Akarnae (8 page)

Alex felt like slapping herself. Why hadn’t she listened to Jordan’s warning? “How did I end up in here?”

“You don’t remember?”

“I can’t remember
anything!
”

“No need to shout,” he said with a calming gesture. “I’m not deaf.”

“Sorry, sir,” she mumbled.

“No matter,” he said, waving her apology aside. “And none of that ‘sir’ business. Call me Fletcher.”

She nodded and waited for him to continue.

“Memory loss is common after a dillyberry overdose,” Fletcher told her. “I’ve treated you with some medication to dissolve the excess sugar in your bloodstream, and your nap should’ve taken care of the rest. As to how you ended up here, you’ll have to ask your friends.”

Yeah, there was no way she was going to do that. She would be keeping what little self-respect she had left by repressing the entire episode.

“You should be fine to head off to class now,” Fletcher added. “We’re halfway through third period. Plenty of time for you to catch up.”

“Thanks so much for your help, Fletcher,” she said, jumping off the bed. “And sorry for the, um, marriage proposal. I don’t suppose we can forget that happened?”

“Consider it eliminated from my memory, Alex,” he said with a warm smile as he escorted her out of the Ward. “I’m sure we’ll see each other again soon.” At her confused expression, he sent her a wink and explained, “Your friends mentioned that you’re in Epsilon Combat.”

Alex groaned. Just how bad was that class going to be?

She decided not to respond to his statement and instead pulled out her timetable to find that she was meant to be in Medical Science, her only age-based class that day. “Fletcher, any chance you can tell me how to find Laboratory Three?”

Following his directions, Alex headed up two flights of stairs and down a long corridor before she reached the solid door
labelled ‘Lab. 3’. She hesitated outside, wondering whether she should knock before entering. But the decision was taken out of her hands when the door sprang open.

“Are you going to stand there all day, Miss Jennings?”

Startled, Alex quickly entered the classroom. She was surprised to discover that—for some inexplicable reason—the door was completely transparent from the inside, like a one-way window.

“Are you done with interrupting my class?”

Alex turned away from the see-through door and searched for the owner of the sharp voice. It took her a moment to move her gaze past the curious glances from her classmates—and the amused looks from Jordan and Bear—but when she found the short woman close to the front of the room, Alex had to clamp down on a burst of laughter. It looked like a washing machine had thrown up a rainbow and plastered it all over the woman’s lab coat.

Alex blinked a few times in the hope that it would help fade the sight—which it didn’t—and then she hesitantly stepped forward. “I’m—”

“I’m well aware of who you are, Miss Jennings,” the woman interrupted, levelling her strict gaze on Alex. “I’m Professor Luranda, head of Medical Science, and tardiness is not acceptable in my class.”

“I didn’t—”

“Fortunately for you, your friends explained your absence,” the professor interrupted again. “Since it’s your first day, I’ll be lenient. In the future, arrive on time or face the consequences.”

That was hardly fair. It wasn’t as if Alex had deliberately planned to end up in the Medical Ward. But she would have to let her indignation go, since the professor appeared to be waiting for a response. “Uh, sure thing, ma’am.”

“
Professor.
”

Alex jerked. “Pardon me?”

“The correct response is, ‘Sure thing,
Professor
’. Lack of respect is something else I will not tolerate in my class, Miss Jennings.”

Alex nodded, not wanting to further aggravate the short, crazy-coated woman.

“Well, what are you waiting for?” Professor Luranda said. “Go and find a seat so I can continue my lesson.”

Unfortunately, the only spare seat was next to the red-headed glaring girl from Alex’s Archery class.

Alex waited until the professor disappeared into the storeroom before she turned to quietly introduce herself. Sure, the entire class already knew who she was thanks to her late entrance, but she hoped striking up a polite conversation with her moody desk partner would ease some of the weird tension between them. “Hey, I’m—”

“I don’t care,” the girl interrupted, not even looking up from her textbook.

Alex’s eyes widened. Talk about rude. But even so, she tried again, “I’m—”

“I still don’t care.”

“But, I—”

“Is there something wrong with you?” The girl marked her page, turning to Alex with narrowed eyes. “Let me make myself clear: I. Don’t. Care. Who. You. Are.”

Alex stared at the other girl in shock and then turned her attention to the front of the class when Professor Luranda stepped back into view carrying a box of glass containers.

“Now, class,” the professor said, continuing on with the lecture that Alex had missed, “while the toxicity of Faenda venom can cause damage to internal organs over extended periods of time, in a life or death situation its paralytic effects can provide an adequate—if unorthodox—stabilisation treatment.”

Professor Luranda proceeded to walk around the room, placing a container on every table. Each jar held a black flying insect with glowing green wings and a painful-looking stinger.

“In your pairs, I want one of you to reach into the jar and provoke the creature to sting you,” the professor instructed. “The paralysis will only last for a few minutes and in that time the non-paralysed student will ensure their partner does not fall and hurt themselves while under the effects of the venom. You will then switch roles. Begin as soon as you are ready.”

Alex looked up to find her partner smirking at her.

“After you,” the other girl challenged.

Alex grit her teeth and reached out to grab the jar. Once her hand was inside, it didn’t take long for the little black and green Faenda to feel threatened and sink its stinger into her flesh. And, wow, it hurt a lot more than she’d expected. Or maybe her added pain was a result of her head thumping onto the lab bench as the paralysis took effect. So much for her partner keeping her from harm.

It took maybe three minutes for Alex’s limbs to start tingling, indicating that she was coming out of her immobility. In that time it was impossible for her not to wonder about the ethics of her new school. From the crazy PE teacher with his Taser-stick, to being purposefully stung by a venomous insect, Alex couldn’t figure out how any of it was acceptable. Once again she had to remind herself that she was in a completely new world and that she just had to go with it.

When she was finally able to lift herself up from the bench, Alex shook her tingling hands and looked over at her partner. “Your turn.”

The other girl buffed her fingernails on her shirt and said, “Can’t. I’m allergic.”

Yeah, right,
Alex scoffed internally. She opened her mouth to object, but someone else cut in first.

“What’s going on over here?” the professor asked, seeing that neither Alex nor her partner were currently under the effects of the venom.

“Jennings was just about to have her turn,” the other girl said, shaking her hands out as if she was the one recovering from the paralysis.

“What?” Alex blurted. “But, I—”

“You’ve already disrupted my class once, Miss Jennings,” Professor Luranda said, turning away. “Hurry up and complete your task, or else you’ll find yourself with a detention.”

Alex gaped at the professor’s back before slicing her enraged eyes to her partner.

“Maybe you should start with your head already on the bench this time,” the other girl suggested, trying unsuccessfully to keep a straight face. “That must have hurt.”

“What’s your problem?” Alex demanded.

Seeing the professor’s eyes on her from the front of the classroom, Alex angrily shoved her hand into the jar once again. As she felt the sting and the accompanying paralysis overcome her for the second time, all she heard was her partner’s whispered, “You are, Roomie,” before she thumped onto the desk again.

Did she say ‘Roomie’?
Alex wondered with a sickening feeling, while she waited for her newest bout of paralysis to wear off.
That’s just my luck
.

She didn’t get the chance to talk to the girl further because Luranda jumped straight back into her lecture, demanding the attention of the entire class.

When the gong finally rang, the other girl—who Alex now presumed was D.C.—took off without a word, and Jordan and Bear bounded over to Alex.

“How’re you feeling?” Bear asked.

Alex grimaced. “Do you mean after the dillyberry disaster, or because of the two paralysis-induced face-plants into my desk care of my oh-so-loving roommate?”

Bear bit his lip to keep from smiling but Jordan didn’t bother trying to hide his amusement. “Um, both?”

“Well, it’s so nice of you to ask,” Alex said, leading the way out of the room, “but I really don’t want to talk about it.”

“Fair enough,” Jordan agreed for them both, still grinning as he stepped up beside her. “You ready for Combat?”

“Nope,” Alex answered. “But I don’t think I have a choice, so lead the way.”

A few minutes later, Alex found herself staring in awe at the intimidating structure in front of her. The aptly named Arena was a mammoth colosseum-like construction that looked as if it was straight out of the gladiator era.

Seriously, what was with this school?

Jordan and Bear had to physically pull her forward as they rounded the hill leading to the magnificent site. Alex couldn’t deny that the view was spectacular, but she wasn’t able to appreciate it fully since she was too distracted by her fear of what went on inside those sandstone walls.

“You’ll be okay,” Bear said, seeing the queasy look on her face. “Karter might be a piece of work, but he knows what he’s doing. He won’t let you die, not on your first day.”

Jordan nodded his agreement. For some reason they both seemed to think those were reassuring words.

“Thanks, guys,” she said, to keep them from saying anything else ‘encouraging’. “I’ll—uh—hopefully see you later.”

She tried to muster up a smile, but it probably looked more like a grimace.

Jordan clapped her on the shoulder and Bear gave her the thumbs-up, then they both took off for their Delta Archery class.

Alex forced herself to move forward and she soon discovered that the inside of the Arena was almost as magnificent as the outside. There was no roof, instead the thick walls stretched straight up to the sky. Dotted around the sandstone perimeter were archways that led into large, sheltered rooms. For some reason, Alex doubted they were used for wet-weather classes.

“You lost, Jennings?”

Karter was scowling at her from halfway across the Arena. Once again he was dressed in his weird leather ensemble, the sword still belted to his waist.

Alex counted five other students stretching on the ground near him, all of them male. She held her head high as she walked over to the small group, trying to ignore the feeling of her feet sinking into the dark, sand-like powder that covered the entire floor of the Arena.

“No, sir,” she said as she approached. “I’m in this class.”

Karter looked at her incredulously before he threw his head back and burst out laughing. A few of the others in the class also snickered at her words. She frowned and dug her timetable out of her pocket, shoving it under Karter’s nose. His eyes widened as he read the slip of paper and his laughter ceased.

“This is a joke, right? There’s no way
you
”—he made it sound like there was something wrong with her—“could be in this class.”

Alex just shrugged. She wasn’t about to argue with him since she felt the same way. Stupid lollipop.

“What an…
interesting
turn of events,” Karter hissed. His formidable arm muscles were flexed in tension and the veins in his neck looked like they were about to pop right out of his skin.

Alex swallowed nervously but held her ground.

“All right, then,” he said, eyeing her thoughtfully. There was a dangerous glint in his icy gaze. “Let’s see how this plays out.”

Seven

Alex woke a few hours
later to the sound of drums banging inside her head. She winced as she reached back and felt the egg-shaped bump just behind her ear.

“Twice in one day,” came a familiar voice. “Lucky me.”

“Fletcher?” she asked, confused. She tried to sit up but the room swam around her and she was forced to lie back down again. “Eugh,” she groaned.

“Easy there, Alex. You’ve got quite the concussion.” Fletcher walked into view, clipboard in hand once more. He pulled out his flashlight and aimed it into her eyes, just like he had earlier in the day. She ducked away from the beam, squinting from the pain caused by the bright light.

“Sorry about that.” He scribbled onto his clipboard. “Just had to check.”

She started to nod but stopped when it felt like a knife was stabbing into her brain.

“What happened?” she asked, trying to ignore the throbbing.

“Why don’t you tell me what you remember?”

Alex thought back over the afternoon’s events. After Karter had agreed to let her stay in the class, he’d ordered her to stretch before pairing everyone up. She’d been partnered with Declan Stirling, a hulk of a boy easily twice her size.

Karter had instructed them to spar with each other,
practising ‘easy’ hand-to-hand combat and progressing to harder levels of difficulty.

Alex hadn’t even known where to begin. She’d tried to tell Karter that she had no fighting experience, but he’d just shrugged and walked away, claiming that it wasn’t his problem.

She’d looked at her massive partner, certain he wouldn’t fight a defenceless girl. Her confidence had vanished the moment his massive arm had come flying towards her. She’d practically watched her life flash before her eyes.

Surprisingly enough, Alex had managed to duck the first blow, and the second as well. Her reflexes had mapped their own instinctive, adrenaline-filled reactions, and without even knowing how, she’d ended up kicking her leg out towards his torso.