Page 158 of Veiled

Last week had been—memorable.

I’d gotten stuck with a five o’clock shadow and an Adam’s apple for hours. Hours in which Matt had chosen to bring dinner to my room because of the “I’m not feeling well” text I’d sent the group as an excuse for skipping dinner. There is nothing quite like trying to explain away surprise facial hair while your best friend stares at you. Of course, he had laughed hysterically at me before promising never to tell.

Tyr was pretty pissed when I told him someone other than Major Halden and Captain Lin knew, but he bottled it up and took a flight. After he’d cooled off, he begrudgingly admitted that if anyone was going to find out, then he was happy it was Matt.

Right then, I accepted that I’m not in control enough for me to be practicing without Tyr’s supervision yet, so we’re back to him giving directions and me following them—though not nearly as quickly as he would like.

“Quit daydreaming and turn it back, or you’ll have to go to class like that and tell everyone you were spelled.”

“You wouldn’t!”

“I would. And you’re making the same mistake you did before. You need to focus.”

“I was focused,” I say.

“Not on the lesson, it seems,” he retorts, still not trying to hide his amusement.

“Tyr, please! I need your help!”

“Just relax, Faren. You’re overthinking it.”

“I can’t ‘just relax’. I have a giant penis protruding from the center of my face and formation in forty-five minutes!”

“Then you need to relax. Stop thinking about what your face looks like now and start focusing on what it normally looks like. It’s the same as every other part you’ve changed. Just think of what part you want to change, then imagine what you want it to look like.”

I do, and the magic inside me flutters. The pressure in my face shifts, my skin itches like it’s being poked and pulled on by invisible hands. There’s a light tug, then a warm ripple, and suddenly my face feels less heavy.

I crack one eye open and let out a breath. My nose is back where it belongs.

“See?” Tyr grins. “When you focus on what you should be focusing on, you’ll get the desired results.”

I glare at him. “You enjoyed that.”

“Oh, immensely,” he says, entirely unapologetic. “And you were able to morph faster this time.”

Chapter fifty-eight

Annalise

It takes every ounce of effort to climb out of Matt’s bed this morning, knowing I have to suffer through a full day of Vanguard Land Navigation before I can come back and rush to get dressed up for Bravo Company’s graduation.

Okay, so it shouldn’t really be a rush, but there’s something about spending hours doing something you hate that makes having to get all dolled up feel like a time-consuming chore.

Chore or not though, I’m excited to see my friends walk across the stage tonight, and I’m to the point where I can confidently say I’ll be fine watching Aiden graduate, too. We’ve found a—comfortable—middle ground over the last few weeks. Is it because he vacates the area when we find ourselves at lunch or in the courtyard at the same time? Possibly. But in our two final Ghost Walking classes together, I was finally able to look at him without feeling like I had climbed onto a never-ending emotional roller coaster. Progress.

Unfortunately, Lucas will also be walking today after being released from the infirmary two days ago—the main reason I was up so late last night. It took a lot of convincing before Tyr conceded not to skip today's hunt with his hoard. I even made Matt promise him that he wouldn't leave my side tonight.

Pulling my uniform out of Matt’s closet, my eye catches on the beautiful blue dress I bought for the ceremony less than a month ago. After talking it over with Sasha, I decided to still wear it tonight. Not only did I not have the energy to go shopping again, but I already spent so much money on this dress; she deserves to be shown off.

“Don’t forget your water canteen,” Matt says, passing it to me before he finishes strapping his daggers on.

“What would I do without you?”

“I’m too afraid of the trouble you’d cause to find out,” he says, nudging me out the door.

With Bravo Company busy packing their rooms before they head to their new duty stations tomorrow, and Delta Company not checking in until Sunday, the academy feels almost empty.

“Ready for a full day of Land Navigation?” Matt asks as we pass the infirmary, which makes me remember Pricilla with a stick poking out of her eye on Wednesday after our night land nav test.