Total pages in book: 96
Estimated words: 89379 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 447(@200wpm)___ 358(@250wpm)___ 298(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89379 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 447(@200wpm)___ 358(@250wpm)___ 298(@300wpm)
“Hi, guys,” Angela greeted us as she approached. Her bright red hair was glossy and smooth, and there was a healthy glow to her cheeks. It was so good to see her thriving after the attack a few months ago. I still partly blamed myself for what happened. If it hadn’t been for me, Vasilios would never have been masquerading as a student and attending St. Bastian’s in the first place, nor would he have ordered his partner in crime, Sven, to incapacitate Angela just so she couldn’t tell anyone how she stumbled upon Vasilios’s true identity.
“Hey, Ange,” I replied. “We’re all going to the funfair tonight. Want to join us?”
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “Oh, I don’t know. I have a lot of homework to catch up on.”
“Come with us,” Peter urged. “You can do homework anytime. The funfair only comes once a year.”
Her attention went to him as she chewed her lip. “Maybe I can afford to take one night off.”
“That’s the spirit,” Peter replied with a warm smile.
“Great. So we’ll see you there,” I said.
Angela bobbed her head. “Yes, see you there.” She hitched her bag up on her shoulders and went.
“I better get going, too,” Sophia added. “See you both later.”
“See you later,” Peter replied, waving her off.
I turned to grab some books from my locker before closing it, then Peter descended on me, caging me against the door. “Want to head over to my place?” he asked, his eyes focused on my lips.
I sighed. “I can’t. I’m having dinner with my mother and sister. I promised them some quality time, but I’ll make it up to you later,” I replied, going up on my tiptoes to kiss him.
“I’m holding you to that,” he called as I walked away, unable to contain the smile tugging at my lips. I wanted nothing more than to go back to his apartment and be alone with him, but I’d been spending so much time with Peter lately that I’d been neglecting my other relationships. I was trying to make an effort to spend time with my parents and sister. Grace was also a little put out by how often I was with Peter.
“Your father ordered us sushi,” Mum said when I arrived home. She was standing at the kitchen counter unpacking takeout boxes from our favourite Japanese restaurant. Since my father was a vampire and didn’t consume human food, he liked ordering fancy dishes for us to enjoy.
“Perfect, I’m starving,” I said, eyeing the feast she was laying out.
“Go wash up, then take a seat at the table. I’ll bring everything over,” she said.
A few minutes later, Mum and I were seated at the dining table. Rebecca came downstairs soon after and took a seat. Dad had ordered more than enough for all three of us, and I loaded my plate with a few extra pieces before dipping one in soy sauce and popping it in my mouth.
“How has everything been at work?” Mum asked Rebecca.
My sister tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “It’s been good. I have a few friends among the other faculty members now, which makes things a lot more bearable.”
“The students seem to behave better in your classes now, too,” I put in.
Rebecca nodded, a small smile shaping her lips. “Yes, thanks to Grace.”
“Why thanks to Grace?” Mum inquired.
“Grace pretended to act out in one of Rebecca’s classes so that she could punish her in front of everyone,” I explained. “Rebecca gave her a month of detention, and now, everybody’s much less inclined to misbehave in her class.”
Mum smiled as she lifted her glass of water. “That is quite ingenious, I must admit.”
“Grace wasn’t too happy about actually having to do the detention,” Rebecca said with amusement. “But we had to make it believable. I bought her a new pair of boots to make up for it.”
Huh. That was interesting. I’d wondered where Grace had gotten her fancy new boots but never had the chance to ask her. It made me think she and my sister were having interactions I wasn’t privy to. I made a mental note to quiz Grace about it since I didn’t want her to get hurt. I was the only one who knew about my cousin’s crush on my older, adopted sister. Well, Peter knew, too, but I trusted him not to tell anybody.
“What about you, Darya?” Mum said, turning to me. “Are your classes going well?”
I shrugged. “As well as can be expected. I wouldn’t go getting your hopes up for me to be named valedictorian or anything, but I’m confident I’ll at least pass my exams.”
“Mrs Kanumba mentioned to me that you’ve been getting good grades in Alchemy,” Rebecca said. “And you always do well in Herbology.”
“That’s because I find Alchemy and Herbology genuinely interesting. I just think it’s a waste to force us to learn every single subject instead of specialising where our talents lie. I mean, I’m never going to fully grasp telekinesis. It’s just not in my wheelhouse.”