He touched my waist, and a jolt went through my body. Startled, I stopped trying to form articulate thoughts andfollowed him through a wilderness of plants. When we finally got to an opening, I found that we were entirely secluded by a fountain with a small pond and tall flowering plants surrounded us.
“If you look closely, you will find your final flower hidden beneath the others,” he said.
I stared into the leaves and grass, not believing him at all. I moved closer, parted through the thickness of the growth, and gasped.
“It’s not bloomed,” I said. “I never considered that it would look different when it isn’t blooming.”
“Nightshades are tricky flowers,” Blake said.
“The image in the text is beautiful,” I said. “How did you know this was here?” I asked.
“Lots of aimless wandering.”
He sat on the bench, and I followed him. It was tranquil. I could’ve sat there for hours listening to the trickling of the water and smelling the sweetness of the plants.
“So can I expect this to be more frequent now?” I asked. “You being around more?”
Blake rested his head on his hand as he leaned on the bench and watched me. “So long as you prefer my company.”
I broke eye contact, feeling a flush overcoming my skin.
“I do,” I whispered, unable to look at him. “Prefer your company.”
I could feel him assessing me, questioning me with his entire being.
“But?” he asked.
Laughing nervously, I looked at him. “Why are you so close to Malakai? And why did he respond that night like an obedient dog?”
Confusion crossed his face like he didn’t recall what happened that night, but he dismissed it as quickly as it came.
“You ask many questions.”
“You avoid many questions,” I retorted.
We were caught in a tense battle of wills before he broke eye contact. “He has been my friend for many years. And I hardly treat him like a dog, but sometimes he crosses the line.”
“What line?” I asked. “I went to see him of my own accord.”
Blake soured, clearly not pleased to hear that.
“My interest in you was known,” he said, watching me for my reaction with his full attention.
The rush was overwhelming. I looked straight ahead at the flowers and took a breath. “You laid claim to me? What century is this?”
Blake laughed. “It is not like that.”
A crushing feeling seizing my chest. “Then what is it like?”
His joyful expression slipped. “It is just that I had mentioned you to him. Where we are from, it is in poor taste to pursue your friend’s interests.”
Interests? I laughed bashfully and looked away. “I suppose that’s how it is everywhere.”
I looked at the raven on his vest. “So the symbols on the uniforms—the raven; it’s a symbol of where you’re from—Raven Falls, right? The village no one’s heard of with the archaic dating rules?”
Amused, he watched me. “Yes. What else have you gleaned?”
“The dragon and the pegasus, these also represent places,” I said. “Places where the others are from. It’s why Malakai dislikes Caelan. It’s more than different lineages; you’re all from different places. But what do they have to do with the school?”
