Saturating the cotton ball with the liquid, he starts cleaning the wounds, and once it hits my skin, it starts sizzling.
Thankfully, it only burns just slightly.
“So, you got into it with a fire elemental, huh?” He questions, looking up at me, and there’s a twinkle in his eyes. Is he still laughing at me?
“I don’t know what she was,” I say reluctantly.
“Well, from now on, even if you get a cut out in the woods, I want you coming to me. Since we don’t know your species, we don’t know how your body will react. It’s my job to ensure all the students here are taken care of, which means you, Nerezza. Okay?” The look he gives me reminds me of what a scientist would provide a lab rat in his experiment.
Feeling a little uncomfortable, I crack my neck and nod.
“I’m human as far as anyone is concerned, but I get your point. Am I clear to go now?” I ask, hoping to save some part of this day.
With a chuckle, he pulls out a piece of paper, writes something down, and does the nifty trick Dean Caldron did yesterday.
“Yes, but I just want to let you know, this incident will be reported. You need to eat lunch and then rest. Make sure you keep that area clean and it should heal on its own in a few days. If it gets warm or red, please come back and ask for me. It might be a sign of an infection if it does. You have me for Specials today, so you can be excused,” he instructs. Grateful that this is over with now, I don’t waste any time running out of the room.
* * *
I find Lynx sunbathing in his original form on the path back to class with my stuff lying next to him. Picking up my bookbag, I glare at him as I walk past.‘Having fun?’
Not wanting to be left behind, he hops up and follows me.‘Oh, I had fun, all right, but I am a little pissed off that I missed the beat down between you and the B to the Itch.’
‘Yeah. I wish I had done more damage to her. The bitch tried to melt me.’I’m still fuming about it.‘I mean, who does that? Fae Fire? Is that a thing?’
Lynx stops in his tracks, ‘She used Fae Fire, and you’re still standing?’
I stop and turn my head to show him my cheek.
‘Yeah. It just left some second and third-degree burns and that black crevice-like mark. Doc gave me some burn cream or something to heal. See?’
‘What else did that doctor tell you, Rez?’
‘About Fae Fire? Just that it’s a slow burn, and if it’s not caught early it can do some damage.’I continue walking, annoyed that he’s still concerned about it. I know I’m hungry, and it’s time for lunch. If the cafeteria isn’t open, I’ll just go back to the dorm to eat. I’m already over today and just want to relax and maybe soak in my tub.
‘Rez, I don’t think he told you everything. Hell, he didn’t tell you anything at all. Fae Fire is nasty shit, yes, but it’s actually a disintegrator. Think of it as, like Hell Fire; no one lives through that unless you’re born of it. So what does that say about you, that you just got a burn from it?’Lynx says as he changes to his Marten form and climbs up to my neck to look closer at my cheek.
Well, fuck a duck!
As we continue walking, my mind tries to make sense of what Lynx just said. What the hell am I? Obviously not completely human if what Lynx said was correct. My stomach takes that moment to growl loudly and reminds me I do my worst brainstorming when I’m hangry. I can’t think about this right now.I need food!
We walk by the cafeteria, and I poke my head in. Spotting Zeke, I make a beeline towards him.
He’s talking to a group of friends off to the side, and I don’t think anything of walking right up and saying ‘Hi’, until one of them looks at me with disgust as I approach.Well, fuck you too.
I smile at them and the skin pulls at my cheek, causing me to grimace in pain. That’s going to sting for a little while.
The rest of the group turns my way, and they all gasp in shock. Damn, talk about boosting a girl’s confidence. I didn’t think I looked that bad.
“Rez! What happened?” Concern leaks from Zeke as he reaches out to me and grabs my arm, pulling me away from the group. We walk over to a table just right off the center of the room, where he guides me into a seat and pushes in my chair for me. Menus are placed around the table, and I realize this is the first time I’ve ever sat down in the cafeteria. I’ve been eating in the confines of the dorm. Lynx crawls off my neck and lays out on the table like it’s his own personal bed, and I mentally roll my eyes instead of doing it for real in case it pulls at my cheek.
Zeke’s emerald eyes flash with worry though, and my heart constricts.
“It’s nothing—just a little scrimmage. You should have seenher,” I laugh and pick up the menu to look over what’s for lunch.
‘Sure, it was. Why are you lying to the Vamp? You could have died. Well, actually, I’m not so sure about that now. I mean, you did survive the attack. What did you do to provoke her anyway?’Lynx waves his tail at me like he’s trying to get my attention.
I know I’m playing it down, but I really want to fucking see the Harpy from hell so I can teach her another lesson. I’m still pissed she tried to melt me. I mean, who does that? Are we supposed to be melting students? Is that even legal? Is that what supes do to each other?
