lot of girls are told to embrace. That’s why I was glad to see another—”
The bell chimes and everyone scrambles to their seats.
Maeve stands up at her desk. “Well then, if we’re—”
A sandy-haired boy breezes in, wearing his shirt slightly unbuttoned and not bothering to tuck it into his black pants. He has his bag slung across his chest, his hair is ruffled, and his green eyes sparkle as he grins at Maeve. I can’t tell if it’s more apologetic or playful as he heads right for our table.
“Hey, babe,” the sandy-haired boy says in a British accent as he grabs the other seat next to Tala. He doesn’t bother to remove his bag before he leans over and kisses her. I’m surprised, because he looks like he’d be a total player.
“Hey,” Tala murmurs.
The sandy-haired boy notices me for the first time. “Who’s this?”
Maeve clears her throat. “Thank you for joining us, Isaac. Now then, if we’re all here, you might have noticed we have a new student joining us. Edith comes from America and—”
More than a few boys start whooping and clapping.
I slouch down in my seat.
“That’s enough,” Maeve says, practically shouting over them until they quiet. “Tala will be helping her get accustomed to Skallagrim. Now, I’d like to begin today’s lesson.”
Silence falls over the classroom.
Ignoring the lingering looks from some of the boys around me, Ipull out my notebook and carefully place one highlighter after another beside it.
Isaac laughs. “Someonecame prepared.”
Chalk scrapes over the board as Maeve draws a Venn diagram. “As berserkir, your mind has a unique duality,” she says, labeling the first circle asanimaland the second ashuman. “Both sides of your nature are in a constant struggle for control.”
I quickly draw the circles in my notebook, pen pressing down on paper. I can do this—it’s just another class. I’m good at those.
“As you can see, these two sides are mostly distinct from each other,” Maeve continues. “Unlike the first berserkir, who were inhabited by an animal spirit, which would have looked more like this.” Maeve draws another two circles, but unlike the first, these overlap a lot more. “This made early berserkir much more volatile and animalistic. Unlike us, they couldn’t fully transform, instead occupying this space between animal and human.
“Unfortunately, this is where a lot of negative stereotypes about us come from. It eventually led to berserking being outlawed in Iceland and throughout Scandinavia.
I press my pen harder into my paper, thinking of my dad. Itshouldbe against the law.
“But with proper control,” Maeve continues, “these two sides can coexist and keep each other in check. We can benefit from our strength and heightened senses, while our humanity and rational thought keep our baser animal impulses in check. But in order to control it, you first must accept it.”
I can’t help but scoff.
Maeve casts me a look. Clearing my throat, I quickly stare down at my paper as she resumes the lesson. I force myself to write down everything Maeve says about the importance of accepting both the animal and human within all of us, but I don’t believe any of it.
My fingers tighten around my pen. I didn’t come here to learn aboutthis. How is this helpful at all? This class is giving me a headache. Clenching my teeth, I do my best to continue taking notes, when all of a sudden my pen snaps in two with a loudcrack.
Ink splatters the page like blood.
I blink a few times, staring at my broken pen. What the hell is wrong with me? My chest feels too tight, and it’s hard to breathe as I look around the classroom. Hopefully no one noticed. Maeve continues talking, but I can’t hear her over the ringing in my ears.Calm down.I need to calm down.
Finally, a bell blares.
