Page 33 of Lost and Bound

“Thanks, May-May. I seriously hope you don’t catch this. I feel like crap.”

“Do you want me to stay?”

His face emerges through the steam. “I’ll call if it gets super bad or if I want some company.”

“I haven’t unpacked my phone.”

Orion starts coughing again, and I pull the door shut, talking through a smaller gap in the door. “Just message me, I’ve always got my device with me.”

“I know. You’re the best friend ever. Now, go. Except, wait!”

I stop mid-step.

“I know you’re stressing about the auction, but don’t. Children play childish games. If all else fails, I’ll either kick someone’s ass when I’m better, or I’ll rob a bank and win the auction.”

I let out a loud, cheesy sigh. “My hero.”

“Damn straight. Now go!” He shuts off the shower, and I wait near the door until I hear him moving around.

“Message if you need anything!” I yell out a final time before pulling the door closed behind me.

The corridor is empty, and all the dorm doors are shut, which is weird. The other times I’ve been to visit, at least some of the doors are open and the hallway is full of noise and activity. As I walk toward the stairs, the sound of students coughing is the only thing I hear.

The silence on my level is comforting. At first, I was miffed, even a little hurt, that my room was so alienated from the other students, but it’s not so bad down here.

Unlocking my door, I put everything on my desk before washing my hands and changing my clothes, knowing how easily viruses spread. Being paranoid, I wash my hands again before opening my window to let the cold, fresh air in. The last thing I need is to get whatever Orion has.

It’s not like we had any plans, but there’s a gap in my schedule made by him being sick. I fill it by working on a few assignments. I’ve fallen into a good habit of studying after dinner, followed by reading until I fall asleep. Each book I read, even if it’s only a chapter, highlights how little I know. The books Thales provides are academic-based, while the ones from Professor Drummond have a different slant on the world I’m now a part of.

But it’s the tomes in the box that I love reading the most, as those tell tales of harmony, of a happy world, united and fair. The endless battles in the pages are like epic journeys into forgotten worlds. Each new story I start focuses on powerful beings and discusses their strengths from a moralistic and virtuous point of view, as opposed to more modern books. The tomes talk about fate and destiny over and over and over again, imploring the importance of faith and hope.

Where they also differ is in whom they worship. The Thales books are published by the individual groups themselves—vampires, shifters, celestials, and magiks. Whereas the tomes talk about those groups, each doesn’t consider itself the ultimate being, instead, they refer to the gods. I kind of wish I were there to witness the world as it was then. The modern version is eerily similar to those beliefs held in the upper echelon of human society, where the only god they worship is money, the only strength you have is based on your financial status, and the only good deed done involves a takeover that increases your wealth and standing.

As I switch off my desk light, darkness invades, but the moon balances it out, and I drift off to sleep.

A ding on my device pulls me from my dreams hours later. Although it’s not morning yet, sunrise isn’t far away. I sit up, expecting a message from Orion, but it’s not from him. Instead, I open the email from Master Maddern, reading the contents a few times before the words sink in. I knew it was the weekend, so I had plans to study and clean my room before visiting Rodderick, but all that is dashed when I get a summons to attend commission training. That’s made worse because I don’t have any idea what it entails.

The final paragraph stirs my worries and anxieties into a jumbled mess. It’s a Thales-wide notification that Nomina House, floors three and four, are in isolation due to sickness. Students housed in those levels are out of action, and students in levels one to two will take over duties until further advised. Students already commissioned are exempt because their unit needs them.

Considering I’m the only person on both level one and two, my weekend plan of studying is replaced with wondering if I’m going to survive long enough to see another sunset. Commission training suggests the odds are not in my favor.

I check the time and blast out of bed, straight into the shower. A cold shower, too, for no other reason but to deaden my senses. I get I’m being slightly over the top but considering the bs I’ve witnessed in the dining hall, I think my early morning meltdown is justified. There comes a point when I have to get out, or I’ll suffer hypothermia. So I wrap myself up in a towel, then go back to check the details of the message again. There’s no mention of what to wear, so I couple the sports uniform with a pair of running tights from home and a big baggy hoodie to hide in.

As I walk out of my room toward the stairs, I’m tempted to run up to see Orion, but he’s infectious, and I know he’s got everything he needs for the rest of the day. I’d planned to grab him some takeout later, so I’ll check on him then.

With no last-minute natural disasters to stop me from attending training, I make my way there. I don’t stop to sit-down and have breakfast; instead, I grab a smoothie, as well as some fresh fruit and a sandwich. The path down to the fields feels like it takes forever, and despite thinking I was early, when I arrive, there’s a handful of other students already waiting. Thankfully, a few of them are wearing blue shirts, meaning I’m not the only Nom here.

Admittedly, the other Noms don’t make eye contact or acknowledge me, but before it gets more awkward than it is, another group of students joins us. They’re mostly purples, and they bring with them quiet chatter and camaraderie. The number of students increases, and before long, I’d say it’s almost start time.

Then the reason for this session strides onto the field as if they own the universe. As other students flow closer to the newcomers, I shrink back, finding a shadow to hide in and watch. It’s not hard to assume these are the guys Orion was talking about.

They ooze power and carry a strange energy. Even over the distance that separates us, I feel their presence.

They mingle and engage with the other students, but it’s only at a surface-level, and while they do, I dissect their appearance.

They’re not wearing gym gear like the rest of us. I’m not sure if it’s because they are obnoxiously conceited and think they don’t need to train, or if it’s because wearing jeans and hoodies with combat boots is how they prefer to work out. I’m leaning more toward that, because it makes so much more sense to me. Athletic wear isn’t exactly great for protection or survival.

Two wear their House colors, and the third does also, but his uniform is different. Even if they weren’t, I’d be able to tell their supernatural type without trying too hard. Height-wise, they have it in the bag with the other students, physically too.