Page 44 of Zodiac Beasts

“Tying into finals, let’s do this round like it’s a test. Using everything you’ve learned so far this year, what can we determine about the Gemini?”

Linda was, of course, the star pupil, immediately chiming in with her answer. “Based on the zodiac wheel, since we just started over with an Earth sign, I’d guess Gemini are Air Signs. And since the Taurus was a fixed sign, and the Gemini is closing out the spring, it should also be… Mutable? Did I get that right?” She looked pleased with herself. I could have figured all of that out, too, but I was trying to be a good girl and not participate in a way that might make Adrian any more uncomfortable than I already did every single day I existed.

I’d have to admit that I missed being the teacher’s pet in general though. A metaphorical one, anyway. I’d already been Adrian’s pet plenty of times.

Marcus chewed his lip beside me, and I really needed to wrangle my thoughts better. I blamed the natural incubus magic and the mate mark that probably drew this energy out of me. Marcus was so focused on helping me learn to shift, we hadn’t even started teaching me to shut him out of my emotions, so he was just going to have to deal with it. It was easy to only think about Marcus when it was just us, and he was railing me to heaven, but I was a mess the second I walked into this shoddy old classroom.

“I could ‘rail you to heaven’ right now if it would help.” Marcus suggested telepathically, and I considered the merits of the proposal. That made him smirk, while I silently giggled. Of everything that was questionable between us, at least Marcus never judged me. This would suck a lot more if the one guy who could read my thoughts and communicate with me through telepathy was a self-righteous dick.

And that made him cover his mouth to hide his own laugh. If ever there was a mate bond I’d never regret sealing, it was this one.

“Perfect deduction.” The professor tipped his chin towards Linda, and I wanted to believe he was doing his emotional feeding thing rather than actually flirting with her. I probably couldn’t reasonably be jealous anymore though, so I told myself either was fine. I didn’t feel that way, but I said it in my head, so we were going to pretend it was true. “But the dual nature of the Gemini Twins makes it a particularly interesting sign among the mutable modalities. I’m sure everyone has heard the reputation that those born under the Gemini are two-faced, but that’s an unfair characterization, as it’s much more nuanced than that.”

Adrian turned toward the board and started drawing the Gemini Symbol, which resembled something like the Roman numeral for two with curved brackets. “So a Gemini is Air, Mutable, and ruled by the planet Mercury. As we discussed last month, Mercury also rules over the Virgo, and is generally associated with intellect and communication. But while the Virgo is typically an inward communicator,” Can confirm, I thought, “a Gemini is more about outward communication.” Cannot confirm, I also thought, recalling the millions of times Ceto avoided answering even the most basic questions. Maybe that was a version of outward communication, technically. “And this is one of the many facets of Astrology that makes compatibility so much more complex than the base elements. If it was as simple as matching elements, we’d never see something like an Earth Sign and a Fire Sign together.”

Convenient example.

Sometimes, I almost thought Adrian was legitimately jealous of Marcus, but I didn’t suspect he’d ever admit it.

“Agreed.” Marcus confirmed in my head. “But you should have some sympathy. Imagine if you were someone like him and had a sibling who was as impressive as me.”

Fair point.

“Maybe that’s why I find myself so drawn to Earth Signs even though I’m an Aquarius.” Linda mused, and I wasn’t going to be bothered by that, because she’d been nothing but nice to me, and my only claim on Adrian was… I dragged my teeth over his mark, and smiled to myself when he visibly stiffened. Slowly but surely I was starting to realize I was the one who had the real power in these relationships. All they got out of me was my virginity, and I didn’t even want that shit. I was the one winning multiple orgasms every month, while some hot men fought over me.

Be nice, Lila. Men are people too. They have feelings and hopes and dreams just like you do. I chastised myself, but I also wasn’t entirely certain men had thoughts that didn’t center their dicks. Note to self: Read Marcus’ mind more.

“I need to stay out of your head in this class, because it’s really hard to keep a straight face when you’re so ridiculous.” Marcus’ voice entered my mind again, and I all but snort laughed in my seat. He was struggling just as hard to keep a neutral expression.

Adrian’s eyebrow twitched.

“There can be a lot of reasons for that.” Professor Karras continued his lecture, and I remembered that we were supposed to be listening. Considering I knew and spent time with a Gemini, this was probably a more important lesson than most. “The Gemini’s conflicting nature is the perfect segue into a duality that all signs carry.” He started drawing a new chart, “Every zodiac sign has a masculine or feminine polarity, which adds yet another layer to personality and interpretation of elements, planets, and modality. You might notice, as we’ve gone through each sign’s base characteristics, that Earth and Water signs are typically associated with a more nurturing and emotionally intuitive personality type. Mother Earth and the life giving essence of water are considered Feminine by nature, and their signs tend to gravitate towards introversion. But introversion and extroversion take many different forms, and once you add in the additional elements of modality and planets, you can create so many different versions of the same concept and base.”

Adrian started drawing each symbol under its associated polarity. “Naturally, that means Fire and Air signs, which are elements that can both shape and destroy, are Masculine. A roaring fire and the constant push of wind can move both earth and water, making them dominant elements over the passivity of their counterparts.”

“That’s a bit archaic and sexist.” Linda scrunched her nose. “I guess I would say I’m extroverted, but I’ve never seen myself as Masculine.” She squeezed her boobs between her biceps in not subtle emphasis. “And I really can’t imagine you being feminine, Professor.”

Well played, teacher’s pet.

Adrian leaned against his desk, and I always wondered now when his smile was genuine versus borrowed. “Astrology is archaic. Just like any myth or legend, many of the ideas were written to reflect the time period when they were first recorded, but the actual magic of it all has existed since before humans tried to track the phenomenon with words and described rules. Think of it like the legends of gods or spirits. In theory, if such things exist, then they’ve always existed, long before they were ever observed and recorded in books. Just because the general populace wasn’t privy to certain aspects of physics, for example, that doesn’t mean gravity didn’t come around until Isaac Newton wrote it down. And just because it’s been described in detail, observed over centuries and millennia, that doesn’t mean the recorded understanding is accurate to the true laws of the universe. It’s guess work and theory, just like all of science.”

Why did I swoon every time he got on a passionate soap box? Something about men acting nerdy did things for me. It was like watching Ceto sew or Marcus talk about his motorcycle.

Adrian continued, and I was now hopelessly sucked into his lecture. “As such, as civilization socially evolves, the interpretation of archaic ideas can change. At the end of the day the stars are the stars. Human nature loves to put people in boxes, creating a rhetoric of us versus them, latching onto some singular characteristic or opinion to categorize a complex person, but labeling any trait as innately feminine or masculine is a simplification of the complexity of the soul and the individual spirit. All people have traits that reflect bits of both sides.”

He erased the male and female symbols on his chart, and replaced them with a plus and a minus. “Positive and Negative or Yin and Yang can be substituted for Masculine and Feminine, but the end result is the same regardless of the limits of language.”

Linda nodded along, seemingly more pleased with the alternatives. “Well, you know what I’m going to ask next. How does this translate to a Gemini’s love life?”

“You read my mind.” Adrian continued with a smile. A bit overkill on the enthusiasm, in my opinion. “This is where Geminis, unfortunately, can get a bit of a bad reputation. The good is that the sign tends to be very intellectual and very focused on compatibility of the mind. They’ll want to find friendship in a partner first, and you’ll likely both learn something. You can expect mindful conversations with a Gemini.” He sat against the edge of his desk and gestured with his hands as he spoke. “But the other face of the twins is that they’re easily bored and even worse at commitment. A Gemini’s constant search for mental stimulation can cause those born under the sign to leave a good relationship prematurely, or they might seek out other potential mates in a bid to maintain independence, newness, and excitement. This is why Gemini’s are so often called two-faced. One moment, you’re their world, the next moment, you’re a chore, and it can prove difficult to always deliver the amount of engagement they demand.”

“That sounds exhausting.” I sunk my cheek into my fist. But also, that didn’t resemble Ceto at all, in my opinion. This had definitely dripped fully into myths and legends. I knew Astrology was bullshit.

Adrian met my eyes, and that cheerful mask faltered for a fraction of a second. “Then I wouldn’t suggest getting mixed up with any Gemini this month.” Since I hadn’t told him anything about Ceto, I could only assume he meant himself and my desk mate over here.

“I wouldn’t recommend it any month.” Marcus said through our mental link. He seemed personally offended by Geminis for some reason.

“Have you ever dated a Gemini?”