Page 16 of Against All Odds

I blinked furiously against the stubborn tears. Was he now my fucking therapist, too? And more importantly, why was I pouring my heart out to this man about things I had never shared with anyone in my mortal life?

“Alright.” Jurrian blinked, a hint of something deeper briefly crossing his face. “And then, once you had built your empire after a lifetime of escaping the pain, then what?”

I sniffed, aggressively wiping my single tear. “What do you mean, then what? Getting rich was the goal.”

He made a dismissive gesture. “Getting rich is rarely the goal; that’s just one of the deceptions of mortal life. Once you make it, then what? Did you ever look for love, to find someone to share that happiness with and create more together?”

I stayed silent for a beat. “I don’t think I ever thought that far ahead,” I said finally. “In fact, I don’t think I even allowed myself to date. I was always working.”

“Exactly.” He smiled a little before standing up, straightening his robe. “When you’re surviving, you can’t imagine what it’s like to live. That applies to you, and also your assignment.” He gave a short nod. “Allow yourself some time to think about that.”

I scoffed. “I’d prefer not to be compared to her, thank you. My methods might have been questionable, but at least I was doing something productive. All she does is drink and snort her damn problems away.”

“I must go now,” he said cryptically. “Try to remember what I said about having an open mind. I will see you soon, Seren.”

I opened my mouth to ask a follow-up question, but Jurrian nonchalantly pushed away one of the shelves, revealing another gleaming, cloud-framed surface. As he stepped through, the clouds closed behind him as if he had never been there, leaving me with my head spinning and my words lost.

Chapter 7.

Raya

I was turning my life around.

I’d moved into a new house, but I couldn’t move out of my old one on such short notice, and paying double rent for a month was hard on my already tight finances. The wound on my knee had healed, though the one on my right palm might turn into a scar. Miraculously, someone had found my phone and brought it to the police, though I had to buy a new bike.

It had been three weeks since the incident, and I hadn’t touched alcohol since. In fact, I spent most of my days staying late in the school library to study for my semester finals. Who would’ve thought? Well, I kind of had no choice, since I’d been slacking all semester and there was a lot to catch up on – but still.

The library was eerily quiet, only interrupted by agonized sighs of other students around me and the rustling of pages turning. A shock went through me when I spotted a glimpse of blonde hair on my right – Rebekah? No, another blonde girl.

Fuck, I needed to get her out of my head.

A groan escaped me when I shook my head so firmly, my brown curls fell in front of my face. I aggressively pushed them behind my ears and commanded myself to focus my attention back on the book I was trying to summarize. Applied Statistics for Design Research. Statistics had to be my least favorite subject in this course.

But now, the damage was done. One glimpse of blonde hair and my thoughts kept drifting to her, all focus gone.

With a sigh, I reached into my bag. Was the last dose of Ritalin already wearing off? How long had it been – an hour?

Doesn’t matter, I decided. If it helps me pass this damn exam, it doesn’t matter.

My eyes scanned the library to ensure no one was looking my way before putting the pill in my mouth. I swallowed it with a big sip of coffee, grimacing at the bitter taste. I ignored how my hands trembled, attributing it to the lack of sleep.

I didn’t know why I was acting so shady about it. Not like I was doing drugs in the library. At least it was better than speed. I was pretty sure one of my new roommates was a dealer in all kinds of things, and he surely wouldn’t notice when I took some from his huge stash of Ritalin. Ritalin was what they forced on me when I was a kid who couldn’t sit still and stop talking. Therefore, it was fine that I’d been taking the pills all day for the past two weeks, and when I couldn’t sleep after a long day of studying, I used the high to hit up the city.

Alone, because most of my classmates didn’t go out during exams, and I had blocked all of my old roommates and their friends, except for Kyle.

“Raya! This is about the last place I’d expect to see you!”

I flinched at the voice, only to relax slightly when I spotted his blonde spikes and grin. Speak of the devil. “Kyle.” The breath left my mouth in a laugh, despite my unease. Had he seen me take the pill? Didn’t seem like it. “Now, why is that?” I put my hand over my chest in mock-offense.

The corner of his mouth twitched in his attempt not to laugh.

Irritated noises and one ‘shhh!’ around us.

Kyle grimaced. “How about we take a quick break in the canteen?”

I hesitated for a second, looking from my dull study material back to him. Then I nodded. “A break sounds good.”

“How are your new roommates?” Kyle asked when we sat across from each other in the cafe – him nursing a caramel macchiato while I clutched a double espresso with extra sugar.